Farmers Guardian articles from January 2008

Farmers Guardian archives from January 2008

Over 250,000 turn out in support of hunting at Boxing Day meets.
January 4, 2008... On what is traditionally one of the busiest day's in the hunting calendar, Boxing Day 2007 saw more than 250,000 people turn out in support of 314 registered hunts. In what the pro-hunting lobby is claiming as proof that the Hunting Act is...

Scottish bluetongue case.
January 4, 2008... SCOTTISH vets have detected the bluetongue virus in cattle imported from Germany, prompting fresh calls for a clampdown on live exports from infected areas of the EU. Post-import tests on a farm at Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway,...

Landeg urges vigilance and improved biosecurity in 2008.
January 4, 2008... ACTING chief Government vet Fred Landeg has issued a plea to farmers to learn the lessons of 2007, as the new year begins with the threat of further disease incursions still hanging over the industry. He said 2007 had been an `exceptionally...

Royal Lancs plan opposed.
January 4, 2008... CONTROVERSIAL plans for the Royal Lancashire Show to move to a 220-acre rural park on Duchy of Lancaster land at Myerscough, near Garstang, have met with more than 100 objections, including one from two other shows staged nearby. Wyre...

Responding to climate change challenges.
January 4, 2008... INDUSTRY leaders have called on farmers to continue their good work in responding to climate change, following a recent survey into farmers' attitudes on the subject. The survey, carried out by industry communications initiative Farming...

Impact of Brazilian beef.
January 4, 2008... WITH the decision taken before Christmas to restrict access to the European market for Brazilian beef, the key question, as life returns to normal in Brussels after the holiday break, is what impact the new restrictions will have on trade - and...

M&S bird imports `a one-off'.
January 4, 2008... MARKS and Spencer has said it is not looking to import turkeys next Christmas after it came in for criticism from farmers for stocking Brazilian birds in 2007. The retailer claimed it had to source some turkeys from abroad this year after stock...

Minimising the risk of avian flu to your flocks with good biosecurity.
January 4, 2008... There has never been a year like it. Like Biblical plagues, hugely damaging livestock diseases arrived one after the other in rapid succession in the second half of 2007. The most controversial was foot-and-mouth, originating as it did in...

AVIAN FLU IN THE UK.
January 4, 2008... October 2005 H5N1 confirmed in a parrot in Essex after being imported from Surinam; as the bird was in quarantine it did not affect the UK's disease-free status. March 2006 A dead mute swan found in Cellardyke, Scotland tested...

Adverse reaction short-lived.
January 4, 2008... THE latest outbreak of avian flu seems to have had little effect on poultry sales. Although Bernard Matthews reported a huge drop in sales after the outbreak at its Holton farm in February, according to the British Retail Consortium the...

Are we safe from our scientific laboratories?
January 4, 2008... THE irony of the 2007 foot-and-mouth outbreak was that it originated from a laboratory tasked with carrying out work intended specifically to protect the nation from highly pathogenic animal diseases. The events of 2007 brought to light...

Lamb market recovery to continue, but slowly.(Industry overview)
January 4, 2008... INDUSTRY analysts are expecting to see the lamb market continue its recovery in 2008, but the return to normality will not be quick or easy, they say. The sheep industry was the biggest victim of the foot-and-mouth outbreak, due largely to...

The case for compensation.
January 4, 2008... THE battle for compensation will continue in 2008. A number of separate legal actions seeking compensation could move forward in 2008. The highest profile case is the NFU-backed action on behalf of about 1,000 members who suffered serious...

Experts predict rise in bluetongue a cold winter will bring reprieve.
January 4, 2008... BLUETONGUE restrictions are continuing to make life hard for farmers in the south of England, but the situation could get much worse in 2008 with experts predicting a rapid rise in infections across the country. The disease has so far...

Life in the control zone in 2007.
January 4, 2008... Frank Langrish's sheep and beef farm at Northiam, near Rye, is one of 66 premises which have already been infected by the virus. At the heart of the control zone, he estimates he has lost upwards of #250,000 since the disease hit. "We...

Utilise the knowledge we already have in farming.
January 4, 2008... A few days into the New Year. If you are a dairy farmer or crop grower you will be looking forward to a prosperous time ahead. In the red meat sector it isn't like that, especially if you are a tenant with a rent to pay, and you may well be...

