Farmers Guardian articles from March 2005

Farmers Guardian archives from March 2005

Movement at last in bid for milk price rise.
March 4, 2005... TESCO and Asda increased the retail price of liquid milk mid-week by around 3.5ppl and other retailers are expected to follow suite. The move should signal a breakthrough for producers and processors in their long-running bid to recover...

TB strategy condemned: Ministers shielded from making culling decision.
March 4, 2005... THE Government's GB TB Strategy launched on Tuesday will shield Ministers from making any decision on badger culling for at least two years but probably longer. Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw has also revealed that public sentiment...

TB letter row.
March 4, 2005... BEN Bradshaw dismissed the group of vets who wrote to Defra Secretary Margaret Beckett criticising the Government's record on TB and demanding action to curb TB in badgers. Speaking at the GB TB launch on Tuesday, he said: "Clearly there...

Gangmaster consultations get underway.
March 4, 2005... ALMOST 400 organisations have been contacted by Defra as part of its consultation on the Gangmasters (Exclusions) Regulations. The move follows the Royal Assent given to the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 in July last year. The Act...

ELS will `secure future funding for farmers'.
March 4, 2005... THE new Environmental Stewardship (ES) scheme, launched yesterday, marks a fundamental shift in the way public money is spent on farmers. Environment Minister Elliot Morley said it would help secure future funding for the industry and he...

Some tenants will have difficulty joining.
March 4, 2005... SOME tenants will have difficulty joining Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) because it requires a five-year agreement. ELS agreement holders must have management control of the land for five years. Defra says if tenants' agreements run out...

Store rethink on terms.
March 4, 2005... SAINSBURY'S is taking a fresh look at the implementation of changed payment terms to suppliers. Earlier last month, the supermarket wrote to 1,400 businesses notifying them of its intention to extend payment to them by up to four weeks....

Case of BSE in 2001 cow is confirmed.
March 4, 2005... THE first case of BSE in an animal born in 2001 has been discovered. The 39-month-old Holstein Friesian cross cow from a farm in Pembrokeshire was slaughtered as a casualty in January and officially confirmed with BSE on Tuesday. The...

Bone-in beef fears dismissed.
March 4, 2005... FEARS that beef on the bone for animals over 12 months of age is to be banned when OTMS is abolished have been dismissed by the industry. Guy Attenborough, communications manager for English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex) said there was...

Dictating prices claim is denied.
March 4, 2005... SUGGESTIONS that the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo) has been dictating prices charged by collectors have been `categorically denied'. The issue was raised by farmers in Cumbria who were concerned that three collectors in the county...

OTMS `go-it-alone' move by Northern Ireland.
March 4, 2005... THE Ulster Farmers Union has warned the Defra strategy to end the Over Thirty Month Scheme and lift the export ban is faltering. Its president, Campbell Tweed, has written to Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Ian Pearson asking him to...

Fallen stock scheme concerns.
March 4, 2005... SERIOUS concerns over dead animal collections and shortcomings of the National Fallen Stock Company have been voiced by NFU Cymru. The union has written again to the Welsh Assembly's Countryside Minister, Carwyn Jones, calling for an urgent...

Consumer confusion risk.
March 4, 2005... THE proposed `traffic lights' system of food labelling could backfire and confuse consumers into choosing less healthy foods. That was the warning from Dairy UK which has urged the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to re-think one of the...

Little Red Tractor Logo for re-vamp.
March 4, 2005... A RE-VAMPED version of the Little Red Tractor logo is to be launched on April 5, says Assured Food Standards (AFS) this week. "The new logo is not changing so you wouldn't recognise it, but the plan is that it will incorporate the Union...

Food labels `deceiving the consumer'.
March 4, 2005... THE current rules on food labelling were a disgrace and were deceiving the consumer, claimed Shadow Agriculture Minister James Paice. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Tenant Farmers Association, Mr Paice added: "It is simply not...

Tougher labelling laws lie ahead.
March 4, 2005... THE European Commission has agreed the first steps towards tougher EU food labelling laws. But they are very tentative and unlikely to deliver the knock-out blow to cheap imports farmers want. At this week's Brussels Farm Council, Germany...

Dumping rubbish comes at a cost.
March 4, 2005... RUBBISH is illegally dumped in England and Wales every 35 seconds, representing over 75,000 incidents a month. The increasing tide of dumping is costing local authorities almost #100 a minute to clear up, said Environment Minister Elliot...

