Milestone meeting on market looms

9:39am Thursday 26th June 2008

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The saga of Malton market heads for another milestone this evening at 6.30pm when the policy and resources committee receives the report of the strategy steering group.

As I said last week I don’t think the group has been allowed to contribute to this vital debate in a meaningful way, which would have provided guidance but not decisions for the council to heed.

At the meetings I attended we were told that we shouldn’t discuss the Fitzwilliam Estate proposals in detail as this was the subject of a planning application; but instead we were to concentrate on the WSP report.

When I look at the WSP report this repeatedly refers to the Fitzwilliam proposals and to my mind must be an integral part of any discussion on our town centre.

There was a good deal of criticism of the WSP report itself as being too lightweight and unsupported with tables of calculation; but the answer to that is quite simple.

If the report fell short of the original brief then WSP should be asked to complete their assignment.

If, on the other hand, the information required is extra then a quotation needs to be got from WSP to provide additional comments.

Complaining about the report is not going to provide the answers that we need.

I don’t agree with the way the steering group has been used and can’t help wondering if there isn’t a different agenda which will leave us with a Morrisons style supermarket on Wentworth Street, some mutation of the Fitzwilliam proposals of the old market and no livestock market with its enabling development on the Showfield site.

This would be the worst possible outcome for Ryedale’s rural community and Malton would finally abandon its claim to being a market town.

I know I am prone to see things in black and white sometimes but to me the decision making programme is crystal clear.

1. The council must decide if it wishes to retain a livestock market within Malton or indeed within Ryedale.

2. If the answer is yes then the next question must be its location. If the market is to remain on its present site some enabling development may be required to build new structures. If the market is to be relocated on to the Showfield then the enabling development on that whole area must be next in line for the planners.

3. Whether the market remains in part on the old site or moves to the Showfield, there will be an empty space in the middle of town which Fitzwilliam and the council will next have to address.

4. When, and only when, decisions have been made on the first three steps, should the council even dream of looking at a supermarket for Wentworth Street car park.

Before that debate one would want to see how the first three major changes in our town centre had impacted upon the much vaunted precept of “vitality and viability”.

It may just be that footfall in the town is sufficiently increased so that Wentworth Street is full to overflowing! I can only repeat that this Thursday’s meeting is quite a landmark in the decision making process and anyone in the farming fraternity who would like to see a market retained should try to attend at 6.30pm in Ryedale Council chamber.

Bacon factory taken over by Dutch giant

Last week came the announcement of yet another owner for our Malton Bacon Factory with the Dutch food giant Vion taking over the Grampian Country Food Group.

In a deal reportedly worth around £350 million Vion took control of a large slice of our red meat and poultry industry.

The deal includes such major processors as St Merryn Meat, Mcintosh Donald and Welsh Country Foods. They are major suppliers to the whole range of supermarkets including our own Morrisons.

Peter Barr, former chairman of MLC, is to head up the UK operation and Vion has confirmed i ts commitment to invest.

We have heard it before but let us hope Vion will live up to its promises.

Bluetongue vaccine still delayed

The BT vaccine produced by Intervet is still under scrutiny and the 4 million doses that should have been delivered on June 2 are still held up for further testing.

The vaccine manufacturers claim that the delay is not related to any problems with the vaccine.

Meanwhile, back at the Defra ranch, the extra order of 13 million doses from another manufacturer Merial is progressing well and delivery of these should begin next week.

Defra has said it will make no further announcement on zone changes until at least this Friday but one can only hope that they will take a look at the wider picture and include the whole of England in the next protection zone.

SP targets for 2008 altered

They are a confused lot at the RPA; having taken our advice to shorten the window for paying the 2008 SP. It was announced last Monday that a target would be set of 80 per cent by January 31 2009 and 90 per cent by March 31.

The immediate reaction of industry leaders was that this was still not good enough so in response the RPA lowered its sights announcing that it would only pay 75 per cent of SP payments by the January 31! I think we all ought to offer to pay next year’s income tax out of the single payment when we get it; and that perhaps would concentrate their minds.

