Farmers Guardian articles from June 2005

Farmers Guardian archives from June 2005

Arla milk price cut attacked.
June 3, 2005... AN announcement by Arla that the milk price will be cut by 0.35ppl from June 1 has sparked fears that other processors will follow suit. Ironically, the news came on the back of widespread talk of a stable market place, with even Arla...

Compensation for Over-Thirty-Month rule to be extended.
June 3, 2005... COMPENSATION will continue to be paid for cattle born before August 1996 for three years after the Over-Thirty Months (OTM) rule is changed, the European Commission has signalled. There are an estimated 700,000 pre-August 1996 cattle on UK...

Good news on cheese prices for suppliers.
June 3, 2005... ALTHOUGH unconfirmed by the supermarket itself, Tesco is being credited with agreeing to pay more for its cheese which would mean 1.5ppl being passed back to the cheese milk suppliers. Farmers for Action leader Dave Handley, who with the...

Tough times ahead for dairy farmers.
June 3, 2005... EU farm Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has signalled difficult months ahead for dairy farmers, insisting that the Commission is determined to pursue its policy of lowering milk prices. Last week the dairy management committee cut support...

EU criticised for cuts in milk powder export refunds.
June 3, 2005... THE European Commission is sending out the wrong message to milk producers in announcing export refund cuts for milk powders, says the NFU. The organisation is concerned by the possible ramifications of last week's milk management...

Contaminated feed blamed for BSE.
June 3, 2005... CONTAMINATED imported feed has been put forward as the most likely explanation of why three cattle from the same farm in Wales have developed BSE. The discovery of BSE in the dairy cattle born in 2001 and 2002 has set alarm bells ringing...

`Limit' pre-movement TB tests.
June 3, 2005... PRE-MOVEMENT TB testing should initially be limited to the highest risk herds and animals over 15 months of age, a group set up to advise Defra on the policy has recommended. The stakeholder group, chaired by Staffordshire dairy farmer Bill...

NEWS IN BRIEF: On QMS board.
June 3, 2005... David Leggat, marketing director of the UA Group and Andrew Elliot, cattle and sheep farmer and member of the Quality Meat Scotland research and development committee, have been appointed to the board of directors of QMS for two years. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Pig research.
June 3, 2005... Pig industry expert Mark Wilson is joining the MLC to manage a revised research and development programme and drive a new tighter focus on implementing the results of research championed by the British Pig Executive. He will join in July. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Park chief.
June 3, 2005... The New Forest National Park Authority has appointed Lindsay Cornish, head of Defra's waste strategy division, as chief executive. She takes over from Susan Carter, the interim chief executive, on July 11. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

NEWS IN BRIEF: Condemned.
June 3, 2005... Pig producers should not overlook the compounding effect of carcase condemnation at the abattoir, says Mark White, veterinary consultant to JSR Genetics. Some reports regularly indicate up to 1 per cent of whole carcases are condemned for...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Dairy feed.
June 3, 2005... A new generation of summer dairy compound feed designed to enable high genetic merit Holstein cows at grass express potential performance, cost effectively, has been formulated and launched by Dugdale Nutrition. Evolution is claimed to comprise...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Meat facts.
June 3, 2005... More than one million tonnes of beef is eaten in the UK each year. World mutton and lamb production last year was almost 8 million tonnes. Just a few facts from `A Pocketful of Meat Facts' from MLC Economics, priced #10. Contact 01908 844396 or...

Cattle movement link to bovine TB `sensationalist'.
June 3, 2005... NEW research linking the spread of bovine TB to cattle movements cannot be used to show that farmers are to blame for the epidemic, the NFU said this week. Researchers from Oxford University say they have demonstrated `unequivocally' that...

New Flock Register.
June 3, 2005... SHEEP farmers in England, Scotland and Wales whose rams have been shown to be scrapie resistant will be able to join the new Flock Register from next week. It will be open to owners of crossbred flocks, as well as pedigree breeders....

President of RASE elected.
June 3, 2005... SIR Stuart Hampson, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, which includes the Waitrose chain of supermarkets, has been elected president of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. He joined the John Lewis Partnership in 1982 as a...

Final SPS cut-off point is looming.
June 3, 2005... THE final cut-off point for anyone who has yet to submit a valid Single Payment Scheme application to the Rural Payments Agency is next Friday, June 10. This includes those people who have been advised by RPA that their applications are...

