Farmers Guardian articles from March 2003

Farmers Guardian archives from March 2003

Goodbye to OTMS?(Food Standards Agency is set to recommend that the Over Thirty- Month rule is scrapped entirely or relaxed )
March 7, 2003... THE Food Standards Agency is set to recommend that the Over Thirty- Month rule is scrapped entirely or relaxed to the extent that cattle born as long ago as 1996 are allowed back into the food chain. The expected announcement by FSA...

Stronger euro boost for UK farming.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... THE rise in the value of the euro against sterling has been a major financial boost for farmers. Analysts say the latest increase should be sustained until at least the third quarter of this year. Even then they say the single currency should...

CJD decline shows past errors, say experts.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... TWO leading experts in the spread of CJD have welcomed the announcement that the number of cases of CJD is in decline and claimed they are further evidence of errors by Government scientists in the 1990s. Professors Martin Newby and Philip...

Give your views on rural issues - Haskins.(Lord Haskins's independent review is inviting interested people and organisations to give first-hand feedback of what works well and what can be done better)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... PEOPLE who care about rural issues are being encouraged to give their views on how the Government's rural policies can be better delivered. Lord Haskins's independent review, announced last November, is inviting interested people and...

NBA chief raps Morley over badger cull `folklore' claim.(National Beef Association chief executive Robert Forster )
March 7, 2003... NATIONAL Beef Association chief executive Robert Forster has hit back at claims by Animal Health Minister Elliot Morley that farmer calls for an extended badger cull are based on folklore. Mr Morley made the claim last week when he was...

60m euro aid for French pig farmers.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... French pig farmers are to receive aid worth up to 60 million euro. The funding will come in the form of advance payments for pigmeat and the French National Pig Federation, which will administer the scheme, says it is to stave off a growing...

Make sure on-farm biosecurity is right.
March 7, 2003... AS new livestock movement restrictions came into force this week, farmers' leaders have urged livestock producers to pay particular attention to on-farm biosecurity. Livestock movements in England and Wales will now be subject to a six-...

Have your say on guidance.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... THE Government issued a consultation paper on biosecurity guidance this week as part of its pledge under the Animal Health Act 2002. The guidance, covering England and Wales, is aimed at all livestock owners and anybody who comes into...

Government under pressure to delay the ban on burying.
March 7, 2003... THE Government is coming under increasing pressure to delay the introduction of the ban on burying fallen stock - or at least agree to fund an alternative disposal scheme amid fears the ban could create chaos. An estimated six million...

How the changes affect farmers.(ban on burying fallen stock is part of the new EU Animal By- Products regulation that will apply from May 1, 2003)
March 7, 2003... THE ban on burying fallen stock is part of the new EU Animal By- Products regulation that will apply from May 1, 2003. The regulation will tighten the rules on the processing, use, disposal, trade and import of animal by-products (animal...

HOW IT WOULD WORK.(How the carcase collection scheme proposed by LASSA and the UK Renderers Association would work)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... How the carcase collection scheme proposed by LASSA and the UK Renderers Association would work. 1. Farmers with fallen stock would contact a central co-ordinating office by telephone or the internet with details of where they are and what...

Farmers are already dumping carcases even before the new ban comes.(on burying fallen stock)
March 7, 2003... FARMERS are already dumping carcases outside knacker yards, in a worrying development for the knacker industry two months before the ban on burying fallen stock is due to come into force. Eight dead sheep were dumped outside a knacker yard...

Welsh Assembly attacked over lack of direction.(about new EU Animal Bi-products Regulations)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... WELSH Conservative rural affairs spokesman Peter Rogers has attacked the Welsh Assembly coalition government over a lack of direction and leadership being shown on the new EU Animal Bi-products Regulations, which will halt on-farm burial of...

Sterling makes milk prices volatile.
March 7, 2003... A LEADING UK milk processor is urging the milk industry to come together to lobby the Government to take action on what it says is the fundamental issue affecting farmgate prices - currency fluctuations. Express Dairies says farmgate prices...

The `wise' one.(Jim Walker has been appointed as a consultant to Robert Wiseman Dairies )
March 7, 2003... Former president of the National Farmers Union of Scotland, Jim Walker, has been appointed as a consultant to Robert Wiseman Dairies with effect from this week. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Fire prevention.(United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... UKASTA has teamed up with the Health and Safety Executive to produce guidelines on helping to prevent life-threatening fires and dust explosions in animal feed mills. Copies - which are free to UKASTA members and priced #18.21 to non-members -...

