Farmers Guardian articles from March 2009

Farmers Guardian archives from March 2009

Benn urges industry to get behind new set-aside plans.
March 6, 2009... * Consultation measures unveiled * Mandatory option may be brought in By Alistair Driver DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn has announced he `stands ready' to support the arable industry if it can demonstrate sufficient commitment to a...

Vaccine expiry means farmers left facing a race against time.
March 6, 2009... * No extension for vaccine expiry dates By Jack Davies DEFRA has confirmed that bluetongue vaccines will not be granted an expiry date extension - leaving farmers facing a race against time to vaccinate ready for the summer. The...

EU Environment Ministers dismiss GM maize proposal.
March 6, 2009... AUSTRIA and Hungary have won overwhelming support for their ban on the cultivation of genetically modified maize, in spite of UK opposition. The European Commission had proposed to overturn the GM ban on scientific grounds, but on Monday...

More support for Welsh GM rebel.
March 6, 2009... THE Welsh farmer who claimed he secretly grew GM maize last year is planning to do it again - but this time he will have even more support. Jonathan Harrington, of Pen-y-Lan Farm, at Felindre, mid way between Hay-on-Wye and Talgarth, in...

Tir Mynydd payments begin.
March 6, 2009... FARMERS in Wales started receiving their full 2009 Tir Mynydd hill support payments on Monday - with details of future support arrangements, including revised LFA criteria, expected shortly. According to Welsh Assembly Rural Affairs...

Test enforcement failures undermine TB control policy.
March 6, 2009... * Costs are being inflated by failings By Alistair Driver DEFRA'S failure to properly enforce bovine TB (bTB) testing rules is undermining efforts to control the disease, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned. The public...

Rates for 2009.
March 6, 2009... * Payment rates for 2009 are: Up to 140 hectares, SDA, #28.50 per ha; DA, #24/ha. Over 140 and up to 640 hectares, SDA, #18.52/ha; DA, #15.60/ha. Over 640 hectares, SDA, #8.55/ha; DA, #7.20/ha. Tir Mynydd payments totalling #24.22 million...

NAO report: Defra's view.
March 6, 2009... FOOD and Farming Minister Jane Kennedy said she was grateful the good work of Defra and its agencies in controlling disease outbreaks of foot- and-mouth and avian flu had been acknowledged by the NAO. She said the Bovine TB Eradication...

What the NAO called for.
March 6, 2009... * Speeding up the testing of animals on neighbouring farms * Speeding up the removal of cattle on infected farms * Establishing specific national standards of biosecurity on farms * Linking compensation payments to biosecurity...

Supermarkets must accept an ombudsman.
March 6, 2009... INDUSTRY leaders have urged supermarkets to agree to a grocery market ombudsman ahead of the Competition Commission's public consultation. The calls come after the launch of a consultation on a new Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCoP)...

Strike at meat supplier Vion may lead to shortages over Easter period.
March 6, 2009... * Market downturn leads to lay-offs By William Surman THE threat of mass redundancies could spark strike action at one of the UK's biggest supermarket meat supplier, potentially leaving shelves short over the Easter period. ...

Benn defends Pirbright decision.
March 6, 2009... DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn has defended his Department's decision to end its commitment to funding the major Pirbright redevelopment project. Mr Benn claimed funding the project would have diverted too much money away from the science at...

Bird flu strikes at two small Bernard Matthews farms.
March 6, 2009... AVIAN flu has been found on two small Bernard Matthews breeding farms in Norfolk and Suffolk. Animal Health vets have already confirmed the strain is not either of the highly pathogenic types, H5 and H7. Animal Health began the...

FSA defends meat hygiene reform progress.
March 6, 2009... THE Food Standards Agency has dismissed criticism for `slow progress' in its reform of the Meat Hygiene Service. Stuart Roberts, director of British Processors Association, slammed the agency for doing too little to reform the `out-dated'...

Minister and industry unite in IPPC fight.
March 6, 2009... * Poultry farmers could feel the effects * Costs up to #25,000 By William Surman JANE Kennedy, Food and Farming Minister, urged MEPs to throw out burdensome and costly new pollution rules when she visited Brussels this week. ...

Sheep carcases probe.
March 6, 2009... Carcases of more than 250 sheep have been found scattered in Forestry Commission land in West Wales. Initially 50 had been found by walkers in a ravine. Their condition was so bad, specialist contractors had to be called in to remove the...

CAP cash allocation change call.
March 6, 2009... GORDON Brown has been urged to follow France's lead and divert more CAP cash to small-scale grassland farmers. Last month, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would transfer 18 per cent of subsidies currently paid to big grain...

