Farmers Guardian articles from March 2006

Farmers Guardian archives from March 2006

Royal Smithfield Show is scrapped.
March 3, 2006... THE Royal Smithfield Show has been scrapped and will not re-emerge in its traditional format as a machinery and livestock exhibition. The agricultural machinery industry is no longer prepared to support a London-based event, say the...

Kendall, the new man in NFU hot seat.
March 3, 2006... PETER Kendall promised to become a `high profile champion for British agriculture' after he defeated Tim Bennett to become the new National Farmers' Union president on Tuesday. The 45-year-old Bedfordshire arable farmer pledged to offer...

Beckett hints at giving match-funding support.
March 3, 2006... DEFRA Secretary Margaret Beckett has indicated she is keen for the Treasury to match fund voluntary modulation cut from Single Payments in England. But NFU president Tim Bennett told the union's annual meeting it would be a `double...

Gibson to become NFU's new PR guru.
March 3, 2006... SOUTH West regional director Anthony Gibson has been given the task of revitalising the NFU's communications strategy. Mr Gibson, who began his NFU career in the public relations department, is a high profile figure who shot to prominence...

Payments start to arrive.
March 3, 2006... SOME 2,400 farmers in England had received Single Payments by the end of February, according to official Rural Payments Agency figures. The payments began on February 20 and more than 117,000 farmers should have received letters informing...

French accused over subsidised poultry dumping.
March 3, 2006... DEFRA Secretary Margaret Beckett said she would look into allegations of subsidised dumping of French poultry on to the UK market after complaints from farmers at the National Farmers' Union's annual meeting. The wholesale price for...

EC battling to avoid a blanket ban on European poultry exports.
March 3, 2006... BY the middle of this week 20 countries, led by Japan, had imposed bans on the imports of French poultry despite the start of a vaccination campaign and assurances from Ministers and scientists about its safety. This lost export trade is...

Large-scale production blamed for flu spread.
March 3, 2006... LARGE-scale poultry production is the root of the avian influenza crisis, according to GRAIN, the international organisation that promotes sustainability in agriculture. GRAIN has come out in defence of wild birds and poultry on...

Bid to boost resistance.
March 3, 2006... LEADING poultry breeding companies, Aviagen and Cobb-Vantress have joined forces with the Institute for Animal Health and the Roslin Institute in a bid to develop selective breeding techniques that will result in improved natural disease...

NEWS IN BRIEF: No pricing talks.
March 3, 2006... We have been asked by Tesco to point out that milk pricing was not under discussion in a recent meeting of the Dairy Supply Chain Forum attended by the `big three' supermarkets. The meeting, chaired by Lord Bach and referred to in Farmers...

Disease control a casualty of `lottery' in animal welfare?
March 3, 2006... INFECTIOUS disease controls such as the pre-movement testing of cattle for TB could prove ineffective due to the inconsistent enforcement of regulations, a report has claimed. The report, published by the Badger Trust this week, claimed...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Rules rejected.
March 3, 2006... EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has again rejected calls for rules on co-existence between GM and conventional crops to be implemented by the Commission rather than member countries' governments. Anti-GM campaigners had been...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Nominations.
March 3, 2006... Nominations are being invited for the top pig industry award, to be presented at the British Pig and Poultry Fair to be held at the NAC on May 9 and 10. The Pig Industry Service Award will be presented to the person considered to be the most...

Pig industry under threat from stores' import policies.
March 3, 2006... SUPERMARKETS are destroying the British pig industry by cutting the pig price to unsustainable levels, claim producer representatives north and south of the Border. National Pig Association chairman Stewart Houston said despite strong...

NEWS IN BRIEF: No sign off.
March 3, 2006... In a bid to force greater transparency the European Parliament has refused to sign off on the part of the EU budget that covers travel expenses for member country officials attending management committees. Since the Fischer CAP reforms were...

Dairy farmers could pay a high price for `awareness campaign'.
March 3, 2006... DAIRY farmers who staged a consumer awareness campaign outside supermarkets last week, may lose their milk contracts at the behest of their fellow farmers. A group of West Midlands Arla suppliers were behind the plan to visit around six...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Work rewarded.
March 3, 2006... One of the country's top beef industry research scientists Dr Nigel Scollan, head of beef research at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Aberystwyth, has been made an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies in...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Silver on Black.
March 3, 2006... The Welsh Black Cattle Society is celebrating 25 years of Royal patronage from Prince Charles - who not only regularly supports breed activities but also has two pedigree breeding cows and calves at his Gloucestershire farm. Copyright: CMP...