Hunts still receiving strong local support.
March 4, 2005... HUNTS across the country continued to receive strong local support in the second week of the Hunting Act. The Countryside Alliance had claimed some 156 hunts registered with the Masters of Foxhounds Association met on 206 occasions and...

`Significant impact' for new waste rules.
March 4, 2005... FARMERS are being urged to respond to Defra's Agricultural Waste Consultation ahead of the March 18 deadline. NFU waste spokesman, Robert Caudwell, said: "These new regulations will have a significant impact on the way farmers run their...

Rented grazing `will be cheaper'.
March 4, 2005... GRASS let values will sink this spring and landlords who have unrealistic expectations for temporary rent prices will be disappointed. Furthermore, says the National Beef Association, predictions of a substantial fall in land occupation...

Quality key to market share.
March 4, 2005... EUROPE has no need for concern over its share of global markets - provided it commits itself to competing on the basis of quality and service rather than price, a senior adviser to European Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has...

Alternative to CAP and rural development cuts.
March 4, 2005... THE head of Austria's representation in Brussels claimed there could be an alternative to CAP and rural development spending cuts if the EU budget faces a spending shortfall after 2007. Verena Hagg told Agra Europe delegates another option...

CAP reform good for consumers - Tesco.
March 4, 2005... THE reform of the CAP would be good for consumers, said Tesco's head of corporate affairs. Lucy Neville-Rolfe told the Agra Europe conference it would bring consumers a better choice of products and improved value for money, while farmers...

EC grain stocks crisis.
March 4, 2005... THE European Commission has admitted it is facing a crisis over grain stocks. Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel told this week's Farm Council meeting that with almost 10 million tonnes of grain offered for intervention she had...

VI `better way to change behaviour than a tax'.
March 4, 2005... A PESTICIDE tax was not under active consideration, Environment Minister Alun Michael told MPs. A tax would be `a crude and blunt instrument' and an `undiscriminating added burden' for farmers, he told the House of Commons Environment,...

HADDOCK'S VIEW: Bovine TB: Is it worse than foot-and-mouth?
March 4, 2005... At the moment the hottest issue in agriculture is TB, and, if not controlled, it could have a more devastating effect on the bovine industry than foot-and-mouth. Here in the South West, especially in South Devon, I am in an area that had...

OPINION: What a disgrace.
March 4, 2005... You're a farmer in a TB hot spot area desperately worried about your cattle contracting, or re-contracting, TB. The Government is launching a new strategy to tackle the insidious disease and you think that maybe this time they mean business....

Environmental Stewardship Schemes - the options.
March 4, 2005... The Environmental Stewardship Schemes were finally launched yesterday. FG explains what's involved and how you can use them. THE DETAILS THE new Environmental Stewardship Scheme will replace the Countryside Stewardship, Environmentally...

THE ELS POINTS SYSTEM.
March 4, 2005... THE ELS POINTS SYSTEM Option Units Points Options for Boundary Features Hedgerow management 100m 22 (on both sides of hedge) Hedgerow...

Pilot scheme highlighted necessity of longterm farm management planning.
March 4, 2005... THE Entry Level Scheme is a positive part of farming's future, claims Devon dairy farmer Peter Lake, who took part in an ELS pilot scheme. "It's a fairly straight-forward scheme, Defra have been very helpful and from a land management...

Top Friesian.
March 4, 2005... British Friesian bull, Blackisle Glen Albyn, has topped the inaugural British Friesian bull proofs. With a Friesian type merit of 3.15 he is also the highest PLI-ranked Friesian bull with +1 scores for udders, and legs and feet at +3 and +1.7...

Charity effort.
March 4, 2005... Some 60 ASDA stores across Wales and the border counties will be stocking special daffodil flagged Welsh lamb products throughout March, with 20p for every pack sold providing a direct donation to Marie Curie Cancer Care. Copyright: CMP...

Worldwide Welsh.
March 4, 2005... Welsh food was the centre of attention at scores of worldwide promotional events staged from New York to Dubai, Paris, Brussels and London on Tuesday to mark St David's Day. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Regional RSPB.
March 4, 2005... Andy Cotton has joined the RSPB's regional team as its new farmland adviser for Eastern England. He is based at the RSPB's office in Norwich and will cover the counties of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. His work will...

Lapwing prize.
March 4, 2005... The RSPB is inviting entries for its Lapwing Champion competition, to be run as part of its flagship farmland bird project Operation Lapwing. Farmers have the chance of winning #1,500 in prize money in recognition of their conservation...