OPINION: Lessons learnt?
January 4, 2008... It is tempting to read acting chief vet Fred Landeg's imprecation to the farming industry to `learn the biosecurity lessons of 2007' with a wry smile. After all, neither the foot-and-mouth nor bluetongue outbreaks occurred as a result of...

LETTER: Getting it right.(Letter to the editor)
January 4, 2008... The man from Defra rang: `We have found some of your animals on someone else's holding and so you will have to have a full inspection'. I protested that the land was on my SPS claim and was therefore part of my holding and covered by my...

New Year's Honours list.
January 4, 2008... FORMER Government chief vet, Debby Reynolds, who took early retirement in November after four years in the post, has been awarded a CB in the New Year's Honours. Dr Reynolds is probably the most well known of several people in agriculture...

MACHINERY: Welger returns to Lely in American alliance buy.
January 4, 2008... Just three years after a management buy-out from Lely, baler manufacturer Welger is to return to the Dutch firm's fold. Lely and American company Vermeer are forming an alliance to jointly acquire 100 per cent of the assets, with the full...

MACHINERY: Ecorider brings diesel quad bike to the off-road market.
January 4, 2008... Ecorider, which developed a two wheel diesel powered off road bike of the same name, has now entered the quad bike market with the diesel- powered Eco-quad, promising a fuel consumption figure of 90 miles per gallon. At the heart of the new...

MACHINERY: Landini supports ploughmen.
January 4, 2008... Landini is supporting the Society of Ploughmen with the use of a Powerfarm 75 for the Ploughing School training sessions. "There's a long-standing tradition of match ploughing, not only in Britain, but in many countries throughout the...

MACHINERY: Stage IIIa engine for Scorpion telehandlers.
January 4, 2008... The Claas Scorpion range of telehandlers is to get Stage IIIa engines. Three new models have been added to the top end. The new 7040 and 9040 have the standard Variopower transmission using a 45 degree swash angle on the hydraulic motor,...

MACHINERY: More capacity for new Agrifac sugar beet harvester.
January 4, 2008... Agrihold Farm Machinery has introduced the latest Agrifac sugar beet harvester - the six-row WKM 9000S that has 25 per cent more capacity than its predecessor, the 9000, introduced in 1997. The new harvester gets a 362hp Deutz six-cylinder...

MACHINERY: Sticking to two models for fleet to simplify the operation.
January 4, 2008... Scottish farmer and contractor D.M. Carnegie has bought 14 New Holland tractors to standardise the fleet with 10 T7030 models and four T6050 tractors. "It is essential that the tractors perform well," explains David Carnegie. "and by...

ARABLE: Disease Management.
January 4, 2008... BROWN rust will be on the agenda at the forthcoming HGCA Disease Management workshops but so to will be the latest information on control of septoria, yellow rust and mildew. Last season was exceptional in terms of brown rust infections...

ARABLE: Handful of dedicated growers key to Anya variety's success.
January 4, 2008... GROWING a potato that tastes good is the key focus for MBMG specialist procurement manager and agronomist, Peter Cocks, when he produces the speciality potato Anya with a few dedicated growers around the country. So, when the variety...

FARM FEATURE: Raising public awareness of spelt's benefits.
January 4, 2008... As an ancient grain and a distant cousin to wheat, spelt is receiving renewed recognition as a healthy and versatile `super-crop'. KATIE ROEBUCK visits a South West farm working hard to market the niche product. A rare breed White Park cow...

A chip off the old block.
January 4, 2008... STUDENTS at Writtle College have planted, harvested and served their own chips on the campus. National diploma Agricultural students worked on the project which involved growing potatoes from seed through to seeing them on the menu in the...

OMSCo invest in UK organic dairy future.
January 4, 2008... THE Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) has awarded a bursary to four, young organic dairy farmers. For the second year running, the bursary aims to assist young farmers looking to further their agricultural careers. OMSCo has...

Bridging the gap between university and work.
January 4, 2008... NINE trainees became the first to join a new postgraduate certificate for the fresh produce industry in a new initiative co-launched by Harper Adams University College. The young graduates met for the first time on the induction programme...

Record numbers on Dorset courses.
January 4, 2008... DORSET College is celebrating the recruitment of a record number of agriculture students for 2007/08. Curriculum manager for agriculture, Andy Daw, said the college was pleased with the strong interest shown by young people in agricultural...

