Farmers Guardian articles from February 2009

Farmers Guardian archives from February 2009

BSE test charge sparks abattoir-mart stand-off.
February 6, 2009... * Auctioneers say no mandate to collect fee * Both sides anxious to resolve the issue By Howard Walsh AN extraordinary stand-off has developed this week between some of the larger cow-buying abattoirs and auction markets. As...

Cost sharing plans revealed.
February 6, 2009... DEFRA has revealed it wants farming to `match-fund' its work on disease `preparedness and surveillance', as part of its Responsibility and Cost- Sharing (RCS) plans. In its response to Sir Iain Anderson's report on the 2007 foot-and- mouth...

Defra backtracks on its redevelopment promise.
February 6, 2009... * Department ends Pirbright funding By Alistair Driver DEFRA has come under fire for pulling out of funding the re-development of the Institute of Animal Health's (IAH) Pirbright site. Under an agreement reached in 2005, Defra was...

Organic industry bodies request a `feed holiday'.
February 6, 2009... ORGANIC certifying bodies have formally asked Defra if it will allow under-pressure organic livestock farmers to take a `feed holiday'. If permitted, the move would allow organic farmers to give their animals conventional feed but retain...

British sheep industry gives EID evidence to visiting EC officials.
February 6, 2009... THE British sheep industry spent this week demonstrating the pitfalls of new EID regulation to representatives from the European Commission. A delegation of experts arrived from Brussels on Monday and visited farms, abattoirs and marts in...

Tesco chief criticises farm subsidies, biofuels and watchdogs.
February 6, 2009... * Consumer is most efficient regulator By William Surman TESCO chief executive Sir Terry Leahy has criticised farm subsidies, biofuels and the proposed supermarket watchdog. He used his platform as principal speaker at the City...

UK needs major food security overhaul.
February 6, 2009... THE UK cannot afford to take its food supply for granted and would need radical change if it was to avoid descending into an all-out domestic food crisis, a new report from influential think-tank Chatham House has warned The report, issued...

Dairy Farmers of Britain cuts its member milk price.
February 6, 2009... Dairy Farmers of Britain is cutting its member milk price by 1.1ppl from February 5. It will be applied as a flat rate reduction on all DFB payment schedules. Chief executive Andrew Cooksey said markets had weakened since the co- op's...

New inquiry into Scottish pig sector.
February 6, 2009... THE Scottish Government's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee has re-opened its inquiry into the pig industry. Acknowledging the conclusions of a similar inquiry in England, the Committee decided to launch a new inquiry looking at how...

Business as usual for farmers as snow brings London to a standstill.
February 6, 2009... * Weekend could bring yet more snow By Jack Davies ADAPTABLE farmers across Britain once again demonstrated their durability this week as they kept working through one of the biggest snowstorms to hit parts of the country in 18 years....

Meeting the global food challenge.
February 6, 2009... WHILE farmers are likely to respond to the growing demand for food, low returns and red tape could mean having to rise to the challenge with one hand tied behind the industry's back. That was the main thrust of evidence put yesterday by NFU...

HDC backs levy fund plan for Red Tractor.
February 6, 2009... * But Potato Council rejects proposal THE Horticultural Development Council (HDC) has given qualified backing to the plan to pool #500,000 of levy-payers' money to support the Red Tractor logo. HDC reviewed the initiative at a board...

Scots scheme under review.
February 6, 2009... THE Scottish Government has appointed Peter Cook, the former head of rural business at the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), to undertake a review of the #1.6 billion Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). The review comes ahead...

RASE president resigns.
February 6, 2009... MASTERCHEF presenter John Torode has stood down as president of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). Mr Torode said work commitments were preventing him from giving his best to the society. The Australian-born chef owns...

Welsh farming investigations.
February 6, 2009... Two significant farming investigations are being conducted by the all- party Welsh Assembly rural development sub-committee. Being tackled with urgency is one covering sheep electronic recording and identification, while the other, due to...

