READERS LETTERS
READERS LETTERS
Crop circle silly season is now open
The crop circle season opened on Apr 11 this year with a formation in oilseed rape at Newton St Loe near Bath.
This is the earliest date that crops have been damaged in this manner. We can now expect a flood of copycat formations, not just in the West Country. But throughout other farming areas as small groups of hoaxers set out to outdo each others handiwork both in area and intricacy.
Unfortunately, some people publicise flattened crops as gifts from unknown forces which they personify as the circlemakers. That has the effect of encouraging crop vandals who get their kicks from observing reactions to their vandalism.
Matters are made worse by the widespread quoting of supposedly anomalous effects shown by wheat in the deformed crop. These are the bending of the stem at the nodes, nodal enlargement and vastly increased germination and growth rates of affected seeds.
Credibility has been lent to these claims by one peer-reviewed article by an American biophysicist purporting to quantify these changes in practice.
Serious investigators into the phenomenon cannot understand why the farming community has not been able to catch offenders and have them charged before the vandalism explodes.
Ronald Hill
Rose Cottage, The Street, Fornham St Martin, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
NFU still there and fighting
In his letter (Apr 16), Peter Mayo has confused the NFU with the Farmers Union of Wales, of which Bob Parry is president. These are two separate organisations.
I cant comment on what Bob Parry did during the Brussels farmers demonstrations. However, I was on the march and can vouch for the fact that NFU president Ben Gill was at the forefront of the British delegation throughout the whole event.
Ben Gill led the NFU in its Fair Deal initiative to push for the best possible outcome for British farmers from the CAP reform negotiations.
Ben Gill and the NFU continue to fight the cause for farmers and growers over a range of issues from pesticides tax to the calf processing schemes, providing a vital voice for the agricultural industry.
Peter Gadd
NFU member, Hollygate Farm, Stragglethorpe, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts.
Dispel myths of GM superweeds
I write in response to Dr Herberts letter (Apr 9) which asks: "If one grows herbicide resistant rape, what happens when you rotate your crops?"
I am not a cereal farmer but I imagine that you would spray off GM rape volunteers in the following cereal crop with a whiff of MCPA, or other herbicide which is probably normal practice after a non-GM rape crop.
As soon as Monsanto make everyone aware that herbicide resistant rape is resistant only to Roundup and no other herbicide, there will be an end to the scaremongering about superweeds.
I look forward to the day when we have Roundup resistant amenity grasses and the dreaded poa anua becomes a thing of the past.
Richard Sansome
Fairfield Turf Ltd, Brookland, Kent.
Generic ads key to diary success
As a young farmer, keen to get a foot on a rung of the ladder, I was once all for the abolition of milk quotas within the Agenda 2000 CAP reform. But reflecting after a recent visit to America, I feel my anticipation was ill informed. For every well-fought argument for the end of quotas, there should be a stronger argument for more generic advertising.
We should take note of the American system. It has no milk quota and is open to the vagaries of world trade and consumption levels. Contrary to the Freedom to Farm Act, the US government has intervention buying at a level of $10.27 per 100lb (14.4ppl). Without quota, production per cow has risen to about 8000 litres. All this production needs to be sold to consumers and that has been achieved by a successful advertising campaign.
It is high-profile, high-impact and very effective – all for a small levy of 10 cents per 100lb (0.14ppl). The success of this promotion has allowed US dairy farmers to produce to their capabilities and expand the value added cheese market.
If we apply the US experience to the UK, at the abolition of quotas well see average yield per cow increase to the genetic potential of the cows, which the breeding companies have encouraged us to breed. That is in contrast to the present 6000 litres that the quota regime dictates.
Where will all this production go in an already over supplied market? Shall we take the initiative by setting up an advertising campaign like that in the US aimed at cheese? We consume very little compared with the rest of Europe. Or should we aim at youth and make flavoured milks?
Everyone who calls for the end of milk quotas should consider the wider influences of over production, reduced milk price, and milk not being collected as in pre-MMB days. We should consider action now in the form of generic advertising for the good of our industry.
Ian G McGrath
Grange Farm, Over Peover, Knutsford, Cheshire.
More ads, not more capacity
Your article "Another milk price cut confirms need for new tactics in dairy supply" (Opinion, Apr 9) deserves comment.
You may be right in saying that for milk groups to prosper they need to do more than simply supply milk. But to suggest that more processing capacity is required to secure better returns is extraordinary.
The real problem is that there is an excess of supply over demand caused partly by the weakness of some of our key UK dairy markets and partly by the difficulties of exporting. For a number of years the UK needed to export substantial quantities of commodity products. However, since before deregulation, milk producers neglected the domestic market. In the past five years, liquid sales have continued to fall and cheese volumes sold through retailers have also declined.
