Farmers Guardian articles from March 2007

Farmers Guardian archives from March 2007

Decision on badger cull `not far off'.
March 2, 2007... DEFRA appeared closer to a verdict on badger culling this week after Food and Farming Minister Lord Rooker said a decision would be made `more or less' by May. In a week when the much-disputed new rules extending pre-movement testing to...

Fair trade takes centre stage.
March 2, 2007... FAIR trade for British farmers took centre stage at this year's NFU conference in Birmingham. Main speakers, including Waitrose managing director Steven Esom, spoke up about the importance of the new Farmers Guardian campaign, Fair Trade...

SPS fiasco: 2005 situation just goes from bad to worse.
March 2, 2007... JUST when you thought it could not get any worse, new evidence has emerged of the sheer scale of the 2005 Single Payment Scheme fiasco. In two separate developments, it has come to light that Defra has asked the Treasury for #305 million to...

Hill Farm Allowance declarations extension due to missing paperwork.
March 2, 2007... THE Rural Payments Agency has admitted that 560 upland farmers did not originally receive the relevant paperwork to submit their Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) declarations for 2007. In addition, claims had not been received from a further 800...

Miliband seen as only man who can defeat Brown.
March 2, 2007... SPECULATION was rife in Westminster this week that supporters of Tony Blair are lining up Defra Secretary David Miliband for a leadership challenge against Gordon Brown. Mr Miliband, a close supporter of Mr Blair, has so far insisted he...

Scotland meets 70pc of organic demand.
March 2, 2007... SCOTLAND'S organic farmers are meeting 70 per cent of the country's demand for organic produce, twice as much as the estimated figure five years ago. The figures were revealed in the third annual report on the progress towards delivering...

New trial site for GM potatoes.
March 2, 2007... A FIVE-YEAR field trial of genetically modified (GM) potatoes will begin on a farm in East Yorkshire this spring, subject to Defra approval. BASF Plant Science announced on Tuesday it had found a new location for the trials of...

TV series follows animals from pasture to plate.
March 2, 2007... A NEW television series that follows the path of animals `from pasture to plate' should present nothing to fear for the livestock industry, according to a farmer involved in the programme. `Kill it, Cook it, Eat it' will take a no-holds...

Supermarket pressure driving worker abuse.
March 2, 2007... WORKERS in the food and farming sector are still routinely abused, a report from the Food Ethics Council (FEC) said today. It says that people working in food and farming are worse paid and more likely to be killed at work than in other...

Bennett back after reflective year.
March 2, 2007... ONE year ago Tim Bennett cut a forlorn figure as he made his way past waiting journalists and farmers crowded into a corridor in the Birmingham hotel that was hosting the 2006 NFU conference. For once there was not a smile on his face or a...

Sector heads mean Levy Board UK is closer to creation.
March 2, 2007... The first NFU conference under Peter Kendall's leadership was notable for its emphasis on the future, the highlight of which was a well- attended and upbeat `next generation workshop'. But amid all the positive talk of Why Farming Matters and...

Miliband: Improve environmental record.
March 2, 2007... DEFRA secretary of state David Miliband urged farmers to take on the green agenda and said eco-labelling on food packaging was inevitable. He called on farmers to work on improving their environmental record and said Defra was working with...

Science critical for meeting challenges.
March 2, 2007... THE cut in the science budget for agriculture had been `the most damaging step of recent years' warned the former Tory Agriculture Minister John Gummer. "It seems to me that in a world where people are more and more concerned about the...

Breakout was a sedate affair.
March 2, 2007... THE dairy breakout session on Monday afternoon - an event that usually sparks heated debate and confrontation - was a surprisingly sedate affair. Following the 90-minute session, several people suggested this was a sign of just how bad...

So just where did the panel get their milk?
March 2, 2007... DEFRA Secretary David Miliband once famously branded organic food a `lifestyle choice' and questioned whether it was, in any way, superior to conventional food. But that does not seem to have clouded his own buying habits. "We have organic...

`Unhappy suppliers should complain' - Sainsbury's chief.
March 2, 2007... SAINSBURY'S chief executive Justin King waded into the fair trade debate by calling on unhappy suppliers to come forward with their complaints. He defended his own company's treatment of farmers and said there was `little evidence of abuse...

Policy covers arbitration.
March 2, 2007... THE NFU has launched a new insurance policy to cover the cost of rent arbitration and the determination of disputes by the Agricultural Land Tribunal. The Professional Expenses is offered to all farmers by NFU Mutual and will be available...

