Six-day victory - with a sting (From Gazette & Herald)

Six-day victory - with a sting

AS first forecast by the Gazette & Herald, the Government bowed to overwhelming pressure from the industry, and accepted finally that the 20-day movement restriction has to go.

With some reluctance, and snide remarks about farmers flouting the system, Lord 'Witless' Whitty announced the changes that will come into effect on March 4.

At the expense of boring you, I will repeat the new regulations and the proposed timetable for the rest of the year:

The initial package of measures comes into force, quite illogically, on Tuesday, March 4

Lorry drivers, farmers and others will have a responsibility that vehicles are clean when entering market

Auction market operators will be required to sign a formal undertaking to comply with strict operating procedures

There will need to be a separation period in both time and space between dedicated slaughter markets and other livestock markets

The major change, of course, is that the current 20-day standstill period will be reduced to six days, except for pigs

There will be a review in May on the effectiveness of the new system and yet another set of proposals are now open to consultation for introduction on August 1 this year. These will include the following matters:

A ban on animals being kept on market premises overnight

A requirement for all livestock vehicles to be washed and disinfected before leaving markets and abattoirs

A requirement for market operators to ensure that a vet attends every market

A requirement for all farmers to consult a vet at least annually for advice about disease detection, bio-security and farm health plans

A suggestion that a distance limit of 150km (96 miles) is imposed on the movement of all animals through markets.

This is nothing more than a charter for the abolition of markets, together with the invaluable network of dealers who are prepared to risk their money and enterprise in moving stock from where it is not wanted to areas where it is.

To stop animals being lairaged overnight in market is vindictive in the extreme and I will cite just two examples where it will hit the market and the farmers' trade:

On a fatstock day, buyers frequently leave stock overnight in the market for a number of reasons, including transport difficulties, lack of lairage at the abattoir and the slaughter line programme.

To require every animal to leave the market on the day of sale could affect the decision of buyers whether to continue, or even start, bidding for stock in the market if they anticipate any difficulty in getting them away that day.

The effect on trade could be quite dramatic in these circumstances.

Not so much in Malton but certainly in York we are getting cattle straight off farms in the southwest which travel up in the afternoon to be lairaged overnight in straw bedded pens with water and hay. They are consequently well rested and in a clean disinfected environment prior to sale.

To suggest that each of the 20 or so farmers who bought these cattle last Thursday should, from August 1, make their own arrangements to visit the farms in Dorset is once again to live in DEFRA's fairyland.

If this regulation becomes law there will be fewer cattle than ever kept in the country.

The requirement for markets to ensure that a vet attends means, I presume, that we will have to pay and this seems a totally unnecessary expense, considering that DEFRA already provides its own veterinary staff to tour markets as well as having the full-time presence of trading standards officers.

We certainly have a long way to go before August and have yet another battle on our hands.

Bring home the British bacon

In this month's Pig World magazine, there is a story by Sam Walton, the editor, which I am sure he won't mind me repeating during these heated days when the superstores are battling it out in their boardrooms.

Sam went into Safeway at Beverley for a British half gammon but all that was displayed was a Safeway's brand with an EEC label on it, and nothing from this country.

He complained to the butchery manager who agreed, so Sam traipsed next door to the new Tesco store, built on the former livestock market site.

There were five shelves filled with gammons and half gammons, but apart from five pieces of British bacon joint, everything else was similarly market "Product of the EEC"

Sam challenged the butcher at the counter, pointing out the lack of support for British bacon, and the only response he got was "so what". The editor's final comment was "so what, it's a bloody disgrace"!

Watch out for subsidy payments withheld

All of us will at some time have experienced the interrogation by DEFRA of the various claims for subsidy, and these usually question a minor detail which may or may not be the farmer's fault.

From a tale I was told this week, it seems that the Rural Payments Agency is in a real mess, due to the EEC requirement to cross-check every farmer's claim. In October last year, Christopher Pitt had received his slaughter premium for claim number 2, but not for claim number 1, so he rang the RPA and was told they were checking with BCMS. Christopher offered to assist, and sent them complete copies of the killing sheets for the particular batch of cattle.

Nothing was heard, so in January he rang the RPA which confessed to being in a real mess, with a lot of 2001 claims yet to be processed.

They told him that they were not referring back to farmers with errors, as they claimed not to be allowed to do so. So his slaughter premium is yet to come.

In a second instance, Christopher had made a passport application and, when the document didn't arrive, he rang BCMS to be told that there was a suspicious calving interval on the dam's records. BCMS likewise told him that it would not come back to the farmer with any queries but would merely wait until he found out the documents were missing. This is an amazing state of affairs and wants watching as closely as we are able.

Interestingly, Christopher asked for a head count of people employed at the RPA in Northallerton, which in December totalled 452 compared to 248 six months earlier.

What does DEFRA stand for?

The Oxford Union Debating Society was packed out to listen to a motion that: "The needs of the countryside are being ignored".

Our larger-than-life friend, Clarissa Dixon-Wright, made the point that our agriculture ministry no longer refers to "farming" in its title.

The Irish peer and Blair's buddy, Lord Haskins, interrupted to claim that DEFRA stands for "Department of Employment, Farming and Rural Affairs". To much laughter from the audience, and great embarrassment for DEFRA's top advisor, it was explained to him that the "F" stands for "Food" and the "E" stands for "Environment".

Lord Haskin's contempt for small farmers last week earned him Country Life's award as "villain of the year"

150 years ago

David Sunley brought me a copy of the Field magazine for January 1853 and, amongst a lot of interesting articles, I have selected the following bits for you which show that things haven't changed in a century and a half.

In the section headed Agricultural Prospects for 1853 there is a paragraph which states:

"As to stock, it has been remarked that in the face of the largest importations of fat foreign cattle ever known, prices at Smithfield Market never were so steady."

There was also a strangely-familiar ring about this tale of our Gallic neighbours

"France, which, under a curious political arrangement, for some time favoured us with cargoes of wheat sold at a positive loss."

An empty trailer appeared in the market on Tuesday!! Father, believing son had loaded up stock, and son believing father had loaded up stock. No names mentioned; enquiries PMP.

Marketing report

Despite a temporary depression in the rest of the county, Malton's cattle trade on Tuesday was quite acceptable, with a good selection of stock and plenty of buyers around the ring.

It was especially encouraging to see nearly 50 bulls in the market and, if only we can keep them coming, we shall have a good platform to build upon.

Sheep numbers were also respectable and trade is holding firm.

In total, there were 137 cattle including 48 bulls and 42 cows; 1318 sheep.

Steers medium weight to 92p/kilo from G Morley, Marishes, (av 88.6p), lightweight heifers to 130p from G I Marwood, Harome (100.2p), medium weight heifers to 130p from G I Marwood, Harome (101.24p).

Bulls medium to 108p from D J Windrass, Gillamoor (97.50p), heavyweights to 111p from D J Windrass, Gillamoor (95.6p), black and white bulls to 88.5p (79.5p).

Hoggs standard to 115.2p from P W Nettleton, North Dalton (112.8p), medium to 122p from A Richardson, Langdale End (112.7p), heavy to 122.3p from L G Gray & Son, Wold Newton (110.8p), overweights to 109.5p from A Harper & Sons, Skiplam (104.7p).

Ewes to £72 from C K Milburn, Scagglethorpe (£46.20). Rams to £60(£43).

Updated: 11:03 Wednesday, January 29, 2003