Farmers Guardian articles from May 2004

Farmers Guardian archives from May 2004

MPs accuse Defra over SFP impact.
May 7, 2004... AN influential committee of MPs has accused Defra Ministers of failing to sufficiently research the impact of the English Single Farm Payment system on farmers and the environment. In a report published yesterday, the parliamentary...

UK in firing line on funds clawback.
May 7, 2004... THE European Commission has announced details of its latest clawback from member states of misspent EU funds - and the UK is in the firing line for poor control of the arable aid and livestock premium schemes. Of #80m being clawed back...

Assessment of SFP impact `shortly'.
May 7, 2004... DEFRA'S economic assessment of the impact of the Single Farm Payment decision in England has been delayed by the recent change to a three- tier system but will be published `shortly', the Department said this week. Responding to the...

New RASE president.
May 7, 2004... THE Bishop of Ely, Dr Anthony Russell, the Church of England's spokesman on farming and countryside matters, has been named as the new president of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. Dr Russell, who comes from a farming family and...

Rapeseed biodiesel on sale.
May 7, 2004... Eastern Tesco stores have started selling biodiesel made from rapeseed. The delivery vans for its internet shopping service will also use the biofuel. It follows a successful one year trial. GlobalDiesel is a blend of 95 per cent ultra low...

A #2.5m kick-start for farmer collaboration.
May 7, 2004... THE real work in selling collaboration concepts to farmers as part of the food chain started now, said Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty at this week's strategy paper launch by English Food and Farming Partnerships. The Government has...

Pressing ahead with approval.
May 7, 2004... EU FOOD safety commissioner David Byrne confirmed that the Commission will press ahead with the approval of the first GM crop to be approved in Europe for five years. Despite the failure of the council of ministers to approve Syngenta's Bt...

Stay of execution for type 3 rams.
May 7, 2004... A CHANGE in the National Scrapie Plan rules means that genotype 3 rams of all breeds can work on for an extra year. Defra and the Rural Affairs Departments in Wales and Scotland have announced a one-year extension to the `sale and on-farm...

Safer storage for fertilisers.
May 7, 2004... NFU CYMRU has issued guidance advice to its members on the safe storage of ammonium nitrate fertilisers following recent worries over the use of the chemical by terrorists. "We feel it important to warn members of the dangers if they do...

Report slams the Government's lack of concern over GM.
May 7, 2004... A REPORT by a powerful committee of MPs has criticised the Government for ignoring its concerns on GM crops. The report, from the Environmental Audit Committee, reviews the official four-year-long trials of GM crops and says commercial...

Veterinary profession gets a boost.
May 7, 2004... AFTER several years of neglect in the face of catastrophic animal health issues in Britain, the veterinary profession looks like getting a double boost in the next year or two. The first will be the decision that Ministers are to hive off...

Warning over lack of adequate publicity.
May 7, 2004... THE Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has warned of chaos for walkers and land managers if publicity and information is not in place before the first countryside areas are opened up under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000...

Farmers now account for almost half of all land buyers.
May 7, 2004... A GENERAL improvement in farming's fortunes and more certainty over CAP reforms has contributed to an upturn in the amount of land being bought by farmers and rising land prices. For the first time since 2002, farmers are buying up as much...

Agency resolves IACS issues.
May 7, 2004... DELAYS which resulted in hundreds of farmers still waiting to receive their IACS forms have been sorted out, according to a spokesman for the Rural Payments Agency. As the May 17 deadline for completed forms approaches, the spokesman...

OTM health stance `pretty brainless'.
May 7, 2004... OPPOSITION MPs have attacked the Department of Health over its refusal to accept the Food Standards Agency's advice to relax the Over-Thirty Month rule. Shadow Agriculture Secretary John Whittingdale described the Department's actions as...

UK could lose out in rural Euro fund.
May 7, 2004... BRITAIN could lose out in a new #60bn six-year rural development programme being finalised in Brussels. Plans are expected to be published in July to create a new single rural development fund, and the ten new EU member states are likely to...

Non-food crops support.
May 7, 2004... DEFRA is to become a more highly visible backer of non-food crops in the future, according to its draft strategy published last week. Currently going through its consultation phase, it states the Government will establish a major programme...

Off the subsidy treadmill.
May 7, 2004... THE UK meat industry was facing the new era of decoupling against an extremely positive background and producers now had the opportunity to get off the subsidy treadmill. But, as MLC director general Kevin Roberts was also due to tell the...