Plans to curb direct payments dominates US farming conference.(Conference notes)
March 6, 2009... * Farm incomes set to rise year-on-year By William Surman THE NFU sent a high level mission to Washington DC last week (February 25-27) to gauge the new US administration's attitude to key agricultural issues. NFU president Peter...

Beefy and Lamby bowled out by Eblex.
March 6, 2009... BEEFY and Lamby have been dropped as the spearheads of the campaign to promote English beef and lamb. The cartoon depictions of former England cricketers Ian Botham and Allan Lamb have been promoting Eblex's Quality Standard Mark (QSM) in...

SPS forms.
March 6, 2009... FARMERS in England and Wales will begin receiving their Single Payment forms for the 2009 scheme in the coming weeks after the RPA opened the application process this week. Forms need to be completed by May 15, although late submission will be...

Scots food and drink boosted by #1.4m.
March 6, 2009... THE Scottish Government has pledged almost #1.4 million to Scotland's food and drink sector to help safeguard jobs and generate further investment in the sector. The money, to be awarded to 11 companies, came as part of the Food...

LETTER: N.Irish scheme pay-out a PR disaster.(Letter to the editor)
March 6, 2009... THE word development hardly springs to mind when we consider the way in which local farmers had to apply for the Farm Modernisation Scheme in Northern Ireland (FG, February 20). The first come, first served, basis meant that those wishing...

LETTER: Business theory versus real life.(Letter to the editor)
March 6, 2009... I am really sick and tired of reading articles and being told at conferences by `successful' business persons how to run a tight ship, streamline, economise and restructure our dairy enterprises. Only farmers with serious business skills,...

LETTER: Action plan for a better future.(Letter to the editor)
March 6, 2009... HAVING read the excellent coverage of the NFU AGM and, in particular, the `Dairy Breakout Session' (FG February 20), I was amazed at the editorial, where you chose to take a simplistic approach to two very different papers launched that week....

EDITORIAL: Time to reach for the olive branch.(Editorial)
March 6, 2009... Until this January, the debate on a post set-aside policy was only going one way. The sole option on the table was a burdensome new requirement, to be enforced through cross-compliance, forcing farmers to manage a percentage of their land...

OPINION: Time to start reconnecting.
March 6, 2009... THE Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 was the first shot fired in a campaign to give leave for the environmental lobby to take over the 70 per cent of the UK landmass that we own and occupy. Food production was to be a secondary...

Capital grants available.
March 6, 2009... APPLICATIONS for capital grants under Defra's Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) scheme are now open as it is extended into its third successive year. The applications will be streamlined and have been opened a month earlier than in...

`Damage limitation' hopes on EID rules.
March 6, 2009... * Unlikely legislation will be overturned By Barry Alston THE fight will go on to stop sheep electronic identification (EID) - but the feeling clearly emerging at NSA Cymru's annual meeting was that the legislation will go ahead at the...

Farmers to oppose NVZs.
March 6, 2009... FARMERS across Wales affected by new Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) designations will lodge their opposition in time for the March 31 appeal deadline. Both Welsh farming unions are backing members in Anglesey, Clwyd and Pembrokeshire, who...

Vision for SRDP future.
March 6, 2009... NFU Scotland has delivered its vision for the #1.6 billion Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP), claiming the current programme had `lost its way'. Its plan formed part of its response to the Scottish Government's review of SRDP....

Cost of UK farming up.
March 6, 2009... FARMING was a lot more expensive than 18 months ago, despite a significant fall in fuel prices, the conference was told. Anglia Farmers' chief executive Clarke Willis outlined the buying group's latest Agricultural Inflation Index figures....

Fewer breeds for greater consistency.(Conference notes)
March 6, 2009... IMPROVING consistency is key to increasing consumer demand for British beef, suggested Nuffield scholar Sarah Long. Miss Long, a Harper Adams graduate and Norfolk beef farmer's daughter, travelled to Australia and New Zealand to study their...

Pressure to produce more and impact less.
March 6, 2009... * Encouraging spending on R&D A COMPULSORY approach to set-aside could discourage farmers from continuing with the Entry Level Stewardship scheme, NFU president Peter Kendall told the Norfolk Farming Conference. "Farmers are already...

Trading volatility to stay.
March 6, 2009... VOLATILITY is here and it was going to continue, said Jon Duffy of Frontier Agriculture. Traders were now regularly seeing an #8 to #9 per tonne swing in grain prices over the course of a day, he told the Norfolk Farming Conference. ...

