Archive Article: 2000/06/30
Now welfare must be our top priority
Its important that policy-makers know why farmers are supporting the small abattoir petition. Likewise, small abattoirs should know on what grounds they are being supported.
As a farmer, my reason for signing the petition is solely the argument that animal welfare should benefit. If we as an industry do not give first call to matters of animal welfare before profit and economic issues and consumer choice, if we do not reduce suffering when we have the opportunity to do so, we degrade ourselves as human beings.
The treatment of animals reflects directly on us.
I know as a farmer how easy and comfortable it is to shut oneself off from the plight of the animals in ones care. But we will bring further inevitable and terrible judgments on ourselves and our industry if we do not try to take off the blinkers and look at the bigger picture.
Small abattoirs should know that they are being championed on grounds of animal welfare far above other considerations. That knowledge will make them see their role in a fundamentally sound and responsible way. I have no doubt that if we were to treat animals fairly and behave as human beings, all the secondary issues, such as the organic sector, rare breeds and biodiversity, would benefit automatically.
Philip A Watson
Lidmoor Farm, Bransdale, York.
News a blow for organic farmers
I am dismayed at Icelands decision (News, June 16) to stock totally organic vegetables at the same price as their existing conventionally-produced produce. That is surely the death knell for organic producers.
We know that unit costs of production in organic systems are higher than under conventional systems. Inevitably, as other supermarkets respond to Icelands challenge, vast quantities of organic produce will be imported from other countries. But produced to what standards?
UK organic producers operate to far higher protocols than much of our competition. Its those protocols that give organic produce a reputation for quality it surely deserves. Not so for all imports that will now sell as organic, purchased by the housewife as if produced to UK protocols.
The commercial and exploitative nature of supermarkets will seek to drive down supplier prices, eroding the necessary margin required by organic producers as niche markets become commodity markets. It will, I fear, destroy the aspirations and livelihoods of those seeking to move towards organic production.
Simon Mountjoy
Farms department, Brown & Co, Granta Hall, Finkin Street, Grantham, Lincs. grantham@brown-co.com
Beef challenge at Royal Show
Mr Armstrong appears to suggest (Letters, June 16) that the NFU is beyond attack in all things.
The National Beef Association recognises that much of its work, such as its campaign against proposed changes to EU beef labelling rules, is often well targeted and effective.
But in the instance of the removal of the OTM weight limit, theres a fundamental contradiction between its declaration in May 2000 that an injustice against the owners of heavier cattle has been removed and its actions before the limit imposed in July 1997. It must be made to be more careful about this type of routine double-speak.
In 1997 when MAFF told the industry that the OTM budget would have to be capped, it offered a choice of either cutting payments per kg or paying only the existing level of compensation on the first 560kg.
The NFUs policy committee agreed to a proposal put forward by the chairman of its livestock committee that favoured the weight limit route. That was despite knowing that the £20m/year reduction in payments would be focused exclusively on the owners of heavier cattle.
Mr Armstrong confirmed that was the prevailing attitude within the union when he said that when faced with a choice between an all round price cut of 10% an animal, it chose to heap the damage on farmers culling out heavier cattle.
Our view is that this was unfair and unjust. The NBA has sustained a campaign to have the weight limit scrapped since autumn 1998. We are pleased it has at last been removed but also think that the NFUs claim that this was entirely due to the personal intervention of Mr Gill is more than a little exaggerated.
If Mr Armstrong would like to continue this debate, I suggest he joins us in front of farmers on an open platform at the Royal Show or a similar public venue.
Robert Robinson
National Beef Association, The Firs, Blackmore Park Road, Malvern, Worcs.
Time wasted on fox-hunting topic
On the fox-hunting issue, the appropriate response to this meddling by the obsessional control-freaks of an urban Labour government in minor rural affairs, is for rural organisations to advise their members to orchestrate a blanket ban on public access to all private land.
One does not need to have extreme views, or even to support hunting, to see the erosion of civil liberties, particularly those of unpopular minorities, by the present intolerant government as giving serious cause for concern. The British government already has the worst track-record of any state at the Court of Human Rights. It might do New Labour a salutary turn to get another bloody nose there.
Never mind about an ethical foreign policy, what about the abysmal ethics of government domestic policy?