Record entry.
May 7, 2004... There have been a record 130 entries in 16 categories in the Scottish Food and Drink Excellence Awards, with more than 50 products sampled by a panel of industry experts. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Forestry post.
May 7, 2004... Dr Hugh Insley has been appointed chief executive of Forest Enterprise Scotland, the agency of Forestry Commission Scotland that manages Scotland's 667,000 hectares of national forest lands. He has been acting chief executive since the agency...

Percheron show.
May 7, 2004... The Percheron - a heavy horse breed with its roots in medieval France and Arabia, but only introduced into Britain around 90 years ago - is to have its own National Championships at the 2004 Royal Show. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

`Maximim derogations for nitrates directive'.
May 7, 2004... THE UK authorities should be seeking the maximum available derogations for the Nitrates Directive in submissions to the EU on the subject later this year, according to Farmers For Action. FFA representatives William Taylor, Northern Ireland...

Interim badger cull data `of little use'.
May 7, 2004... ANIMAL Health Minister Ben Bradshaw has suggested ministers and officials would have little to gain at this stage by looking at interim data from the Randomised Badger Culling Trials. Government scientists reviewing the trials recommended...

Duke dies at 84.
May 7, 2004... THE Duke of Devonshire, whose stately home was Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, died on Monday aged 84. He owned 75,000 acres of Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Ireland. In 1991 he signed an agreement with the Peak National Park Authority which opened...

Bid to delay pollution control legislation.
May 7, 2004... A JOINT initiative to persuade the European Commission to delay implementation of the Integrated Pollution Pest Control (IPPC) regulations until 2013 was launched in Brussels last week, following appeals from the pig sectors in Holland and...

UK import controls are `woefully inadequate'.
May 7, 2004... The Government's alleged failure to protect UK farmers from imported plant and animal diseases and to learn the lessons of the foot-and- mouth outbreak came under scrutiny in a Commons debate. ALISTAIR DRIVER reports. THREE years after...

Vet's testimony should have been passed to inquiry.
May 7, 2004... ANIMAL Health Minister Ben Bradshaw has admitted it was a mistake not to pass on the testimony of Government vet Jim Dring to the Anderson foot-and-mouth inquiry. He was forced into the admission by Shadow Environment and Transport...

KEEBLE'S VIEW: Where are the farming leaders of the future?
May 7, 2004... Youth and experience are two of our most undervalued assets at a time when agriculture is about to change more radically than at anytime since horse-power gave way to the rubber tyre. From 2005 the pitch on which we play will be bigger, the...

OPINION: Positive thinking.
May 7, 2004... Last weekend, the countryside most emphatically came to the town when 4,000 of the industry's young people descended on Blackpool to debate, perform, compete and have fun at the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs' annual convention....

The nightmare of a global free-for-all.
May 7, 2004... There seems little doubt that the future of a continuance of our traditional mixed farming in the UK depends on the environmental lobby and organisations dedicated to the preservation of our native wildlife and landscape. In this face of...

The farm that time forgot.
May 7, 2004... A unique farming experience is unfolding in Herefordshire. BARRY ALSTON reports. THE past few months have been pretty hectic for a young farming couple who have taken on the challenging tenancy of a rare 247-acre farm in the Welsh border...

Vital move to save ancient meadows.
May 7, 2004... WELCOMING Herefordshire's Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group members to Turnastone Court, Countryside Restoration Trust honorary director Robin Page said the decision to buy the farm had been a vital move. It had saved ancient meadows...

2004 NFYFC CONVENTION: Optimism key word for challenging times ahead.
May 7, 2004... Despite challenging times ahead for the agricultural industry, there was a real sense of optimism in Blackpool last weekend, where more than 4,000 young farmers gathered for the 2004 NFYFC Convention. Ben Briggs reports. THE mood of the...

2004 NFYFC CONVENTION: National subscripton increase.
May 7, 2004... THE annual meeting of NFYFC on Sunday, saw members carry the motion that the gross national subscription (national levy) for the period September 1, 2004, to August 31, 2005, be increased by 10 per cent. This increase equates to an average...

2004 NFYFC CONVENTION: A message from the president.
May 7, 2004... HRH The Prince of Wales was unable to attend the event in his role as President of the NFYFC but in a video message he expressed how impressed he had been with the enthusiasm members had shown towards agriculture even though it had faced many...