OCDS payments are to get `back on track' next week.
March 3, 2006... OUTSTANDING administrative work connected with the OTMS has delayed the first payments under the Older Cattle Disposal Scheme. However, the Rural Payments Agency said this week that payments to collection centres would begin on March 6 and...

New consultation for beet growers following reform.
March 3, 2006... DEFRA Secretary Margaret Beckett used the meeting to announce a new consultation for beet growers following sugar reform. It will seek views on how to balance the needs of sugar beet growers and all other Single Payment scheme applicants....

WTO deal will significantly contract EU agriculture.
March 3, 2006... A stark warning from Peter Mandelson In a round-up of the best of the rest of this week's NFU annual meeting, Alistair Driver, Tom Levitt and Clemmie Perowne report. REFORM of global trade rules would lead to a significant contraction...

Shot in the foot on Brazil.
March 3, 2006... European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson was accused of `shooting himself in the foot' after comments he made about the US banning Brazilian beef imports. Responding to a question from the floor about the threat posed by Brazilian...

Export ban.
March 3, 2006... Defra Secretary Margaret Beckett told farmers she was doing all she could to persuade other EU member countries of the sound scientific case for lifting the UK beef export ban. Her assurances come amid fears that EU politics could be getting in...

Letter to Beckett urges further testing delay.
March 3, 2006... THE NFU and the Livestock Auctioneers' Association have presented Defra Secretary Margaret Beckett with a letter urging her not to proceed with pre-movement testing (PrMT) until a badger cull is in place. The letter was delivered by the...

Rivers at risk from diffuse pollution.
March 3, 2006... SEVENTY-FIVE per cent of rivers were at risk of failing to achieve the objectives of the Water Framework Directive through diffuse pollution, warned Sir John Harman, chairman of the Environment Agency. The problem was both urban and rural,...

Carry on Don.
March 3, 2006... Don Curry will continue in the role of driving forward Defra's Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy for another three years. Defra Secretary Margaret Beckett told delegates he would continue as part of a `new refocused phase' in the...

Lost members.
March 3, 2006... The NFU lost more than 2,000 members in 2005. At October 31, 2005, NFU membership excluding countryside and professional, stood at 57,977, compared to 60,314 in 2004. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

#4.3m surplus in union accounts.
March 3, 2006... THE NFU has revealed a surplus of #4.3 million in its annual accounts for 2005. Union finance director Ken Sutherland said the figures were the result of a number of one-offs, including adopting the Legal Assistance Scheme into the annual...

Tesco a partner in #13.5m Humberside biofuel plant.
March 3, 2006... TESCO has announced its involvement in the construction of a #13.5 million biofuel plant on Humberside, due to be completed by the end of this year. The plant, being built in partnership with Greenergy Fuels and Cargill, will be used to...

`Lost opportunity'.
March 3, 2006... The closure of much of the UK's GM research was a lost opportunity for British farming, claimed the Government's chief scientific adviser Prof Sir David King. "There were massive opportunities for Britain on GMOs, advances were being made and...

Milk contracts.
March 3, 2006... NFU dairy chairman Gywn Jones urged farmers to renegotiate their milk contracts so they could get out if the price changed. He said farmers needed to take a unified approach to telling buyers they were not prepared to accept a situation where...

Capital grants.
March 3, 2006... Defra is consulting on proposals for a #25 million capital grant scheme fund to help farmers in the recently designated catchments sensitive farming areas. A maximum of #5,000 per farm would be available for a number of improvements. For...

Hill farming.
March 3, 2006... Defra has formally launched a consultation on hill farming and the future of the Hill Farm Allowance. Both the NFU and the National Trust have called for targeted support for hill farmers. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Don't blame us for low prices, says store boss.
March 3, 2006... TESCO was not to blame for low farmgate prices, its chairman David Reid told delegates. In the face of some hostile questioning from farmers, Mr Reid said the supermarket group understood its responsibilities to suppliers but was `not...

