Sheep scheme deadline looms (From Gazette & Herald)

Sheep scheme deadline looms

IN my little world, I was brought up to believe there was only one man who never did anything wrong; but 2,000 years later, we have a veritable army of folk incapable of making a mistake.

John the Baptist forgot to tell us about DEFRA and if, like me, you are waiting 'til the last minute before completing your Sheep Annual Premium Scheme (SAPS) form, we need reminding of the total inflexibility of the blessed ministry which is meant to be our defender and protector.

If you want to get your full entitlement, your claim form has to be received by the Rural Payments Agency on or before February 4.

As I know from experience with many clients, the RPA only undertakes to acknowledge receipt of a claim form within seven days. Therefore, if you leave sending it off until the last week, you are never going to be certain it arrives until it is too late.

As far as one can read into the rules, late applications will be penalised at the rate of a 1pc reduction for every working day after February 4.

The message must be clear that, if you haven't already done so, get your claim off by post this week or try and deliver it by hand in the last seven days to Northallerton.

At least we are better off than sheep producers in East Anglia where, for their greater convenience, the RPA closed the Cambridge office last October and the nearest alternative for delivery of claim forms is now Northallerton or Newcastle!

This year, you have a further opportunity to claim a supplementary payment, christened the Farm Assurance Supplement (FAS). Life is never simple, and if you want to get the supplement you need to already be a member of an approved farm assurance scheme which covers sheep, or intend to become a member.

It's your choice, and the supplement will be payable at a forecast rate of £1-£1.50 per head.

Michael Wigan has written a fascinating article for next month's Field on huge losses that will now be faced by the commercial arm of our national forest, called Forest Enterprise.

Prior to New Labour's election, FE made £19m profit in 1997, and the latest figures have turned this round into a £31m loss, to which we all contribute.

Through its woodland ownership, the state is the largest land owner in the country, with 2.6m acres, and supplies over half of all commercial softwoods sold in the UK.

FE tried to hide behind new political dictats of creating sustainable woodland, with public recreation a major beneficiary.

In the last ten years, prices for standing or roadside timber have been in free-fall and have dropped by 73pc; but much of this is due to the strange approach of FE to the industry.

It believes its is required to guarantee supplies to the sawmills, and consequently "negotiated" long-term contracts with most of the mills.

Today, there is less than 5pc of FE's timber production that is exposed to the open market by auction.

By filling up the orders from the mills, these potential bidders are removed from the market place and can comfortably keep prices depressed, knowing they have a guaranteed supply source in the medium to long term.

The knock-on effect to private woodland owners has been disastrous with many just unable to find a buyer at all.

With regionalisation, there is opportunity to sort things out.

Mr Wigan's opinion, and also my own, is there should be a clean division between those areas of woodland which are properly dedicated to public enjoyment, such as the New Forest or the Forest of Dean; the rest has to be allowed to behave in a proper commercial manner.

Present policies are costing the tax payer a lot of money, forcing the private sector into penury and encouraging investment in overseas woodland where East European operators believe we have lost the plot - again!

It was three years today (January 21) since the EC issued its directive to halt all movements of livestock susceptible to foot and mouth; and yet the disaster is still not over for many that were involved on the periphery.

Because of its total incompetence, DEFRA is threatened with losing a billion pounds from the European coffers; and, in order to retrieve the situation, it is prevaricating on all sorts of claims that were laid at its door during the crisis.

Last week, Michael Pedrick, a 63-year-old Devon farmer who lost his entire farm stock, was cleared at the Exeter court of trying to cheat DEFRA out of £17,000; but this was not before our incredible ministry spent more than £100,000 in trying to convict him.

His was only one of hundreds of cases that await payment.

The biggest of them is the contractor who was employed to dig a vast burial pit in Devon which was never used and which cost £5m.

The court has now ruled that DEFRA must pay over the money.

It is a woeful tale of dishonoured contracts, and one of which we cannot be proud.

In our own case, and that of most livestock auctioneers, our businesses were cut off without any notice or compensation.

We joined a group trying to get some justice from the Government, and this is still struggling forward.

With hindsight, there seems little doubt that had DEFRA stopped the movement of all animals on January 21, 2001, instead of leaving it until February 23, then the whole epidemic would have been more controllable.

I listened to Countryfile on Sunday, with an update on the BSE case in America.

It was clear that America was in a bit of a mess when meat from the cow in question had already been dispatched to seven different states and that, of the 70,000 cows in Washington State, only 20pc had any sort of identification at all.

Since the announcement, some 30 countries have banned imports of US beef and the price has dropped about 20pc for the equivalent of American store cattle.

David Shepphard, our grain correspondent, has some lateral thoughts on the effect that BSE can have upon the grain market. With the UK outbreak, most trade analysts thought that the cull would automatically reduce the demand for animal trade and thereby depress grain prices.

In the event, the banning of meat and bone meal immediately put prices up for vegetable protein, and that meant pulses, soya and corn gluten all rose.

In addition, the move away from beef meant that the demand for chicken and pork lifted and these rations include a much higher proportion of cereals than does cattle feed.

Ipso facto, forecasters had to eat their hats, and cereal prices actually rose.

Presently, we are waiting to see if the US outbreak is more widespread than America wants to admit; and it will be interesting to see if its grain market goes the same way as ours.

Forward on Tuesday were 136 cattle including 56 bulls and 32 cows; 821 sheep including 135 ewes;

Medium steers to 101p from A Cussons & Sons, Kirbymoorside (ave 100.5p). Heavy steers to 105p from R H Mason, Wold Newton (97.6p). Light heifers to 133p from G I Marwood, Harome (102.2p). Heavy heifers to 140p from G I Marwood (104.4p). Light bulls to 108p from P & I Beal, Settrington (105.3p). Medium bulls to 121p from P & I Beal (98.7p). Heavy bulls to 111p from Mrs I Sellars, Pickering (98.5p). Black & white bulls to 92p from C Southwel, Burton Fleming (82.1p).

Standard lambs to 138.3p from Mrs Avison, Black Bull (124.4p). Medium lambs to 129.7p from Fletcher Brothers, Levisham (120.2p). Heavy lambs to 123.9p from M Richardson, Edstone (113.8p). Overweight lambs to 114.1p from H W Ward, Kirby-O-Carr (109.3p). Ewes to £65 from M Reeves, Sinnington (49.40p).

Updated: 09:54 Wednesday, January 21, 2004