Pre-screening for HLS applicants.
March 2, 2007... APPLICANTS to the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme are to have the opportunity to have their cases screened before they invest time and money. Dr Helen Phillips, chief executive of Natural England, said that from April 1 all HLS...

Boldness required in spreading the key messages.
March 2, 2007... NFU president Peter Kendall closed the conference by urging everyone involved with the NFU to become bolder in getting its key messages across. With the NFU's `Why Farming Matters' campaign an underlying theme throughout the event, he...

Proposal `nothing short of theft'.
March 2, 2007... THE proposals to increase coastal access without any landowner compensation were called `nothing short of theft'. Natural England chief executive Dr Helen Phillips responded by saying that part of her organisation's advice to the Government...

Burden may get lighter.
March 2, 2007... FARMERS may face a lighter burden from cross compliance in future, following a Europe-wide review of the regime due to report this month, NFU chief legal adviser Julie Robinson told farmers. There is currently consensus across Europe that...

Farm assurance is important says Malcolm Corbett.
March 2, 2007... NFU livestock board members defended the importance of farm assurance on Monday. A number of delegates questioned the ability of schemes to deliver higher prices and said retailers imported produce that was not obliged to meet equivalent...

Milling industry shifts blame for bread rises.
March 2, 2007... NFU combinable crops chairman Arthur Hill has accused the milling industry of being `disingenuous' in trying to blame farmers for rising bread prices. He said the publicity over recent months surrounding the breaking of the `#1 per loaf...

Restructuring failure could mean indiscrimate beet cuts.
March 2, 2007... THE restructuring scheme - one of the most important elements of sugar reform - has failed to reduce tonnage by as much as it was hoped which may mean indiscriminate quota cuts in the future. NFU chief sugar advisor Helen Kirkman said the...

Youth impart their own visions for the future.
March 2, 2007... THERE was one room at this year's conference that had a markedly different atmosphere - jokes, optimism and above all youth. Responding to accusations that it was ignoring the younger generation, a joint NFU and NFYFC session gave young...

CAP discussions `shouldn't be seen as a savings quest'.
March 2, 2007... EUROPEAN Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has warned EU leaders they must not use discussions on the Common Agricultural Policy budget post-2013 as a `quest for savings'. Speaking on the first morning of the conference she...

Cheap food imports: Who gets the benefit?
March 2, 2007... If cheap food didn't sell, you wouldn't find it in supermarkets. That is why they can sell chicken breasts containing as much injected water as chicken and bizarre turkey products best labelled as `produce of more than one continent.' But...

OPINION: Will they, won't they?
March 2, 2007... So will they or won't they? There was Lord Rooker on Tuesday dropping the strongest hint yet that the Government was finally about to announce a decision on culling badgers. Yet the day before there was his boss, David Miliband, trotting...

Letter: Local sourcing cannot be `required'.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... In response to your article on Defra's sourcing of British food (FG February 16) I would like to set out the full picture. At Defra, nearly 100 per cent of our dairy products, 90 per cent of our pork and 80 per cent of our fish come from...

Letter: Why should EU get the #300m?(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... I read that Defra has put aside more than #300m to pay the EU for being late in paying British farmers the Single Farm Payment. Can someone please explain why the EU should get this money and not the British farmers? After all, it is us who...

Letter: Predicament of the milk industry.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... YOUR report concerning Mr Madders' misfortune (FG February 16) will remind many of the dreadful predicament the milk industry is facing now with compensation terms wholly inadequate. Farming is increasingly becoming a gamble which this...

Letter: Fair Trade.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... I FOUND it very interesting that Farmers Guardian should be holding a Fair Trade for British Farmers the week before the Fairtrade Foundation's Fairtrade Fortnight. Our Herefordshire group are very keen to support our small local farmers...

Letter: Buying local.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... I refer to the story (FG February 23) headed `Buying local and organic not always best for environment'. This perhaps should have said `Buying local nearly always better for environment'. I believe Farmers Guardian should, without...

Letter: Fair trade campaign.(Letter to the editor)
March 2, 2007... CONGRATULATIONS on the Fair Trade campaign. I have often thought myself that while Third World farmers are very deserving of our support (for products we cannot produce ourselves) it seems very odd to just turn a blind eye to the suffering...

Union wants more milk levy money for Wales.
March 2, 2007... MORE initiatives to attract long-term investments and add value to milk were being called for yesterday when NFU Cymru leaders gave oral evidence to the Welsh Assembly's environment, planning and countryside committee. It also wants to...