Wet weather meets a chill wind as price cuts bite.
March 3, 2006... Yates' view THREE weeks of persistent cold winds and night frosts means that there is little sign of spring yet at Common Farm. Last year I noted the first daffodil in bloom by February 18. This year I am hard put to find a bud, let...

OPINION: All change all round.
March 3, 2006... Politics can be cruel. For two years as president and many years before that Tim Bennett worked tirelessly on behalf of British farmers. He achieved a great deal but this week, despite performing well at the NFU annual conference, he...

Agricultural buildings lose out to commercial bias.
March 3, 2006... CURRENT planning legislation all but prevents landowners in many English counties from converting redundant agricultural buildings to residential use, writes chartered surveyor Edward Clark. This doesn't just apply to listed buildings but...

Campaign victory claim by anglers.
March 3, 2006... ORGANISATIONS campaigning for a ban on cypermethrin sheep dip were delighted with what they described as the VMD's `historic decision'. The Anglers' Conservation Association and the Salmon and Trout Association have been calling for a ban since...

SPs dips decision is questioned by EA chairman.
March 3, 2006... THE Environment Agency has questioned the decision by Ministers to remove synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) from the market. Ministers suspended marketing authorisations for the use of SPs sheep dips following advice given by the agency to the...

DEFRA AND SHEEP DIPS.
March 3, 2006... Q What are cypermethrin sheep dips used to treat? A They are effective in treating a number of serious ectoparasites of sheep including sheep scab. They are also effective against blow fly strike, lice and ticks. Q Why are the...

Olympic stars get behind beef mince consumer campaign.
March 3, 2006... THE English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) and SportsAid, the charity for sports people, have joined forces in the `Be A Sport Appeal', which was launched in London last week. The appeal, which is an England-wide promotion, will be carried...

Government is `ignoring' vet shortage.
March 3, 2006... THE British Veterinary Association (BVA) has accused the Government of ignoring the problem of declining vet numbers in rural areas. Recent figures have shown that almost one-fifth of large animal vets could disappear over the next decade...

Tenant veteran for vice-chairman.
March 3, 2006... THE Tenant Farmers Association has appointed Cambridgeshire tenant farmer Greg Bliss as its new national vice-chairman. A third generation Crown Estate tenant - farming 460 hectares near Peterborough, having taken over the family business...

FMD research looks at combined approach.
March 3, 2006... A COMBINED culling and vaccination policy could achieve a 10-fold reduction in the number of farms losing livestock in any future foot- and-mouth outbreak, research has suggested. University of Warwick researchers Matt Keeling and Mike...

TB outbreak in closed Welsh herd points to badgers.
March 3, 2006... BARRY ALSTON reports from a dairy farm where there are few doubts as to the source of a bovine TB outbreak. CATTLE-to-cattle transfer is being blamed by some for the continuing spread of TB - but when Brian Jones was told that two of his...

CLA call for help over blighted businesses.
March 3, 2006... CLA Wales is calling on the Welsh Assembly to help producers whose businesses are blighted by persistent TB breakdowns. Wales director, Julian Salmon, said the situation could persist for years and for as long as there were reactors in the...

Confirmation of bovine TB is followed by rigorous testing.
March 3, 2006... ONCE bovine TB is confirmed on a farm, restrictions are immediately placed on the movement and sale of livestock. As in the case of Brian Jones, the cattle that tested positive for the disease must be isolated immediately before being...

`Trim excess fat and learn from other markets'.
March 3, 2006... A TWO-HANDED approach to improving the under-standing of the milling wheat premium and the market as a whole was offered by Carl Atkin of Biddwells and Richard Palmer of Farm Vision Arable Services. Growers had to remember that the advent...

It's business, not betting.
March 3, 2006... A LESS adversarial and more collaborative approach to the milling wheat supply chain was advocated by Alastair Dickie, HGCA's director of crop marketing. This meant getting the farming industry to understand that consumers knew what they...

Bullish outlook for UK wheat as world grain demand grows.
March 3, 2006... The increased opportunities for top quality breadmaking wheat and a more collaborative approach to the milling wheat supply chain were among the topics discussed at the joint HGCA/National Association of British and Irish Millers conference at...

Hedging helps relieve stress.
March 3, 2006... GARY Hutchings, director of consultants Agrimarche, urged growers and processors to make more use of risk management tools such as hedging to reduce the emotional stress involved in the trading process. But he also cautioned: "All current...

