Beware of apathy over damaging pesticide tax (From Gazette & Herald)

Beware of apathy over damaging pesticide tax

THIS is an alarm call to all arable farmers or indeed any of us who use sprays.

During my stocktaking visit, Peter Marsden, who runs Mick Easterby's ranch, flagged up the very real costs of the Government's threatened pesticide tax.

He had been at a meeting of the Voluntary Initiative, which has been set up to allow farmers a concessionary breathing space to comply with the objectives of the new pesticide laws or if not, to face the consequences.

The response so far has been pretty moderate with only 35 farmers attending each of the two local meetings despite 7,000 circulars.

To demonstrate the seriousness of the situation, the average 200-acre farm could be paying £4,000 per annum by 2005.

As you would expect, it is a European tax and the Dutch, who ignored the warning signs, have had their pesticide tax rate lifted from a modest 3pc in year one to currently a penal 33pc.

2003 is the year of grace given to UK farmers to prove what the Government terms as some responsibility towards the problem.

The requirement is for 10pc of farmers to achieve the following objectives by April 1, 2004:

Register all spray operators with the National Register of Spray Operators (NRoSO) - this will cost £17 per annum in subscriptions.

Get your sprayer tested under the National Sprayer Testing Scheme (NSTS) - this will cost around £75 for a 12m machine.

Complete a Crop Protection Plan for your farm - this can be provided free at a meeting with your sprayer representative.

None of the above seems particularly onerous but to date only 1pc of farmers have bothered to comply or, more probably, they are the only ones who are aware of the critical situation.

An investment of less than £100 per annum seems a fair swap rather than have the pesticide tax of £4,000.

Peter Marsden advises getting in touch with your spray supplier for further information.

For those of you who would rather not use pesticides at all, there is now a 'green weeding alternative' provided by Philip Trevelyan, of Spaunton, the commander of the Lazy Dog Weeding Brigades.

Philip started by making himself improved versions of old tools for dealing with the more persistent weeds such a docks, thistles and ragwort.

With DEFRA's support, a whole brigade of green weeding gangs is being set up which will offer contract services to land owners around the country. The cost of a gang of four is around £200 per day, and they will work for seven hours cleaning up your grassland.

This enterprising scheme is sympathetic to our countryside and Philip Trevelyan deserves great credit for masterminding the venture.

He needs more helpers to work in the green weeding gangs and if you feel inclined to do a spot of outdoor activity, please ring him on (01751) 417351.

I have placed my order for a gang to come and go through our little flower meadow adjacent to the River Derwent.

I hereby declare that I support the concept of meat inspection but abhor the manner in which the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) carries out its duties which are more reminiscent of the Third Reich than democratic Britain.

Its latest prosecution resulted in a Pyrrhic victory over Michael Broad, who runs Cleveland Meats, and is one of our much-valued Malton Market customers.

Madeline Forsyth, the Helmsley vet, has been giving evidence for Michael and rang with a short report on the trial proceedings.

The offence of which Cleveland Meat stood accused was the improper use of a meat stamp used on young lamb carcases.

Originally, the prosecuting MHS counsel held a brief of 19 charges which were reduced to eight by the day of the court hearing.

Apparently, the MHS had spend a huge amount of money and investigation to prove that a stamp was used which was not authorised by them, although they couldn't prove that it had been used by Cleveland Meat or any of its employees.

There were even mutterings that the whole affair had been concocted by a disaffected former member of staff.

Nevertheless, the trumped-up case was relentlessly pursued until the abattoir was faced with a potential eight-day hearing costing over £100,000 or agree a compromise with the MHS.

With gritted teeth but wise counsel, Michael accepted the plea of guilty on two counts of a stamp being used improperly and the rest of the charges were dropped.

Although Cleveland Meat has had to pay the minimum fines, the judge's comments were pretty scathing about the prosecution to such an extent that he only awarded them £5,000 out of the £36,000 claimed in costs.

I find it really sick that we are having to battle with such people who are not held to public account in any shape or form as I know only too well from bitter experience.

Madeline Forsythe mentioned that the MHS medicine is even more difficult to swallow as they repeatedly make mistakes themselves. It was only last week she called at the abattoir to see a mature stock tup marked as a young lamb by the MHS officer who had confused its loss of dentition with lamb teeth.

She knew of 58 occasions when the MHS had marked up older sheep as young lambs but they don't seem to get called to book for it. When we talked last week there were currently hanging in the abattoir a 22kg hog carcase that was stamped as a ewe because it had cut a tooth; and a 50kg tup carcase that was stamped as a lamb because it had lost a tooth - and all stamped officially by the MHS

What a nonsense.

Mike Cowan, the former fast bowler, told a lovely story the other night about a man whose wife was desperate for a fur coat.

After much aggravation, he went and bought one for her next birthday which looked magnificent but he failed to tell her that it had been made from hamsters.

When asked by his friend how the gift had gone down, he replied: "Everything was grand until we went to Blackpool and it took me six hours to get her down from the Big Wheel!"

The Rose and Crown at Nawton was the venue for David Sunley's 40th birthday on Saturday evening when the hospitality was to Stuart Wood's usual high standard. The night was long, the skirts were short, beer was in abundance and there was the odd scrap! But nothing to deter the evening's entertainment.

Tuesday, April 8: forward were 146 cattle, including 46 bulls, 2,429 sheep, including 151 lambs, and 318 ewes.

Steers: light to 131p/kilo, G I Marwood, Harome, ave 104.6p/kilo; heavy to 120p/kilo, J L Gray, Grindale, ave 101.03p/kilo.

Heifers: light to 113p/kilo, R Holtby, Leavening, ave 105.8p/kilo; medium to 128p/kilo, G I Marwood, Harome, ave 100.21p/kilo; heavy heifers to 137p/kilo, G I Marwood, Harome, ave 100.08p/kilo.

Bulls: light to 114p/kilo, M Sunley, Farndale, ave 102.65p/kilo, medium 106p/kilo, M Sunley, Farndale, ave 96.41p/kilo, heavy to 105p/kilo, P & I Beal, Settrington, ave 98.5p/kilo.

Black and white bulls to 90p/kilo, K Kirby & Son, Ebberston, ave 84.6p/kilo.

Medium lambs to 185.5p/kilo, F Hardy, Wetwang, ave 180.2p/kilo, heavy lambs to 203.7p/kilo, B & M Craven, Bielby, ave 182.48p/kilo.

Light hoggs to 138.8p/kilo, L R Wilson, Rudston, ave 129p/kilo, standard hoggs to 162.8p/kilo, P & I Beal, Settrington, ave 148.74p/kilo, medium hoggs to 162.7p/kilo, P & I Beal, Settrington, ave 146.47p/kilo, heavy hoggs to 157.6p/kilo P & I Beal, Settrington, ave 143.58p/kilo, overweight hoggs to 147.3p/kilo, R Mason, Ling Hall, ave 134.74p/kilo.

Ewes to £86 E W Jackson, Grindale ave £59.07.

Updated: 15:57 Wednesday, April 09, 2003