Pressure from MPs.
June 3, 2005... MPs are putting pressure on the Government to make sure farmers are not penalised by the Rural Payments Agency's (RPA) handling of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). By Tuesday (May 31), 39 MPs from various parties had put their signatures...

Cheshire stalwart dies.
June 3, 2005... THE secretary of Cheshire County Show since 1990, David Broster, died suddenly at his desk at the show office this week at the age of 59. A working farmer, at Marston, near Winsford, Cheshire, until he was appointed show secretary, he had...

Supermarket row escalates still further.
June 3, 2005... THE row between J Sainsbury chief executive Justin King and the Forum of Private Business (FPB) escalated this week after the publication of correspondence between the two parties. The FPB, which represents small businesses in the UK,...

NFU seek to source UK petrol ingredient.
June 3, 2005... THE NFU were due to meet representatives of supermarket group Tesco yesterday to discuss ways of sourcing an ingredient for petrol in the UK which makes the fuel more environmentally friendly. More than 150 Tesco petrol stations now sell...

CLA and NFUS call for independent regulator.
June 3, 2005... BOTH NFU Scotland and the Country Land and Business Association have demanded the OFT establish an independent regulator to ensure fair trade between supermarkets and their suppliers. NFUS said the Supermarket Code of Practice, introduced...

Budgens joins Red Tractor.
June 3, 2005... BUDGENS has become the first British retailer to adopt the Red Tractor Promise Campaign. From June 9 the food retailer will run the logo on English strawberries and raspberries sold at its 235 English stores. However support from elsewhere...

Mandelson casts doubts over assurance value.
June 3, 2005... EUROPEAN Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, responsible for the EU's World Trade Organisation negotiations, has cast doubt over the value of farm quality assurance schemes. He has claimed that if developing countries - which under...

Bid to slash rural budget condemned by `greens'.
June 3, 2005... PLANS to slash the EU budget for rural development have been condemned by a coalition of green organisations. Under plans put forward the Luxembourg presidency, the EU second pillar, or rural development budget, could be cut from E88.75...

Farming industry's part in French `non'.
June 3, 2005... THE farming industry and rural communities played a big part in the French `no' vote on the EU constitution. From the outset farmers opposed the EU's plans for closer integration, fearing this would damage the ability of countries to...

FUW calls for flood work defences.
June 3, 2005... The Farmers Union of Wales is calling for an urgent start on remedial work to the flood defences in the Conwy Valley. The union says it was given assurances at a meeting with the Environmental Agency in April that work would commence in early...

WEBSTER'S VIEW: Better communication is needed in changing times.
June 3, 2005... A month or two back when we were lambing, we had a rough old Swaledale ewe who managed to produce two lambs. Because they were quite little we pampered them a bit, brought them home and put them in a field handy to the house. I went to...

OPINION: Cherishing our heritage.
June 3, 2005... If you're a regular FG reader and keep up with the letters page, you'll have noticed that the NSA's John Thorley is not the most universally- popular industry figure at the moment. His defence of organophosphates brought a storm of protest...

Agricultural developments hardest hit.
June 3, 2005... IN the last few months planning has undergone yet more upheaval. But instead of heralding opportunity, farmers face higher planning fees and a potentially more restrictive system. Richard Brogden, planning expert at Bruton Knowles (BK),...

Do the changes to proofs stack up?
June 3, 2005... The `new-look' dairy bull proofs, now rebranded MDC breeding+, have come in for criticism from some quarters. Here FG looks at what went wrong with the first set of figures and what the changes will mean for producers. TO seasoned users of...

Looking ahead with breeding+.
June 3, 2005... HOT on the heels of the latest changes and new indices in the MDC's genetic evaluations is the introduction of MDC's breeding+ farm improvement programme that will be available to all levy payers - free of charge - from July. It supports...

Foot-and-mouth models show varying vaccination success.
June 3, 2005... VACCINATING livestock could significantly reduce the size and cost of large foot-and-mouth outbreaks in future. However, in some future foot-and-mouth scenarios, it will not be sensible to vaccinate, as the cost to Government and farmers...

Commercial heifer wins beef supreme.
June 3, 2005... A 13-month-old commercial heifer collected the supreme beef championship at the Northumberland County Show at Corbridge, on Monday. The three-quarter Limousin heifer shown by Neil Slack of Newby, Penrith, had earlier lifted the commercial...

