Farmers Guardian articles from January 2009

Farmers Guardian archives from January 2009

Industry calls for action on supermarkets in 2009.
January 2, 2009... * Ombudsman would ensure fair play By Jack Davies INDUSTRY leaders have called on the Government to step in and introduce a supermarkets ombudsman in 2009 to ensure fair play between retailers and farmers. Discussions between...

Cattle or badgers probably caused bTB infection in woman and dog.
January 2, 2009... A FORMER veterinary nurse and her dog diagnosed with bovine TB in 2007 were probably infected by cattle or badgers, a study has concluded. A paper on the case by experts in human and animal disease was published in the medical journal...

New testing requirement as OCDS closed.
January 2, 2009... FARMERS are reminded that, as from January 1, all cattle born before August 1, 1996 will have to be disposed of as fallen stock. The Older Cattle Disposal Scheme (OCDS) closed on December 31, which means there will no longer be any...

FSA launches its meat inspection consultation.
January 2, 2009... * Meat industry move could push up costs By William Surman THE meat industry has been invited to discuss meat inspection service proposals, which could see costs rise by up to 9 per cent. The Food Standards Agency has launched a...

`Utterly barmy' food chain legislation `threatens'.
January 2, 2009... NEW food chain legislation coming into force in 2009 is being seen by the Farmers Union of Wales as `utterly barmy' and a threat to the livestock industry. The legislation requires slaughterhouses to request, receive and check information...

NFU sugar vision brings `opportunity and challenge'.
January 2, 2009... THE NFU is set to hold a series of meetings with sugar producers to set out its vision for 2010 beet contracts. Talks with British Sugar will start in 2009, and the NFU will discuss its position with producers, giving them an opportunity to...

Anaerobic digestion boosted as rules are reclassified.
January 2, 2009... FARMERS treating manure and slurry in anaerobic digestion (AD) plants no longer need waste permits to spread digestate on their fields. The move came as the Environment Agency reclassified anaerobic digestate produced from on-farm products...

New NVZs decision infuriates farmers across Welsh counties.
January 2, 2009... * Four areas become subject to restrictions By Barry Alston NEW nitrate vulnerable zones were introduced in Wales from January 1 - a Welsh Assembly decision which has infuriated farmers from Anglesey to Pembrokeshire. It means 4...

Names in frame to be NFUS vice-presidents.
January 2, 2009... NFU Scotland has announced the candidates for its 2009 elections, with president Jim McLaren set to stand unchallenged for a second term in the job. Meanwhile, three candidates will be vying for the two vice-president slots when elections...

Crofting, floods and replacement for LFASS are high on Scottish agenda.
January 2, 2009... As the new year dawns, we take an in-depth look at what UK farmers can expect, both in terms of legislation and the economy, in 2009. * CAP discussions have ramifications * Greenhouse gas targets to be set By Jack Davies ...

Hefty workload for Welsh Rural Affairs Minister.
January 2, 2009... * Badger cull decision anticipated * Support payments issue must be tackled By Barry Alston MAINTAINING her commitment to implement measures best suited to the needs of Wales and Welsh farming, Welsh Assembly Rural Affairs...

SPECIAL REPORT: New rules and regulations for England.
January 2, 2009... From consultations and proposals to legislation roll-outs, there is plenty happening in England to affect UK farmers in 2009. Dominic Kilburn and Alistair Driver highlight some of the main issues. Changes to Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs)...

LETTER: Don't penalise those who vaccinate.(Letter to the editor)
January 2, 2009... COMPLACENCY may not be the reason so many farmers have failed to vaccinate against blutongue as Defra announces further supplies of BTV8 vaccine will not be ordered for next year following slow take-up. The reason may be partly financial as...

LETTER: Is the NFU fit for purpose?(Letter to the editor)
January 2, 2009... I am writing regarding the NFU's suggestion that the fight against NVZ rules must continue. How has it taken this long for farmers to emerge dazed from their NVZ coma? What a farce. The NFU has made a hash of (failing to) negotiate on...

