Make firm stand against Draconian 21-day rule

14 December 2001




Make firm stand against Draconian 21-day rule

Livestock markets look set to reopen in February next year,

but industry leaders are still fighting to ensure that the

21-day rule does not become a permanent control measure

MOVES to reopen livestock markets look set to be announced soon, according to sources close to the negotiations.

And it appears that industry pressure, including that from hundreds of farmers weekly readers who have backed our Save Our Markets campaign has played a key role.

The announcement will herald good news for cattle and slaughter sheep sales, which are expected to restart from early February, if serology testing finds no live foot-and-mouth virus in sheep. The omens are good so far, say most industry pundits.

But while store cattle and primestock sales will be a massive boost to the industry, NBA chairman Robert Robinson says it still has to convince DEFRA vets that a permanent 21-day rule will be extremely damaging if it remains.

"Unfortunately, the State Veterinary Service appears to be determined to press ahead against industry advice with a rule that is flawed at a practical level. Govern-ment vets give every sign that their minds are made up and nothing we can say can change them."

The NBA warns that grassland farmers will resist the 21-day standstill, so the government needs to find an alternative.

In Scotland, the 21-day rule has been operating even after markets reopened in early September.

Brian Pack, chief executive of the ANM Group, reckons it is strangling livestock farming. "The measures are Draconian. Folk cant operate their businesses with the 21-day standstill in place."

The industry needs to know where it is heading, he says. If the future is this type of regulation then farmers need to change their businesses to adapt.

A permanent standstill rule will also mean the end of sheep farming on many mixed units that are primarily geared to beef production, because they cant mix movement and sales, he adds.

The cattle and sheep industries are very stratified, unlike the pig industry, which operates under a 20-day standstill rule. "You can take feed to pigs, but cattle and sheep you have to move to the feed. They are both extensive enterprises.

"It is a non-starter to suggest that cattle and sheep industries can operate in the same way as the pig industry."

Lord Whitty

DEFRA

Nobel House

17 Smith Square

London SW1P 3JR

Dear Lord Whitty,

Re: Opening of livestock markets

For the sake of livestock farmers and the UKs livestock industry it is imperative that auction markets reopen as soon as possible in the New Year. This is with the proviso that there is a three-month clear period between the last case of foot-and-mouth and the commencement of sales. We feel that the livestock auction sector is now being made to suffer unnecessarily because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Since livestock markets have been shut we have not had the flexibility to market our animals as we would wish and have been left without an auction system to establish a true market value. While accepting this was a necessary evil because of the national crisis, we now believe the time is right to allow livestock markets to trade again, under reasonable biosecurity measures.

We, therefore, suggest that you consider the following:

1. The resumption of livestock auctions for cattle and sheep in the New Year, operating under practical biosecurity measures.

2. That all classes of cattle and sheep sales can take place on the same premises on the same day.

3. That the 20-day rule be removed as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Name …………………………………………………………………………………

Occupation…………………………………………………………………………..

Address……………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………Postcode……………………………

Please return your letters to Save Our Markets, farmers weekly, FREEPOST (CN2908), Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5BR.

Should you wish to withhold your address, please sign the letter and attach your address on a separate sheet.

Prime and store cattle markets could reopen early next year, according to industry sources. But biosecurity regulations are expected to be tight.


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