Farmers Guardian articles from September 2004

Farmers Guardian archives from September 2004

Fears over fallout from milk wars.
September 3, 2004... THE massive reshuffle of supermarkets' liquid milk supply contracts over the past 10 days, although not unexpected, has left many producers wondering what it could all mean for milk prices next year. With rationalisation announcements from...

`Uphill battle' to get agency off ground.
September 3, 2004... FARMERS for Action leader David Handley has admitted he faces an uphill battle to get his plan for a National Milk Agency off the ground because of industry opposition to it. Last week, he presented the idea to the West Midlands NFU, the...

Milk supply chain body set for Dairy Event launch.
September 3, 2004... DAIRY UK, the new organisation that will incorporate the entire milk supply chain, is to be launched at the Dairy Event this month. A meeting of organisations involved in the new body, including processors, co-ops and farming unions, is...

Dairy payments to be early.
September 3, 2004... THE European Commission has confirmed that the new direct dairy payments based on quota held at March 31 can be paid by member states after October 16 - six weeks earlier than the date in the regulations. This was suggested by the dairy...

Organic farmer is new director.
September 3, 2004... THE Soil Association has appointed organic farmer Helen Browning as its food and farming director following a national recruitment campaign. A former trustee of the association and its chairman from 1997 to 2001, she has been a major...

`Check access map drafts' farmers urged.
September 3, 2004... THIS week farmers were urged to check the final drafts of the Countryside Rights of Way (CROW) access maps ahead of the regional start of the Act on September 19, 2004. The South East and lower North West will be the first areas in which...

Prediction of #1bn harvest losses may be over-pessimistic.
September 3, 2004... PREDICTIONS of a #1bn loss among Britain's arable farmers as a result of poor harvest conditions may have been greatly exaggerated, according to a prominent farm consultant. Francis Mordaunt, a partner with the Andersons consultancy,...

Arable aid decision waits on the weather.
September 3, 2004... NEXT week will be crucial for this year's harvest and, while a window of opportunity remains open, it would be inappropriate to bring forward any assisted arable payments. That was the conclusion of a two-hour meeting on Wednesday between...

Temporary cattle passports set for review.
September 3, 2004... DEFRA could be about to get rid of temporary cattle passports, which industry leaders say are causing more trouble than they are worth. Defra and the British Cattle Movement Service confirmed this week that they are about to review, and if...

Breakthrough reached in animal movement disputes.
September 3, 2004... A MAJOR precedent has been achieved in dealing with some of the problems that often arise involving farm animal movements. The Farmers Union of Wales has claimed the Welsh Assembly had accepted an affidavit signed by a Meirionnydd farmer...

Alliance prepared for hunt ban threat.
September 3, 2004... COUNTRYSIDE Alliance chief executive Simon Hart has promised that the alliance has `extensive plans' in place should the Government seek to ban fox hunting this month. Speculation is rife that the three vacant days on September 14, 15 and...

Union on alert over M6 toll `expressway'.
September 3, 2004... THE first steps to protect the interests of farmers who will be affected by Government plans to construct a new toll `expressway' on the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester have been taken. Twenty-six Cheshire and Staffordshire farmers met...

Slurry pollution.
September 3, 2004... Environment Agency Wales and Ceredigion County Council have been dealing with the effects of a significant pollution incident on a designated bathing area at Llangrannog. According to the agency a stream which runs on to the beach was polluted...

UK pig producers hit by `supremacy fight'.
September 3, 2004... SOME supermarket buyers were failing to follow the promises of their chairmen, or chief executives to buy British and were buying their pork loins overseas, the National Pig Association claimed this week. "It is becoming quite serious now...

Chefs galore.
September 3, 2004... Several prominent Scottish Chefs and food writers, such as Nick Nairn, Simon Whitely and Tony Singh have lent their support to Scottish Food Fortnight, two weeks of events running from mid-September to promote and celebrate local food and...

Lab is opened.
September 3, 2004... Scotland's first laboratory developed specifically to demonstrate eradication following a future exotic disease outbreak has been officially opened in Dumfries by Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Public opposition to GM crops is growing.
September 3, 2004... A NEW survey by Which? Magazine has indicated that the level of public opposition to GM crops is growing. It showed that 61 per cent of people are concerned about the use of GM in food production, compared with 56 per cent in 2002. The survey...

Sausage Week.
September 3, 2004... There have been record entries for the Catering Sausage of the Year competition, being staged as part of the British Sausage Week campaign to be held between October 25-31. The final of the competition, which is being judged by experts from the...