LETTER: Economic woes.(Letter to the editor)
January 2, 2009... WHAT a fine mess we are in. The British people supported Labour, partly because of the perceived prudence of Gordon Brown. Now his claim of prudence has proven false, he blames the world economy - anyone but himself. There is a global...

EDITORIAL: Achieving food security in 2009.(Editorial)
January 2, 2009... IF 2008 was the year the UK Government finally got serious about food security, will 2009 be the year it does something about it? Recognition across Government, including at the very top, of the need to address how the world is going to...

OPINION: Just who's kidding who?
January 2, 2009... NOW then: once upon a time we had the wicked and profligate CAP (boo hiss), which took money off the poor innocent taxpayer and spent it on farmers who produced huge mountains of food, which we then paid the East Germans to burn in their power...

BUSINESS: Arable - most should make positive returns.
January 2, 2009... IT is difficult to paint a hugely positive picture for arable farming in 2009, feels HSBC regional agriculture manager for Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, Micheal Summers. But longer-term prospects do remain positive, he says. Successful...

BUSINESS: Prospects for UK agriculture in 2009.
January 2, 2009... Pat Tomlinson, head of agriculture at HSBC Bank takes a look at the positives and negatives that will impact on the industry in 2009. * Weak pound a major benefit for farming IN the aftermath of a year which saw huge changes, it is...

BUSINESS: Red meat - upwards and upwards?
January 2, 2009... ANY observer of a graph of average UK lamb or beef prices in 2008 versus those from 2007 would notice only one trend, upwards, says Nigel Davies, HSBC's regional agriculture manager, Wales. Typically, steer and clean sheep prices in summer...

BUSINESS: Dairy farming - two-tier pricing is set to remain.
January 2, 2009... THE prospects for the UK dairy industry are without doubt set to change over the course of 2009. Gordon Whitford, HSBC regional agriculture manager, North West, points out that as other countries increase their production, the UK continues...

ARABLE: Drax wants to set the pace with sustainable practices.
January 2, 2009... THE future was biomass, but it must be sustainable biomass and Drax Power aimed to be at the forefront of sustainable practices, said Nigel Burdett, head of environment for Drax. He said that it was likely that from 2009 there would be...

ARABLE: Heavy land has become profitable due to energy crop.
January 2, 2009... * Growing cereals had been a struggle By Angela Calvert GROWING energy crops is good for biodiversity, farmers and conservationists were told at a demonstration day, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, sponsored by FWAG and Drax Power. ...

ARABLE: Energy crops improve biodiversity.
January 2, 2009... SEAMUS Eaves, of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) conducted a survey of birds across 10 farms growing energy crops. The result showed increases in some species including the tree sparrow, linnets, yellow hammers, willow...

MACHINERY: Kuhn buys Vicon baler range.
January 2, 2009... * Geldrop plant is part of the deal By Mervyn Bailey The Kverneland Group is to sell its baler division to French machinery giant Kuhn for #107.3m (E115m) in cash. The deal includes the Geldrop plant in Holland as well as the...

MACHINERY: Reducing tyre pressures to achieve savings on fuel.
January 2, 2009... Diesel prices might have fallen considerably over the past few weeks, but fuel costs, and ways to reduce them, are still a hot topic. In the Netherlands, one experimental farm has shown a relatively simple measure of reducing tyre pressures...

MACHINERY: Hawk orders 150 new McCormick tractors.
January 2, 2009... Hire firm Hawk has ordered 150 McCormick tractors for its 2009 fleet. As well as several MC135 Power 6 and TTX230 models, the deal includes almost 50 XTX165 tractors. "This will be our eighth consecutive year running a fleet of mostly...

MACHINERY: Arable and grassland contractor clocks up 800 hours.
January 2, 2009... Deutz Fahr's Agrotron K120 represents a compact, lightweight yet powerful package that's equally at home on livestock and arable duties, as two users candidly explain to Geoff Ashcroft. Tipping the scales from as little as 5,500kg and...