2004 NFYFC CONVENTION: And the winners are.
May 7, 2004... RESULTS Merrick Burrell Tankard (for the club with the largest increase in membership 2001-2003): Hampshire, received by Luke Andrews and Sally Bucknole. The NFU Trophy (champion county federation in national competitions): Cumbria A,...

2004 NFYFC CONVENTION: Past members' support.
May 7, 2004... PAST YFC members who travelled under the YFC Discovery Programme and who continue to support the Federation presented a cheque for #3,500, which will contribute to more than 50 members visiting foreign countries this year. The cheque was...

2004 NFYFC CONVENTION: Building foundations.
May 7, 2004... AS more than 4,000 Young Farmers descended upon the Winter Gardens on Saturday night, the shirts separated club from club, but the reality was they were all part of the wider NFYFC group that had come together to enjoy themselves. With so...

`Buy British pork'.
May 7, 2004... THE Farmers' Union of Wales is urging consumers to buy home-produced bacon and pork products in the light of British Pig Executive claims that 70 per cent of imported pork products come from pigs raised under conditions that do not conform to...

Tiffeny takes beef honours at Leicester.
May 7, 2004... THE show season got off to a soggy start in Leicestershire, where the county show had to endure two days of heavy rain at the weekend, which had predictable resulting effect on attendances. However, livestock entries this year were up and...

PYMOOR SHOW, CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
May 7, 2004... THE overall herd championship in the livestock competition of Pymoor Show, Cambridgeshire, went to the Limousin herd of Mr and Mrs T. Evans, winners of the small pedigree herd section. They also won the sections for beef cows with calf at foot,...

Pig offensive.
May 7, 2004... THE British pig industry lobbying group, Ladies in Pigs, has started a major show season offensive, with more than 30 members taking part in the promotions planned at more than 20 agricultural shows and food festivals across the country this...

Confusion over chicken welfare.
May 7, 2004... WHILE consumers claim animal welfare is a key factor in deciding which chicken to buy, there is huge ignorance about the reality of the conditions in which they are reared, according to a new poll released by the RSPCA. When questioned in...

Whitty's speech `writes off' UK poultry industry.
May 7, 2004... THE poultry industry has been angered by comments made by Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty during the British Poultry Council annual meeting. One delegate summed up his luncheon speech as `Lord Whitty writes off the British poultry...

`Leave conservation to the land managers'.
May 7, 2004... SCIENCE and theoretical conservation should be on tap, not on top, and such work should be left to the land managers, said Tony Andrews, the chief executive of the Scottish Countryside Alliance. Speaking at the SCA conference in Perth, he...

Pig firm invests in industry future.
May 7, 2004... THE British pig industry needs to focus more on investment in new equipment and buildings, improving herd health status and training people properly. That is the view of a major pig production and processing company, which is matching action...

Development scheme successes.
May 7, 2004... ALTHOUGH the existing rural development programme in Wales had been somewhat thrown together in a hurry back in 1999, it had delivered some considerable benefits for rural communities - given a low EU budgetary provision, according to Mike...

Pulling out all the stops on rural funding.
May 7, 2004... ALL the stops are to be pulled out over the coming few months to make sure that organisations responsible for rural regeneration do not lose out on vital funding when the new post-EU enlargement development budget is finalised. To that end...

Future hopes.
May 7, 2004... WALES YFC chief executive Lowri Jones said her 6,000 members would be looking for measures that would help safeguard a future for them in the industry. The UK and Holland were the only two countries in the EU not providing a new entrants'...

Increased share of funds?
May 7, 2004... NFU Cymru president Peredur Hughes said, coupled with next year's CAP reform switch from production to environmental payments, it was essential the Wales share of pillar 2 funds increased to ensure rural development, agri-environmental, food...

`Fibre-rich diets are key to yield and health'.
May 7, 2004... FEEDING cost-effective, fibre-rich diets will be the key to achieving potential 10,000-litre profitable yields and maintaining a healthy dairy herd. Those were the main messages emerging from Volac International's one- day conference...

Action call on nature-rich land.
May 7, 2004... THE European Union will not reach the goal of halting species loss by 2010 unless it does more to prevent the decline of its most nature-rich areas of farmland, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and United Nations Environment Programme...