The Royal Highland's new home.
March 2, 2007... THE Royal Highland Show is to move across the road from its present Ingliston site on the outskirts of Edinburgh at a cost of around #275 million. From 2013, and subject to funding, the new site for Scotland's national showground, to be...

Gap in children's food knowledge.
March 2, 2007... THERE is a real need to educate children about the origins of their food, with thousands of eight-year-olds believing that cows lay eggs and that bacon comes from cattle or sheep. More than one in 10 do not know where pork chops come from...

Food advertising ban for children `draconian'.
March 2, 2007... THE banning of certain food advertising for children, as set out by Ofcom, has been slammed as `draconian' and `failing the interests of parents and children'. Ofcom has ruled that television advertising of food and drink products high in...

MLC's new chief executive.
March 2, 2007... RICHARD Lowe, former consumer affairs director at the Meat and Livestock Commission, has been appointed its new chief executive. He succeeds Kevin Roberts, who has been appointed interim chief executive officer for `Levy Board UK'. Peter Barr's...

`We want positive action not words'.
March 2, 2007... Sustainability was the theme of this year's Norfolk Farming Conference, which attracted a full conference hall of 380 delegates, and for which Farmers Guardian was media partner. CLEMMIE GLEESON reports. Supermarkets should put money where...

Compactor baler is a winner when dealing with farm waste.
March 2, 2007... THREE Norfolk farmers have been rewarded for their efforts with farm waste management in a special competition. James Ringer from West Rudham was the overall winner of the Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Rural Business Advice Service...

New chairman for Norfolk NFU.
March 2, 2007... HOCKWOLD arable farmer and vegetable grower, Bob Young, has been elected as the new chairman for the NFU's Norfolk county branch, succeeding George Harcourt in the position. Married to Daphne, with three children, Hannah, 31, Jonathan, 28...

Look to the future - the past is past, says Kinnaird.
March 2, 2007... NFU Scotland's annual meeting in Dunblane produced few surprises. John Kinnaird stood down as president after four years at the helm. He is succeeded by Perthshire farmer Jim McLaren, with Nigel Miller from the Borders, and Stewart Wood...

`There is little room for manoeuvre on EU nitrates directive'.
March 2, 2007... ROSS Finnie, Scotland's Rural Development Minister for the past eight years and the longest serving minister since devolution, made his last address to a major farming gathering. Not surprisingly, with elections to the Scottish Parliament...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Awards for Innovation.
March 2, 2007... The winner of the NFU Scotland Innovation Award was Andrew Rennie, who runs a biogas plant at the family farm, Gask Farm, near Turriff. Faced by stringent slurry disposal regulations, they decided to build the plant in order to use the...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Conservation prize-winners.
March 2, 2007... The winners of the NFU Scotland Farming and Conservation Award, sponsored by RSPB Scotland, were Emma and Peter Edmondson, Press Mains Farm, who run a 493-hectare beef and arable farm in Berwickshire.They are members of LEAF and FWAG, as well...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Commitment to farming.
March 2, 2007... A new award, in memory of NFUS stalwart John Miskelly, who died last year, recognising outstanding commitment to Scottish farming communities and the union, was presented at the annual meeting. The winner, Michael Coutts, from Castle Douglas,...

The top positions at the NFUS.
March 2, 2007... President: Jim McLaren New NFU Scotland president Jim McLaren is a mixed arable and dairy farmer, with 130 Holstein Friesian cows. All youngstock are kept for replacements or finished on farm. His arable unit, growing winter wheat,...

Could 42-day TB testing rules spell end for small livestock sales?
March 2, 2007... Costly, dangerous and disruptive it may be, but that has not stopped Defra extending pre-movement testing to younger cattle this week. TOM LEVITT went to Bakewell Livestock Market in Derbyshire to find out how farmers will cope. AMID the...

Pre-movement testing - the new rules.
March 2, 2007... What are the new rules? All cattle over 42 days old moving out of a one or two-yearly tested herd must have tested negative to a TB test within 60 days prior to movement, unless the herd or movement meets any of the exemptions. What...