Bicton College head resigns.
January 4, 2008... THE principal of Bicton College has announced his resignation after four years' service to return to general further education. Appointed in 2003, Peter Sadler led the college through a difficult but successful period including its...

COUNTRY VIEW: New miniature pig breed now world famous.
January 4, 2008... Worldwide media interest has recently centred on a farm where Chris and Nicky Murray have developed a breeding programme to produce miniature pigs. KATIE ROEBUCK went to Pennywell Farm to discover what makes these little creatures so desirable....

Trials galore over the holiday period.
January 4, 2008... Henry Mee hosted a nursery at Bretherton, Lancashire. Over a flat course the running was on mixed hoggs that were good to manage. Peter Fox of Clitheroe, judged the entry of 30. With an early run Jim Cropper and Spud were the victors with...

Stockdale Partners head prize list.
January 4, 2008... AFTER a close inspection of the annual figures the winners of the Yorkshire County Milk Recording Herd Competitions have been announced. The Stockdale Partnership of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, did particularly well, picking up several...

FGBusiness: Offering that something extra.
January 4, 2008... GIVEN today's competitive market place being able to offer buyers that something extra can make a big difference to livestock returns. That is why the Welsh Black Cattle Society is urging members to up- grade their herds by registering for...

LFA breeding flocks - optimise output and don't forget fixed costs.
January 4, 2008... We continue our in-depth exploration of the annual Business Pointers figures from the English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex) with a look at sheep breeding flocks in Less Favoured Areas. FOR the financial year to end of March 2007, Eblex...

FGBusiness: CASE STUDY - BILL ELLIOT.(Case study)
January 4, 2008... Higher output and low costs ensures hill farm profitability ONE of the biggest differences between the figures for top third LFA breeding flocks and bottom third is lamb output - and that is one area where Bill Elliot is doing very well....

FGBusiness: Business Pointers.
January 4, 2008... EBLEX'S annual Business Pointers publication provides a comprehensive overview of the financial performance of the English beef and lamb sectors for the 12 months to March 31, 2007. It enables you to compare your own beef or sheep farming...

FGBusiness: Milk production for 2007 quota year.
January 4, 2008... Milk production in November was estimated to be 1,014 million litres. This compares to 1,041.5 million litres in October 2007 and 1,032.3 million litres in November 2006. Butterfat levels were estimated to be 4.20 per cent, compared to 4.17 per...

Call for poultry price rise to meet welfare demands.
January 11, 2008... Celebrity chefs highlight chicken meat and eggs standards BRITISH poultry farmers will need to see prices increase if they are to meet the growing public demand for improved welfare standards, according to industry leaders. The call...

TB anomalies raise doubts about reliability of tests.
January 11, 2008... THE reliability of bovine TB tests has been brought into question after the two types of test in use produced vastly differing results in the same herds. The anomalies arose when the gamma interferon (gIFN) blood test was used in...

60 per cent of English claimants paid, but RPA still short of targets.
January 11, 2008... MORE than 60 per cent of all claimants in England have now received their 2007 Single Payments in full. The latest figures from the Rural Payments Agency showed that, by January 8, full payments worth over #600million had been made to...

Collapse of two pig firms hits contract farmers.
January 11, 2008... THE British pig industry was rocked this week with the news that Yorkshire-based pig companies DRS Pigs and MCB Sow Company have gone into administration with debts said to be in excess of #3million. Charles Escott and Joe McLean, of Grant...

Business failures in agriculture up 26.8 per cent.
January 11, 2008... More agriculturally-related businesses failed last year in contrast to a national trend, which saw a near 9 per cent fall in the failure rate for most sectors of industry. The impact of a tougher borrowing environment has made little...

Unspent money plea.
January 11, 2008... THE Welsh Assembly is being urged to redeploy around #3million of unspent money from its light lamb welfare disposal scheme to help fund a foot-and-mouth recovery package. The disposal scheme - set up by the Cardiff administration for hill...

Royal Lancs gets go-ahead for new site.
January 11, 2008... THE Royal Lancashire Show has been given the go-ahead to move to a new site to be developed by the Duchy of Lancaster, despite numerous objections including one from two other shows staged nearby. Wyre Borough councillors agreed to the...

Breeding ewes sent to Continent.
January 11, 2008... THE first shipments of breeding ewes have gone to the EU following the resumption of live exports, says the English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex). Around 700 breeding ewes went to France and the Netherlands over the Christmas period. ...