MACHINERY: Compact and a great all-rounder.
January 2, 2009... James Jones chose an Agrotron K120 for its compact yet powerful statistics when the time came to replace a 100hp Ford 7610 on the family farm at Felindre near Knighton, Powys. "I was impressed by the tractor's compact size, yet it seemed...

FARM FEATURE: Customer demand.
January 2, 2009... Customer demand drives change that makes couple's dairy business the cream of the crop A modern business approach combined with traditional farming values form the core of an adaptable, family-run dairy business. Danusia Osiowy visits West...

COUNTRY VIEW: Aberdeen Spreading the word.
January 2, 2009... PRIMARY and secondary schools in Aberdeen city and shire, young farmers' clubs and WRI branches are joining forces to ensure a strong Aberdeenshire presence at next year's Royal Highland Show. Primary school pupils are invited to design a...

COUNTRY VIEW: A permanent memorial to the life of John Cubby.
January 2, 2009... LOW Fell Tarn in the Lake District has been renamed in honour of the late Cumbrian wildlife expert, John Cubby, who was head wildlife ranger at the Forestry Commission's Grizedale Forest Park, near Ambleside, for over 30 years. Mr Cubby...

WORKING DOGS: Almost flawless run wins good standard Lazonby open trial.
January 2, 2009... * Second win in eight trials By Elaine Hill NORMAN Ireland and Floss won the Lazonby open trial held at Crag Nook Farm. It was their second win at this venue from the eight trials held there since the beginning of November. Viv Smith...

WORKING DOGS: Kevin Evans and Roy win in Powys.
January 2, 2009... THE postponed Powys Nursery Final took place on Sunday, December 21 at Perthyduon, Llandefalle by the invitation of Aubrey Lloyd and Brenda Howson. Three teams consisting of 10 dogs, six nursery dogs and four novices representing a county,...

LIVESTOCK: Jones retires from BWMB.
January 2, 2009... THE British Wool Marketing Board has announced the retirement of David Jones as regional manager for Wales, central and southern England, after almost 50 years in wool marketing. Two replacements are to be appointed. Gareth Jones will be...

LIVESTOCK: New NZ export centre approved.
January 2, 2009... THE EU has approved a new collection centre in New Zealand to export semen to Europe. LIC has not been able to send new stocks of semen to the UK for several years because it did not have facilities to meet new EU regulations, so has built...

LIVESTOCK: How to make sure your lambs hit target weight.
January 2, 2009... * Rubber lamb torso helps with grading TWO new tools for sheep farmers are available from Eblex - one to use on the farm and the other to look out for at events. The first is the Eblex Sheep Better Returns Programme `Flock Notebook',...

LIVESTOCK: Registering Blue Texels.
January 2, 2009... DUE to increasing interest in the breed, the Blue Texel Sheep Society has a new registration system. It will be managed by Devon-based Grassroots, which currently manages registrations for nine other breeds. Society chairman Sue...

LIVESTOCK: Consider maize ration and variety for your silage.
January 2, 2009... MAIZE silage is an excellent forage for dairy cows but the variety must be chosen carefully, according to Nigel Padbury of NK. Speaking at an open day in Berkshire, held on Syngenta's Jealott's Hill dairy unit, he said different varieties...

LIVESTOCK: Eastern distributor for JSR.
January 2, 2009... A NEW distributor in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia marks another step for JSR Genetics into Eastern Europe. The pig genetics company has created a partnership with the Bulgarian Meat Company AD, which will be known as JSR BMK AD. ...

LIVESTOCK: New president for Newark.
January 2, 2009... NOTTINGHAMSHIRE-BORN John Peace has been appointed the 2009 president of the Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society. He takes over from Charles Lawrence and will be supported by Graham Cartledge CBE as vice president. Copyright:...

SHEEP AND LAMBING: Vitamin E is the key to strong lambs.
January 2, 2009... Lamb vigour immediately after birth is vital so lambs will stand and suckle and take in sufficient colostrum to develop an effective immune system and, according to Adrian Packington of DCM Nutritional Products, vitamin E is the key. "When...

