Farmers Guardian articles from September 2007

Farmers Guardian archives from September 2007

Pirbright lapse: Brown's pledge to avoid repeat.
September 7, 2007... THE Government has pledged to tighten biosecurity controls at its research laboratories, after investigators identified a faulty drainage system at Pirbright as the likely source of last month's foot-and-mouth outbreak. However, it is...

Tesco leads the way on pig and poultry prices.
September 7, 2007... TESCO is leading the response to pig and poultry producers' call for higher prices to reflect rocketing feed costs. The UK's biggest retailer this week increased its price on 12 pork lines by 7 per cent and raised the price of a number of...

Defra update on FMD restrictions.
September 7, 2007... IT looks like all will be back to normal from Monday - with the exception of exports to third countries outside Europe. Defra's timetable for the UK's return to foot-and-mouth disease-free status indicates the 10-kilometre surveillance zone...

Demand for organic food and drink soars - up 22pc last year.
September 7, 2007... SALES of organic food and drink continue to rocket with 22 per cent growth last year bringing total annual sales to #2billion. The Soil Association's Organic Market Report has revealed that 75 per cent of the market is with supermarkets who...

Call for Government help to shortfall in wheat and oats production.
September 7, 2007... A BRITISH organic cereal producer is calling on the Government to help bridge the shortfall in supply of UK grown wheat and oats. Bedfordshire-based Jordans believes there is a shortfall of around 5,000 tonnes of organic breakfast cereals...

Still waiting for exports paperwork.
September 7, 2007... EXPORTS of dairy products around the globe, post foot-and-mouth, might be permitted, but are not happening because exporters cannot get the necessary paperwork from Defra. That is the claim from one of the country's larger exporters,...

SPS 2005 a `master-class in bad decision-making'.
September 7, 2007... DEFRA and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has come in for yet more stinging criticism from MPs for their handling of the 2005 Single Payment Scheme. The Commons Public Accounts Committee accused the Government and the agency of `failing to...

Farming cleans up its act on pollution and `green' issues.
September 7, 2007... FARMING is becoming a cleaner, greener industry - serious pollution incidents within the industry fell by 35 per cent to their lowest level last year. An Environment Agency report `Putting the Brakes on Climate Change', published on...

End to set aside `a wildlife and environmental disaster' claim.
September 7, 2007... THE end of set aside would be disastrous for farmland birds and other wildlife and could undermine the positive impacts of agri-environment programmes. That is the warning issued to environment secretary Hilary Benn by Natural England and...

Considering the European market in milk mergers.
September 7, 2007... THE British liquid milk market is not insulated from possible European trade and should not be treated as such, says a new report. The NFU has welcomed Defra's publication of the report prepared by AgraCEAS Consulting. Importantly, the...

Brazilian beef ban proposal.
September 7, 2007... MEPs representing farmers from the UK and Ireland have proposed a complete ban on Brazilian beef imports. The proposal, put forward by Scottish National Party MEP Alyn Smith, follows evidence from the Irish Farmers Association that he said...

Tesco leads the way on pig and poultry prices.
September 7, 2007... With the pig and poultry sectors at breaking point due to the unprecedented rise in feed costs, the National Pig Association and the NFU have come together to campaign for higher prices. ALISTAIR DRIVER reports. BOTH the National Pig...

Feed price crisis explained.
September 7, 2007... Feed ingredient prices rocket By the end of this August they had reached #166/tonne, more than double the level of one year ago. The rise is set continue into 2008 and beyond, with the NPA quoting a futures price for May 2008 of #187/tonne....

Supermarket Watch.
September 7, 2007... How the big four are responding to the feed price crisis, according to the NFU and NPA. Tesco Leading the way on pigs and poultry. Has raised its prices on 12 pork lines by 7 per cent. Has also raised prices on poultry lines,...