Sowing guide.(Advanta Seeds UK)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Advanta Seeds UK has published a comprehensive guide for farmers and landowners giving the various seed sowing options available under the agri-environmental schemes in England and Wales. Copies are available from 01529 304511, or by email on:...

Milk Development Council is to move forward on findings.
March 7, 2003... THE Milk Development Council said this week that it is going forward with the findings of the KPMG report `Prices and Profitability in the GB Dairy Supply Chain'. "The value of the report is where we go from here, and Milk Development...

FUW blames software supplier.(Farmers Union of Wales )(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... THE Farmers Union of Wales has called on the Welsh Assembly to consider taking action against the suppliers of new computer software after fresh revelations that a crucial European payment to farmers has been further delayed. The FUW says...

The French have got the right idea on decoupling.
March 7, 2003... RICHARD WRIGHT'S VIEW FROM BRUSSELS Last week's Paris Agricultural Show underlined why the French farming lobby is so powerful. Over the space of a week, more than 600,000 people, mostly from Paris, come to the show - and while most have...

OPINION: Sound of a gobsmack.( )
March 7, 2003... THE Food Standards Agency is not renowned for throwing caution to the wind. If it was a person it would certainly check the gas cooker at least three times before going to sleep. So its sudden interest in scrapping the OTMS rule entirely or...

Objective One funding: Use it or lose it.
March 7, 2003... A rural business leader is warning that a massive spending programme to boost rural enterprise and job creation is urgently needed in 2003 - or millions of pounds of EU aid could be clawed back by Brussels. The `use it - or lose it' call...

Letter: Culling badgers won't solve problem.(Letter to the Editor)
March 7, 2003... WITH reference to the TB problem, there is almost certainly another angle besides badger infection. Present day dairy cows are bred and fed to produce milk far in excess of what nature intended. While this may be good for the bank balance,...

Letter: Cattle are the cause.(Letter to the Editor)
March 7, 2003... THE hue and cry for a badger cull is misdirected. Cattle transmit to cattle within herds, facilitated by communal feed troughs and between herds by cattle movement and lack of pre-movement testing. Cattle transmit to badgers, which root...

Letter: TB outbreaks.(Letter to the Editor)
March 7, 2003... BACK in the 1950s to 1970s we never heard about TB outbreaks or the badger having TB. Where did the badger get TB from? I think we need to look at the history of farming from the 1960s. Working hard to produce more and more food at a...

Horticultural expert at Royal Cornwall Show.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... HORTICULTURAL enthusiasts who visit this year's Royal Cornwall Show will be able to hear Michael Taylor of Endsleigh Gardens Nursery discussing `unusual grafted plants and Japanese maples.' Mr Taylor will be one of the speakers in the...

E.coli vaccination pays - but dose timing is crucial.
March 7, 2003... JOHN Canham of Narracott Farm, Hatherleigh in Devon has been vaccinating his sheep for E.coli for 13 years. He believes it is a cost- effective way of protecting his flock. "A lamb that has scoured will never perform as well as it could...

Traditional forestry barn to promote county's industry.
March 7, 2003... A NEW forestry barn, built in the traditional way from Cornish timber, is to become a permanent feature of the forestry area of the Royal Cornwall Show. It is hoped the barn will serve to promote locally-grown timber and give a much needed...

Colleges sharing knowledge saves #13,000 of work advised by `experts'.
March 7, 2003... THINKING of installing cow tracks? Then why waste money on concrete, quarried stone or even plastic membrane with a wood chip topping? Look instead at what most farms already have - an adequately structured sub-soil - and save yourself a...

Diversity of college enterprises.(Farming Connect)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... AS one of the 10 Farming Connect dairy demonstration farms across Wales, Glynllifon is unique among agricultural colleges in the diversity of enterprises it specialises in. Along with the dairy herd, the farm's 388 acres carry a sheep...

Facelift of dairy facilities planned.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... PLANS are in hand for a major facelift of Glynllifon's ageing dairying facilities - but there is nothing outdated about the performance of its milking herd. Rolling annual returns up to the end of December for 103 milkers, put total...

Project to lift milk protein levels deemed a success.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... TWELVE months into a project to lift milk protein levels destined for cheese production, significant progress is being made. Glynllifon is one of four farms linked into a specific initiative with producer-owned South Caernarfon Creameries....