Dairy Shorthorn gets the nod in close finish.
June 3, 2005... IT was a close contest in the dairy inter-breed championship with the title awarded to a Dairy Shorthorn for the first time in years. Dairy judges Wendy Young, of York, and Edward Griffiths, of Sheffield, were unable to decide whether the...

Bluefaced Leicester pips Texel.
June 3, 2005... IT was a close finale in the inter-breed sheep competition with the Bluefaced Leicester and the Texel tying on the points awarded by the individual breed judges. Robert Carter, from Longtown, was called upon for the final adjudication and he...

Belgian Blue takes the inter-breed beef honours.
June 3, 2005... THE Belgian Blue maiden heifer Boomer Whitney, from R.M. (Boomer) Birch, took the beef inter-breed honours at Herts County Show on Saturday. By Cubitus Du Pre Rosine, the 17-month-old heifer had earlier won the breed and female...

Ayrshire and Angus prove supreme.
June 3, 2005... BRITISH breeds topped both the cattle and sheep lines at a busy Surrey County Show at Guildford where the organisers were expecting a gate of around 40,000 and to hold onto their claim of being the country's biggest one-day show. A good...

South Wales season opens.
June 3, 2005... THE first of the new season of shows in South Wales was the 99th annual Cothi Bridge Show at the weekend at Pontargothi, Carmarthenshire. The beef championship went to Meirion and Linda Jones for the four-year- old Simmental bull, Sundial...

Bob is `top dog' at Skipton sheepdog sale.
June 3, 2005... JOHN Bell once again had a successful day as he sent out the top three highest priced lots at the spring sale of working sheep dogs at Skipton Auction, North Yorkshire. John, of Howden, North Yorkshire, sold Bob, a 20-month-old...

Slashing the cost of cattle registration.
June 3, 2005... A special study carried out by NFU Cymru has found that the average cost of registering cattle by post with the British Cattle Movement Service is over #156 a year and the average cost of registering online #195 a year. Both methods have...

Biodiversity research link.
June 3, 2005... THE University of Bristol, in conjunction with IGER and the University of Exeter is looking for beef and sheep farmers to take part in a research project on the links between biodiversity of pastures, farm business development and food quality....

ELS on the Plain.
June 3, 2005... PROBLEMS that initially prevented MoD tenants on Salisbury Plain joining the ELS have now been solved, after successful lobbying by the NFU. The rules of the scheme threatened to make it almost impossible for the tenants farming most of the...

Popping a cork.
June 3, 2005... Vineyards across Wales have been opening up their gates to visitors and popping a cork or two this week to celebrate Welsh Wine Week. There are now more than 20 Welsh vineyards, producing around 100,000 bottles of wine each year. ...

New rural business centre for Cheshire launched at college.
June 3, 2005... A new rural business centre to help Cheshire entrepreneurs develop ideas and improve performance has been launched at Reaseheath College, Nantwich. The Rural Enterprise Gateway aims to encourage a more vibrant rural economy by offering a...

Importance of commercial market to the Belgian Blue.
June 3, 2005... Conscious of the importance of the commercial market to the Belgian Blue breed, the Belgian Blue Cattle Society called on a purely commercial farmer to judge its major sale at Carlisle. NEIL RYDER met the judge, John Richardson. THE...

Checks on river health status.
June 3, 2005... HOW farming standards can affect the health status of rivers and fish welfare is under investigation as part of an EU-funded project in Wales. Closely involved are the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Cymru, the Environment Agency and the...

Festival shop window for Welsh food.
June 3, 2005... DINING at this week's world renowned Hay-on-Wye Festival will be an exciting experience for its thousands of book loving visitors, with some top quality Welsh food on offer to suit every style and pocket. Now in its 19th year - it runs...

British Potato Industry Award.
June 3, 2005... THE British Potato Council is seeking nominations for this year's British Potato Industry Award. Forms are available from Gloria Cox, British Potato Council, 4300 Nash Court, John Smith Drive, Oxford Business Park South, Oxford, OX4 2RT. Tel:...

Group secretary.
June 3, 2005... NFU Cymru's new senior group secretary at Llanrwst is Paul Williams. He will be responsible for Uwchaled, Llanrwst, Ogwen and Nant Conwy branches following the retirement of Elfed Williams. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Agri-scheme report seen as own goal.
June 3, 2005... THE independent report highlighting the success of the Wales-based Tir Gofal agri-environmental scheme - detailed in last week's Farmers Guardian - is being seen as an own goal on the part of the Countryside Council for Wales and the Welsh...