Praise for TV chef who raised pig industry's plight.
February 6, 2009... Jamie Oliver called on consumers to back the UK pig industry and buy British last week. As supermarkets report soaring pork sales, producers praise his efforts. Jack Davies reports. * Call for change to origin labelling THE farming...

`Reality check' for celebrity chefs.
February 6, 2009... Asda chief executive Andy Bond slammed celebrity chefs for being out of touch with reality. Writing in trade magazine the Grocer last week, he called Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall `patronising' for pushing people on low budgets to buy...

Lidl backs British farming industry.
February 6, 2009... DIscount supermarket Lidl provided a major boost to UK farmers, announcing it had switched to 100 per cent British on pork, chicken and beef across its 500 UK stores. A spokesman for the supermarket said the move demonstrated its...

Pork sales rocket after broadcast.
February 6, 2009... JAMIE Oliver's support for UK pig farmers is already starting to take effect, with some retailers reporting record sales of British pork following his call to buy British last week. Following Jamie Saves Our Bacon, where the chef...

Vet falsely signed bTB certificates.
February 6, 2009... * Suspended after guilty verdict * Untrained locums had performed tests A LEADING North Wales veterinary surgeon has been suspended for a month by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons after being found guilty of `serious...

Doubts over Royal Lancashire Show.
February 6, 2009... THE Royal Lancashire Show, which was cancelled in 2007 and 2008 due to bad weather, could be hit by further problems this year. The Duchy of Lancaster, landlord at the temporary showground at Myerscough, between Preston and Garstang, has...

Anger at `selfish' English.
February 6, 2009... NFU Scotland has hit out at `selfish' farmers in England who continue to import animals from bluetongue-hit areas on the continent. The reaction came as a consignment of cattle from Belgium arrived on a farm in the north of England, despite...

LETTER: Pesticides: Supermarkets' final say?(Letter to the editor)
February 6, 2009... THROUGH no fault of their own, livestock farmers have continued to work through major disruption caused by the incompetence or neglect of others. They could not avoid BSE as they were unaware of unsafe ingredients in cattle feed - those...

LETTER: Whole world in organic hands?(Letter to the editor)
February 6, 2009... I HOPE Robert Forster (FG, January 30) enjoyed his premature dance on the supposed grave of organic farming. He gave every impression of one who has bet on an outsider, and is ever- so heartened to learn the favourite has been nobbled. ...

LETTER: Original Friesian breed turns 100.(Letter to the editor)
February 6, 2009... ALONG with many British Friesian Breeders, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it is not the centenary of the Holstein breed, but of the society formed to register black and white cattle in 1909. There never was a Holstein...

LETTER: Industry discord not way forward.(Letter to the editor)
February 6, 2009... I AM deeply disappointed and frustrated that Chris Dodds chose to strike a completely unnecessary note of discord for the industry in his comments on EID (FG, January 30). The slaughter derogation has the potential to minimise financial...

EDITORIAL: Will Government never learn?(Editorial)
February 6, 2009... THE Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has a tough fight on its hands. Defra's withdrawal from funding key development work at the Institute of Animal Health at Pirbright now leaves the project woefully short of funds. ...

OPINION: Nothing like a good market.
February 6, 2009... LIVESTOCK markets used to be one of the great achievements of British country life. Some had origins so distant they seemed to have been around forever, but long history is no guarantee of a future. Foot-and-mouth saw them branded as...

ANALYSIS: Is this the death of the organic dream?
February 6, 2009... Consumers are turning away from organic food in favour of cheaper ethical alternatives as the recession bites. In a three-page special, FG asks is this the beginning of the end for organics? Alistair Driver reports. The idea there is going...

ANALYSIS: Organics - a market in decline?
February 6, 2009... On the up * UK Sales of organic food increased by an average of 26 per cent each year between 1993 and 2006 * In 1993 total sales were #105 million. The #1 billion mark was reached in 2002, while sales in 2006 were just under #2bn ...