Milk set to push health message.
March 4, 2005... A NEW approach to milk promotion based on the psychology of diet is being drawn up by industry leaders. It is spearheaded by the Milk Development Council which is conducting an extensive consumer segmentation study to find out what sort of...

Wanted: Modern day St Davids.
March 4, 2005... ST David's Day saw the launch of a prestigious new award in Wales aimed at recognising the vital role employees play in the farming industry. NFU Cymru's Welsh Farm Employee of the Year Award is being sponsored by NatWest bank, with the...

Quangos face scrutiny over research spending.
March 4, 2005... RESEARCH spending by farming and horticultural quangos is being put under the microscope as part of the ongoing review of industry-financed bodies. With energy, labour, water abstraction, climate change and other physical costs set for a...

Close relationship with supermarket provides stability.
March 4, 2005... AWARD winning carrot grower, Guy Poskitt of M H Poskitt, Kellington, North Humberside, believes becoming a supplier for supermarket group Asda was the best business decision he has ever made. In 2004 his company received the `Vegetable...

More milk, more cows, more farmers.
March 4, 2005... WHILE our government seems intent on ignoring dairy farmers, the Government of South Dakota is eager to develop its dairy industry, presenting big opportunities for UK dairy farmers. Due to considerable expansion of the dairy processing...

`Get Scottish lamb and beef back on French menu'.
March 4, 2005... IT was decidedly cold in Paris this week, but the prospects for increasing the exports of Scotch lamb to the French market warmed significantly. The occasion was SIA, probably the largest agricultural and food show in Europe, staged on the...

Scotland to pioneer EU land contracts.
March 4, 2005... Environment and Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie was in ebullient form when he addressed NFU Scotland delegates. He announced that Scotland will be the first region of the EU to have land management contracts (LMCs). This will enable...

Kinnaird: Taxpayers need to know farming is good value for money.
March 4, 2005... ACCENTUATE the positive and banish the perception on the part of the general public that farmers are always moaning - that was the theme of John Kinnaird, the president of NFU Scotland, when he addressed the organisation's annual meeting in St...

Minister hails farming contribution.
March 4, 2005... SCOTLAND'S First Minister Jack McConnell hailed the contribution of farming to the economy as `vitally important', when he presented the annual NFUS awards for excellence. Mr McConnell, who is the son of a shepherd's family from the island...

TB SPECIAL REPORT: The strategy - what it means.
March 4, 2005... THE new GB TB Strategy's `overall vision' makes it clear eradicating TB is not one of its goals. The vision is of a partnership where Government and stakeholders work together to reduce the economic impact of bovine TB and maintain public...

TB SPECIAL REPORT: TB TIMELINE.
March 4, 2005... 1930s/40s - TB was a huge problem with over 40 per cent of the national herd infected and 50,000 new cases occurring annually in humans. 1935 - Widespread testing of cattle and slaughter of reactors began. Early 1950s - MAFF introduced and...

TB SPECIAL REPORT: The reaction.
March 4, 2005... Response to the strategy was at best lukewarm, at worst scornful, scathing and angry. The general verdict was that the Government had taken the easy option, putting off the decision on badger culling, while enforcing strict controls on cattle....

TB: After six years under restriction one farmer is more optimistic.
March 4, 2005... ROLAND Uglow, who farms in North Cornwall, has been under restriction because of TB for the past six years - without a break since March 26, 1999. He has lost 129 cattle to TB, but since his last test at the end of January he is more...

TB: Goodbye to dairying following an endless cycle of bovine TB.
March 4, 2005... Gareth Watkins sold his dairy herd last summer after he decided he had had enough with falling milk prices and the endless cycle of bovine TB. "I have suffered with TB [in the herd] on and off since 1997. It has cost me my health, my herd...

TB REPORT: Sick badgers are shot - now `clear' in a hot-spot area.
March 4, 2005... DEVON farmer Brian Hill has 250 acres near Okehampton, on which he keeps between 150 and 220 beef cattle. He has been clear of TB for five and a half years, but he does not think it is down to luck alone, because if he finds a sick badger he...

TB SPECIAL REPORT: Restocking adds to problem in Cumbria.
March 4, 2005... Last year 18 herds were confirmed with TB in Cumbria. JOANNA BAKER investigates how the disease got into the region and uncovers how widespread the problem is now. EIGHTEEN confirmed TB cases in a year is small in relation to the amount of...