TFA launch rent review service.
January 11, 2008... THE coming year is likely to be a busy one for rent reviews after a number of years of relative stagnation in the rental market, the Tenant Farmers' Association has predicted. With some improvement in commodity prices of late, many...

Still opposed to NVZ changes.
January 11, 2008... THE National Farmers' Union is continuing to lobby hard against many of Defra's proposed amendments to the Nitrates Directive, which it describes as `blanket solutions with perverse impacts'. The consultation period on the implementation...

OBITUARY: Michael Holmes.(Obituary)
January 11, 2008... MICHAEL Holmes, a former chairman of the NFU's National Horticulture Executive committee, has died, aged 70. He was awarded the OBE in 2004 and chaired the Horticultural Executive from 1996 until 2003.He was a member of the Horticultural...

Quinney to challenge Temple in NFU elections.
January 11, 2008... farmer Adam Quinney has put his name forward to challenge Paul Temple for the post of NFU vice-president. All three NFU officeholders - president Peter Kendall, deputy president Meurig Raymond and Mr Temple - will be up for re-election at...

Driving the campaign to get better welfare for chickens.
January 11, 2008... Poultry farming went under the spotlight this week as celebrities and animal welfare charities began high-profile campaigns calling for better living conditions for the millions of chickens reared in the UK every year. With public opinion...

Call to raise poultry standards.
January 11, 2008... ANIMAL welfare charities are challenging poultry farmers to raise the standard of living for the millions of chickens produced for meat and eggs in the UK. The calls were led by the RSPCA this week as it re-launched a campaign calling for...

Noble Foods raises egg producer price.
January 11, 2008... ONE of the UK's largest organic egg producers is set to increase the price it pays its farmers to cover growing costs of production in the poultry industry. Noble Foods announced this week that it would be investing a further #250,000 to...

Raising standards starts with the supermarkets.
January 11, 2008... CELEBRITY chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has slammed supermarkets for bringing down standards in animal welfare. His criticism comes after his latest show kicked off his campaign to improve living conditions for birds reared in the UK....

EU battery egg ban date holds.
January 11, 2008... THE European Commission has confirmed it will not back down or delay its decision to ban the production of eggs from battery hens from January 2012. It has been under pressure from some member states to delay this implementation date, but...

CIWF welfare video sparks poultry farm investigation.
January 11, 2008... AN investigation has begun into the conditions on a poultry farm in Herefordshire after a video was released claiming to show birds living in sub-standard conditions. The video was taken covertly by animal welfare charity Compassion in...

Producers warned to get long distance transport certificate.
January 11, 2008... ONLY around 10 per cent of producers who transport livestock over 65km have so far applied to take a test which will legally allow them to do so. The National Sheep Association is concerned that many sheep farmers, who have endured major...

Check out off-shore investments before committing funds.
January 11, 2008... FARMERS have been warned about investing large sums of money abroad, following a spate of frauds which have come to light. The warning has been issued by Lloyds TSB after it discovered a number of farmers were being targeted by fraudsters,...

Double-tagging rule changes now in force.
January 11, 2008... NEW legislation requiring the double tagging of sheep and goats takes effect from today - Friday, January 11 - ahead of this year's lambing season. Defra has published detailed advice on its website...

Challenges of food sector are outlined.
January 11, 2008... A NEW report into the challenges faced by the food sector identifies food security and climate change as two of the key issues for the Government to get to grips with. The interim report, published by the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit,...

Making the best of the situation to move forward.
January 11, 2008... Best wishes to everybody for a healthy and prosperous 2008. I think 2007 will be remembered as a turning point in UK agriculture - events of the last year will have far-reaching implications for all sorts of different reasons. For some...

OPINION: Chicken and egg.
January 11, 2008... Anyone who still doubts the huge power of celebrity in this country need only read the stories this week relating to the push by TV chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to improve poultry welfare. Virtually overnight, they...

LETTER: Milk partnership costs `out of control'.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... While it is good to see a rise in milk price to the producer, I don't think we have reached a realistic market-related price yet. I note with interest that Arla are looking for more producers but they may find this difficult as they are now...

LETTER: Being realistic about marts.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... R.G.Williams of Ross wrote `Marts: Use them or lose them' and Nick Davies of Downton retorted with `Selling lamb direct' (FG, Dec 7). Both these writers cannot be right. Supermarkets are driven by profit alone, unlike farmers, which is one...

