THE cattle ring last Tuesday afternoon (December 7) came a close second in the league of inhospitable venues to a marquee pitched at the South Pole, but more than 60 stalwarts braved the falling temperatures to debate the future of Malton Livestock Market.

With one notable exception, Pat Foxton and I gathered together the main players in any relocation project – Keith Knaggs, leader of Ryedale District Council and promoter of the Wentworth Street car park sale as a supermarket, Paul Andrews, a Malton ward councillor and chief critic of the superstore sale, and Mark Nicholson, agent for the Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation, which owns the Showfield site and land outside the bypass.

But there was no one from the Fitzwilliam Estate, which owns 90 per cent of Malton town centre, including the existing cattle market.

Pat Foxton opened the meeting and we provided a brief update:

1. Market lease: After a two-year legal wrangle, the auctioneers signed a new 15-year lease, which runs from October 2008. There are break clauses for both parties every five years and therefore the earliest possible date for termination will be October 2013.

2. Alternative sites: Historically, The Showfield has been the preferred location for a new market, but sited within the bypass it is clearly too valuable to be taken up by an extensive development as opposed to the greater density of residential or industrial buildings.

The Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation is well disposed towards a new market and is offering an alternative location on the other side of the roundabout on the Pickering road.

This seems to be the most practical option.

3. Cost and capital: To build a small market with multi-purpose pens for 300 cattle, 2000 sheep with ancillary services is budgeted at about £3 million, excluding the cost of any site.

The capital can only be raised from a limited number of sources:

* The auctioneers

* Compensation from the estate

* Ryedale District Council

* Farmers

* Outside investors

* Borrowings from the bank

Keith Knaggs then took the floor and made it clear that if Ryedale was to invest in a new market it would have to be a business project and he hoped it would attract other businesses to create a multi-functional agricultural centre, rather like York, Thirsk and Skipton.

He held out the prospect of a grant from Ryedale of £1 million, but this would depend upon matched funding from the private sector and a change of existing council policy.

This was great news, but the sting in the tail is that the funds will come out of the sale of the Wentworth Street car park and Paul Andrews was the next speaker.

He made it clear that Malton Estate, not Ryedale, should pay for the market. He had spoken to the estate and reported that “if the council will forego the contributions it requires for other matters, the estate would be able to contribute a fair share of the relocation costs”.

He argued strongly that Keith Knaggs’ offer of £1 million investment was a misuse of public money, that Wentworth Street should stay as a car park, and that Malton Estate should contribute towards he relocation costs.

Next we listened to Mark Nicholson, on behalf of the Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation. He made it clear that, provided development prospects were reasonable for the Showfield, then his trustees would look favourably upon dedicating an area of land near the Pickering roundabout for the new market.

If this is to become a reality, an urgent meeting is required between Coun Knaggs and Mr Nicholson.

There followed a lively discussion with a lot of farmer participation.

The meeting explored the possibility of setting up a farmers company to own and perhaps operate the market.

Rod Cordingley who had experience with the new market at Thirsk, explained the structure and pitfalls of such a joint business venture.

John Hicks took a more direct approach asking the audience for a show of hands from those prepared to put up £10,000 each into a new market company.

Most encouragingly, there were 12 hands raised – which, bearing in mind the circumstances and the temperature, was a splendid start.

Mr Pawson, from S and D Plumbing, also commented that he and perhaps other local trades would be prepared to do work on the new market at concessionary rates.

The atmosphere was generally positive and it was decided to follow the meeting with a circular to all farmer customers to gauge the level of support.


Great Malton turkey sale

THE annual Christmas sale of turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens takes place on Wednesday, December 22, at 11am in the main ring of the cattle market.

There will be hundreds to choose from, but if you want to check please phone Cundalls on 01653 697820 or Boulton and Cooper on 01653 692151 to find out on the day before.

Due to demand from buyers, we are holding a market on Tuesday, December 28.


Oliver Worsley 1927-2010

SADLY, Oliver Worsley had to suffer the debilitating Huntington’s disease for the last 10 years of his life, but the focus of his memorial service, at Hovingham, was on his achievements and his lifelong association with both the arts and agriculture.

He was a true countryman and among his other contributions he was a steward at the Great Yorkshire Show and helped me out for more than10 years as a trustee of the Yorkshire Museum of Farming.

Oliver was a gentlemen who treated everyone as someone special.


Market report

Forward 75 cattle, including 10 bulls and 25 cows and OTMs 987 sheep, including 89 ewes, medium steers to 194p W I Armitage Hovingham heavy steers to 194p C R Fawcett Sand Hutton ave 171.02p Heavy heifers to 202p G I Marwood Harome ave 166.11p heavy bulls to 169p Ventress and Partners Littlebeck ave 155.8p Cows to 132p D T Jackson Danby ave 97.2p OTMs to 120p C Wilson Hackness standard lambs to 194p C R Fawcett, Sand Hutton, ave 182.4p medium lambs to 183p O J Pearson and Son Huggate ave 172.4p heavy lambs to 180p D Green, Pickering, ave 163.6p overweight lambs to £87 T Kelsey, Gilling, Ewes to £81 J Pease, Heslerton, ave £61.50.