MP talking common sense

The show was kindly sponsored by Lloyds Bank and Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors and judged by Andrew Radford of Radfords Butchers Sleights and Kevin Kelly Esq Livestock Agent of Bardsey Leeds.

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71 cattle including 12 bulls and 13 cows 715 sheep including 513 lambs and 213 ewes. Champion beast in Show J and R Waind Brawby and winner of W A Cundall Perpetual Challenge Trophy and the Major A P Cooper Perpetual Challenge Trophy 450p/kilo Radfords Butchers Sleights; Reserve Champion and winner of the Dennis Good will Memorial Trophy Trophy J R Gardiner Limited; Carnaby Champion bull in Show Morley Bros Fylingdales and winner of R F H Stephenson Memorial Trophy 220p Propameat Roos Light steers 2nd GP and RGP Mason West Heslerton 292p and winner of The Frank Beal Memorial Trophy Colling Butchers Filey 3rd W and L Thompson Middleton 270p Anthony Kidson Hutton Rudby. Heavy steers C G and A J Sutcliffe Wetwang 295p Anthony Kidson Hutton Rudby 2nd W and L Thompson Middleton 240p S Voase Withinwick 3rd T D Nichols Stape 260p. Cleveland Meat Stockton Light heifers 1st G I Marwood Harome 297p D Cammish Driffield 2nd G I Marwood Harome 291p Radford Butchers Sleights Heavy heifers 2nd D R Jackson and Sons Carnaby 295p Radford Butchers Sleights 3rd Nick Marwood Harome 303p Radford Butchers Sleights. OTMs 1st J Bowling and Son Haxby 180p Cleveland Meat 2nd Morley Bros Fylingdales 130p R and G Moor 3rd Rob Harrison Swinton 92p; Cleveland Meat Champion lambs in Show S Warriner Pickering 345p (£200) and winner of Scarborough Butchers Association Trophy Reserve Champion Lambs R W Twiddle Knapton 240p/kilo £108 and winner of the Brandsby Agricultural Trading Association Trophy Champion light weight lambs S Warriner Pickering 245p (£98) and winner of J W Creaser Trophy Radford Butchers Sleights Light lambs 2nd S Warriner Pickering £89 Agars Butchers Ilkley 3rd K B Harrison Riseborough £81.50 Agars Butchers Ilkley Middleweight lambs 2nd R W Twiddle West Knapton £92 R A B Clifford Sledmere 3rd S Warriner Pickering £91 Radford Butchers Sleights heavy lambs 2nd S Warriner Pickering £100 Radford Butchers Sleights 3rd J R Simpson Fadmoor £96 Anthony Kidson Hutton Rudby Ewes 1st J R and J Bulmer £140 A Bennison Whitby 2nd D Aconley Rillington £136 A Bennison Whitby 3rd Morley Bros Fylingdales £122 A Bennison Whitby. Light steers to 394p J R Gardiner Limited Carnaby ave 281.4p medium steers to 268p N Marwood Harome ave 229.6p heavy steers to 259p C G and A G Sutcliffe Thornton Dale ave 233.6p medium heifers to 450p J and R Waind Brawby aver 277.8p heavy heifers to 283p J R Gardiner Limited Caranby ave 257.2p Light bulls to 198p R T Jackson and Son Fraisthorpe medium bulls to 230p J and A M Craggs Ebberston ave 206.6p heavy bulls to 203p J and AM Craggs Ebberston ave 191.8p OTM cows to 130p Morley Bros Brock Hall Fylingdales ave 102.5p OTM clean to 205p J M Wilson Nunnington ave 166.2p Standard lambs to 184p (£70) J G Prince Ayton ave 173p Medium lambs to 245p (£108) T G Warriner Pickering ave 175p heavy lambs to 204p (£104) ave 175p overweight lambs to 345p (£200) T G Warriner Pickering aver 170p Ewes to £140 ave £75.30 A J and J R Bulmer.

SFP payments start to flow

BY the time you read this column, 95 per cent of farmers should have received their 2014 SFP payment according to the RPA.

The estimated rate for normal entitlements is £78/acre which compares with £86/acre last year.

There is once again a strong public health warning about fraud, and the police are expecting a surge in criminals targeting our farm accounts through telephone banking scams.

Just remember the poor farmer who was tricked into transferring £100,000 last year, and so be careful.

More flood money

SOME cynics would say with an eye on next May’s Election, the Government has made a political decision to put lots of money into improving our flooding problems.

I listened to Radio 4 early this morning and heard a farmer in the Somerset Levels who had 390 acres under water and is just moving back into his homestead after a year. He was followed by Anne McIntosh, who as chairman of the EFRA Commons Committee speaks such good sense every time I hear her and makes me wonder what on earth our local Conservative Party were doing to deselect her.

On this occasion she was pointing out that although vital maintenance had been carried out, the Government funding was only guaranteed until the end of 2016. She made the case for a longer term guarantee and for merging both the capital and the maintenance budgets into one fund.

This would prevent the recurrence of the farcical Somerset situation when they argueing about replacing an essential pump and which department would pay for it. It all hinged on the perception of the pump as being a big one to be paid for by the capital department or little one to be paid as maintenance.

Anne McIntosh closed by repeating her proposal for local Drainage Boards to be given more power to spend the money they raise, and that is just plain good common sense, a rare quality amongst politicians.

Campylobacter chickens Last week the Foods Standards Agency revealed that the food poisoning bacteria, Campylobacter, was present in 70 per cent of supermarket chickens tested over the first six months of the year.

These results are a damning indictment of supermarket practice and it is pretty scandalous that they are not making any progress reducing the risk to their customers.

Campylobacter is killed by thorough cooking so if you have to buy at a supermarket make sure your chicken is well done.

Grain trade is rising

WHETHER it is due to Russia, Europe or China, there is no doubt that for some reason the grain trade at home has lifted significantly over the past few weeks and certainly the buoyancy in the market has confounded the pundits.

As at this week feed wheat has lifted to around £138/tonne with barley on £120 and Oil Seed Rape £250.