SHEEP AND LAMBING: Balanced diet makes a difference.
January 2, 2009... IF the feeding balance is right in late pregnancy, diets formulated to boost colostrum quality and yield can really make a difference to lamb vitality and survival, says Rumenco technical manager David Thornton. "Greater reliance on home...

SHEEP AND LAMBING: Don't compromise on supplements.
January 2, 2009... Reducing the quality or quantity of supplementary feeds offered to lactating ewes will reduce milk yield and quality, cut lamb growth rates and in the long run prove to be a false economy. That is the message from Trident technical manager...

SHEEP AND LAMBING: Clostridial diseases.
January 2, 2009... * Lamb dysentery affects lambs under seven days old first and then older lambs as the outbreak continues. Lambs are typically found dead without any observed clinical signs. * Pulpy kidney occurs in four to 10-week-old lambs born to...

SHEEP AND LAMBING: Reap the rewards of flock vaccination.
January 2, 2009... The 80 per cent of sheep farmers vaccinating stock for clostridial diseases and pasteurella are reaping the financial and animal welfare rewards, according to vet Phil Scott commenting on behalf of the National Animal Disease Information...

SHEEP AND LAMBING: Pasteurellosis.
January 2, 2009... * Pasteurella haemolytica (more recently referred to as Mannheimia haemolytica) caused septicaemia in young lambs, pneumonia in older sheep and mastitis in ewes. * Pasteurella trehalosi causes septicaemia in four to 10-month-old lambs and...

SHEEP AND LAMBING: Removing the right triplet.
January 2, 2009... Triplets are a fact of life that require time and effort just when your lambing team is already pushed to the limits. But introducing a few rules and an organised rearing system can produce quality lambs that will pay dividends later on,...

LIVESTOCK: Unions unite to survey UK sheep producers.
January 2, 2009... * Survey aims to determine intentions By Jack Davies FARMING unions across Britain are set to survey sheep producers to determine the impact of electronic identification (EID) and tagging on the future viability of their businesses....

LIVESTOCK: Assembly urged to resist EU threats.
January 2, 2009... THE Welsh Assembly is being urged not to give in to EU threats and resist the introduction of sheep electronic identification. Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and Mid Wales MP, Roger Williams, whose Brecon and Radnor...

LIVESTOCK: Deal in the offing for Cig Cibyn.
January 2, 2009... A DEAL to buy the closed-down North Wales Cig Cibyn abattoir is on the cards. Several parties are believed to have expressed an interest in taking over the Caernarfon slaughterhouse - mothballed in mid-October as a result of the economic...

LIVESTOCK: Industry takes charge of sheep genetic bank.
January 2, 2009... THE Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and the National Sheep Association (NSA) have been handed the responsibility of safeguarding the future of 75 breeds of sheep. The move comes as Defra handed over the National Scrapie Plan - containing...

SALES: Lakeland Holsteins peaks at 2,500gns.
January 2, 2009... TOP price at the Border and Lakeland Holstein Club show and sale at Borderway Mart was 2,500gns paid for a heifer, Lillyhall Park Sukey, consigned by A. and C. Watson, Cockermouth. This Ladino Park Talent daughter is descended from 11 dams...

SALES: Shrewsbury Christmas sale.
January 2, 2009... A newly-calved heifer from the Pimhill herd of R. Mayall and Daughter, Harmer Hill, Shrewsbury, won the Christmas dairy show and sale at Shrewsbury Auction Centre. The heifer by Hilmar CVC Starr, a son of Wa-Del Convincer, is out of an...

SALES: Montbeliarde to 2,850gns.
January 2, 2009... TRADE peaked at 2,850gns when two consignments of Montbeliarde cattle, from Lordswood Farms, Frome, Somerset, and F. Harrison and Son, Penrith went under the hammer at Borderway Mart. Top price was for an in-calf heifer from F. Harrison and...