`Unsustainable situation' leads the NFU poultry chairman to reconsider.
September 7, 2007... NFU poultry board chairman Charles Bourns has admitted he is considering his own future as a poultry producer, as feed costs hit his business hard. He rears 57,000 birds a year in five flocks on his farm on the southern edge of the...

Kendall condemns `crass and ill-informed' BRC comments.
September 7, 2007... PETER Kendall has accused the British Retail Consortium (BRC) of making `crass and ill-informed' comments about the crisis facing livestock farmers. The NFU president was furious at suggestions by BRC spokesman Richard Dodd, published in...

Major equestrian headquarters plan for Stoneleigh.
September 7, 2007... A PROJECT to create an equestrian headquarters at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, could result in most of the major UK equestrian organisations working together under one roof the first time in 10 years. The Royal Agricultural Society for...

`Tick' logo sparks row over country or origin labelling.
September 7, 2007... A ROW has erupted between the heads of the leading farm assurance scheme and new logo scheme, which claims to be the only one offering guarantees about country of origin. David Clarke, chief executive of Assured Food Standards (ASF), the...

VI spray scheme targets exceeded.
September 7, 2007... FARMERS and spray operators involved in the Voluntary Initiative have been congratulated for their part in exceeding the scheme's targets. Final results for 2006-7 show the National Sprayer Testing Scheme tested machines covering almost 90...

Preserving balance is not a backward step.
September 7, 2007... This piece is about urban rule over rural matters, but as I sit down to write foot-and-mouth disease has once again entered our lives causing press-driven panic and rebellion by both walkers and the early morning dog defecators (know who I...

OPINION: Billion # question.
September 7, 2007... Corn up, horn down. Never has this farming truism been more painfully applicable. If you are an arable producer, the soaring grain prices and strong straw prices are heaven sent. For those who rely on those inputs for their businesses,...

LETTER: Set aside: Doing farming's image harm.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... I was interested to read the two letters of different views about set aside land (FG, Aug 31) and I have to say I agree with Guy Smith. I have always thought the idea of set-aside land was a disaster in more ways than one. It has done...

LETTER: Co-ops: Still a need for them.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... Following a letter from an un-named farmer (FG, Aug 31) it is easy to see why farmers are feeling frustrated regarding the milk price in the UK and somebody has to be blamed; at the moment it seems to be the three co-ops which were created...

LETTER: Take Richard Dodd to task.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... I would like to take Richard Dodd of the BRC (British Retail Consortium), which speaks on behalf of the large supermarkets, to task. He bemoans farmers for asking for support during difficult circumstances such as the recent foot-and-mouth...

LETTER: Supermarket price squeeze.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... I was rather amazed to read the Alistair Driver article in last week's issue (FG, Aug 31). Thanks to the supermarket price squeeze three dairy farmers are giving up milk production every day and the supply of food for their shelves is...

LETTER: Farmland birds.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... Guy Smith's letter (FG, Aug 4), regarding the RSPB's Mark Avery's remarks about farmers doing damage to farmland birds by producing food, was very good. Common sense, which is sadly lacking in the UK today, would tell us that we need all...

Claybury make it five in a row.
September 7, 2007... CLAYBURY Texels have won the overall championship in the Shropshire and Borders Texel Club flock competition for the fifth year running, along with winning the best gimmers award. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

County Fermanagh breeders take Charolais show top titles.
September 7, 2007... THE tenth anniversary of the Northern Ireland national Charolais show at Ecclesville Equestrian Centre, Fintona, saw Co Fermanagh breeders walk off with the major titles when Adrian Richardson from Maguiresbridge took the supreme female title...

Heckingham Blonds.
September 7, 2007... Heckingham Blondes help `complete the farming circle' where commercial and environmental needs blend well By Clemmie Gleeson WHEN Nick Roberts bought Heckingham Hall in Norfolk five years ago it fulfilled a lifelong dream. From six...

