Report on market’s future goes back to council

2:23pm Wednesday 18th June 2008

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Since that splendid turnout on March 5 when Ryedale Council chamber was filled with the farming fraternity, the steering group which was then proposed has stuttered and stumbled through several meetings.

The group’s effectiveness would have been better served had there been more independent and less political control; and for ordinary business people the level of achievement was below expectation.

Nevertheless I still believe that with a bit more thought about structure and terms of reference these working groups could be an invaluable means of tapping public opinion.

Unfortunately, the independent element of this steering group was reduced to consultee status only and I just hope that the report that is given back to the Policy and Resources Committee will reflect the opinions of the consultees as was the original intention.

I am not sure if we are going to get sight of the report before the committee date but if not it is a pretty important milestone in the future of our livestock market and the public, which includes the farming fraternity, can attend the meeting at Ryedale Council offices on Thursday, June 26 at 6.30pm. Anyone wanting a bit more information please feel free to get in touch.

Having been involved with such stalwarts as Pat Foxton and Katriona Stewart in the steering group meetings, we all have grave reservations about the validity of the WSP document which purports to set out the future strategy for Malton town.

* The WSP report makes some pretty dramatic and brave proposals for changing our townscape but it is very thin on evidence to support its conclusions.

* There are no tables or calculations and without these the very validity of its recommendations must be questioned.

* For some reason it throws into the pot the redevelopment of Wentworth Street car park, apparently because it is under-utilised and they recommend building a small, high quality supermarket of 20-30,000 sq ft. Small is relative but after cross questioning, we discovered that Morrisons is also approximately 30,000 sq ft. Most of the independents on the steering group disagreed with any proposal to sell off the town’s major car park when the long term strategy must be to increase the foot fall and the associated car park availability in Malton.

* On the livestock market issue, the whole of the steering group expressed unanimous support for retaining the facility within the town and the WSP report echoes a similar recommendation but details of how the relocation of the market should take place are pretty thin. It was the opinion of the steering group that sufficient enabling development be permitted on the showfield site to allow a relocation of the market and this should be properly fed into the planning system.

I will give you a further update next week but if you are able to make a date in your diary for Thursday, June 26 at 6.30pm please do so.


Cross compliance for beef farmers
The RPA inspects 10 per cent of farms each year for cross compliance purposes and failures among cattle farmers were the highest in the industry last year.

The amount you can lose in penalty off your single payment is serious; so be warned and some of the most common failures are set out below.

* Incomplete medicine records

* Incomplete mortality records

* Animals kept in buildings where sharp edges or protrusions could cause injury.

* Failure to report a cattle movement in the prescribed period.

* Failure to inform BCMS of a cattle death.

* Animals not being on record because they have no passport or have the wrong passport.

* Lost ear tags not being replaced with 28 days.

Maybe it is time we all took a health check on our cross compliance issues, especially when an inspection can come at very few hours notice.


The battle for fair compensation

It has taken two years to bring this Devon farmer’s case against Defra to the high court where Lord Justice Stanley Burnton will deliver his verdict within the next month on the much debated subject of compensation where animals are compulsorarily slaughtered at Defra’s behest.

With total industry opposition, the iniquitous tabular valuation system was introduced in February 2006 with compensation payments based on average values of cattle in 47 different categories.

Even for commercial farmers, the system is unfair in that animals are grouped within ages of six months which inevitably means that those at the older end of the scale will be undervalued.

However, for high value pedigree breeders the situation is far worse and has been exacerbated by the current rise in market value of dairy animals.

David Partridge is the Devon farmer who has lost over 100 cattle from his 300-cow pedigree dairy herd over the last six years; and yet under the tabular valuation system he has received just 25 per cent of their value compared to what they would have made in the market.

Our professional valuer association has been pressing for a review for at least the last 25 years to my knowledge and still Defra and its predecessors wouldn’t listen.

It would be quite simple to introduce a two valuer system whereby one acted for the state and one for the farmer. Justice would be done and costs saved. Let us hope the judge agrees.


Next BT vaccine announcement on Friday

Information has not been too plentiful as to why the vaccine delivery has been delayed apart from various holding statements that the batch has gone for further testing.

It is a pity, as the whole programme was ahead of schedule with nine million doses delivered to farmers up to date.