Maintaining healthy sheep, business and environment.
March 3, 2006... THERE was not a problem with dipping sheep, providing it was well managed and best practice carried out at all times, Mark Fretwell, environmental protection officer for the Environment Agency, told visitors to a sheep seminar and farm visit in...

Importance of commons traditions.
March 3, 2006... IT was important that established traditions on commons in England and Wales would be taken into consideration when formulating the Commons Bill currently making its way through Parliament, Lord Inglewood told the Federation of Cumbria...

Movement rules confusion.
March 3, 2006... THERE were conflicting interpretations of the regulations covering the movement of sheep over land where the owners had common rights, the meeting was told. Pauline Blair, of Buttermere, said she had been told by Trading Standards to tag...

Reduce farm waste or pay the price.
March 3, 2006... In the second part of our six-week special looking at regulation, TOM LEVITT and ALISON LEA detail what's involved in meeting the new waste regulations, which could potentially be introduced by the end of the month. New waste regulations...

CASE STUDY 1: Solway Recycling, Dumfriesshire.
March 3, 2006... Piles of waste plastic are a sign that business is booming FEW farmers would welcome the sight of plastic piling up in their yard, but for Roy Hiddleston of Solway Recycling it is a sign business is going well. The Dumfriesshire-based...

CASE STUDY 2: Farm Plastics, Lancashire.
March 3, 2006... Recycling scheme goes from strength to strength DAIRY farmer John Stott has been running his farm plastics recycling scheme for more than three years. Originally operating in and around his farm in Chipping, Lancashire, he now collects...

New NFU county chairmen.
March 3, 2006... Worcestershire A FARMER from the edge of the West Midlands conurbation is the new county chairman of Worcestershire NFU. David Glover, of Yew Tree Farm, Frankley, who formally took over at the NFU national conference, is an experienced...

Aid package for estates in North East.
March 3, 2006... RURAL estates in the North East are being given the opportunity to work with the development agency, One NorthEast, and the Country Land and Business Association to change the way the public sector works with estates. For the first time...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Royal secretary.
March 3, 2006... The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland has announced the appointment of Adele Thomson as secretary. She is the 16th person, and only the second woman, to hold the position since the society's establishment in 1784. She succeeds...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Second term.
March 3, 2006... Cheshire poultry farmer Ian Lloyd has been re-elected as the county's NFU chairman for a second and final year. Active within the NFU for more than 20 years, he owns Leadgate Farm, Huxley, which he farms with his wife Elizabeth and three sons...

Tearoom turned award-winning tourist attraction.
March 3, 2006... What started as farm door sales of eggs and potatoes, has turned into an award-winning business for the Clare family of Dunham Massey, Greater Manchester - winners of a Taste of Manchester award. NEIL RYDER paid a visit. A SMALL farm shop...

New regulations open up extra markets.
March 3, 2006... NEW building regulations, due on April 6 and aimed at reducing climate change, should open up extra markets for straw, wood and wool to be used in the construction of more sustainable buildings. The production of materials currently used in...

`Extra care' over sprout control.
March 3, 2006... IN theory, a new European ruling on Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) should have little impact on potato growers. However, in practice all growers need to take extra care that applications of sprout suppressant chlorpropham (CIPC) do not exceed...

Wolds growers challenge in competitive seed potato market.
March 3, 2006... A declining national seed potato area has not stopped a group of seed potato growers centred on the Yorkshire Wolds from increasing their production to over 1,000 hectares for the first time, double what it was 10 years ago. The 23-member...

FAB work by scouts keeps check on blight.
March 3, 2006... RESEARCH carried out as part of the British Potato Council `Fight Against Blight' (FAB) campaign has helped develop industry understanding of blight populations in Britain. Scientists and other industry experts at the BPC's UK Blight Forum...

A red onion renaissance.
March 3, 2006... Red onions have tickled the tastebuds of the UK public in recent years. Home-grown production increased by 60 per cent between 2002 and 2004, driven by demand, and red onions now represent around 20 per cent of the UK onion crop. Teresa Rush...

Record yield `likely' - and better on way.
March 3, 2006... THE average yield from 2005 sugar beet crop is likely to end up at just over 60 tonnes per hectare of adjusted beet, which would be a record yield. According to British Sugar's John Prince growers are `well on track' to meet the target...