LETTER: Maladministration in the banning of pigswill.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... I welcomed the findings of the Ombudsman's enquiry into the banning of swill feeding. At last we have confirmation that there was maladministration in the banning of pigswill. Since 2001 I have worked closely with many of the swill users...

LETTER: Antithesis of free trade.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... IF your reports of his speech at the Oxford Farming Conference are correct (FG, Jan 4), MEP Neil Parrish has been exposed as an arch trade protectionist. To call for `a complete ban on Brazilian beef imports over traceability and quality...

LETTER: New cases of blue-tongue.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... EVERY livestock farmer in Great Britain must be asking the same question: why are we allowing cattle to be imported from Europe? Three new cases of bluetongue disease have been found in recently imported stock from the Netherlands and...

LETTER: Agenda to destroy livestock farming.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... IF ever there was any doubt that our present Government have an agenda to destroy livestock farming then the events of the last five months have confirmed it. At the beginning of August along came foot-and-mouth disease, a strain of the...

LETTER: CBE for services to heritage and to conservation.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... MY stomach churned with outrage when I discovered that the director- general of the National Trust had received a CBE `for services to heritage and to conservation'. This is the same Fiona Reynolds whom we contacted in August 2004 and...

`Golden opportunity' to raise awareness of value of farming.
January 11, 2008... `A climate of change: Agriculture the solution, not the problem', was the theme of the 62nd Oxford Farming Conference, which took place at the end of last week. As always, the conference that kick starts each new year provoked much food for...

Benn heckled over badger culling.
January 11, 2008... DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn was heckled at the Oxford Farming Conference as he revealed the decision on badger culling would be further delayed by another period of consultation. Delegates were angered by Mr Benn's failure to mention bovine...

Adapting to consumer attitudes.
January 11, 2008... NEW opportunities are emerging for farmers in the food service sector as consumers show a growing interest in how their food was produced, the head of the UK's biggest fast food chain told the conference. McDonalds has received much...

Achieving a balance between fuel and food.
January 11, 2008... AGRICULTURE faced the massive combined challenge of providing food for a growing population, reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and tackling tough climate change targets, delegates were told on Friday. Global demand for food was...

GM should be encouraged `to maintain advantage'.
January 11, 2008... GENETICALLY modified crops must be encouraged into European agriculture if tough climate change, feed price and food security issues were to be mitigated, claimed MEP Neil Parish, chairman of the European Parliament agriculture committee. ...

Carbon calculator launched.
January 11, 2008... FARMERS can now work out how green their business is at the click of a button, following the launch of the Country Land and Business Association's `carbon calculator' last week. The web-based Carbon Accounting for Land Managers (CALM) has...

Looking towards the farming industry post-subsidy.
January 11, 2008... AGRICULTURE has a lot of uncertainties, but one thing farmers can be sure of is the continued evolution of the Common Agricultural Policy and the gradual removal of direct European subsidies. How businesses might fair post-subsidy was...

`Rural revolution' needed to empower farmers.
January 11, 2008... IN ARGUABLY the most entertaining performance of the conference, Jack Wilkinson, president of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, called for a `rural revolution' to empower farmers. Farmers across the world had to do...

Hospitality venture a runaway success.
January 11, 2008... BARRY ALSTON checks out an unlikely farm diversification project with a unique setting. WHAT could a livestock farmer and a civil engineer possibly have in common? At first glance, not a great deal - but add in a few acres of ground,...

#150,000 to boost stewardship take-up.
January 11, 2008... A #150,000 project to help Devon's farmers diversify and take up environmental stewardship grants has been launched with support from non-profit partnership Devon Renaissance. The project is being managed by the West Devon Agricultural...

Honouring service to Welsh agriculture.
January 11, 2008... A FORMER lecturer and farm manager turned MP, and now an active Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Livsey of Talgarth is the latest recipient of the Farmers Union of Wales / Barclays Bank Award for Outstanding Service to Welsh Agriculture. When...

RABI to distribute FMD support fund.
January 11, 2008... THE support fund set up by Surrey County Agricultural Society in August to help farmers hit by the foot-and-mouth epidemic has passed the #4,000 mark. The SCAS Council, in consultation with farmers who have been badly affected, has decided...