ANALYSIS: IDG shopper trends survey.
February 6, 2009... * Shoppers who said they bought organic food in the past month dropped to 19 per cent, against 24 per cent in 2008 * A quarter of consumers purchased `Fairtrade', almost three times more than 2006 * The number of shoppers buying...

ANALYSIS: Supermarket and consumer views.
February 6, 2009... * Tesco - Organic sales flat. * Sainsbury's - No response. * Asda - Organics range continues to grow at around 5 per cent year-on- year. * Morrisons - Organic range sales up 32 per cent at end of December 2008, compared with...

ANALYSIS: Farmers urged to stay committed to the organic cause.
February 6, 2009... Yeo Valley is one of the great success stories of the organic boom. Known mainly for its yoghurt range, the Somerset-based processor was the first organic brand to enter the AC Nielson top 100 grocery brands, with sales in excess of #100m. ...

ANALYSIS: Is it viable in the long-term?
February 6, 2009... Lyndon Edwards farms 200 organic dairy cows on 222 hectares (550 acres) at Severndale Farm, near Chepstow, Monmouthshire. Mr Edwards is not optimistic. Although he grows a lot of his own, he has been hit by the soaring cost of organic feed....

ANALYSIS: Veg down, but milk stable.
February 6, 2009... Tom Rigby runs a 40-hectare (100-acre) organic farm with 50 milking cows and four hectares (10 acres) of vegetables at Lowton, near Warrington, Cheshire. On the dairy side, he has `not noticed the pinch at all yet'. His milk price has...

ANALYSIS: Maintaining the milk price.
February 6, 2009... OMSCo, the organic dairy co-operative supplied by about 400 farmers, has been widely praised for its efforts in maintaining the organic milk price amid the economic downturn. Sales and marketing director Huw Bowles says while the liquid...

ANALYSIS: Going back to conventional.
February 6, 2009... Richard Hirst grows vegetables on 280ha (692 acres) on the edge of the Norfolk Broads. He is leaving organic production just one year after converting 20ha (49 acres) of his land. "Demand for organic vegetables is declining and the...

ANALYSIS: Investing for future markets.
February 6, 2009... Polybell Organic Farm grows a wide variety of fresh vegetables in north Lincolnshire, with 1,214ha (3,000 acres) fully organic or in conversion. Already one of the largest suppliers of organic vegetables in the UK, it is in the process of...

ANALYSIS: Targeting low-budget sector.
February 6, 2009... Riverford Organics, Devon, has one of the most successful organic box schemes, selling mainly vegetables and fruit, but also dairy products and meat. "Fortunately, our sales are still strong and growing, and our customers are sticking with...

BUSINESS: Defra partners genetics export.
February 6, 2009... A NEW partnership with Defra is already helping the UK livestock industry export genetics, and will hopefully continue to do so as the weakened pound opens doors into Europe and the rest of the world. The UK Exports Certification...

BUSINESS: New mart bid.
February 6, 2009... PLANS for a new livestock market near Newport, South Wales, go before the council next week. The town's 160-year-old market closes next month and Farmers Union of Wales Gwent county executive officer, Glyn Davies, has submitted a letter of...

BUSINESS: Weakening pound drives overseas interest in farms.
February 6, 2009... WITH the euro nearer parity with sterling, overseas buyers could step up their interest in UK farmland sales. Savills spokesman Christopher Miles said the price differential between UK farmland and that overseas had been the attraction for...

BUSINESS: Contracts could halt dairy decline.
February 6, 2009... * `Confidence is vital' to turn trade around By Howard Walsh DAIRY farming in Great Britain is facing potential damage from a structural decline in milk supply. A major research project by DairyCo Datum suggests a shortage of...

BUSINESS: Red market plea for Wales.
February 6, 2009... THE development of red markets in Wales is being called for to help farms under bovine TB restrictions sell stock. Welsh Assembly Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, Mick Bates told Assembly First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, that as more and...