TB SPECIAL REPORT: A coherent disease control policy - Bourne's view.
March 4, 2005... Cattle-to-cattle spread As the Government's principal adviser on Bovine TB, Prof John Bourne has had a major influence on shaping the GB TB Strategy. Here the chairman of the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) on bovine TB tells ALISTAIR...

TB SPECIAL REPORT: THE GB TB STRATEGY.
March 4, 2005... The GB TB Strategy has already been widely criticised for not going nearly far enough. We asked six leading commentators on the TB issue to put forward alternative strategies. ROBERT FORSTER Chief executive National Beef Association....

TB SPECIAL REPORT: TB IN NUMBERS.
March 4, 2005... 1,663 - The number of GB herds with confirmed TB cases in 2004. There are a further 206 `unclassified' cases awaiting culture results. In 2003 there were 1,659 confirmed cases. 23,514 - The number of cattle slaughtered because of TB in...

TB SPECIAL REPORT: Pre-movement tests would be devastating.
March 4, 2005... COMPULSORY pre-movement testing would have a devastating impact on the livestock industry and would be of little benefit to disease control, warned a leading auctioneer. Alastair Sneddon, a partner at Bagshaws, Bakewell, Derbyshire,...

TB: Disease so widespread badger populations are under threat - vet.
March 4, 2005... TUBERCULOSIS among badgers has become so widespread in some areas the well being of badger populations is seriously threatened, warned one of the vets behind the letter sent to Defra Secretary Margaret Beckett last week. "Four out of every...

High performance fodder to produce milk as cheaply as possible.
March 4, 2005... BARRY ALSTON reports from a Cardiganshire dairy farm where top quality silage is only part of the management arsenal being used to maintain margin per litre. ACHIEVING national acclaim for silage quality back in 1999 has not been the end...

A new string to the bow.
March 4, 2005... WHILE third generation Andrew and Ann Owen are taking on more of the day-to-day responsibilities for running the farm, Gerwyn Owen - awarded an Associateship of the Royal Agricultural Societies for services to farming in 2001 - has a new string...

Middle Farm is top for marketing.
March 4, 2005... With more than 250,000 visitors a year, this East Sussex enterprise is a major tourist attraction as well as an award winning farm. Effective marketing is the key. A PRIZE-WINNING dairy herd, an organic beef enterprise and a national...

Connecting the food chain in Cumbria.
March 4, 2005... A UNIQUE on-farm event in South Cumbria connecting the food chain between farm gate and the restaurant plate was attended by chefs from throughout the region on Tuesday. The chefs, operating in the region's hotels, restaurants and other...

From China to Cirencester.
March 4, 2005... International students are playing a part in the continued success and growth of the Royal Agricultural College. A major campaign to attract overseas students is underway at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. The college,...

Fred sparks a writing and party plan venture.
March 4, 2005... FARMER'S wife Margaret Ede has written a sequel to her lively children's book My brother Fred. "If you think a visit to the dentist is a traumatic experience, imagine what it's like sharing the waiting room with Fred," she says, and...

A `greedy cow' helps local schools and churches.
March 4, 2005... A FRIESIAN cow with a healthy appetite has inspired farmer Ian James to write a series of children's books. The first two of `The adventures of Greedy Cow' (price #3 each) have already proved popular with the local community and with...

PLaywright to present prizes.
March 4, 2005... Playwright Alan Ayckbourn is to present the entertainment competition prizes when the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs hosts the Northern Area YFCs' competitions weekend (March 11-13). Clubs from Yorkshire, Lancashire,...

Concert raises money for RABI.
March 4, 2005... A concert organised by the Cheshire RABI county committee led by chairman Alan Hewitt raised more than #1,000 for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution. The sell-out event at Byley Village Hall featured `Handbag of Harmonies', the...

Collection raises money for Tsunami victims.
March 4, 2005... A collection by Ryedale District YFCs, Yorkshire, raised #142.69 for Tsunami victims. The money was collected at Ryedale Young Farmers' Mr and Miss YFC competition, the titles going to two Amotherby YFC members, Nick Dean and Anna Bulmer. ...

Former club chairman invited to cut celebratory cake.
March 4, 2005... Former club chairman, Ormerod Simpson, was invited to cut the celebratory cake when Slaidburn YFC, Lancashire, held a dinner dance to mark its 70th anniversary. Mr Simpson travelled from his home in Wales to join the 128 people who...

Generous `slave trade' bids.
March 4, 2005... AN auction of Bakewell YFC members, Derbyshire, raised #1,100 for charity. Two dozen members, described by auctioneer Norman Tweddle, of Bagshaws, as `prime stock' went under the hammer in a `slave for a day' auction held in the store ring at...