Major benefits from farmer involvement.
March 7, 2003... THERE can be major benefits from farmer involvement in the processing of milk, but there has to be real commitment, both financially and as suppliers, said Dr Otto-Frank van Bekkum, of the Netherlands Institute for Co-operative Entrepreneurship...

More competition but danger of a price squeeze.
March 7, 2003... FARMER investments in low cost milk manufacturing plant should increase competition for milk, but there was also a danger they would simply replace the farmgate manufacturing price squeeze with a manufacturing- supermarket price squeeze, said...

Guts, passion and expertise needed.(Torridge Vale co-operative)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... TECHNICAL expertise and a passion for the project with the guts to drive it through are the qualities needed on a board of directors running a milk processing plant, said Tim Wall, chairman of the Devon- based Torridge Vale co-operative. ...

Industry facing dramatic change.(Industry Overview)
March 7, 2003... DAIRY farming has a good future, but like the rest of industry is under vast pressure and will have to go through dramatic and rapid change, said David Liddington, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs. ...

Morley is accused of deliberately ignoring badger/cattle TB links.(Farmers' Union of Wales; Elliot Morley)
March 7, 2003... DEFRA Minister Elliot Morley was accused this week by the Farmers' Union of Wales of deliberately ignoring the real reasons for the relentless spread of TB in cattle throughout England and Wales. FUW president Bob Parry criticised Mr Morley...

Hit by FMD - but back to `warm embrace of dairying'.
March 7, 2003... WHILE losing the farm's dairy herd to foot-and-mouth disease was an awful experience, it also gave a `blank canvas' on which to re-assess the farm business, including whether or not to return to dairying, Cumbrian farmer Alistair Wannop told...

Suckler Cow Premium applications.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The application period for the 2003 Suckler Cow Premium Scheme quota national reserve will open on Tuesday, March 4 and close on Monday, March 31. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Joint venture to help small, family dairy units in Cornwall.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... JOINT venturing is the theme of a new project designed to help small, family dairy farms in Cornwall cope with CAP mid-term review proposals, the RABDF conference was told. The project is a joint imitative by Exeter University and...

Home is where the heart is.(Beaufort House)
March 7, 2003... WHEN you first walk into Beaufort House, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, you could be forgiven for thinking you had wandered into a hotel rather than a retirement home for members of the agricultural community. The Royal Agricultural Benevolent...

Finnie announces revision to 13-day Scottish standstill.(Ross Finnie; John Kinnaird)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... EAST Lothian farmer, 52-year-old John Kinnaird was elected by a hefty majority to become the new president of NFU Scotland at the annual meeting at St Andrews. He farms 629 acres of largely arable with 60 suckler cows and 410 ewes. He was...

Top scientists and beef breeders get new feedback.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... TOP scientists and beef breeders will be on hand at the South West Suckler Open Day and Seminar, taking place next Tuesday, March 11, at Trepoyle, Farm, North Tamerton, Holsworthy, Devon. Topics will include the latest results from the...

Chefs give London food for thought.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... THE Taste of the West stand at the International Food Exhibition, being held in London this month, will house a demonstration kitchen. Chefs from the South West will cook using the regional ingredients. Visitors to the stand will also be...

Michael is accused of betrayal on Hunting Bill.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... WELSH hill farmers this week accused Westminster's Rural Affairs Minister and Cardiff South and Penarth MP, Alun Michael, of betrayal by voting against his own Hunting Bill for an amendment which will ban all terrier work. Derek Morgan,...

Agri-budget cut would discriminate against UK farms, says union.
March 7, 2003... WHILE the broad principles of decoupling were accepted, the fine print and issues surrounding modulation and degressivity were causing deep concern, NFU Cymru has said in its response to the Welsh Assembly's CAP reform consultation. It...

Enterprise award winners.(MABIE Farm Park)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... MABIE Farm Park is one of the top winners at the second Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway Business and Learning Awards 2003. The awards ceremony, organised in association with The Royal Bank of Scotland, recognised eight companies...

EBLEX promotion strategies.(English Beef and Lamb Executive)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... STRATEGIES for promoting English branded lamb and beef will be under the spotlight when members of the newly formed EBLEX (English Beef and Lamb Executive) board meet next week. In a two day session, the board will meet for the first time at...

Royal Show sheep boost.(Royal Agricultural Society of England and the National Sheep Association.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A new initiative to give the sheep sector an added boost at this year's Royal Show has been announced following discussions between the Royal Agricultural Society of England and the National Sheep Association. Focusing on a closer working...