Notable varietal differences emerge in North West trials.
May 7, 2004... NOTABLE varietal differences are already clear to see at a new cereal trials site in North West England, which aims to help northern growers with local variety information and agronomy advice. Operated by The Arable Group (TAG) on behalf of...

Colour in the countryside.
May 7, 2004... A Cumbrian farmer is working alongside a partner in North West property consultancy Dixon Webb to help put colour back into the countryside. BNFL tenant farmer Norman Lewthwaite is working with Andrew Williamson, head of the consultancy's...

Downy mildew showing on winter beans.
May 7, 2004... AGRONOMISTS are warning that downy mildew is showing up on winter beans this year, and are advising that growers check for it and treat where necessary. Pam Chambers, of Farmacy, says its agronomists have been finding the disease, which...

Adjuvants: weighing up efficacy.
May 7, 2004... Adjuvants are no longer simply a way of reducing chemical dose. Choosing the right one can give access to a valuable tool that returns far more than its additional cost. DAVID MILLAR reports. THE muck and mystery image of adjuvants is...

Weather hits potato planting.
May 7, 2004... POTATO planting continues to be restricted by poor weather. Total planting is estimated at 64,000 ha. Little seed has gone in on the Wolds. Heavy soils will now require several dry days before further activity is possible. In Yorkshire some...

Direct marketing a red meat product with a difference.
May 7, 2004... A North Wales farming family is carving out a secure future for its next generation by direct marketing a novel red meat product range. BARRY ALSTON reports. Visit one of the regular farmers' markets or food fairs along the North Wales...

RURAL LIFE: Wensleydale yarn is all the fashion.
May 7, 2004... It may come as a surprise to learn that Sally Holton's husband,who creates the dyes for her home-grown, silky soft Wensleydale yarn, is colour blind, but, as the wondrous colour palette he produces demonstrates, this slight incapacity proves no...

Five friends' cycle ride for Findlay.
May 7, 2004... HERTFORDSHIRE farmer Ian Pigott and his hardy band of cycling pals have pedal powered their way from the foot, to the very top of the country - 874 miles - in just 12 days. The five friends, who all admitted to not having ridden a bicycle...

Developing teamwork and skills in Yorkshire.
May 7, 2004... A weekend designed to develop teamwork, effective communication and other skills has been funded by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society for the county's Young Farmers' Clubs. "The aim was to help members develop skills and confidence which...

Pembrokeshire top.
May 7, 2004... WALES Young Farmers travelled to Caernarfon for their annual field day, this year hosted by Eryri Federation. Pembrokeshire claimed victory, beating last year's winners Radnorshire by just two points, with Ceredigion third, a single point...

Gilmourton WRI help hospice.
May 7, 2004... A cheque for #2,000 raised by Gilmourton Women's Rural Institute, Lanarkshire, has been presented to the Kilbryde Hospice Appeal Fund. A raffle and sell-out concert in Strathaven featuring a ceilidh hand and Irish dancers each raised...

Devon stockjudging `bobby dazzler'.
May 7, 2004... IT was a `bobby dazzler' of a show for the East Devon group of Young Farmers Clubs when they held their annual Honiton Show stockjudging competition classes at Andrew and Wendy Reed's Frace Farm, Blackborough. The event provided a backdrop...

A taste of Staffordshire in print.
May 7, 2004... WINNERS and participants in Staffordshire's annual good food awards are featured in a new 36-page booklet, `Taste of Staffordshire 2004'. Among those featured are the recipients of the NFU 2003 award for best use of local produce. First place...

Rare breed pig export campaign.
May 7, 2004... BRITAIN'S top pedigree pig breeders are preparing to launch yet another campaign to woo more overseas customers for their `traditional, rare breed' sows and boars this summer. The initiative will start at the British Pig and Poultry fair at...

Nell is first winner at Erwood trials.
May 7, 2004... THE two days of the Erwood Trials in Powys attracted a good number of handlers. On the first day, Saturday, there were two sessions of Open National trials and both had Novice competitions as combined runs. Sunday was the turn of local...

Jan takes title in first Open contest.
May 7, 2004... COMPETING in her very first Open contest, on Saturday John Palmer's Jan took her first win. At Lower Twiston, Lancashire, the Trawden Society held its annual spring Open trial. With a fetch in excess of 275 metres the course rose uphill to...

China visit `positive'.
May 7, 2004... THE British Pig Executive's mission to China was `positive from start to finish', said the organisation's chairman, Stewart Houston, after his return from Beijing. "We have a list of items the Chinese processing and pig industry leaders...