Park Authority.
September 3, 2004... The chairman of the Peak District National Park Authority since 2002 and acting deputy chairman of the Countryside Agency, Tony Hams, has been elected as chairman of the Association of National Park Authorities. He succeeds Caerwyn Roberts,...

EBLEX back broadband.
September 3, 2004... A CAMPAIGN to persuade more beef and sheep farmers to link their computers to broadband has won enthusiastic backing from the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX). The campaign, being led by the Country Land and Business Association, is...

NBA opposes move to fund rural development from SFP.
September 3, 2004... THE National Beef Association has vowed to oppose any moves by the Government to cut more money from Single Farm Payments to fund its Rural Development Programmes from 2007. Unless the UK dramatically increases its share of central EU Rural...

Outstanding.
September 3, 2004... Ofsted and the Adult Learning inspectors, who spent a week at Moulton College, Northamptonshire, judged the quality of provision for agriculture and countryside management to be `outstanding'. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Hare coursing.
September 3, 2004... Lincolnshire Police will be taking a new and robust approach to hare coursing from this weekend. Extra officers will be available to respond to calls for assistance from landowners and farmers and where it becomes necessary, vehicles and...

Queen's Award.
September 3, 2004... Outstanding businesses from the agriculture sector have just weeks left in which to apply for a Queen's Award for Enterprise - the UK's most prestigious accolade for business success. Applications can be made in three categories - International...

Bid to protect the farmer from proposed animal welfare bill.
September 3, 2004... THE Farmers Union of Wales warned the Government this week that the agricultural industry will be examining its draft Animal Welfare Bill to make sure farmers do not fall victim to the swingeing powers proposed for animal `inspectors'. ...

Green pages.
September 3, 2004... Green Pages, The Directory of Agriculture for the UK, is now out on CD- Rom, packed with over 30,000 entries. Users can search by name, or part of name, town, county, postcode, or scroll through by category and region. The 12th edition of the...

Bird numbers.
September 3, 2004... The State of the UK's Birds 2003, the latest overview of wild bird populations in the UK, shows an increase in the numbers of a dozen of our most-threatened birds. The stone-curlew, song thrush, cirl bunting, corncrake, capercaillie, bittern...

Rates of UK BSE incidence falling.
September 3, 2004... LATEST BSE figures from the European Commission confirm the UK incidence is falling rapidly and should end the year well below last year's total. To date there have been fewer than 200 cases this year against 614 in 2003. This falling...

Check straw for mould to avoid pig health risks.
September 3, 2004... PIG producers have been warned to check that old and new supplies of straw are free of mould, following the lengthy spell of wet weather. The National Pig Association's Ian Campbell, warned the extra dust generated by mouldy straw could...

Nuthall's view: What does the changing political landscape hold?
September 3, 2004... Political change can be like growing seasons, it moves gradually, but in a month or two, the landscape has completely changed. So when the recently appointed European Commission takes office in November, the new Commissioners of concern for...

OPINION: Taking a new View.
September 3, 2004... Nothing stands still, not time and not Farmers Guardian. If you've read page 14 this week, you'll have seen that, next month, FG launches a new countryside magazine - CountryView. Coming out every week with the paper, CountryView will focus...

Remembering all the key tax deadlines.
September 3, 2004... Susan Shaw, tax director and head of the agricultural group at accountants, Smith & Williamson, the independent professional and financial services group, answers a commonly asked query on tax issues. Q: I have a farming partnership that...

Driving the Red Tractor forward.
September 3, 2004... THE Promise Campaign is intended to form a platform for a wider industry effort to promote the Red Tractor and British farming, according to the NFU. Beyond coming up with the `big idea' and collecting the pledges, the NFU is largely...

THE PROMISE CAMPAIGN.
September 3, 2004... The Promise Campaign sets out to make a direct link between farmers and the food they produce and aims ultimately to raise the image of British farming in the eyes of the consumer. Assured Food Standards (AFS) farmers will be asked to...

Challenging the myths to promote British agriculture.
September 3, 2004... EARLY next year thousands of members of the British public will read a new booklet about farming and the countryside. Its purpose will be to promote British agriculture. With the help of eye-catching graphics and easy-to-read facts and figures...

Asda leads the supermarket support.
September 3, 2004... THERE are signs the campaign could receive the support it requires from at least one of the big supermarkets. Asda was as supportive of the concept as it could be without committing itself to direct participation. "We are wiling to get...

