Rural Payments Agency mapping malfunction (From Gazette & Herald)

Rural Payments Agency mapping malfunction

11:54am Thursday 9th July 2009

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INSCRIBED above the entrance doors of the Rural Payments Agency offices should be the immortal words of Oliver Hardy – “This is another fine mess you have got us into”.

There have been many adjectives applied to the opening phase of the mapping update process, varying from incompetent to shambolic.

That is the good news, because, without any advance warning, North Yorkshire has been included in the maps that are going to be sent out during the current week.

Unfortunately this doesn’t mean all farmers in our area will receive their maps, but most of you should have a nice surprise one morning.

To prepare you as much as I can, your farm will, in traditional RPA fashion, be divided quite illogically between several maps.

The fields are coloured yellow with a red line around what is perceived to be your ownership.

Marked in the yellow fields will be bits of green which the RPA considers to be ineligible areas after viewing them on satellite-generated computer images.

There are many reports of wildly incorrect maps and one farmer found 40 inaccuracies without really trying.

Another farmer discovered that field boundaries had been reinstated along hedgerows that were removed 30 years ago.

Finally, the total area of your farm edged with a red line will be shown in hectares with another column displaying the SPS recorded area which will be used for your future SP payments.

The clock starts ticking as soon as you receive your new maps and you have 28 days in which to respond.

As agents, we can get a further seven days extension, but, even then, time is desperately tight when the busy harvest season looms.

It doesn’t make it any easier when questions put to the RPA go unanswered and my professional organisation is having a meeting with them this week to try to progress matters.

I repeat my previous advice that you may well need the help of your agent or surveyor.

Lamb prices dip

I SUPPOSE it was bound to happen and the extraordinary run of high prices on the lamb market has been welcome while it lasted.

The last two weeks have seen a sharp drop in the market price for new season lamb and this week we are looking at around 140p per kilo.

It is interesting to note that the heavier lambs seem to be more fashionable this year and are maintaining a marginal premium.

Farmers liable for cattle on footpaths

THERE has been a mini spate of nasty accidents with walkers using footpaths through fields of cows and calves. In every case, a dog has been involved and the cows are only instinctively trying to protect their young.

Somewhere, deep in the bovine psyche, the dog, whatever it’s breed, becomes a wolf in poodle’s clothing. You can’t blame the cow, nor, in my opinion, can you accuse the farmer who must be entitled to graze his fields.

The fault, I am afraid, lies with the walker, who has chosen to take a dog and, in most cases, keeps it on a lead, which is the worst possible alternative. If the situation arises, the dog wants to be released immediately and it will look after it’s own safety.

Nevertheless, we should be aware that at Preston Crown Court last week, a judge ruled that a dairy farmer was liable for the injuries a walker and her dog received with potential damages of £1 million. If you do have cows and calves in fields with footpaths, then make sure notices are put up to warn the public.

Grain and fertiliser update

THE barley harvest has now started in some southern counties and doubtless will be in full swing within the next couple of weeks.

This could continue to add more downward pressure as the market struggles to find buyers for large old crop stocks combined with the new crop coming on stream.

Currently, barley is trading at around £75 – £80 per tonne and, at this level, it doesn’t stack up with the price most of us paid for fertliser last autumn.

The wheat market has come tumbling down from a high at the beginning of June, when £130 per tonne was paid for November delivery to the position now, where the November market is hovering around £110 and harvest itself £100 per tonne.

Oil seed rape seems to be hanging on at £240 per tonne and early reports from eastern Europe indicate moderate yields which should help keep up the price.

Thankfully, fertiliser has now come down to around 50 per cent of what it was last June with 20:10:10 being quoted at £220 per tonne and UK Nitrogen at £170 per tonne.

Market report

Malton
Forward 83 cattle including 20 bulls and 14 OTMs and cows 886 sheep including 156 ewes light steers to 145p A H Tyson, Snainton, ave 138.8p heavy steers to 168p T H Burton, Staxton, ave 155.8p light heifers to 182p G I Marwood, Harome, ave 153.5p heavy heifers to 194p M T Bulmer, Salton, ave 160.5p heavy bulls to 159p C V Goodwill, Middleton, ave 150.9p OTMs to 139p A L Bosomworth, Thornton-le-Dale, ave 110.2p cows to 100p ave 90p stock bulls to 120p ave 108.9p standard lambs to 149p A and M Bower, Folkton, ave 136.7p medium lambs to 148p C R Fawcett, Sand Hutton, ave 136.8p heavy lambs to 149p D R Teasdale, Farndale, ave 145.8p medium hoggets to 122p W Chambers and Son, Marton, ave 101.2p ewes to £91 D Green, Pickering, ave £58.20.

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