SALES: Suffolk top of 1,000gns.
January 2, 2009... THE champion at the Suffolk in-lamb show and sale at Abergavenny went on to sell for 1,000gns. This prize winning ewe lamb, consigned by Stuart Davies, Beaufort, Powys, was by Strathisla Massa and out of a ewe by Castlewellan High Society....

SALES: Wales and Border Beltex.
January 2, 2009... BIDDING peaked at #1,281 at the Wales and Border Beltex Club's show and sale of females at Brecon market. Earning the top call was the champion, a daughter of Envoy and in-lamb to Luggsmill Gunner, from D. and I. Bishop, Colwall, Malvern....

MILK PRODUCTION FOR 2008 QUOTA YEAR.
January 2, 2009... Milk production in November was estimated to be 982.2 million litres. This compares to 1,015 million litres in October 2008 and 1,014 million litres in Novemeber 2007. Butterfat levels were estimated to be 4.19 per cent, compared to 4.16 per...

PROFILE: Flagship farming anchor has thirst for a good story.
January 2, 2009... William Surman talks to Sarah Mukherjee, who has become the BBC's regular voice on farming issues. IT was raining hard and a sharp sea breeze was buffeting BBC environment correspondent Sarah Mukherjee. She waited patiently for Huw...

Best opportunity for farming in a decade.
January 9, 2009... * Farming industry is marketing dream * Agriculture urged to seize the moment By William Surman and Alistair Driver BRITISH farmers were given a ringing endorsement by the public in a major survey unveiled at this week's Oxford...

Benn calls for voluntary country of origin labelling initiative.
January 9, 2009... * Call for clearer labelling welcomed By Alistair Driver DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn is urging retailers and food companies to introduce a voluntary country of origin labelling policy. Opening the Oxford Farming Conference on...

Confident speech urges consumers to buy British.
January 9, 2009... HILARY Benn delivered what was widely hailed as the best, most confident and most pro-farming speech of his time at Defra to open proceedings at Oxford. He went on the offensive to counter claims that Defra's thinking on food security...

Tensions rise in UK-wide cost sharing debate.
January 9, 2009... NOWHERE is the tension between Edinburgh and London more evident than in the area of animal health policy. Defra is due to unveil its consultation on Responsibility and Cost Sharing in England in February. Registration scheme At...

Brussels official pours cold water on UK CAP reform plans.
January 9, 2009... A SENIOR European Commission official has warned the UK Government it is highly unlikely to achieve its goal of negotiating the end of Single Payments after 2013. The UK will be at the forefront of the drive to phase out Pillar One...

More coherent environmental regs on the way.
January 9, 2009... SIR Don Curry has been asked to draw up a new set of environmental rules and incentives for farmers in England. By the spring, Defra Secretary Hilary Benn wants Sir Don's Higher Level Group to devise a coherent policy encompassing a whole...

Plea for full independence from UK farming policy.
January 9, 2009... * Scots and English clash at Oxford By Jack Davies A ROW between England and Scotland threatened to erupt this week as the Scottish Government locked horns with Defra at the Oxford Farming Conference. Rural Affairs Secretary...

Rural Affairs Secretary rules out GM in Scotland.
January 9, 2009... SCOTLAND will not follow the rest of the UK in looking to GM technology to increase food production and address food security. Cabinet Secretary for rural affairs, Richard Lochhead ruled out using the technology in Scotland, despite growing...

Improved RPA payout teeters on#1bn marker.
January 9, 2009... THE Rural Payments Agency (RPA) significantly improved its delivery of the Single Payment Scheme in the first month of the EU payment window. By the end of 2008, the RPA had paid out almost #1 billion, nearly double what it had delivered...

Milk price cuts spark anger as producers question justification.
January 9, 2009... * Global commodity values are blamed * Downward trend `inevitable' warning By Howard Walsh BOTH Arla and First Milk have announced January producer price cuts. Arla dropped by 2ppl from January 5, while First Milk cut 1.25ppl...