After waiting more than 18 months, little old ladies are dying forgotten on hospital trolleys for the want of a short operation that should have been performed by the NHS consultant who is busy for most of the time lining his wallet at the private hospital across the road.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Scrooge is hoarding our money at the Treasury so that he can look forward to the highly unethical prospect of bribing us with our own money in the run-up to the next election.
Dont let us hear a government with such an unprincipled and hypocritical track-record talking about ethical policies, particularly in relation to a minor matter such as pest control.
A grown-up government would find something more important to do with parliamentary time such as arranging proper funding of welfare services that everyone has already paid for and been conned out of by the political fraud of blue rinse socialism.
Stuart Pattison
Church Lane, Calstock, Cornwall.
Charitable work in Scotland
In your article "UK farmers bare essentials" (News, June 16) the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution is described as "a leading charity dedicated to helping members of the farming community" and as supporting "farmers and farm workers who have fallen on hard times."
While that is an appropriate description of the work of the RABI (for farmers in England and Wales), the report is less than satisfactory for it omits to mention that the RABI does not help farmers and farm workers in Scotland.
That is the task of the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution established in 1897 to help Scottish farmers. Since 1990, it has modernised its constitution in order to be able to help anyone in difficulty who is, or has been, in farming, forestry, horticulture, fish farming and rural estate work in Scotland and their dependants.
Your readers, unless they happen to live in Scotland, could easily assume that RABI covers farmers throughout the UK. Like RABI, RSABI offers welfare support, advice and friendship as part of its service to the Scottish rural community and it too relies entirely for its resources on voluntary donations. In the year to 31 Mar 2000, RSABI made more than 600 grants which reached a total of nearly £350,000.
We strive to reach and support farmers, farm workers and others in rural occupations in Scotland who are in distress.
I.C. Purves-Hume,
Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution, Ingliston, Edinburgh.
Low fat spreads cant beat butter
John Jenkins Talking Point (June 16) should be reproduced in every magazine that runs a health/cookery section. He is right about the language and about the perception people have of diary foods. Forty years ago, skimmed milk was a scorned by-product of cream and butter.
It amazes me how many people claim to prefer it, along with low fat confectionery. Indeed, the low fat brigade preach that well get used to these "healthier" products and not notice any difference in taste. Personally, I would rather have one good cup of coffee with cream and one portion of a decent sweet than a dozen cups of instant coffee with skimmed milk and a whole packet of low-fat cookies. Think too of the foods improved by a knob of butter – new potatoes, mushrooms, freshly baked bread and scones. Compare that with low fat spread – urrgh.
Mrs Shirley Brown
Bishops Road, Trumpington, Cambridge. Stephen.j.brownO@talk21.com
Campaigns got NFU backing
The Rogation Sunday and green ribbon campaign (Letters, June 9) was a joint activity by the NFU and the Arthur Rank Centre and supported by farmers weekly.
farmers weekly covered the campaign in detail, as did the other farming Press as a result of an NFU Press release about it.
In April all regional and branch offices were sent leaflets about Rogation Sunday and the green ribbon campaign with instructions of how to get local churches involved. Several NFU regional journals also ran stories on the campaign.
Far from being ignorant of this important campaign to raise awareness of the plight of the farming community, the NFUs support for the green ribbon campaign and Rogation Sunday was well documented in farmers weekly and the other farming papers.
Diane Lamb,
Head of Public Affairs, NFU, Agriculture House, 164 Shaftesbury Avenue, London.
Touchy reaction to criticism
Why do the promoters of organic farming assume questioning of their beliefs must arise from those employed by multinationals? Mr Pattison (Letters, June 9) in response to my Talking Point (June 2) makes this assumption. I am a director of a small family-owned seed merchant and partner in my familys farm.
It is because I am concerned about the misinformation being spread by multinationals, such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, that I wrote the article. This campaign is already increasing the costs of my business and the prices farmers will pay for seed in the future.
Mr S Foad (Letters, June 9) refers me to the various bibles of the organic movement. However, it is what people do that is important not what the rules say. As the Soil Association has set itself up as a promoter of organic farming and both sets the rules and enforces them, there are clear conflicts of interest. That is a similar scenario to the circumstances which have led to scandals in the pensions industry and more recently in the medical profession. I fear organic farming is a sector with a health scare waiting to happen.
Finally, for those without the time to check their dictionary "egregious piffle" means shocking nonsense. When your opponent resorts to such language it means your point has hit home.