BUSINESS: Show us colour of your money, maltsters told.
February 6, 2009... MALTING barley growers in Scotland are threatening to leave their drills in the sheds in the absence of contracts from maltsters. With spring planting only weeks away, potential growers say they have no idea how much grain the maltsters...

BUSINESS: Time to stop devaluing of `year-old' sheep.
February 6, 2009... * NSA calls for more proportionate control * Discussing the issue NFU is meeting the FSA next Thursday to discuss the issue. National Livestock Board vice chairman Malcolm Corbett said it would consider various actions including...

BUSINESS: Milk Link completes the milk cuts picture.
February 6, 2009... MILK Link's standard litre price has slipped a shade under 25p and First Milk, as expected, has dropped 0.75ppl from February 1. Commenting on the board's announcement of a 1.75ppl producer price reduction from February 1, Milk Link chief...

BUSINESS: Labour-saving options.
February 6, 2009... The predominant task in the dairying day is of course milking, which represents over 30 per cent of labour use. "Provided the milking process is not affected, then saving time on milking tasks - moving cows, milking and cleaning up - could...

BUSINESS: Use labour judiciously to revolutionise efficiency.
February 6, 2009... Howard Walsh reports on DairyCo's pilot labour productivity study. It involved 24 North West dairy farms and is aimed at helping farmers make the most of available labour. * Project targets key areas to improve * Study takes hard look...

BUSINESS: `Examine both context and content of figures'.
February 6, 2009... LANCASTER dairy farmer and proprietor of Norbreck Genetics, Philip Halhead, said he felt many dairy farmers could well benefit financially from taking a critical look at labour usage. On his own farm at Cockerham, 200 Holsteins are...

BUSINESS: Wiseman ups volume.
February 6, 2009... ROBERT Wiseman Dairies' February 1 producer milk price cut of 2.2ppl will help lessen what could have been a #7 million impact on profits from falling bulk cream prices it flagged up earlier. The company's interim statement for the 17 weeks...

Volatility and recession to bring an end to UK farm income `boom'?
February 6, 2009... * Estimated 8pc fall to February 2009 UK farm incomes increased by more than one third in 2008, but this trend is unlikely to continue. Figures published by Defra show total income from farming (TIFF) rose 36.3 per cent, from #2.54...

BUSINESS: TIFF `shows true picture,' says NFUS.
February 6, 2009... NET Farm Income figures for Scotland bear no resemblance to reality for many farming businesses, says NFU Scotland. It says Scottish Government figures - portraying an apparent increase in farm incomes from #19,800 in 2006/07 to #29,800 in...

BUSINESS: Arla invests #70m in its flagship dairy.
February 6, 2009... ARLA Foods is investing more than #70 million in additional production facilities for fresh dairy products at its flagship dairy at Stourton, near Leeds. With #100m already invested in the site, the expansion will see the company producing...

ARABLE: US growers tackle weeds with herbicide-tolerant beet.
February 6, 2009... * GM take-up to near 100 per cent By Dominic Kilburn THE US sugar beet crop is predicted to be nearly 100 per cent GM in 2009 following widespread adoption of Monsanto's Roundup Ready (RR) herbicide-tolerant beet. Monsanto has...

ARABLE: Tuber treatment.(Conference notes)
February 6, 2009... A new tuber treatment for seed potatoes being developed by Syngenta offers potential for controlling a range of tuber-borne diseases, including activity against common scab, for which there is currently no chemical control. According to...

ARABLE: Promoting pulse merits.
February 6, 2009... Nitrogen inputs for oilseed rape and pulse marketing were among the topics on the agenda at the HGCA/PGRO Oilseeds and Pulses conference at Peterborough. Teresa Rush reports. CANADIAN pulse growers will focus on rising consumption and...

OSR yields static as new varieties up against falling yields backdrop.
February 6, 2009... ONE question continuing to occupy the minds of industry experts is why oilseed rape yields remain static. Recommended Lists manager Dr Jim McVittie believes new OSR varieties are being introduced into a situation of declining yields. ...

