DEFRA would test patience of a saint... (From Gazette & Herald)

DEFRA would test patience of a saint...

WHEN Moses came down from Mount Sinai he managed to deliver God's commandments in 10 short and unambiguous paragraphs.

I regret that DEFRA's attempt to follow in his footsteps has not been successful. They have so far provided us with five guidance handbooks totalling more than 200 pages and last Tuesday, with a flourish of publicity, they presented the new application form SP5 which is to form the basis of our claims for entitlement, which covered another 20 pages.

I have obtained a specimen copy and I understand every farmer is to receive a similar sample over the next two to three weeks, but the actual forms themselves will not be despatched until mid-March to mid-April.

It is vital that we address the content of the form and decide how best to deal with it as soon as possible. Here are my first impressions:

The application form is 20 pages long.

The main body of the form is SP5(A) and commences with details of the claimant, his holding and a new "single business identifier" which will be a delightfully succinct nine-figure number to enable Big Brother to keep tabs on you.

There then follows a further 18 lettered sections, each of which requires an answer regarding your activities on the holding, including set-aside, land you may have sold, numbers of livestock and 16 questions on cross-compliance.

Part M of the form deals specifically with any applications for the national reserve. This seems to have widened its catchment opportunity to include those who have invested in farming enterprises since 2002 and have been disadvantaged.

The final page is for your signature and various declarations, with public health warnings that false statements can lead to prosecution, loss of entitlement and recovery of the Single Payment.

There then follows Annex 5b which is the field data sheet and appears similar to the old IACS forms.

There are 14 columns to record the area and use for each field.

Annex 5c is another field data sheet but dedicated for common land only.

Annex 5d covers the application "authorisations" to grow fruit, vegetables and potatoes (FVPs).

SP5(A) now seems to be in its definitive form and its completion will set the pattern for your Single Payment in the years to come.

It is vital that everyone gives it the serious attention necessary.

I am not crying wolf for the sake of it, but if you get it wrong this year there is no other opportunity.

You should at least temporarily adopt the Boy Scout motto and "be prepared":

Get out your old 2004 IACS form.

Get out your digital maps.

Draft your cropping programme for 2005.

List any tenancies for this year.

Go and see your professional adviser.

As if life is not complicated enough, Deaf Ear has attached a nasty carbuncle onto the main scheme to control the acreage grown of fruit, veg and potatoes (FVPs).

This will include carrots and peas but not sugar beet.

The basic principle is that if you want to grow FVPs and receive the Single Payment then you need to have an authorisation for the equivalent amount of acres.

10 acres of authorisations = 10 acres of potatoes =10 acres of payment.

Sounds simple but the qualifying criteria are a maze.

Deaf Ear has taken an average of FVPs grown in the reference period 2000-2002 which appeared in the June Census for each year.

It is common knowledge that the June Census is not a complete record with some forms not being returned and many crops such as fruit and veg not even been recorded.

It is therefore certain that the average figure will be an understatement; and yet it will be a ceiling for the granting of authorisations, which is thought to be 240,000 hectares for the English region.

Authorisations will only be granted to growers of the crop and this means the person who had the management of and benefit from the crop.

There may be some farmers who have let their land to potato growers and who believe they will qualify for authorisations but this is not true. Only the grower will get an authorisation.

Allocation of authorisations will be based upon what was grown in 2003 and if the regional ceiling is not reached by those applications then it will roll on to the crops of 2004 and 2005 if necessary.

No one thinks it likely that the 2004 or 2005 data will be used, as more than enough applications will probably be received for 2003.

Growers are going to have to decide upon what crops to plant prior to making the SP application for authorisations in May; and yet no authorisations will be allocated until later in the autumn.

We need, therefore, to be very clear about the arrangements being made for growing these crops this year.

If you are contemplating letting or taking land for FVPs in 2005, then you do need advice.

There are ways of protecting both parties and it is in all our interests to try and retain these valuable break cropping arrangements in the rotation.

As a sequel to the "Van and Laurie" tale last week, my Huttons Ambo correspondent told me that her son returned from prep school chatting about his friend "Windows", and when questioned more closely revealed that the boy's real name was "Dawes".

And so onto a favourite subject of Dean Martin, drink! He once remarked: "I only drink moderately. In fact I have a case of 'Moderately' in my dressing room!"

We currently have five major levy boards in the UK - Meat and Livestock Commission, Milk Development Council, the Home Grown Cereals Authority, the British Potato Council and the Horticultural Development Council.

Between them, they collect £53.7m off farmers for their administration, of which more than half goes to the MLC.

There is to be a "far-reaching independent review" and pundits are forecasting an amalgamation of some, if not the disappearance of others.

Do I hear shouts of "not before time"?

British Sugar is embarrassed by the efficiency of farmers who are now producing more tonnage than they can cope with and they want to drop two per cent of the crop.

They have put out offer forms to buy back 160,000 tonnes on the basis of delivery mileage with the highest mileage contracts taking priority.

The payments will range from £20 per tonne of beet assigned for those with contracted distances up to 19 miles away, up to a top of £30 a tonne for those with more than 60 miles to travel.

Unfortunately, growers only have until February 4 to return the forms.

Peter Mason has now officially taken over from the late Bill Foggitt as long range weather forecaster.

He told me yesterday that Candlemas Day is Wednesday, February 2, and went on to relate this little ditty.

"If Candlemas Day be dry and fair, there's half of winter to come and mair."

Forward were 158 cattle including 65 bulls, 879 sheep including 114 ewes. Medium steers to 123p, O Barker, Snainton, ave 108.5p; heavy steers to 121p, Mrs C Mason, Wold Newton, ave 108.5p; light heifers to 117p, K Morley, Yedingham; medium heifers to 144p, G I Marwood, Harome, ave 110.8p; heavy heifers to 144p G L Downes, Weaverthorpe, ave 113.9p; medium bulls to 105p, J S Collinson, Gilling, ave 101.3p; heavy bulls to 115p, A B Brown, Lockton, ave 106.8p; black and white bulls to 98p, R Lunn, Wilton, ave 88.4p; standard lambs to 117.6p, C Leckenby, Pockley, ave 113.5p; medium hoggs to 112.6p, Harrison & Co, Yedingham, ave 113.1p; heavy hoggs to 114.7p, S Barker & Sons, Harome, ave 104.6p; overweight hoggs to 101.8p K Wilson, Ryton, ave 96.3p; ewes to £60 C Milburn, Scagglethorpe, ave £36.

Updated: 10:38 Wednesday, February 02, 2005