BUSINESS: Lady Day review scrutiny.
March 6, 2009... TENANTS with a Lady Day rent review are being urged to scrutinise their budgets ahead of negotiations with landlords. NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: "Following Candlemas, and reports of more rent arbitrator appointments, we are...

BUSINESS: Nitrogen falls #60/t but too late for many.
March 6, 2009... * Ammonium nitrate kick-starts price dip * Those who held nerve set to benefit By Howard Walsh UK nitrogen prices have come down with a bump - and users and merchants who have already bought will not be best pleased. GrowHow...

BUSINESS: Business boost for NW livestock farms.
March 6, 2009... THE launch of a new scheme will fund projects to improve efficiency of Cumbrian farm businesses - and offer farmers capital grants . The #18 million Northwest Livestock Programme will focus on farm competitiveness, animal health and welfare...

BUSINESS: DFB dairy closures and localchoice dilemma.
March 6, 2009... TESCO localchoice producers supplying Dairy Farmers of Britain's Portsmouth and Fole dairies are being returned to relevant liquid payment schedules. The localchoice brand will be withdrawn from regions served by these dairies and their...

BUSINESS: Organic growth in Scotland.
March 6, 2009... ORGANIC beef and grain production in Scotland increased during 2008- 2009. The annual survey of organic producers in Scotland undertaken via the SAC Organic Market Link (OML) project predicts between July 2008 and June 2009, Scotland will...

BUSINESS: Strategy for profitable NW dairying.
March 6, 2009... * Major action plan aims to bolster trade * Interaction with key organisations is vital By Howard Walsh THE North West's 2,400 dairy farmers and other businesses in the supply chain should benefit from a major action plan launched...

BUSINESS: #19m fillip for Cornwall Farmers' co-operative last year.
March 6, 2009... CORNWALL Farmers co-operative and chain of country stores, saw growth of #19 million in 2008. Its turnover totalled just short of #85m and profits after tax rose by 48 per cent to #939,000. Chief executive, Andrew Cocks, said demand...

WORLD NEWS: USA.
March 6, 2009... * The developer of a beef packing plant at Aberdeen (USA) said he was optimistic it would open in August or September. Dennis Hellwig said the Northern Beef Packers plant would initially process 200-300 head daily, but is designed to handle up...

WORLD NEWS: SWITZERLAND.
March 6, 2009... * The production capacity of bird flu vaccines has tripled since 2007, but it could still take up to four years to meet global demand if a pandemic were to occur, according to a World Health Organisation-backed study. In the best case...

WORLD NEWS: NEW ZEALAND.
March 6, 2009... * New Zealand's most expensive farm boundary fence has already cost the owners $94 (#33) a metre to build and defend - and the cost is still going up. The High Court case about the fence has set an important precedent that farmers should...

WORLD NEWS: ARGENTINA.
March 6, 2009... * Argentine farmers' organisations announced they would fight a reported plan to nationalise grain trading, warning that such a move would deepen a long-running conflict between the government and agricultural groups. Growers' groups were...

BUSINESS: Dairy decisions down to profitability - consultant.
March 6, 2009... * UK's industry `not under threat' IF dairy processors are serious about the future prospects for their products, they need to secure a share of market returns for UK farmers which are competitive with EU farmers. "Otherwise their EU...

BUSINESS: Record profits for CLB for second time in three years.
March 6, 2009... RECORD profits have been achieved at Caithness Livestock Breeders for the second time in three years. Pre-tax profit for 2008 was #71,683 - 40 per cent up on the year - and is the seventh consecutive year the profit has topped #50,000....

BUSINESS: E-marketing award win.
March 6, 2009... An EBLEX-led promotional campaign to boost lamb consumption in France has taken first prize at the 2009 E-marketing Awards in Paris. The `Agneau Presto' campaign came top in the category for best multi- channel investment strategy. ...

BUSINESS: Apply for SPS online.
March 6, 2009... SINGLE Payment Scheme (SPS) applications can be made online in England. Software specialist Farmplan has developed the `SPS Planner software, which links directly to the Government Gateway. The software's roll-out follows a successful...

BUSINESS: Lack of a pension plan gives taxman millions.
March 6, 2009... * Many missing out on Government help By Howard Walsh THOUSANDS of farmers are needlessly paying a fortune in tax by overlooking their annual pension and savings allowances. Only 45 per cent of self-employed men contribute to a...

BUSINESS: New man at Dairy Crest.
March 6, 2009... DAIRY Crest has a new milk procurement director. Mark Taylor has taken over from Arthur Reeves, now external affairs director, Mr Taylor has been with the company for eight years. Most recently he has been commercial and marketing...