MACHINERY: Polaris plugs its ATV power and price gap.
September 7, 2007... Ranger utility gets an extra row of seats POLARIS has extended its range of utility ATVs for 2008 to include two new models, the Sportsman 400 HO and Sportsman 500 HO. It is these models that will now plug the gap between the existing...

MACHINERY: Liebherr dealer network expands.
September 7, 2007... Liebherr has expanded its dealer network with a new depot near Cannock, Staffordshire. This brings the total of outlets in the UK to seven. The centre will provide spare parts and support to the service team already located in the area. ...

MACHINERY: A host of new kit set to be unveiled.
September 7, 2007... If the early signs are anything to go by then this year's Agritechnica promises to reward visitors with a host of new products. Ahead of the event Amazone, Grimme and Krone reveal some of the new machines that will be on display. Steven Vale...

ARABLE: Early wheat results reveal lower quality.
September 7, 2007... WHEAT protein content and hagberg falling numbers are lower this harvest than last, according to preliminary figures from this season's HGCA cereal quality survey. Early estimates suggest a reduction in hagberg falling numbers for wheat to...

ARABLE: Highest level of microdochium seedling blight for nine years.
September 7, 2007... EARLY results from NIAB's seed testing laboratory in Cambridge are showing that microdochium seedling blight is at its highest level in seed lots since 1998. Many samples are showing high levels of infection, with some seed lots showing...

ARABLE: Potato maincrop plantings up on 2006.
September 7, 2007... THE maincrop potato area is up this season on last, with a number of newer pre-pack varieties showing substantial increases in plantings, according to the latest planting and variety figures from the British Potato Council. BPC has revised...

ARABLE: Plans to merge rules on pesticide use.
September 7, 2007... LOCAL authority, industrial and amenity users of pesticides will face the same record-keeping requirements as farmers and growers under a new proposal put forward by the Pesticides Safety Directorate and the Welsh Assembly. Regulations...

ARABLE: Water saving suggestions.
September 7, 2007... WATER savings of up to 50 per cent could be made in the agricultural sector by applying innovative changes to the irrigation infrastructure and technological investments, according to a European Commission report just published. The report...

ARABLE: Maltsters `react responsibly' to barley quality.
September 7, 2007... Keep abreast of cross-compliance requirements at farmersguardian.com. In the first of a brand new series of articles, ProCam's Nick Myers offers some timely reminders on buffer strips. UK winter malting barley crop quality is average to...

ARABLE: Three key steps to success.
September 7, 2007... There were some practical tips for herbicide resistance management this season to be had at the Bayer Crop Science/Farmers Guardian Weed Focus conference on the future of cereal weed control . TERESA RUSH reports. BEDFORDSHIRE-based TAG...

CROP STORAGE: Facing up to storage difficulties is Link project's goal.
September 7, 2007... Poor storage continues to be potentially a weak link for quality in the cereal supply chain. However a new #1.3 million LINK project, funded jointly by Defra and industry, is aiming to find solutions to current storage challenges. TERESA RUSH...

CROP STORAGE: Rot control in potatoes a big concern.
September 7, 2007... THE coming potato storage season isset to be a challenging one with control of rots likely to be a major concern, says the British Potato Council, which has issued some guidelines to helpstorekeepers. High levels of wastage are already a...

CROP STORAGE: BPC Top Tips for Storage 2007/8.
September 7, 2007... 1. Inspect samples now to get a clear idea of crop quality. Look out for tuber blight, blackleg, blown lenticels (a sign of waterlogging) and growth cracks. Black dot is also expected to be a threat to skin quality. 2. Pre-screen crops...

CROP STORAGE: Revolutionary cold store is Branston's `jewel in crown'.
September 7, 2007... A #5 MILLION investment programme by potato supplier Branston Ltd has just been completed and the company now boasts one of the industry's most revolutionary cold stores. At 5,000 square metres and costing #2.1m, the new cold store sets...