Award-winning company hit as bTB outbreak strikes.
January 9, 2009... IT will be business as usual for the family-run Welsh dairy business, Trioni, despite facing the loss of the bulk of its dairy herd of more than 600 head of pedigree black and whites in an outbreak of bovine TB. The multi award-winning...

Still time to use up IPU herbicide stocks.
January 9, 2009... * Surplus from spray and drilling delays By Dominic Kilburn DELAYED drilling and spray programmes in the autumn mean higher than usual stocks of IPU-based products remain unused in farm sheds at the start of the herbicide's last season...

Organic sector's feed plea.
January 9, 2009... BRITAIN'S major organic bodies are considering asking the Government for a derogation to allow farmers to feed non-organic feed to organic livestock for a limited time period. Currently, organic livestock farmers are paying more than double...

Last chance to save key pesticides from EU axe.
January 9, 2009... FARMERS and growers across Britain have one last chance to save key crop protection products from the scrap heap, food chain bodies have warned. Next Monday (January 12) Euro-MPs will vote on a proposal that could take away up to 23 per...

NFSCo prepared for over 48-month stock collection.
January 9, 2009... THE National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo) is ready, from next week, to take on the task of collecting over-48-months cattle that die on farm, according to its chairman. From Monday (January 12), the Government will cease to pay for the...

Vision for future offer to #361m red meat industry.
January 9, 2009... * Major revamp is a long-term proposal * Lamb and beef have `huge potential' By Barry Alston A MAJOR revamp of the #361 million a year Welsh red meat industry is being proposed in a long-term strategic action plan revealed on...

Welsh red meat consultation.
January 9, 2009... ACCORDING to the new strategic plan: * In 2008, Wales had 4.2 million breeding ewes, a beef breeding herd of 340,000 and a pig breeding herd of 3,000. * Currently there are 24 operational red meat abattoirs in Wales, four of which are...

Tesco price war sparks fears in countryside.
January 9, 2009... TESCO has announced discounts of #100 million across 3,000 products, prompting fears within the countryside that farmgate prices will also be screwed down. The Tesco offer has intensified the New Year price wars after other major...

LETTER: Lambs bred with `head of a bullock'.(Letter to the editor)
January 9, 2009... MAY I congratulate Mr Garner on his recent article on Suffolk sheep, and FG for publishing it. Mr Garner points out a lot of issues that should have been raised before and not confined to `mutterings' from the `Old Guard'. We remember...

LETTER: Time to stand up an be counted.(Letter to the editor)
January 9, 2009... IN response to Paul Sweeney's letter (FG, January 2), I would like to assure him and others that the NFU has been deeply involved in the nitrates issue, at all levels, since European legislation first emerged more than 15 years ago. The...

LETTER: Poultry giveaway photo update.(Letter to the editor)
January 9, 2009... YOU recently carried an old photograph on the back page (FG, December 19) of chickens being given away from a lorry. The article suggested the birds were given away by Richard Denny. However, former East Sussex NFU chairman, John...

LETTER: Tell the world about pesticides.(Letter to the editor)
January 9, 2009... MAY I ask why the farming community is so reluctant to advise bystanders what products are being sprayed around their homes, schools, gardens and parks, etc, and more importantly, what are the antidotes? If they don't know, then it is up to...

LETTER: Supermarkets way out of line.(Letter to the editor)
January 9, 2009... MY wife was shopping at Asda and Tesco in Carlisle before Christmas and melons were #3. She bought a melon for #1.69 in Brampton where fresh vegetables were much cheaper, too. So it's not only farmers who supermarkets like to `rip...

EDITORIAL: Actions speak louder than words.(Editorial)
January 9, 2009... Making sure farmers get the best possible deal isn't something Defra is particularly renowned for. And there have been plenty of instances over the past few years when farmers must have wondered whether they'd been sold down the river...

OPINION: A boost to the economy.
January 9, 2009... THESE days the noise of the postman's van is met with the hope that he might have notification of a fiscal stimulus I am expecting from the Government, namely, my annual SPS payment. When it does arrive I can assure Gordon Brown the money...