Drift towards deadweight selling cause for concern - says John Thorley.
June 3, 2005... CONFIDENCE in the future of the UK sheep industry, but considerable concern over a growing drift towards deadweight selling, has come from National Sheep Association chief executive John Thorley. Speaking at Welsh Sheep 2005, he said that...

OTMS move is welcomed.
June 3, 2005... THE European Commission's go-ahead for a three-year scheme to replace the current Over Thirty Months Scheme subject to approval by the Council of Ministers, has been welcomed by NFU Scotland. The announcement by Rural Development Minister...

Farmers reap benefits at `Share to Grow'.
June 3, 2005... CUTTING costs, improving efficiency and decreased isolation are all benefits of working together, farmers have been told at a `Share to Grow' event. Through five case studies EFFP illustrated the different ways arable farmers can work...

Make green ground.
June 3, 2005... THE farming community must take up the environmental challenge and show the benefits and achievements agriculture brings as well as recognising the need for further improvement. While farming now carries a greater responsibility to manage...

COMMITMENT TO ACTION.
June 3, 2005... THE NFU also used the policy statement to identify its `commitment to action' within the Making Green Ground campaign. Environment policy The aim is to integrate the NFU's environment policy in all aspects of the union's policy work....

EU regime affects research.
June 3, 2005... SUGAR beet research will have to be cut back if reform of the EU sugar regime results in a drop in levy funding, according to the chairman of the British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO). However, the levy income will still be enough to do...

ELS countdown.
June 3, 2005... Dr Bob Bulmer focuses on key issues that growers need to address when considering Entry Level Stewardship. This week he looks at mixtures to boost wildlife. Varying the habitats available to wildlife on farm is an important part of ELS....

Farm value increased by Genesis QA.
June 3, 2005... ASSURANCE company Genesis QA is launching `Genesis Advantage' - a scheme, it says, devised for growers to add value to the farm and offset some of the costs incurred by farm assurance. Genesis Advantage, the latest scheme from the farm...

Sugar beet growers urged to check for virus-transmitting aphids.
June 3, 2005... WITH virus yellows forecast to reach severe levels this season sugar beet growers with unprotected at-risk crops are being urged to monitor crops carefully for virus-transmitting aphids. "The threat to the 2005 crop is far higher than...

Crops at risk from virus yellows.
June 3, 2005... SUGAR beet crops on rhizomania-infected land are particularly at risk from yield-sapping yellowing, according to scientists from Broom's Barn. "The two together give a 1+1=2.5 scenario," says virologist Dr Mark Stevens. "In trials where...

Farming `rarity' adds colour to scholarship scheme.
June 3, 2005... From an early childhood in Jamaica to farming in Cornwall is the story of Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, believed to be Britain's only black farmer, and who is using his colour as a marketing tool to help develop his business. Katie Roebuck heard his...

Duo embark on trip of a lifetime.
June 3, 2005... A NEW organisation for young Hereford breeders is sending two members on the trip of a lifetime to the USA in July. Matt Grey, 23, from Hereford, and David Heath, 25, from Tarvin, Cheshire, will be helping a Texas ranch prepare cattle for...

Top award for project leader.
June 3, 2005... THE leader of a unique conservation project in the Yorkshire Dales has won a top award for her work. Louise Williams, 26, has been honoured by the Yorkshire Dales Society (YDS) after launching the Limestone Country Project for local...

College show off skills.
June 3, 2005... THE Cheshire-based college, Reaseheath, Nantwich, gave some of its agriculture students the opportunity to prepare and show some of Britain's top dairy animals at the annual calf show. Forty students taking National Diploma in Agriculture...

Ledbury clear winners at County Rally.
June 3, 2005... HEREFORDSHIRE Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs held their annual County Rally Competitions Day under stormy skies at Lower Hope, Ullingswick by the kind permission of Clive Richards. The event attracted a lot of people during the day and...

Grant boosts careers.
June 3, 2005... A #79,000 hi-tech project in Cumbria will provide equipment and training to improve the efficiency of the county's Young Farmers Clubs and teach skills to help members in their future careers. The Cumbria federation has successfully applied...

County rally win.
June 3, 2005... MORE than 1,200 members and supporters gathered at Shuttleworth College, near Biggleswade, for Bedfordshire Young Farmers' annual county rally. Leighton Buzzard YFC clinched the overall winners' rally cup with North Beds runner-up. Bedford...