CROP STORAGE: Warm, wet summer prompts a major rat alert.
September 7, 2007... WATCH out for larger than normal rat pressures on your newly-harvested grain this season, farmers have been warned by UK rodent behaviour experts. After one of the warmest springs on record followed by a warm, very damp summer, conditions...

FARM FEATURE: A different farm view.
September 7, 2007... Cheshire Farms Competition has traditionally been awarded to well-run conventional farms, but this year for the first time, it has gone to a unit where a successful open farm diversification targeted at children runs alongside a thriving...

YFC ROUND-UP: Community Fun Day.
September 7, 2007... MEMBERS of Brecknock YFC organised and enjoyed a Community Fun Day event over the bank holiday weekend, held at Erwood Show. Activities included an inflatable assault course, a bucking bronco and a bouncy castle. Displays included...

YFC ROUND-UP: New Youth Forum leader.
September 7, 2007... HEDYDD Davies from Bro'r Dderi YFC has been elected as the new Youth Forum leader. Hedydd, 16, received the most nominations for the role at the recent AGM of the Wales Federation Young Farmers Clubs Youth Forum, held at Urdd Residential...

Broadening horizons thanks to scholarship.
September 7, 2007... FOUR young farmers from across Wales are benefiting financially from this year's Gareth Raw Rees Memorial Travel Scholarship. Caroline Dawson, from Gwernymynydd, near Mold, Flintshire, has received the top award of #650 to help with a trip...

Llawhaden's sporting prowess.
September 7, 2007... PEMBROKESHIRE'S young farmers have been busy proving their sporting skills both on and off the pitch, competing at rugby, netball, badminton, rounders and basketball, as well as indoor sports such as darts, pool, and board games. Male...

COUNTRY VIEW: Shop welcomes its 50th family farm.
September 7, 2007... HARROGATE'S first `urban farm shop', Weeton's, is celebrating two years of support to local farmers by welcoming its 50th family farm supplier. "Changing the flagging fortunes of British farming has always been the philosophy underpinning...

COUNTRY VIEW: Watch out for tree bee.
September 7, 2007... AN unusual species of bumble bee, first found in the south of England six years ago, has now been spotted in the north east. Northumberland National Park's biodiversity officer, Shaun Hackett, has seen the `tree bee', bombus hypnorum, which...

COUNTRY VIEW: Vintage tractor drive.
September 7, 2007... VINTAGE tractor enthusiasts are set to gather in Nantwich, Cheshire, at the end of the month for a charity drive organised by Crewe and Nantwich Lions Club to raise money for a new cancer treatment unit at Crewe's Leighton Hospital. The...

COUNTRY VIEW: Estuaries may get SAC status.
September 7, 2007... THREE estuaries - the Dee, Humber and Severn - have been earmarked by the Government as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect vulnerable wildlife and habitats. Defra has written to the European Commission to seek SAC status to add to...

COUNTRY VIEW: Plant a `Choice' daffodil.
September 7, 2007... A NEW variety of daffodil has been created exclusively for Marie Curie Cancer Care and is available this autumn. The bulb has been named `Choice' to reflect the charity's aim to give more people the choice to die at home. The bulbs will be...

COUNTRY VIEW: Visitor centre investment.
September 7, 2007... THE Scottish Executive has approved a #10million investment for the Gateway Visitor Centre at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. The new funding means the garden has reached its #15.7m funding target and that building work can start in the...

COUNTRY VIEW: Keeping Chickens.
September 7, 2007... In the second part of our smallholder feature on starting out with chickens CLEMMIE GLEESON looks at breeding, hatching and the problem of unwanted cockerels. Many smallholders or garden chicken keepers find that once they have got their...

Jim Cropper and Fleet's clear win in Fylde double gather.
September 7, 2007... JIM Cropper and Fleet were the clear victors of the Fylde double gather championship on Sunday at Hall Trees Farm, Chipping, Lancashire. Dick Roper, of Northleach, judged the running, seeing 64 dogs compete on Saturday from which the top 16...

