Chaotic cattle records (From Gazette & Herald)

Chaotic cattle records

WHAT has prompted this week's latest chapter from the Book of Revelations, is the demand of the Extensification Scheme for grazing animals.

In simplistic terms, the European state is prepared to pay a valuable bonus to beef farmers to reduce stocking densities, keeping their grazing animals below 1.6 livestock units per hectare.

Quite rightly, there have to be checks for compliance but to give advance notice of the cross-checking dates would be too easy; and therefore I found myself last week completing a compulsory return in respect of animals on the holding at fixed dates in January, April and May this year.

As if that were not difficult enough, the questionnaire is accompanied by a printout from the Cattle Traceability Service (CTS) listing all the cattle that are shown on my particular holding at the checking date.

Not one of their figures was anything like correct, with up to 15pc errors betwixt their list and reality.

It led me to wondering how accurate the records really are that are held on the CTS database and administered by the BCMS (British Cattle Movement Service). Here are a few facts that I have uncovered

Although there is an e-mail option, the BCMS relies largely upon the return of postcards to notify movement of stock. It has been estimated that up to 500,000 letters per week fail to reach their destination; not all, I hasten to add, go to BCMS but they must get their fair share.

In June this year, one in 32 passports contained BCMS-introduced errors.

One in eight passport applications contained obvious farmer errors.

Currently, over 60,000 passport applications are subject to query, and remember BCMS does not refer back to the farmer with a query but waits until the farmer realises that the passports have not been delivered to him, before responding!

BCMS admits to 1,000,000 anomalous animal records on the CTS, which will remain unresolved as it hasn't the resources to tackle them.

Against this chaotic backcloth, payment to farmers of their subsidies is being held up because the EU insists upon the cross-checking procedure being carried out before money is handed over.

As of August, 56pc of last year's suckler cow premium was unpaid, together with 37pc of slaughter premium and 32pc of extensification.

This is an appalling admission which the Government is allowed to get away with and contrasts unhappily with the farmer's situation where, if he makes a single error, a penalty is imposed immediately.

I realise it doesn't seem fair, but if the present Government's systems are incapable of running themselves then we shall have to make an effort to clean up after them.

You can ring and ask BCMS for a complete list of stock on your holding, or you can download it off the internet, but either way it does enable you to check the correct stock on your holding and to inform them of the errors. If we do this, we may facilitate the speed of subsidy payments a little.

Reverting to the inexcusable late payment subsidies, I believe there should be an automatic interest charge which cuts in as soon as the appointed day of payment passes.

Currently, there is no interest payable although I have heard that one or two farmers have written asking for it; and in such cases rumour has it that they have then been singled out for a rigorous on-farm inspection to discourage them from doing so again.

This sort of police state policy is just unacceptable and perhaps we should all write in as a body laying claim to interest.

Norman Bagley, formerly the Ripon auctioneer and now looking after the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, has unearthed another vindictive procedure recently implemented at abattoirs.

Up until a few weeks ago, if a farmer inadvertently sent a clean beast to the abattoir which had gone over age, then the divisional vet could quite sensibly licence it back out to a slaughter house dealing with OTM cattle; and the farmer could at least salvage a little money.

Now, some bright spark at DEFRA headquarters in Page Street has issued a directive that all such cattle are to be binned, on the grounds of the risk of spreading FMD?!?

Yet when a meat plant broke down last week, with 380 lambs waiting to kill, they were quite rightly allowed to go to another plant on the Saturday because of exceptional circumstances.

Once again, double standards are being applied and Norman, on behalf of the industry, has confronted DEFRA head on.

Finally the good Lord has sent us some rain and I suppose the next problem will be trying to persuade him to turn the tap off.

Blair's anti-rural spin - You may remember that I commented somewhat bitterly on the poor publicity given to the Countryside March, despite being the largest demonstration in British history, and last week I received a note from my reader.

He pointed out that the dossier on Iraq, for which Parliament was recalled and which filled all the papers immediately before and after the march, contained absolutely nothing new and certainly none of it was confidential enough to have been kept under wraps for a special occasion.

Could it possibly have been intentionally planned by the spin doctors of New Labour to detract from the unique display of unrest in the rural community?

Southern correspondent - I now have an active correspondent in the south of England called Anthony Sootheran who has written to me this week on the state of play in his area.

Thame Farmers Market is going well, with both fat and store sales thriving. It is interesting to see that their problems and prices are very similar to ours.

For example, they had 600 lambs, a fortnight ago, which made from 92p-100p per kilo.

Anthony also reports that Tony Cook and his family have just obtained full planning consent for a new market at Stratford, which is an interesting development.

Disposals and Burials - It seems likely that on-farm burial will cease as from next February and this is going to be a really serious problem for all livestock farmers, especially those with sheep flocks.

In the UK, we have nothing to put in its place, although this contrasts with the rest of Europe where collection of fallen stock and its disposal is paid for by the Government in one form or another.

For example, in France there is a tax on the price of meat which pays for this service; and in Germany it is the local authorities themselves that dispose of fallen stock.

Currently the UK authorities are proposing to contract hunt kennels and licensed knacker operators (if there are any left) to collect fallen stock from farms from whence they would be taken onwards to rendering plants.

The question of who pays has not been resolved but the implication is that it would be passed on to farmers.

There were only 37 cattle for sale, and the market does need supporting as we have buyers keen for cattle but are failing to fill their orders because of shortage of numbers.

The trade was good for all classes and, again, George Marwood provided a wonderful run of heifers with a top price of 137p, bought by Frank Turner for Radfords Butchers of Sleights.

It was good to see Frank Sellars present to see his bull top the market at 109p and sold to Steven Hibberd.

The lamb numbers were also disappointing, but the prices were a marked improvement and averaged over 100p with a top price of £55.20 for a pen from Derek Midgley. We again had a good show of ewes, with a top price of £50.20 from John Hird and an overall average of almost £30.

Don't forget the first Suckler Sale, on Friday, October 18, start noon.

Updated: 10:18 Wednesday, October 16, 2002