Sir Don urges industry to come together for PR push.
September 3, 2004... UNVEILING the Promise Campaign last week, NFU president Tim Bennett was keen to stress it was a direct response to the recommendations of Sir Don Curry's blueprint for the future of food and farming. The campaign is intended to reconnect the...

RED TRACTOR FACTS.
September 3, 2004... * The Little Red Tractor was launched in June 2000 and is the logo for the British Farm Standard. * The Little Red Tractor logo is owned by the NFU. * The licensing body is Assured Food Standards (AFS), which is owned by organisations...

`Meating' the challenges posed by CAP reform.
September 3, 2004... THE Mid-Term Review of the CAP is one of the greatest upheavals in agricultural policy in decades - and not surprisingly, it raises a huge numbers of questions and issues for individual farmers across the country. For the red meat sector,...

FG launches new weekly countryside magazine.
September 3, 2004... FARMERS GUARDIAN is launching a new, weekly, glossy magazine focusing on food, farming and wider countryside lifestyle issues. CountryView will go out with FG every week from October this year. Looking at the crucial role of food and...

Judge gives Texel supreme accolade in tough decision.
September 3, 2004... CHOOSING the `champion of champions' from an 18-strong line-up of breed leaders not only gave sheep inter-breed judge Trebor Roberts, from Rhydymain, Dolgellau, a difficult decision, but a crisis of conscience into the bargain. He admitted...

`Walking to victory'.
September 3, 2004... VEHICLES had to be towed on and off the quagmired site for this year's roving Meirionnydd County Show staged at Llandrillo, near Corwen. Getting about on foot was none too easy for visitors, either - but that was not the case for a...

LFA status concerns.
September 3, 2004... NFU Cymru is `deeply concerned' that the EU's reform proposals for its Rural Development Fund could strip many Welsh farms of Less Favoured Area status from 2007. Such a possibility follows criticism from the European Court of Auditors...

Good crowd despite show site mud.
September 3, 2004... WHAT is for certain is that the 60 acres of grassland set aside for the show by Ellis Lloyd and his family at Garthiaen Farm, Llandrillo, will need some intensive restoration work. The teams of tractors brought in to pull stock lorries,...

Lavender's sweet smell of success.
September 3, 2004... THE Simmental champion, the four-year-old cow Wishful Lavender, from Mr and Mrs David Mills, West Buckland, Wellington, Somerset, took the top beef honours at Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show. The dairy inter-breed championship went to the...

Several prizes for top Charollais breeders.
September 3, 2004... ENTRIES from the Charollais breed champion S. and S. Murray, took a number of the overall sheep trophies at Minsterley Show, Shropshire, including the champion ram, ewe and ewe lamb. RESULTS Overall ram, Supreme, S. and S. Murray...

Large crowd watch Lleyn ewe take the top spot.
September 3, 2004... AN aged Lleyn ewe, shown by Charles Geldard of J. and R.A. Geldard of Levens, Kendal, took the overall championship at this year's Hawkshead Show. The breed was introduced to the show last year and over 40 Lleyn sheep were present for this...

KESWICK SHOW.
September 3, 2004... THE overall sheep championship at Keswick Show, Cumbria, on Monday, was won by Neil Marston, East Highberries, Scaleby, Carlisle, whose gimmer lamb had previously won the North of England Mule class. The gimmer had previously won the...

Limousin and Dairy Shorthorn take show's top accolades.
September 3, 2004... THE Limousin champion Newstart Pansy, from D. and M. Cormack, took the beef inter-breed championship at Wensleydale Show, North Yorkshire. The dairy inter-breed title was handed to the Dairy Shorthorn breed leader Ellerghyll Yana 4 from...

Simmental brings home inter-breed laurels.
September 3, 2004... THE Simmental breed champion, Dovefields Naomi, from Renshaw and Brassington, took the beef inter-breed honours at Moorgreen Show, Nottingham, on Monday, ahead of the commercial leader, the Limousin cross, Topper, from M. Hallam. RESULTS...

Brothers in supreme near misses.
September 3, 2004... With more than 800 sheep and 250 cattle entries, the biggest one-day county show in Wales keeps on getting bigger. BARRY ALSTON reports. TWO Herefordshire pedigree breeder brothers - one competing in the cattle classes and the other...