Skipton dogs to 2,300gns.
September 7, 2007... A two-year-old dog from Sean Richards, Hapton, Lancashire, achieved the top price of 2,300gns at Skipton Mart's summer sale of working sheepdogs. The buyer was Robert Garth and Sons, Keasden, Clapham. Moss, a smooth-coated son of Robert...

Mackinnon and Nan's run.
September 7, 2007... EWEN Mackinnon and Nan's second-placed run in the Scottish National sheepdog trials should have been reported last week as: In the afternoon, Ewen Mackinnon and his four-year-old bitch, Nan (E.C. Mackinnon's Moss, M. MacKay's Mist) started...

Increase and schedule heat detection periods.
September 7, 2007... HEAT detection is a big problem in large dairy herds where manpower is an issue, said Chris Watson from the Wood Veterinary Group, Gloucester, and a simple management system needs to be adopted with some scheduled means of tackling the issue....

Welfare and cost benefits from extended lactations.
September 7, 2007... The decline in fertility and the problems it poses for UK dairy farmers was the underlying theme of the `Fertility in Dairy Cows' conference held at Liverpool Hope University. KATIE LOMAS reports. EXTENDED lactations could bring huge...

Improving pregnancy rates through fatty acids.
September 7, 2007... FEEDING dietary fatty acids can improve pregnancy rates and research into the issue very rarely shows negative results. Dr Adam Lock, from the department of animal science at the University of Vermont, USA, said: "Fat supplementation is...

Friesian overhaul.
September 7, 2007... The British Friesian breed evaluations underwent the same recent overhaul as the other dairy breeds with the figures released in the August proof run. The new PLI now places much more emphasis on Lifespan and Fertility and also considers...

Maize monitor - countdown to harvest 2007.
September 7, 2007... WHILE the vast majority of crops remain weeks away from any chance of harvest, there are signs of cobs yellowing in some of the better crops on very favourable sites, which at least shows the beginning of starch deposition. Warmth and sunshine...

Grazing Monitor: Should I graze or should I cut now?
September 7, 2007... Promar Regional Consultant David Burns considers the dilemma facing many dairy farmers this season - how to get the most from late season grass. "The results from our contributor farmers confirm that the recent dry weather, warm soils and...

Longevity the key.
September 7, 2007... Longevity is very much a watchword for Brian Rich, one of the finalists in the South West Dairy Farmer of the Year competition. KATIE ROEBUCK reports. THE South West Dairy Farmer of the Year competition, due to be presented at the Dairy...

Marts up to the challenge.
September 7, 2007... Borderway Mart at Carlisle will host a brand new event this November for beef and lamb producers. Ahead of the event KATIE LOMAS takes a look at what the busy autumn sales calendar might have in store for both Carlisle and other markets across...

Auctioneers can't wait to get going with expected busy autumn trading.
September 7, 2007... DAVID Holliday, an auctioneer at Harrison and Hetherington, says he `can't wait to get going' with sales again and is looking forward to a busy autumn's trading. Mr Holliday has been an auctioneer at Harrison and Hetherington for 17 years...

FGBusiness: New fears over OCDS scheme.
September 7, 2007... FRESH concerns have emerged over the ability of the Older Cattle Disposal Scheme (OCDS) to cope with numbers before it closes at the end of next year. The suspension of the scheme from August 3-16 due to foot-and-mouth, came at a time when...

FGBusiness: All systems go for new #50m Cumbrian dairy.
September 7, 2007... DUTCH businessman Ronald Akkerman will announce the preferred revised site for his company's new #50million dairy in Cumbria in just under two weeks' time. Some 140 producers representing around 200 million litres have already signed up to...