NEWS IN BRIEF: FUW gets new county officer.
March 2, 2007... The Farmers Union of Wales has a new county executive officer in Ceredigion. Owen Jenkins is a farmer's son and lives next to the family farm at Taliesin, near Machynlleth. In the past 20 years, he has been purchasing manager for Welsh Farm...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Protection from bird flu.
March 2, 2007... Karcher has launched a website and helpline to advise farmers on how best to protect their farms and livelihoods from the latest outbreak of avian influenza in the UK. The site, www.karcher.co.uk/poultry, uses simple icons to identify the most...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Society gets new leader.
March 2, 2007... The Lincolnshire Agricultural Society has appointed Helen Houghton, formerly its finance manager, as chief executive to succeed Simon Frere- Cook. She initially joined the society as finance manager in November 2005, having spent five...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Lamb export.
March 2, 2007... Welsh lamb will be on sale at a leading Dubai supermarket following talks by the Welsh Assembly and Hybu Cig Cymru, the Wales-based red meat promotional body, with the authorities there. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Waste disposal: Still a lot to learn.
March 2, 2007... The UK's first Farm Waste Event took place at the Newark showground, Nottinghamshire. With waste disposal now a major issue for the agricultural industry, attendance was high. Andy Collings reports from the one-day event. Despite concerted...

Workshops will highlight what waste is exempt.
March 2, 2007... Farmers in Yorkshire will have an opportunity to attend workshops to help them find out what waste is exempt of the new environmental laws. Put together by FWAG and the Environment Agency during March the free workshops will advise farmers...

MACHINERY: Tractor MOT test may be on cards after safety survey.
March 2, 2007... UK farmers could now face mandatory testing of tractors. A nationwide survey reveals that over 65 per cent of tractors have faults, which make them unsafe to drive on the road. Andy Collings reports. More than 65 per cent of tractors have...

MACHINERY: Weidemann gives more power to compact loader.
March 2, 2007... Compact loader specialist Weidemann has expanded its articulated telescopic offering with the 4070. A 100hp four-cylinder Perkins engine provides the grunt and a two stage hydrostatic transmission gives power to all four wheels. The boom...

MACHINERY: Greater tanker capacity.
March 2, 2007... Major has expanded its LGP slurry tanker range with a 14,000 litre (3,100 gallon) version. The single axle is fitted with large flotation tyres 29x75-25R24 to minimise compaction and there is an 8,000 litre per minute vacuum pump as standard....

MACHINERY: Challenger face-lift for Spra Coupe.
March 2, 2007... The Spra Coupe self-propelled sprayer has had a bit of a face-lift to further bring it inline with other Challenger products, while the Ag- Chem name fades away. Although sales numbered only two units last year, Richard Sheldon of...

MACHINERY: New Holland unleashes its self-propelled chopper range.
March 2, 2007... In the last few months alone, New Holland has added two new tractor ranges and now, at the SIMA show, which starts this Sunday, it is set to unveil the FR9000 self-propelled forager. Mervyn Bailey reports. Nearly 10 years in the making, New...

MACHINERY: One-pass drilling combination for an efficient system.
March 2, 2007... Demanding conditions have led Sam Parsons to find an efficient one pass drilling operation. Farming 810 hectares in east Lothian, harvest and autumn sowing prove to be very busy times before the weather turns for the worse. To make the...

MACHINERY: Smaller band saw arrives.
March 2, 2007... WOOD-Mizer has introduced a smaller band saw - the LT10. The LT15 was first introduced in 1997 and so far there are 5,000 units working. Last year, the LT15 was tweaked with a larger engine and powered up and down movement. Wood-Mizer...

MACHINERY: Front linkage for the T8000.
March 2, 2007... He-Va has developed a front linkage for the New Holland T8000 with a lift capacity of 4,000kg. There is the option of having a pto, but due to the engine layout, this requires a new radiator and oil cooler as well as a special drop box. ...

MACHINERY: Going for biggest capacity to get crops to store quickly.
March 2, 2007... Scottish contractor Russell Gaw has taken delivery of a Korte 2000 crimping machine. This is the first machine of this size to be operated in the Galloway area, where he is based. Russell explained that while some farmers had their own...

MACHINERY: Faster filling and wider injection on slurry pumps.
March 2, 2007... Joskin has expanded its slurry pumping range with a centrifugal system that offers faster filling times and the use of wider injection kit. Outputs of up to 10,000 litres per minute can be achieved, depending on the thickness of the...

MACHINERY: Power Arm range gets 5.5 and 6m versions.
March 2, 2007... The Power Arm PA55, and 60 are the latest additions to Shropshire-based McConnel's reach mower range. These join the PA65T, which was introduced a few months ago and uses the same frame, allowing them to be either three-point linkage or...

MACHINERY: Heavier weight flail for thicker material.
March 2, 2007... With many hedgerows only getting cut once every two years or so, McConnel has been back to the drawing board to develop a heavier weight flail. The F16 is nearly twice the weight of the F10, which has become its most popular fitment....