Encouraging `unsung heroes' to enter.
September 3, 2004... NFU Cymru's first ever woman county chairman in Monmouthshire, Ruth Edwards, took advantage of the Monmouthshire Show to encourage women farmers from across Wales to enter for this year's Welsh Woman Farmer of the Year Award - not least from...

Get Single Farm Payment forms in.
September 3, 2004... WITH exactly two weeks to go to the September 17 deadline for the return of Welsh Assembly Single Farm Payment data confirmation forms, NFU Cymru deputy president Dai Davies wants farmers to delay no longer. Speaking at the show, he said...

Solution to auction mart crisis sought.
September 3, 2004... LIVESTOCK farmers in Monmouthshire are desperately seeking a solution to what has now become a long-running seven-year campaign for a new auction mart in the county. With the market at Monmouth already gone and the one at Abergavenny...

Reeth title goes to Texel.
September 3, 2004... THE inter-breed champion at Reeth Show, North Yorkshire, was the Texel red ticket holder from K.O. and E.A. Stones, ahead of the Bluefaced Leicester leader from W.C. Porter and Son. There were no cattle shown at the show. RESULTS: ...

Support for show is still strong after half century.
September 3, 2004... AFTER 50 years now firmly established at Pantypwll fields, the Llanddarog Show continues to thrive with a strong annual membership, generous sponsors and good local support. From the cattle entries on Saturday best was given to Meirion and...

Whitefaced Woodlands in a class of their own.
September 3, 2004... THERE was an excellent turn-out of sheep at Hope Show, Derbyshire, especially in the Whitefaced Woodland lines where exhibitors travelled from across England to take part in a special event - The Whitefaced Woodland Champion of Champions class....

Berkshire farm championship winner.
September 3, 2004... WELFORD Farms, Newbury, Berkshire, has won the Royal County of Berkshire Show's annual overall farm championship for the best farmed farm. It has survived through good husbandry and a resourceful diversification programme, including office...

Holstein and Charolais win supreme titles.
September 3, 2004... AYLSHAM Show's dairy inter-breed supreme title went to five-times calved Holstein Joelee Raider Bevan. She had earlier taken the Holstein breed championship for owner Judy Deane of Ingham, near Stalham. Joelee Raider Bevan has topped...

Showmanship awards.
September 3, 2004... THE overall championship in the showmanship classes in the Derbyshire Holstein Young Breeders' Calf Show at Bakewell, was won by William Sutton, winner of the mature class. The overall winning animal was Copywood Igniter Sara, which had won...

Simmental is beef champion.
September 3, 2004... PLANS for the first Martletwy and District Young Farmers' Club Show in South Pembrokeshire were first discussed well over 50 years ago and it is to the credit of those `pioneers' that the event still thrives. Indeed, last week it recorded...

Large crowd at anniversary.
September 3, 2004... Clynderwen and District Agricultural Show in Pembrokeshire began as a calf show well over 70 years ago and is now run by what is believed to be Wales's oldest YFC. This year it is celebrating its 65th anniversary. Saturday's event - the...

Texel ewe is top sheep.
September 3, 2004... THE inter-breed supreme sheep champion at Poynton Show, Cheshire, was a Texel shearling ewe from P. Johnson, Corriecravie. Results Inter-breed (All judges) Supreme, P. Johnson (Texel); reserve, J. Terry (Kerry Hill). Derbyshire...

Clean sweep for the McAllister family at Ecclesville.
September 3, 2004... IT was a clean sweep for the McAllister family from County Antrim in the female section at the Northern Ireland Charolais Club's national show, held at Ecclesville Equestrian Centre, Fintona. Claiming the supreme female championship for the...

Show Suffolks' success is `not best guide for breeding'.
September 3, 2004... A Lincolnshire Suffolk sheep breeder, who does well in carcase grading trials but stands well down the line at shows, says that show success is not necessarily a good guide to producing lamb for the market. "I came home from the...

Herd's unprecedented third win.
September 3, 2004... THE Warnelview herd of J.H. and A. Wilson and Sons, Wood Farm, Thursby, Carlisle, has won the Border and Lakeland Holstein Club's summer herds competition for an unprecedented third time. The same partnership also won the best medium sized...

Day to remember for triple winner.
September 3, 2004... IT was certainly a day to remember at Chipping Show, Lancashire, for cattle exhibitor Ian Pickup of Great Harwood. Having taken top honours in the Belgian Blue and Limousin sections, he then led the commercial beef entries with his black...