Rural council idea fails to gain ground.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A proposed overall rural body to represent various organisations is not likely to get off the ground after all, though it could result in a closer working relationship between groups. The initial idea for a rural council was raised by the...

Producing lambs to meet market needs.
March 7, 2003... FARMERS need to understand that the requirements of lamb markets are changing and how to produce and select lambs to meet these markets if they are to get the best prices for their animals. That was the recurring message when MLC invited a...

Careful scrutiny of the books could save cash.
March 7, 2003... FARMERS should take three or four hours to look at their books over the next week - and it could save them thousands of pounds, and at least ease cash flow problems advises Tenon Rural Services. Chris Monnington, Tenon director based at...

Putting local food on the public sector shopping lists.
March 7, 2003... FOOD and drink producers in Wales could be in for a big slice of a public sector procurement market worth #60million a year if efforts to free-up existing contract buying procedures come to fruition. The first positive steps towards tapping...

Call for partnership between suppliers and buyers.
March 7, 2003... WELSH Assembly backing for the initiative came from Rural Development Minister Michael German. He urged public sector buyers and food suppliers to work together as a partnership in order to maximise the domestic market and secure important new...

`Better' not `best' value.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A key speaker at the conference was Antony Lewis, chairman of the Powys Health Care NHS Trust, a public body which has been pioneering efforts to establish a local supply chain for some of its hospital food needs. It has been successful in...

Scientists pinpoint source of E.coli 0157.(Edinburgh University)
March 7, 2003... SCIENTISTS at Edinburgh University have pinpointed the source of the E.coli 0157 bacterium carried mainly by cattle. Dr David Gally from the research tea, said the discovery gave the potential to identify, control and ultimately eradicate...

Opportunity knocks, but end OTMS.
March 7, 2003... DO not be hasty. Wait until you know what is happening before making decisions, Robert Forster, chief executive of the National Beef Association, told the conference at Craven Cattle Market, on Friday. "The bottom line is although you are...

Demand for British calves.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... ONCE the UK was able to trade on the same terms as other countries after receiving moderate risk status for BSE, there would undoubtedly be demand for British dairy calves from veal finishers on the continent, said Mr Forster, In addition,...

British are `second best' at lobbying.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... BRITISH farmers were second best when it came to lobbying for their own interests whether in Brussels or Whitehall, claimed solicitor Richard Barker. "We don't do enough in this country. British farmers are slow at coming forward and should get...

CAP reform `essential' before enlargement of EU bites.
March 7, 2003... THE mid-term review was going to happen sooner rather than later and was the biggest significant change to the CAP since it was formed, said Richard Barker, a senior partner in the Ipswich-based Barker Gotelee Solicitors. "It's a massive...

Beef industry `needs to attract young people'.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... UK farming was now part of a global marketplace and if farmers did not want to go along with that then they should get out of the industry now, said Claire Wise, whose parents farm near Darlington. She challenged the audience to adapt their...

Crushed linseed offers a a low-risk option in uncertain times.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... THE most profitable spring break crop for 2003 is set to be crushed linseed making around #170-per-tonne, claims specialist merchant Premium Crops. "With cereal prices so depressed, the need for good breaks to produce first wheats is more...

Onion and potato specialist is `Grower of the Year 2003'.(Grahame Parrish)
March 7, 2003... SPECIALIST onion and potato grower, Grahame Parrish, of Shefford, Bedfordshire, is this year's Grower of the Year in the horticultural sector. Mr Parrish and his team from F.B. Parrish and Son received the `Syngenta Overall Grower of the...

ARABLE EVENTS.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... * Cereals 2003 is set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday June 11 and 12, at Velcourt's Vine Farm, Wendy, near Royston in Hertfordshire. Organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England, the event now incorporates the Sprays &...

Crop monitor: Make sure you stay alert for early disease.
March 7, 2003... In the second of our fortnightly series, two more independent agronomists from the specialist, six-strong, nationwide panel established by FG, report on the progress and performance of combinable crops across the country and advise on...

Spring's challenge is to fight septoria tritici.
March 7, 2003... ALL winter wheat varieties on the current Recommended List were affected by septoria tritici to some degree. That was why this spring's T1 fungicide spray would be important - it was all about controlling septoria inoculum. That was...

Agronomy support services on the web.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... AG-CHEM distributor UAP has launched what it claims is the most comprehensive web-based agronomy support package in the UK. Branded as Web ASSET (Agronomy Support Service by Electronic Transfer), the service provides growers with...