Perseverance pays off.
June 3, 2005... PERSEVERANCE has paid off for Moreton Young Farmers' Club. For the first time in 40 years the club was overall winner of Gloucestershire Young Farmers county show. The club, this year celebrating its 70th anniversary, also won both the...

Wilde winner.
June 3, 2005... KIM Wilde, winner of gold and best in show (courtyard garden) awards at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, will be at Holker Garden Festival, Cumbria, tomorrow, signing copies of her new book, Gardening with children. With her co-designer...

Building friendships.
June 3, 2005... YORKSHIRE Young Farmers built friendships - and a tree house - during a leadership training weekend based at the Swarthghyll Activity Centre, Buckden, North Yorkshire. Funded by Awards for All, the event provided an opportunity to develop...

WI pilgrimage.
June 3, 2005... A pilgrimage to Anglesey is being made by Wales WI members to mark the 90th anniversary of the National Federation of Women's Institutes. The journey began in Gwent and month by month, other federations have each organised a key walk of up...

#600 raised for charity.
June 3, 2005... A Country Link national weekend gathering has raised around #600 for Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Relief. The County Durham/North Yorkshire group organised the event which included visits to venues ranging from a buffalo farm...

Raking it in.
June 3, 2005... A muck sale by Garioch YFC, Aberdeenshire, raised #150 for the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative. "We thought the RNCI was an ideal recipient because of the great work it does, promoting awareness of the countryside through education,...

Tractor run raises #6,000.
June 3, 2005... RIBBLE Valley Vintage Club, Lancashire, has raised #6,000 for charity from the National Vintage Tractor Road Run which the club hosted at Gisburn Auction Marts. It featured 435 tractors. The money will be given to Air Ambulance in Blackpool...

Penswick and Joss undisputed winners of the Trawden open.
June 3, 2005... LESLEY Penswick and Joss were the undisputed victors of the Trawden summer open trial held on Twiston Moor, near Clitheroe, Lancashire, on Saturday. A sizeable course with a fetch of over 300 metres was set over moorland where large clumps...

Large crowds are entertained by good trialling at Wales Cymru event.
June 3, 2005... WHERE better to hold a sheepdog trial than at the National Sheep Association Wales Cymru Region's event at Pentre Farm, Merthyr Cynog, near Brecon. With a sale of working dogs included in the programme some handlers who had dogs for sale as...

Sheep society's president.
June 3, 2005... THE Welsh Mountain Sheep Society - Pedigree Section has a new president and a new secretary. Heading up the society for the next 12 months will be well-known West Wales breeder, Russell Davies, from Rhydymerydd, near Clynderwen. Sheep...

BEEF 2005: Range of events for all producers.
June 3, 2005... EVERYTHING is now set for the first ever UK-wide beef event to be staged in Wales. Tuesday farm visits, a conference and dinner will set the scene for Wednesday's prestigious day-long Beef Expo 2005 event being held on the Royal Welsh...

BEEF 2005: Large turnout.
June 3, 2005... BEEF Expo 2005 will have the most comprehensive display of beef cattle breeds ever seen at the UK's national beef event. No less than 22 will be represented in the beef breed societies' exhibition area and there will also be demonstrations...

BEEF 2005: Prize money.
June 3, 2005... SOME top prize money will be on offer for Beef Expo 2005 visitors prepared to put their stockjudging skills to the test in both open and young farmers' competitions. Top prize in the open competition, sponsored by Yara UK Ltd, is #500 plus...

BEEF 2005: Farm and research centre visits play key role.
June 3, 2005... TWO Welsh border beef farms and an upland research centre will play a key part in the practical side of the Beef Expo 2005 event. Delegates who have pre-booked will be visiting a family-run `birth to beef' finishing system built around what...

BEEF 2005: Beef theme.
June 3, 2005... SETTING the theme for the event will be a conference and dinner under the "Beef for a Brighter Future" banner. Tuesday's conference follows on from the tour of three Welsh beef farms earlier in the day and four leading figures in the UK...

Herder duo spice up UK mower market.
June 3, 2005... DUTCH reach mower manufacturer Herder has introduced two new machines into the UK market through its importer, Boston-based Mastenbroek. One is a no frills, mid-mounted mower, which despite its outwardly simple design, offers a degree of...