MILK: Look carefully at costs before chasing those marginal litres.
May 7, 2004... As dairy farmers consider their options regarding the mid-term review, increasing yield per cow is high on the agenda, says Promar International consultant Andrew Connah. Farmers need to examine the true cost of producing marginal litres...

MILK: Tackling leptospirosis - for better cattle health/milk production.
May 7, 2004... NADIS CATTLE DISEASE FOCUS - MAY 2004 By Richard Laven MRCVS These spiral bacteria are common causes of disease in cattle. Infection is associated with milk drop syndrome, abortion, weak calves and infertility. Leptospirosis can...

MILK: Making slurry an asset - not a liability.
May 7, 2004... Water pollution from dairy farms remains of serious concern to the Environment Agency as well as those that suffer the consequences, including many farmers, if stock watering is impacted and risk of disease spreading rises. In 2002, 48 per...

MILK: Keeping track of milk urea levels to maintain rumen function.
May 7, 2004... Dairy farmers should make full use of the milk urea reports provided by their milk buyer if they want to improve rumen function and hopefully improve fertility levels, according to one dairy nutritionist. Cara Freeston-Smith, ruminant...

MILK: A fitting finale full of quality and finesse.
May 7, 2004... WITH a modern-day record of well over 100 entries and so many strong contenders among the 42 cows nominated (six in each of the seven classes) the 2003 All-Britain Holstein Awards provided a fitting finale to this year's National Holstein Show....

MILK: Balancing the demands of profitable milk production.
May 7, 2004... Pedigree stock sales direct from the farm vie with milk production as the major source of income from the Richaven Holstein herd at Richard Bown's Northfield Farm, Hanley Castle, near Worcester. The pedigree showring is seen as a valuable...

MILK: Going all out for efficiency.
May 7, 2004... AT West Chaldon near Dorchester, the Cobb family have taken the bull of British dairying firmly by the horns over the past 10 years to develop a large, extremely efficient dairy business specifically designed to meet the challenges of the 21st...

Stack the odds in your favour.
May 7, 2004... WHEN it comes to producing maximum yield and dry matter for least cost from second cut silage there are a number of actions you can take to stack the odds in your favour. "Then it's a case of hoping we get 10 days of good weather at the...

Twin fan for turbo jet applicator.
May 7, 2004... STOCKS is introducing a twin fan version of the Turbo Jet applicator. An agitator is also included in the upgrade to provide a consistent flow of material and prevent bridging over the metering system. A hopper level indicator is an optional...

Biggest yet: Case-IH rolls out the STX500.
May 7, 2004... BRAND new to the UK is Case-IH's biggest tractor, the STX500 Steiger. The new model offers up to 550hp and is powered by an electronically controlled, turbocharged, 15-litre Cummins engine. The STX500 is rated at 500hp at 2100rpm, but has...

Krampe to import 30t trailers.
May 7, 2004... KRAMPE UK is set to import a 30t capacity trailer with a rear-mounted discharge auger for the coming season. Available to buy or hire, the tri-axle trailers come with a sprung drawbar, hydraulic tailgate with grain chute, 60kph axles with...

Opico's innovation.
May 7, 2004... OPICO has designed a front linkage and pto for the high visibility Massey Ferguson 5455. Lift capacities of 2.5t or 3.6t are available with foldable lift arms. Side bracing plates provide added strength to the tractor chassis. Copyright:...

Front linkage for Deere.
May 7, 2004... YORKSHIRE-based SW Agriservices has designed a front linkage for John Deere 7020 tractors. The 35mm thick arms are capable of lifting 3,200kg and can be folded up when not in use. Standard features of the #1,460 linkage include Walterscheild...

Double beam connector eliminates stress points.
May 7, 2004... SIMBA is offering the Pro-Active sprung leaf tine for its Unipress cultivator and other presses. The 150mm wide, 12mm thick pig tail leaf is secured to the sub-frame by a double beam connector rather than bolts, which are said to eliminate...

Rau Explorer trailed sprayers strengthen foothold in UK.
May 7, 2004... WITH capacities from 2,400 to 3,600litres the Rau range of Explorer trailed sprayers is expected to strengthen the Dutch firm's foothold in the UK sprayer market. Explorer sprayers are available with a new purge system, aluminium booms and...