James Wallace
23, Church Street, Thurlby, Bourne, Lincs. churchst23@hotmail
BPC should only charge supporters
It is with interest that I note, as a contributing grower to the British Potato Council, it has managed to maintain its existence by some outrageous back door method of figure jumbling. The vote to ascertain grower support was lost by the British Potato Council, however, its continuity seems assured.
Surely, the correct thing to do under such circumstances where grower support is so obviously divided, would be for the non-supporters to pay no contributions. Supporters could pay whatever would be necessary to maintain British Potato Council activities.
If that were the case, current supporters would quickly review their opinions. Hopefully, that would lead to a quick demise of this archaic, vote-fixing, dictatorial bunch of quangos, otherwise known as the British Potato Council.
Lincs Farmer
Name and address supplied.
Stolen dogs not in research labs
The RSPCA was concerned at the article suggesting that farm dogs are being stolen and exported for use in laboratories (News, June 2). It is very unlikely that stolen dogs end up in research laboratories either in the UK or abroad. In the UK, laboratory dogs must be obtained from licensed breeders by law.
If a researcher used illegally purchased farm dogs, they would soon be found out and prosecuted, losing their licence to carry out research. It is highly unlikely that anyone would risk that and there is no evidence to support such claims.
It is unfortunately legal to use ex-companion and pound animals in the US and Japan. But that also means its highly unlikely that researchers would pay substantial amounts to import dogs when they would be able to use dogs obtained cheaply in their own countries.
I advise anyone whose dog has disappeared not to torment themselves further by imagining them suffering in a research laboratory. However, if anyone ever sees someone taking an animal in suspicious circumstances, they should immediately contact the RSPCA (0870-5555 999) or the police.
Penny Hawkins
Senior scientific officer, Research Animals Department, RSPCA HQ, Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex.
Thanks to all, including NFU
I was concerned to read the letter (June 9) about the apparent ignorance of the green ribbon campaign and day of prayer for the farming community on the part of the NFU officers in Dorchester. From this, your correspondent concluded that this was representative of the whole organisation.
Can I put the record straight and express publicly my thanks to all those who were involved in supporting the campaign and making it such a success. From the start the NFU has been fully involved in the plans and arrangements both at national and regional level. NFU staff have generously given of their time and expertise, and the many thousands of leaflets that were circulated around the country were generously printed by farmers weekly sponsored by the NFU.
I understand that leaflets were sent to all NFU offices and I am grateful to Ben Gill for his endorsement of the initiative and for his public statements of support that were issued via Press releases from Shaftesbury Avenue.
Rather than being ignorant of the campaign, the NFU has been fully involved in it. It is unfortunate that some did nothing about it and chose to ignore the lead that the president gave.
Can I express the thanks of all at the Arthur Rank Centre for all the support and encouragement we have had concerning the campaign and make special mention of the contribution from farmers weekly. We have had many letters and phone calls at the centre appreciating all that it achieved. We hope the idea of the green ribbon will be used by others at agricultural shows, public demonstrations and rallies. If anyone wishes to do that we at the centre would be pleased to offer help and support.
Gordon Gatward
Director of the Arthur Rank Centre, National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwicks.
Pig men suffer in MAFF hands
MAFFs pig industry restructuring scheme, announced with great fanfare by Tony Blair and Ben Gill, might be worth £78m over three years. However, such is the uncertainty, it might be worth a great deal less, and it might be worth nothing whatsoever. Coincidentally, £78m is close to the annual cost to pig farmers of unilateral BSE control measures, although this is falling as their numbers diminish.
That comparison makes interesting background to the anonymous MAFF spokeswomans comments: "We are frustrated that we have had to devote so much time and effort to the judicial review that would have been better spent on other things, such as administering the pig industry restructuring scheme. It is noteworthy that a sector which is claiming to have gone through such a severe recession has managed to raise tens of thousands of £s."
Such impertinence is more suited to a politician than a civil servant. Pig farmers seem to be regarded with contempt by MAFF; is anyone likely to believe the implication that MAFF has been only too anxious to assist them?
We know that the threatened judicial review was one of the goads that prompted the restructuring scheme. Does that official not know there has been a recession? Does the minister not know?
If he doesnt, what is the quality of the advice he gets from his staff? Could they spot a wolf in a flock of sheep? Would they care?
Neil Datson
Glebe Farm, Spelsbury, Oxford. neil@coldronmeat.co.uk