ARABLE: Yield losses may exceed nitrogen savings.
February 6, 2009... NEW calculations of the economic nitrogen optimum for oilseed rape indicate N rates should be adjusted by 25 to 30kg per hectare per unit change in the grain price:fertiliser cost ratio. Outlining the N reductions required for greater price...

ARABLE: Phosphate reduction advice challenged.
February 6, 2009... CHANGES in SAC fertiliser recommendations should help trim growers' costs, with reduced levels of phosphates being recommended on some soils. Alex Sinclair, soil and fertility specialist with SAC, told the conference that long-term...

Growers must go back to basics but technology also crucial to progress.
February 6, 2009... `Making Potatoes Pay', was the theme of the SAC/Association of Potato Growers conference held at Perth Racecourse last week. Andrew Arbuckle reports. * Simple application errors hit efficiency OF all the main arable crops grown in this...

ARABLE: Tougher PCN tests to impact on costs.
February 6, 2009... FORTHCOMING changes to the EU potato cyst nematode (PCN) Directive could have a financial impact on seed producers, according to Dr Stuart Wale, potato specialist with the Scottish Agricultural College. The proposal, which is currently out...

MACHINERY: Greater working range for Pottinger Eurotop.
February 6, 2009... * Variable width from four-rotor rake By Mervyn Bailey The working width of the Pottinger Eurotop 1252C four-rotor rake can be seamlessly adjusted from 8.0m to 12.5m. Product specialist for Pottinger UK, Shaun Groom says: "The...

MACHINERY: McCormick adds CT65U to line-up.
February 6, 2009... McCormick's latest introduction is the 57hp CT65U that slots in just below the 74hp to 93hp C-Max line-up. The four-cylinder Mitsubishi motor provides the muscle and the 32 forward, 16 reverse gears should offer enough choice. The #23,987...

MACHINERY: Worn tyres can reduce efficiency.
February 6, 2009... In these cost-conscious times many owners may opt to keep tractor tyres running just that bit longer. But recent research highlights that this is a false economy, because worn tractor tyres do not just lead to increased levels of slip and...

MACHINERY: `Networking' to share start-up costs.
February 6, 2009... * Cutting over and under-application The price of Real Time Kinetic signal (RTK)-based precision farming systems can be a turn-off, but initial costs could be reduced as farmers and dealers start to establish networks, as Mervyn Bailey...

MACHINERY: Claas grows mower range with centre-pivot and triple.
February 6, 2009... Claas is expanding its mower range with new centre-pivot and triple models for this season. The Disco 3100TC and 3500TC are trailed centre-pivot mower conditioners that can work either side of the tractor. Using a new P-Cut mower bed,...

MACHINERY: Getting to grips with the two-seater Sportsman.
February 6, 2009... * Manoevrability benefits from diff By Howard Walsh THIS is the first of our regular reports on one of the Polaris range's most versatile ATVs - the Sportsman 500 X2 - which we will be publishing over the year. A particular...

MACHINERY: Making your quad bike work harder in the field.
February 6, 2009... There's a great range of accessories available to extend a quad bike's use and maybe even make some extra cash. Jane Carley rounds up some of the attachments on the market. * Ability to tackle a variety of tough jobs Most quad bike...

FARM FEATURE: Still enjoying the fruits of his labour.
February 6, 2009... Cheap imports have decimated British apple farming, but John Collingwood's persistence has resulted in growing success. William Surman went to meet him. When John Collingwood took control of his parents' fruit farm in 1982 he was one of...

FARM FEATURE: A year in the life of an apple.
February 6, 2009... Growing apples is labour intensive, requiring all-year-round attention. John explains the stages to complete a good harvest. * Pruning Trees are pruned from November until April. Every tree has to be pruned and John has 15 workers on...