On track to halt decline of native grey partridge.
March 3, 2006... TARGETS set by the Government to halt the decline of the native grey partridge have been met. So believes the Game Conservancy Trust, which is the lead partner for the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for this species. While this claim can...

`Bolting resistant' varieties for early sugar beet drilling.
March 3, 2006... SUGAR beet drilling could start in the second half of next week, if conditions are suitable and seedbeds are prepared properly with the minimum of cultivation passes. That is according to British Sugar's John Prince, who adds that bolting...

Farmers urged to complete soil protection review.
March 3, 2006... COMPLETING a Soil Protection Review is an hour well spent, according to Phil Jarvis, farm manager of the Game Conservancy Trust's farm, Loddington, Leicestershire. He said filling in the SPR form for the 319 hectare mixed farm had been...

New N product maximises performance.
March 3, 2006... A NEW concentrated foliar liquid nitrogen product to be used on oilseed rape crops during pod fill can help maximise performance and boost yields by at least 0.5t/hectare, it is claimed. Oilseed Extra from Omex contains magnesium, copper...

Winter cereal crops at heightened risk.
March 3, 2006... WINTER cereal crops face a heightened lodging risk this season, one of the UK's leading experts on the topic is warning. Last autumn's early start to drilling and the mild winter has resulted in good plant establishment, increased leaf...

Latest variety results.
March 3, 2006... LATEST variety profiling results have been used in the compilation of a new list of plant growth regulator (PGR) guidelines from Syngenta. The profiling is conducted by Harper Adams University College and incorporates biophysical...

LOCAL PRODUCE CLOSER TO SHOPPERS.
March 3, 2006... BARRY ALSTON reports from Britain's number one spot for bringing primary producers face to face with consumers - the 2006 Farmers' Market of the Year. Bringing local produce closer to the shoppers brings dividends for award-winning...

Haverfordwest Farmers' Market case studies.
March 3, 2006... * GERAINT and SIAN BOWEN waited 18 months before getting a stall at the market - but are very glad they persevered. They have a pedigree Limousin herd at Bethesda, near Narberth, and established Bethesda Meats in the wake of the foot-and-...

Agricultural education reaches crunch point.
March 3, 2006... Just what is the future for education in our industry? Falling applications, a fragmented education system and now a Government body that wants to streamline the numbers have raised serious doubts about higher education in land-based studies....

WORKING DOGS: A magnificent seven titles for Alpe and Fizz.
March 3, 2006... AT the final Fylde trial of the season on Saturday at Barnacre, near Garstang, Lancashire, Richard Alpe and Fizz took their seventh nursery title and Tom Huddleston and Maddie won their first championship. Joe McRobert, of Tweedsmuir,...

Country View: Perfect point in pink.
March 3, 2006... March comes and with it the gradually-building excitement that signifies the Cheltenham Festival. For all that it is a very commercial operation these days, with punters packed in to the tune of almost 50,000 a day, there is no doubting it...

Country View: Hope for Alzheimer sufferers using daffodils.
March 3, 2006... WELSH scientist, Professor Trevor Walker, was wearing his Saint David's Day daffodil with special pride on Wednesday content in the dual knowledge that the national flower of Wales could be a source of new hope for both hard-pressed hill...

Country View: Home delivery service given boost with enterprise grant.
March 3, 2006... While these daffodils are valued for their beauty, others could be grown on upland farms for their medicinal value. Crofter's Foods, a new home delivery service bringing top quality local produce at affordable prices straight to the...

Country View: Spotlight on inherited canine diseases.
March 3, 2006... There are 400 known different inherited canine diseases, posing significant questions to vets and breeders worldwide, said Dr Jeff Sampson, speaking at the BASC National Gundog Conference in Cirencester. Such is the power of dog breeders...

Country View: An hour in the March garden.
March 3, 2006... The garden emerges from undercover murmuring and bursts into life. There is much to be getting on with: from lawns to greenhouses, gardeners everywhere are getting busy, as PAUL PEACOCK explains. It seems that you can't trust the old...

Country View: Club `ploughs' money into charities.
March 3, 2006... A SUFFOLK Young Farmers' Club, this year celebrating its 50th anniversary, has given #6,000 to two local charities. Bury St Edmunds Farmers' Club YFC presented a #4,000 cheque to May Lin Gosling of the neo-natal unit at West Suffolk...