Flyaway Fizz outruns the rest to win championship as Jack misses out.
March 4, 2005... THE Fylde Society held its final nursery trial and championship at Barnacre, near Garstang, Lancashire, on Saturday. The compact course, set in a square field of about four acres was deceptively tricky and combined with feisty Swaledale hoggs,...

Death of well-known Lancs sheepdog breeder and triallist.
March 4, 2005... WELL-known Lancashire sheepdog triallist and breeder Harry Huddleston, has died aged 94. Until his retirement when he moved to Brookhouse, Harry lived in Littledale in the Lune Valley. He had much success in breeding and competing with...

North Sheep 2005 receives sponsorship.
March 4, 2005... North Sheep 2005, the National Sheep Association northern region's biennial event, has received industry sponsorship worth more than #16,000. Farmsense is the major sponsor, while Eblex and Intervet have agreed to be the mainline sponsors...

Farm equipment sale attracts buyers from Europe and beyond.
March 4, 2005... Cruso and Wilkin held a dispersal sale of quality silt farm machinery and equipment on the instructions of Wootton Marsh Farms, at Ingoldisthorpe, near King's Lynn, following contractural arrangements having been made to farm the holding. ...

New focus on farm pollution.
March 4, 2005... A REGIONAL focus will dominate how ADAS plans to deliver its national project of getting Britain's farmers to think and act in a more environmentally friendly way, according to ADAS director of environment Dr Andree Carter. Charged with...

Beating black scurf at the planting stage.
March 4, 2005... POTATO crops on light land are inherently more vulnerable to a higher level of black scurf (Rhizoctonia) in the soil, warns Scottish Agronomy potato specialist, Eric Anderson. Growers should be planning an application of azoxystrobin at...

Environment Agency to target `problem farms' over water contamination.
March 4, 2005... FARM inspections by the Environment Agency to check on water pollution caused by failure to meet cross compliance regulations will be infrequent. Despite this they will usually be targeted at premises where inspectors think there could be a...

Keep stem-based diseases in check.
March 4, 2005... CROP profitability could be seriously threatened this year if growers do not take steps to ensure that stem-based diseases are kept in check. Field infestations of both eyespot and take-all are being detected, according to Syngenta cereal...

Cavity spot digs into carrot quality.
March 4, 2005... CARROT growers should hold back cavity spot fungicide treatment until three to four weeks post emergence this spring to achieve the best results from SL567A (Mefenoxam) and reduce the highly damaging effects of disease on root quality, advises...

Hutchinson's new division will advise on ELS.
March 4, 2005... NATIONAL crop production specialists Hutchinsons have launched a new division of the company, `Hutchinsons Environmental Services', to help growers obtain Entry Level Scheme (ELS) payments and to satisfy the cross compliance requirements...

Beet crops face high virus risk.
March 4, 2005... SUGAR beet growers further north must now consider their crops at high risk of contracting BMYV (Beet Mild Yellowing Virus) and need to be extra vigilant with early season insecticide sprays. In contrast, the beet virus risk in East Anglia...

HGCA launches lodging guidelines.
March 4, 2005... THE Home-Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) has produced new guidelines to avoiding lodging in winter wheat. On average, widespread lodging occurs every three or four years on as much as 20 per cent of the UK winter wheat area, says HGCA. ...

ROOT CROPS: Beet crop productivity on the increase.
March 4, 2005... SUGAR beet crop productivity is increasing and yields are likely to continue to increase, according to one adviser. "We are on an increase and, if anything, that increase is sharpening at the moment. I think that sugar beet yields are going...

ROOT CROPS: `If inputs add to yield - use them'.
March 4, 2005... IF inputs add to sugar beet yields - use them. That was the advice of Mike May, of Broom's Barn, to advisers at the briefing. The only exception possibly was nitrogen, he said. "Overall the national beet crop is using just about the right...

ROOT CROPS: Beet varieties of the future.
March 4, 2005... RHIZOMANIA resistance, drought tolerance, nitrogen transport and metabolism, resistance to cercospora and beet cyst nematode are among the characteristics that breeders were seeking to incorporate into the beet varieties of the future, said KWS...

ROOT CROPS: Still one of the best break crops in the rotation.
March 4, 2005... FOR many arable businesses sugar beet grown under the reformed sugar regime will continue to be one of the best break crops in the rotation, according to Carl Atkin, director of rural research with Bidwells. Even if the sugar beet price...