FARM FEATURE: Core apple facts.
February 6, 2009... * Apples originated in the Middle East more than 4,000 years ago. * The UK apple market is now worth over #320 million. * Only 30 per cent of eating apples sold in the UK are home-grown. * Supermarkets sell 70 per cent of all apples...

YOUNGSTOCK: Lucinda claims prestigious medal and Toronto sojourn.
February 6, 2009... * Young Achiever goes one better than in 2008 TALENTED cattle photographer Lucinda Morgan has been recognised as the Dairy Industry Young Achiever of the Year, receiving the prestigious Holstein UK President's Medal award. The...

YOUNGSTOCK: `A star is born' says celebrity chef James.
February 6, 2009... SCHOOLGIRL Kate Rooke has been crowned the Quality Standard beef mince Young Chef 2008. The annual competition, run by Eblex, promotes practical, creative cooking and healthy eating for students studying Key Stages 3 and 4. With a...

YOUNGSTOCK: Success for new butchery academy.
February 6, 2009... FOUR trainees have successfully completed their initial training programme as part of a new Butchery Academy. Andrew Chamberlain, Stephen Cunningham, Alex Braiko and Jackson Cunha are the first four to complete the initial Butchery Academy...

YOUNGSTOCK: Southbelle Gibson Sally's inter-breed joy for Dave and Sue.
February 6, 2009... BITTER weather did not deter numbers from attending the fifth North East All Breeds Dairy Calf Show. Kicking off the day were the junior handlers, which were split into two groups with the under-5s won by Mia Waterhouse and her Ayrshire...

YOUNGSTOCK: Grassland Challenge to encourage rural youngsters.
February 6, 2009... THE British Grassland Society and the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs have joined forces to encourage younger members of the UK's rural communities interested in careers in farming and educate non- farming YFC members. The...

COUNTRY VIEW: Charity's tenant faces eviction.
February 6, 2009... * Long-running dispute with council By Danusia Osiowy Tenant John Barron has lived, worked and invested in Beaconhill Farm, near Ledbury, Herefordshire, since 1997 and farms 42 hectares (103 acres), milking 50 pedigree Jersey cows. ...

COUNTRY VIEW: Cig Dysynni abattoir.
February 6, 2009... ALL the meat Heath Raggett sells is slaughtered and processed by two enterprising Meirionnydd farmers who took over the running of the Cig Dysynni abattoir at Tywyn 18 months ago. It had been closed for over a year until Dai Jones, from...

COUNTRY VIEW: Heath's Welsh lamb is miles better.
February 6, 2009... With local food sourcing taking on new-found importance Barry Alston highlights a West Wales initiative linking farm to plate. Once upon a time, it was the local butcher who bought direct from the farm, had the animals slaughtered locally...

COUNTRY VIEW: Supporting the local economy.
February 6, 2009... MUCH of the lamb Heath Raggett sells is reared on the slopes of Cardigan Bay, only a couple of miles from the abattoir where the animals are slaughtered. Brothers Simon and William Jones run 4,500 breeding ewes, including Welsh Mules,...

WORKING DOGS: Robert Hutchinson and Kyla lead Northern's team victory.
February 6, 2009... * Still unbeaten in inter-club nursery By Elaine Hill THE Northern Association were the clear team winners in the inter-club nursery trial against Northumberland at Whitfield on Sunday, with Robert Hutchinson and Kyla scoring the...

LIVESTOCK: Biodiversity: `Hardy breed grazing is good' - claim.
February 6, 2009... SAC also used the new Edinburgh research centre to highlight some of the work currently under way. This includes the impact of hill land upland systems on the environment and whether breed is important in terms of nature conservation and...

LIVESTOCK: Scotland's #1.3m beef centre unveiled.
February 6, 2009... Katie Lomas reports on the opening of Scotland's latest beef research facility. * Edinburgh set-up fillip for Scottish beef THE Scottish beef industry has been given a #1.3 million boost with the opening of a new research centre on the...