BUSINESS: Arla amba results `not satisfactory'.
March 6, 2009... ARLA Foods amba's profits for 2008 - DK 350 million (#41.8million) below budget - are "not satisfactory", says chief executive Peder Tuborgh. Consequently, the supplementary payment to co-operative members is lower than expected at DK...

ARABLE: Big gamble in meeting the milling wheat specification.
March 6, 2009... MILLERS have used more home-grown wheat in the first half of this season than the first half of last, despite the fact only six per cent of Group 1 wheats met the NABIM bread making specification last harvest. According to HGCA market...

ARABLE: Putting potatoes back on the table.
March 6, 2009... * All parties must work together By Jack Davies GROWERS, packers and retailers all need to work together to ensure potatoes continue to be a staple on the British dinner table, according to British Potato Council (BPC) chairman Allan...

ARABLE: Potato planting is progressing.
March 6, 2009... SOME progress was made with potato planting last week, although total plantings remain behind last season, says the Potato Council. In Cornwall, overall progress has been slow with an estimated 800 hectares (1,976 acres) completed by the...

ARABLE: New guidelines for improved control.
March 6, 2009... NEW guidelines for use of the cereal fungicide Cherokee (chlorothalonil + cyproconazole + propiconazole) have been released by crop protection company Syngenta, with the aim of improving control in high disease pressure situations. ...

ARABLE: The value of straw nutrients.
March 6, 2009... HGCA has published a new information sheet to help arable growers assess straw's nutrient content and decide whether to return it to the soil or sell it. In recent years, over 60 per cent of wheat and more than 90 per cent of barley straw...

ARABLE: Treating seed can maintain profitability.
March 6, 2009... The focus was on seed treatment developments at the BCPC Seed Production and Treatment symposium. David Jones reports. * Undiminished yields as spray options fade SEED treatments will, over the next few years, offer farmers the means...

ARABLE: Coping with oilseed rape pest threats.
March 6, 2009... SEED treatment manufacturer Bayer CropScience described to the conference how new combinations and formulations of existing active ingredients could extend pest control. The crop in question is oilseed rape, in which the company had been...

ARABLE: Promise of new triazole.
March 6, 2009... THE seed treatment armoury available to UK growers could soon include a new triazole-ipconazole - effective in controlling seed and soil-borne diseases. A contact and systemic fungicide, ipconazole has curative as well as protectant...

FARM FEATURE: Steady growth due to the green revolution.
March 6, 2009... A `green' opportunity coupled with a pro-active approach to the land has seen one South Yorkshire farming couple take their arable business to new productive heights. Angela Calvert meets William and Lynda Mackintosh. It is probably a...

YFC NEWS IN BRIEF.
March 6, 2009... * NEWTON Abbot YFC celebrated their 75th anniversary with a dinner and dance, and welcomed 43 former chairpersons from the club's history. * ASHLEY YFC members donated #1,000 to the Staffordshire County Air Ambulance after holding their...

YOUNGSTOCK: Research highlights the need to recruit the next generation.
March 6, 2009... * Skills shortage is becoming greater THE farming industry will need to recruit an additional 60,000 workers by 2019 to ensure UK agriculture maintain its skills base, according to new research commissioned by supermarket Waitrose. The...

YOUNGSTOCK: The face of Welsh lamb.
March 6, 2009... TRADITIONAL farming methods, coupled with high environmental standards, are proving to be the key to success for a young man from North Wales who has become the first ever `Face of Welsh Lamb'. After launching a competition, Hybu Cig Cymru,...

YOUNGSTOCK: Highlighting the dangers on-farm.
March 6, 2009... MORE than 70 YFC members from across the South of England attended a health and safety workshop as part of a new initiative to drive awareness in young people of potential fatalities in farming. The National Federation of Young Farmers'...

COUNTRY VIEW: Farmers to join fight against rural crime.
March 6, 2009... * Special constable recruitment drive FARMERS in Scotland will serve as constables to help police fight crime in the countryside and increase safety in rural communities. They will be joined by landowners, gamekeepers and farm staff as...

COUNTRY VIEW: Campaign to save pubs from closure.
March 6, 2009... RURAL pubs are being wiped off the British landscape with up to five closing every day, according to new research published this week. The report from the Beer and Pub Association claims the long-term trend of pub closures has been...

COUNTRY VIEW: Marketing role.
March 6, 2009... AROUND one in three new businesses fail to understand what marketing is or the beneficial role it plays, according to an online business directory, which surveyed 3,081 UK business owners. Around 40 per cent of new companies did not have a...