European stores to promote Welsh meat.
September 3, 2004... CO-OP stores throughout England and Wales have signed up to display Welsh meat promotional body, Hybu Cig Cymru's quality branding on all Welsh lamb products. Some 200 stores will use the logo from the middle of October. "It is a further...

Hereford breeders' herd competition.
September 3, 2004... THE Midlands and East Anglia Hereford Breeders' Association has announced the results of its 2004 herd competition, for which the judge was A.R. Payne, West Hallam, Derby. RESULTS Large Herd, 1, A.G. Wright and Son (Farms), Badlingham,...

Cereal disease risk increased by wet weather.
September 3, 2004... WITH continued unsettled wet weather, concerns are beginning to mount over early season disease control for the next cereal crop. According to Masstock seeds and crop manager David Neale, moist soils, a lush green bridge and plenty of...

Damp grain at risk from toxin - warning.
September 3, 2004... TOXIN-producing moulds threaten grain quality if drying is not carried out as soon as possible this harvest. That's the warning from the Central Science Laboratory, which is advising growers to dry cereals to below 18 per cent moisture...

Drying grain helps secure bread wheat premiums.
September 3, 2004... THE availability of strong bread wheat premiums as a result of the difficult harvest conditions should help to justify additional time and expense involved in sampling, drying and segregating grain. They also make it more important than...

`Set slug traps before cultivating'.
September 3, 2004... THIS year's wet conditions in early summer have been highly suitable for slug activity and potentially threatening slug populations are present in some arable fields, a Defra-funded Sustainable Arable LINK project warns. "It is important...

Pea progress.
September 3, 2004... TRADE estimates are that about 70 per cent of peas have been harvested in good condition while the remaining 30 per cent are in fields with varying degrees of vulnerability. Beans appear to have survived the recent monsoon conditions very well,...

Controlling take-all in continuous wheat.
September 3, 2004... LATEST findings from HGCA-funded research into take-all reveal that the seed treatment silthiofam does not interfere with the process of take- all decline. "The HGCA-funded project assessed the effect of silthiofam seed treatment on a...

Use crops for feed, OSR growers advised.
September 3, 2004... SCOTTISH oilseed rape growers are being advised to use their crops for animal feed as wet weather leads to rejections as a result of sprouting. Oilseed rape is, to date, the biggest harvest casualty of the recent prolonged period of...

Trials data struggle for CEL.
September 3, 2004... GATHERING meaningful data for Recommended List trials is turning into something of a trial in itself for Crop Evaluation Limited (CEL) this year. CEL's Jim McVittie says that winter barley trials largely escaped the effects of the wet...

Reasonable crop yields despite persisting weather conditions.
September 3, 2004... BETTER weather across the UK enabled harvest to proceed fairly rapidly this week, although sharp showers still proved to be a menace in some areas, according to Gleadell trading director, David Sheppard. "Wheat yields continue to be fairly...

Balancing needs of all moorland users.
September 3, 2004... The Heather Trust, based near Dumfries, Scotland, is dedicated to the regeneration, restoration and good management of heather moorland throughout the United Kingdom. It is involved in a range of projects reflecting a wide diversity of problems...

Heather regeneration is vital part of helping to keep moorland healthy.
September 3, 2004... The National Trust-owned Marsden Moor Estate covers about 2,500ha (6,000 acres) and is all common land, says the Trust's Richard Humpidge. Much of the estate comes under European designations as a Special Protection Area and is a candidate for...

A long term job to bring back heather.
September 3, 2004... Moorland grazings play, and will continue to play, an important part in upland sheep farming for the foreseeable future with heather regeneration work and investment in their future, believes sheep farmer Chris Crowther, of Upper Woodhouse...

Heather regeneration.
September 3, 2004... David Jones, of Bank Top Farm, Marsden, has been involved with heather regeneration work on about 1,000 acres of Marsden Moor over the past 11 years under a Dark Peak ESA agreement. In all he farms about 5,300 acres including about 4,500...

RURAL LIFE: Responding to countryside demands.
September 3, 2004... As paperwork and red tape on farms grow, the need for the farm secretary or administrator is greater than ever. Increasingly, there is also demand for rural administrators, reflecting the upsurge in rural businesses and diversification. JEAN...

Garden made for rejoicing.
September 3, 2004... A garden designed by farmer's son Mark Fenton, has proved a winner three times in a row. The garden, entitled `Rejoice' won a coveted silver-gilt award at Southport Flower Show where it was then judged most innovative at the show by...