Agricultural wage rise above inflation

Very sensibly we still have an Agricultural Wages Board which deals with pay rates for farm workers and seems to avoid the striking mentality in other industries.

This week they announced above inflation increases which will take effect from October 1. Farm workers are graded from one to six and the lowest rate will be £5.74 per hour, and the highest rate £8.45 per hour.

TB still escalating

It is scandalous that Hilary Benn has still not got sufficient backbone to tackle the TB issue and announce a badger cull which is the only hope for our cattle industry.

Despite all the penal restrictions on movement and the intensive testing regime, the disease continues to spread. The latest figures available for the period January to April 2008 show over 1,000 new incidents which is 15 per cent up on last year; and 14,387 cattle slaughtered which is 40 per cent up on last year.

What further evidence does anyone need except to say that in France there would have been an agricultural revolution by now with carcases being burnt on the motorways around Paris!

Yeovil market to close

With some sadness I see that Yeovil auction mart in the south west is set to close at the end of June.

Numbers have being dwindling following recent outbreaks of bluetongue and foot and mouth as well as rampant TB in the area.

Government policy has a lot to answer for.

Bits and pieces

This week I have only one quotation to proffer to our councillors should they decide to act against the will of the people.

It comes from Tony Hancock, who famously said: “Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you? Did she die in vain?”

Market report

Annual June Show and Sale of Prime stock judged by Geoff Burrow Skipton and Colin Bull Stamford Bridge. An exceptional show of cattle met a firm trade throughout with a fine show of lambs.

Forward 106 cattle including 37 bulls and 25 cows 903 sheep including 684 lambs and 164 ewes. Champion beast in show G I Marwood Harome 610kg 224p Radford Butchers Sleights reserve J L Gray Grindale 670kg 222p S Voase Withernwick Champion Bull R H Mason 695 kg 200p M Douglas Best Butchers Bull to 550kg 1st J M Bulmer 540kg 188p M Douglas 2nd J Atkinson 172p M Douglas 3rd J M Bulmer 178p Glaves Butchers Butchers Heavy Bull 1st R H Mason 200p M Douglas 2nd J Waind 194p 3rd S A Brown 179p Butchers light steer 1st M T Bulmer 206p Radfords Butchers 2nd 190p M Douglas Butchers heavy steer 1st J L Gray Burton Fleming 222p S Voase Withernwick 2nd G I Marwood Harome 200p W Timm 3rd G D Nutt 196p M Douglas.Butchers light heifer 198p Motsons Doncaster 2nd R G P Mason 210p Radfords Butchers 3rd G D Nutt 195p Motsons Butchers Heavy Heifer 1st G I Marwood Harome 2nd J L Gray Grindale 232p W Timm 3rd R Bowling Haxby 210p A Radford Sleights. Lightweight lambs 1st D J Wilson Harome £65 Radford Butchers Sleights 2nd D J Wilson Harome £61.50 Radford Butchers Sleights 3rd F A O Wardell £61.50 Radford Butchers Sleights Middleweight lambs 1st D J Wilson Harome £79 Radford Butchers Sleights 2nd D Fussey Bridlington £68 Glaves Butchers 3rd F D Scruton Foxholes £65 Glaves Butchers Heavy lambs 1st M D Medd Sawdon £73 Turners Rillnigton 2nd M D Medd Sawdon £70 Glaves Butchers 3rd W Timm Goole £66 Agars Butchers.

Light steers to 206p ave 197.4p heavy steers to 222p ave 177.6p Light heifers to 210p ave 181.5p heavy heifers to 232p ave 182.6p light bulls to 188p ave 175.3p heavy bulls to 200p ave 170.3p. Cows - OTMs to 136p ave 103.2p OTM steers to 150p OTM heifers to 128p standard lambs to 175.6p ave 145.5p medium lambs to 188p ave 143.4p heavy lambs to 150p ave 140.9p. Standard hoggs to 94p ave 78.6p, medium hoggs to 91.3p ave 86.1p overweight hoggs to 106.6p ave 88.5p Ewes to £78 ave £49.20.