COUNTRY VIEW: Study grant.
March 6, 2009... Mid-Gwynedd county branch is offering #3,000 to a farmer in North Wales wanting to travel the world to learn more about agriculture Last year's winner Osian Rhys, from Hendy, near Caernarfon, is currently in Australia studying the country's...

COUNTRY VIEW: Mutton class.
March 6, 2009... Hearty Mutton Broth and spicy Mutton Chop Curry went down a storm at the first Mutton Renaissance masterclass of the season, hosted by club member and Academy of Culinary Arts member, Mark Hix at Brown's Hotel in London. Joining Mark was...

COUNTRY VIEW: Pesticides ban.
March 6, 2009... The Co-operative has become the first UK retailer to prohibit the use of a group of eight pesticides as part of a new awareness campaign designed to help reverse the decline of British honeybees. The group has donated #150,000 for research into...

COUNTRY VIEW: Charity flavour.
March 6, 2009... Herefordshire potato chip producer, Tyrrells, has partnered the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens charity to launch two new flavours for independent retailers. Ten per cent of sales from their Roast Lamb and Shrewsbury Sauce...

COUNTRY VIEW: Development grants worth #8m.
March 6, 2009... A NEW rural development programme, which will deliver #8m worth of grant aid and training advice to farmers and small businesses working in mid and South Cumbria, has been launched. The financial package is part of the Rural Development...

WORKING DOGS: Bob and Ben take victory at Yorkshire Championship.
March 6, 2009... * Trial title won by Chloe Cropper By Elaine Hill The closely-fought Yorkshire Championship at Bolton Abbey, near Skipton, on Saturday was won by Bob Clarkson and Ben. Chloe Cropper and Ned took the trial title clear by four...

MACHINERY: McConnel expands flail to raise output.
March 6, 2009... * New head offers 2m working width A 2m-wide flail head was among the new machines unveiled by McConnel at its recent open days. This wider flail head is said to increase output by 66 per cent over a conventional 1.2m head. The new...

MACHINERY: Outback S3 for GPS units.
March 6, 2009... Claas is now supplying all of its GPS Pilot guidance systems with the new Outback S3 Terminal. This has a 1GB internal memory and an 8.4in colour touch screen. Among the new features is the ability to set up multiple A-B lines for...

MACHINERY: Telehandler trio gets better hydraulics.
March 6, 2009... JLG has introduced three new telehandlers with increased hydraulic performance and improved cabs to replace the 266, 266-loPro and the 307. The 2906H in standard guise has an overall height of 2.35m, while the L version is just 2m tall....

MACHINERY: Muck spreader for ATV.
March 6, 2009... A muck spreader that can be towed behind an ATV is the latest tool from Quad X. The side discharge flails are powered by a 10hp Briggs and Stratton engine and the barrel body is galvanised to extend its service life. Quad X says one of...

4x4S & AUTOS: Sporty credentials matched with high towing capacity.
March 6, 2009... * Road Test: Ssangyong Rexton R-Line By Geoff Ashcroft The phrase `never judge a book by its cover' is one that seems particularly apt with Ssangyong's latest special edition of its Rexton 4x4, the R-Line. Based on the 270SPR,...

4x4S & AUTOS: Ford Ranger.
March 6, 2009... Ford has revealed a fresh look for its Ranger pickup truck. The changes see a chunkier horizontal three-bar grille at the front, bigger headlamps that wrap around each front corner and larger door mirrors for better visibility. At the rear, the...

4x4S & AUTOS: Saab 9-3X.
March 6, 2009... Saab is the latest manufacturer to enter the crossover SUV sector with its 9-3X, aimed at those who frequently use gravel or unpaved roads, says the firm. Saab has essentially taken a 9-3 Sport Wagon, given it 35mm more ground clearance,...

LIVESTOCK: Health plan to tackle BVD.
March 6, 2009... THE Cattle Health Improvement Plan Scotland (CHIPS) has been launched to encourage farmers to work in partnership with vets to tackle BVD. It will be managed by a steering group formed from farmers, NFU Scotland and health schemes run by...

LIVESTOCK: Border British Blue champion.
March 6, 2009... THE champion at the Border British Blue Club's calf show was Alan and Deirdre Wilkinson's Springfield Darcy, an August 2008-born ET daughter out of the Blak Du Baty D'Eprave and Springfield Vichy flush. At the South West Scotland Dairy...

LIVESTOCK: Geographic isolation threatens survival of heritage breeds.
March 6, 2009... * Potential threat of disease outbreak By William Surman THE concentration of `heritage' sheep breeds in certain areas of the British Isles means they could be wiped out by a single disease outbreak, authors of a new report warned this...