MACHINERY: PA180 to be unveiled at SIMA.
March 2, 2007... McConnel is also putting the finishing touches to the PA180, which is set to be unveiled at SIMA. It can be used either side of the tractor and has a forward crank making it easier for the operator to view the cutting head. Marketing...

ARABLE: Making sure winter wheat crops meet growers' expectations.
March 2, 2007... WITH six out of every 10 winter wheat fields drilled last autumn planted to a Nickerson variety, the company is under pressure to ensure that harvest 2007 crops meet growers' expectations. But, says senior wheat breeder Bill Angus, "there...

ARABLE: Low N levels prompt soil test demand.
March 2, 2007... EARLY reports of low soil mineral nitrogen levels have prompted an increase in demand for soil testing this spring. Kemira GrowHow agronomist Allison Grundy says the company has already analysed more samples than it did in the whole of the...

ARABLE: Beet safety net overproduction `not necessary'.
March 2, 2007... OVERPRODUCTION is no longer a necessary `safety net' when growing sugar beet, says NFU sugar board vice-chairman William Martin. Speaking at the NFU conference this week, he said that in the past growers had felt nervous and so had built in...

ARABLE: Talks over beet contracts flexibility.
March 2, 2007... IMPROVING the flexibility of sugar beet contracts is an essential part of ongoing negotiations between the NFU and British Sugar, said NFU sugar board vice-chairman William Martin at this week's union conference. "We are working with...

ARABLE: Grass seed stack up in targeting biodiversity and profitability.
March 2, 2007... THE cropping programme of cereals, roots and break crops at Grindle House Farm, Shropshire, seems reminiscent of the Norfolk four-course rotation. But that is were similarities to yesteryear end, as the 526- hectare farming business meets the...

ARABLE: This is a year for T0 fungicide sprays.
March 2, 2007... IF ever there was a year for T0 fungicide sprays, this year is it, according to a leading agronomist. Norfolk-based independent agronomist Richard Palmer of Farm Vision admits that he does not routinely recommend T0 sprays but this year is...

ARABLE: Warm January raises virus yellows threat.
March 2, 2007... THE warmest January in 90 years and temperatures at least 2degC above average since Christmas means the virus yellows forecast for sugar beet in is showing high levels of virus, where no pest measurement measures are used, even if crops are...

ARABLE: Daffodil bulbs could become a cash crop, say researchers.
March 2, 2007... ONE of Britain's best-loved flowers could be put to work to provide a drug treatment for Alzheimer's disease, say scientists in a new report and give farmers an opportunity to diversify . "Daffodil bulbs contain a plant chemical called...

ARABLE: Inspect your at risk crops.
March 2, 2007... LEATHERJACKET populations are `high' or `very high' and at risk crops should be inspected now, growers are being advised. Latest results from Dow AgroSciences PestWatch monitoring scheme shows that leatherjacket populations are almost as...

ARABLE: Split field trial results show good results against septoria.
March 2, 2007... WITH mixtures of triazoles and chlorothalonil offering more consistent control of septoria than straight triazoles, there is a case for looking beyond leading triazoles prothioconazole (PTZ) and epoxiconazole (EPX) at the T0 and T1 fungicide...

ARABLE FEATURE: Biofuel bonanza in the balance.
March 2, 2007... In the second article in FG's `Farming for Energy' series John Parry asks whether time is running out for the UK's fledgling biofuels industry to be up and running to meet the EU's 2010 deadline for a 5 per cent incorporation level in all...

ARABLE: The industry's major players joining a race against time.
March 2, 2007... GREENERGY FUELS Established fuel company with 50 per cent of the biofuels market through its subsidiary Greenergy Biofuels. Supplies diesel containing 5 per cent biodiesel to big users like Tesco and, more recently, a high octane petrol...

FARM FEATURE: Marketing pedigree Guernsey beef as a `quality' product.
March 2, 2007... What do you do with a problem like pedigree Guernsey bull calves? If you are Mark and Susan Jones, you start fattening them and selling the finished product as a quality eating experience. JOANNE PUGH went to meet the couple who have turned a...

YOUNGSTOCK: Dramatic events unfold.
March 2, 2007... THE Young Farmers' entertainment season has started in earnest with clubs across the country competing for a place in the national final at the YFC annual convention in April. Members of the Shropshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs...

YOUNGSTOCK: Llawhaden show 'em.
March 2, 2007... SEVEN clubs competed in the Pembrokeshire FYFC drama competition, but only one could go through to the final - Llawhaden YFC. There was tough competition from Tiers Cross YFC's `Johnny Don't Jump' and Llysyfran YFC's `The Hard Yards', but...