Barrage of new water legislation will make potato irrigation costly.
March 7, 2003... POTATO growers who abstract water for crops need to get wise to water legislation - it is set to get increasingly tighter. That was the message from Jacob Tompkins of the Agricultural Water Management Company to growers at the BPC meeting....

High lending levels are good.
March 7, 2003... ALTHOUGH lending to agriculture is at its highest level for 10 years, it is nevertheless sustainable, as a result of the commitment shown by farmers to restructuring their businesses, according to agricultural policy manager, Richard Lole,...

Growers need to find own solutions to challenges.(Industry Overview)
March 7, 2003... Peter Cook, head of SAC's Rural Business Unit, presented an overview of the challenges he saw facing potato growers and suggested ways in which they might seek out solutions, at the BPC meeting. He drew attention to the ongoing...

Blight research.(BPC research and development committee )(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The BPC research and development committee has agreed funding for research into the importance of oospores as a source of blight. The last work to be done in this area, in the 1990s, found that no more than 5 per cent of samples taken...

Crops are O 'K'.(K fertiliser)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Main manageable factors affecting bruising include field selection, K fertiliser, lifting date and handling. Avoid difficult fields, aim for good field layout, cultivate to reduce clods and avoid compaction and plant at a regular depth,...

Second wheat can be profitable for UK.
March 7, 2003... SECOND wheat could be a profitable option for British farms - but agronomy and inputs had to be right. That was the clear message from a conference organised by Monsanto and Syngenta, in Peterborough, to assess how best to improve the...

Spring barley seed rate key to margins.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... THE quality of spring barley crops now being planted needed safeguarding right from day one if growers were to achieve the best margins, according to Simon Phillips, head of product development for breeder New Farm Crops. During the last...

For those who like their meat rather `rare'.(Cranborne Estate)
March 7, 2003... Rare breed pigs were the starting point for Cranborne Estate's fresh meat sales business, which has grown in range and financial success over the past four years. VICKIE ROGERS reports from Wimborne, Dorset. Fresh meat sales from Cranborne...

Going green.(Entry Level Agri-environment Scheme)
March 7, 2003... Environment Minister Michael Meacher has launched a new pilot scheme for the broad and shallow Entry Level Agri-environment Scheme. The initiative has been widely welcomed by farmers and conservationists, although there is a question of how the...

Enthusiastic backing for new, flexible agri-environment scheme.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Farmers and conservationists have given enthusiastic backing to the new Entry Level Agri-environment Scheme. Mr Meacher said the scheme, when rolled out nationally, could revitalise the English countryside. "Although the scheme's...

`Major and innovative step'.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... An expert in soil management has hailed the new scheme as a `major and innovative step' towards solving several key soil protection issues. The scheme includes a number of options geared towards preventing soil erosion. Dick Thompson, of...

Question marks over funding in the early years.(Entry Level Scheme)
March 7, 2003... The new scheme is facing an uncertain future because of question marks over how it will be funded in its early years. Environment Minister Michael Meacher launched four pilot schemes that he hopes will pave the way for the Entry Level Scheme to...

New Dales beauty spot.
March 7, 2003... There's a new `beauty spot' in the Yorkshire Dales, thanks to farmer's wife Clare French. At Sunnybank Farm, High Bentham, North Yorkshire, Clare has launched a health and beauty business where clientele can enjoy delights ranging from colour...

Sue's milk message is portrayed in art.(Sue Moffitt)
March 7, 2003... THE Hunday herd of Holstein Friesians and concern about the future of dairy farming have inspired a dramatic art installation. The 326 photographs of cows from the Hunday herd and a construction of 2,250 two-litres containers representing...

YFC body talk from cycling chairman.(Young Farmers Club (UK))(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A bare-chested club chairman pedalled for 31 miles on a bike to boost YFC membership. Andrew Studley, 20, the chairman of Marshwood YFC, Dorset, stripped to the waist and sported club details in marker pen on his chest, back, arms and...

Bathgate's winning run is ended by Kinross JAC.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... AN eight-year winning run ended when Kinross JAC was awarded first place in Scottish Young Farmers' East Region cabaret talent competition held at Lochgelly, Fife. The club won with its `Saturday showtime' and was closely followed by the...

Scottish competitions.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... HUNDREDS of Scottish Young Farmers headed for Aberdeen for their spring competitions weekend. More than 300 competitors in 30 teams took part in the 10-pin bowling competition which saw Dunlop YFC, Ayrshire, take first place. Perthshire...