As I am writing the protection zone boundaries remain the same and the next announcement from Defra will be this Friday, June 20.

It will be helpful that Defra have now placed another order for 30 million doses with Merial – the firm you will remember that was at the centre of the FMD crisis last August.

I see that Robert Forster, late of the National Beef Association, is promoting the case for making the whole of England a protection zone and this would certainly be the best plan.


NFU offices attacked by badger extremists

The attacks this week on NFU offices in Wales by animal extremists can only damage their case for trying to prevent a badger cull in the TB eradication programme.

Animal Liberation Front slogans including “cull farmers not badgers” were daubed on the Carmarthen office and glue was poured into the locks. Such criminal vandalism is totally unacceptable.


Five per cent of farmers still to be paid SP

The RPA have proudly trumpeted their achievement in paying 94.86 per cent of total SP claimants by the end of June which meets EU requirements.

My comment would be that it is an absolute disgrace that seven months after we were entitled to payment there are still one in 20 farmers that have not received it and there is not a penny interest payable to make up for the cash flow deficit.

It is high time the window for payment was reduced to no more than three months and thereafter interest payable at the standard rate.


Fat stock prices at all time high

It is dangerous to be over confident but prices generally at the live auctions are running at an all time high with beef leading the charge where the national average topped 150p per kilo for the first time.

In fact at York on Monday continental cattle averaged 164p right through the market and some of the show stoppers were making 190p or more.

It was the same tale at Malton on Tuesday where there were more cats than mice. In the fat lamb department we shouldn’t forget that last year at this time prices were hovering around 125p per kilo compared to today’s trade of 180p to 200p per kilo. With pigs it’s a similar story, even though it may be too late to save many of our producers; and the live trade is hovering around 110p per kilo compared to 80p 12 months ago.


Bits and pieces

This week I have been blessed by a surfeit of contributions from readers and will hold some over for another issue.

* Anne Wilson sent me this lovely tale which she calls The True Spirit of the Country Show. The event was the Sledmere Show of Middleton Hunt supporters and the competition was for the dog the judge would most like to take home!

Debbie, who is a member of a dog group called Training with Understanding, entered her seven month old Russell Terrier called Alice and the judge, immaculately dressed in white jodhpurs and shiny black riding boots, decided he would give each dog two tests before making a decision on his favourite.

The first task was to run round the ring with the judge and Alice really entered into the spirit of the afternoon by jumping cartwheels and using the judge’s back as a sort of springboard to further expand her barrage of spins and mid-air gallops.

The second test was more personal when the judge crouched down in front of each dog and invitingly asked: “Would you like to come home with me?” Most canine competitors were a little puzzled but not Alice, who proceeded to leap forward, trying to stand on top of the judge’s head. Despite her comical misbehaviour, Alice took third prize and lived up to her formal name Pacolito Phlaunt It!

* Finally this week I have to print a joke from my New Zealand granddaughter Lily who was determined not to be out done by her brother. Lily, aged five, asked me “Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven, eight, nine!”
Take your time, you may not be as quick as Lily.


Market report
94 cattle incl 28 bulls and 21 cows 1104 sheep incl 500 lambs and 447 ewes light steers to 166p Charity Farm Thornton Dale, heavy steers to 187p Charity Farm Thornton Dale, ave 168 light heifers to 184p J & M Craggs, Ebberston ave 165.4 heavy heifers to 192p J & R Waind, Brawby ave 167.6 medium bulls to 163p J & M Craggs, Ebberston ave 163 heavy bulls to 182p A W Hardwick, Snainton ave 162.6, otms to 139p J D Lumley, Aislaby ave 109.2 stock bulls to 132p Marwood Bros. North Grimston ave 132.05 standard hoggs to 100p P S Hunter. Hunmanby ave 88.2 medium hoggs to 117 T & J Abraham, Westow ave 87.9 heavy hoggs to 93.8 B Fairweather, Butterwick ave 88.4 standard lambs to 174.3 R Machin, Brandsby ave 160.7 medium lambs to 178.5 C R Fawcett, Sand Hutton, ave 160.7 heavy lambs to 173.9 D Fussy, Bridlington ave 158.4 ewes to £80.50 S D Whittaker, Marishes ave £52.07