FGBusiness: Milk co-ops raise their producer prices again.
September 7, 2007... THE milk co-operatives - or at least two of them -have announced further producer price increases for October and are snapping at the heels of the big processors' increases. First Milk has said it will increase the core milk price it pays...

FGBusiness: Traders' grain search as wheat market soars.
September 7, 2007... GRAIN traders are finding it difficult to find anything to buy. In northern England, yields are variable and at best only average, says Grainfarmers Wetherby-based trader Steve Atha. "There's been such a lack of sunshine that it's affected...

FGBusiness: Milk choice for schools.
September 7, 2007... FLAVOURED milks can be sold in schools from September 10 when new regulations come into force in England. Semi-skimmed milk is one of the few drinks recommended for sale in schools. Flavoured milk will broaden the choice says Dairy UK,...

FGBusiness: New Zealand halts promotional pressure on lamb market.
September 7, 2007... THERE will be no further Meat and Wool New Zealand media promotion of New Zealand lamb in the British market this year. "UK farmers are deeply concerned at the impact of foot-and-mouth disease on the prices they will be able to receive for...

FGBusiness: Group seeks to unite all Tesco milk producers.
September 7, 2007... A group of North West dairy farmers supplying Tesco via Robert Wiseman Dairies want to form a dedicated Tesco producers group and forge closer links with the supermarket. They would like to see the Independent Producer Group (IPG) go...

FGBusiness: Price rise needed to sustain lamb production - NSA.
September 7, 2007... RETURNS in finished lamb markets and deadweight centres continue to disappoint with a seemingly erratic trade in some areas and severe penalties for lambs outside preferred weight specification. The National Sheep Association is now warning...

FGBusiness: Challenging year for Countrywide Farmers.
September 7, 2007... AN #11.2 million sale of surplus freehold land has boosted Countrywide Farmers results for the year to May 31, 2007. Chairman John Pugh, in his last report before his retirement, announced a profit before tax of #4.3m. The land sold was at...

FGBusiness: Good reasons to think today about the Power of Attorney.
September 7, 2007... FARMERS and rural businesses are being warned that time is running out to protect their properties and business affairs in the face of new Government legislation. Northern law firm Ward Hadaway is warning that changes to Powers of Attorney...

FGBusiness: Beef clubs should spread the message.
September 7, 2007... THE beef industry is in need of rescue, says the National Beef Association, and the processing and retail sectors have the ideal vehicle on which to acknowledge a 21-24p/kg deadweight is needed and prevent store cattle sellers taking the hit....

FGBusiness: Dairy farm goes for over #9,000/acre.
September 7, 2007... A 215-acre north Shropshire dairy farm has been sold to an Irish buyer for a price in excess of #9,000 per acre. Audley Brow Farm near Market Drayton will continue to support a dairy herd and has, according to agents Carter Jonas, an...

FGBusiness: Understanding the world lamb market.
September 7, 2007... NFU leaders are in New Zealand to get a better understanding of issues surrounding the global lamb market. Union livestock adviser Peter King and chairman Thomas Binns have a heavy schedule of visits and meetings. "At a time when...

FGBusiness: Multi-lingual dairy farm training dvd from the MDC.
September 7, 2007... A NEW, free, 12-language DVD to assist dairy farmers training students or farm workers - who increasingly might be from Eastern Europe - is available from the MDC. `Best practice on a dairy farm' is the MDC's second multi-lingual disc. The...

FGBusiness: Milk production for 2007 quota year.
September 7, 2007... Milk production in July was estimated to be 1,098 million litres. This compares to 1,147.3 million litres in June 2007 and 1,155.3 million litres in July 2006. Butterfat levels were estimated to be 3.93 per cent, compared to 3.89 per cent in...

MILK: Royal opening of the event.
September 7, 2007... The Dairy Event is returning to the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh, later this month, on Wednesday, September 19 to Thursday, September 20, with many of the familiar sights from previous year plus some new attractions and features....