There is no point farmers believing that by investing in new capacity they will create new markets. What the industry needs is more people buying more products made from our milk. Hopefully, farmers and processors can persuade government to introduce legislation to allow a compulsory collection of money from the whole industry to promote our core dairy products of milk, cheese and butter.
Nigel White
White House Consultancy, 18 Warren Drive North, Surbiton, Surrey.
Dont panic and break contract
Before Easter, pig prices rose dramatically, spot prices climbed to 95p while contracts languished at 73-78p. Unfortunately, some desperate farmers panicked and reneged on their contracts only to flood the spot markets.
On Friday Apr 16 spot prices reached 92p and the big bully boys have held contracts at about 80p waiting for the panic. I hope farmers will resist and not be manipulated again.
Please stay with your contracts and let spot trade forces cause contracts to rise. Lets not foul up again.
Over the past year, the BPISG has soldiered on making tremendous progress with our outlets and has, at the same time, relieved the feeling of isolation and abuse among many farmers. But the rest of our industrys leaders have seen fit not to make waves and continue to play cricket until the last pig.
According to figures published in FW, clean pig slaughterings for March were down a mere 7% on March 1998. At the same time sow slaughter is down 21%. If there is any relationship between this and the size of our herd the next six months will be interesting if nothing else.
I hope we dont go down the same road as the coal industry and let imports overrun us.
R J Esam
Criftin Farm, Epperstone, Notts.
Stop bashing conservationists
Again we hear the same old cry from the misinformed and ignorant. Intensive farming has caused a decline in the numbers of many birds, including the corncrake and grey partridge, not just songbirds.
It would take decades of extensive habitat management to return the UKs countryside to its former splendour. Organisations such as RSPB, FWAG, BTO all work with the farming community, giving conservation and management advice. And they listen to farmers needs too.
Unfortunately, I often read letters in FW bashing conservation organisations, usually quoting facts gleaned from some unmentioned source. Does GA Vigrass (Letters, Apr 16) have any idea of the illegal persecution that goes on?
As for the argument about songbirds and raptors, years of research have proved that songbird populations are not linked to raptor densities.
All conservation organisations and government bodies have publications about the subjects touched upon. Perhaps FW readers who are thinking of writing in should read some before putting pen to paper.
G Corbett
94 Temple Park Crescent, Edinburgh.
Resist national subsidies call
The green socialist government in Germany is proposing that member states pay agricultural support costs in future to cut the expense of the EUs CAP budget. At the same time Germany is calling for an EU taxation accord to reduce the tax incentives that have enabled other member states to create jobs and develop their economies.
The inconsistency is obvious.
The move to national subsidies would also undermine the principle of fair competition in the free trade of farm produce within the Union. If it was implemented, the system of quotas would have to be abandoned along with the heritage and environmental restrictions on land use which the Union has adopted. I think opposition to genetically modified crops would also have to go.
Farm subsidies are an easy target for urban politicians who forget that they are social payments for cheap food policies. It is easy to assume that Europes need for food can be met by more imports at lower world prices. But
because politicians assume that food comes from full supermarket shelves, they never stop to ask where do supermarkets get their supplies from.
War time rationing taught an older generation the importance of securing local supplies of food. In a dangerous world due to the development of chemical and biological warfare, food production must still be regarded as a strategic industry.
It also impacts on the balance of trade. The fact that poor countries are forced to export food at any price they can get to repay their debts means world food prices are not reflecting fair competition but desperation.
John McCrory
27 Castlemurray, Strabane, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
AGP alternative data available
Jasper Reynold (Livestock, Apr 9) is correct in highlighting the difficulties in obtaining statistically significant results from commercial farm trials. This applies to virtually all nutritional trials not just to comparing performance with and without AGPs or alternatives.
However, he is incorrect, along with other commentators, to say that nobody has got to grips with evaluating alternatives.
Three years ago, anticipating consumer pressure, BOCM Pauls product development team started evaluating the myriad of alternatives that started to become available. Many carried claims that the products could be used to replace AGPs.
About 37 products were offered to us and to our customers. They were categorised under the headings; acids, enzymes, micro-organisms, essential oils and plant extracts, soluble fibre (Beta-glucan/mono-oligosaccaride type products). With all the above categories no claims can be made for growth promotion or improved feed conversion rate because they are not registered as growth promoters.
Of the 37 varieties offered only 14 were considered as worth evaluating after screening. On behalf of our customers we conducted extensive, and costly, investigation of the performance claims of these 14 products over the past two years at our Feed Development Unit at Barhill. Trials involved about 6,000 pigs in fully replicated trial pens.
We believe that we well understand the efficacy/cost effectiveness and importantly the non-effectiveness and inconsistencies of these alternative products.
The results and conclusions are available, via our account managers, to BOCM Pauls customers. But we do make known that from our trials, the benefits seen with AGPs are similar to those reported by Elanco and provide us with the confidence in our trial protocol laid down to evaluate the alternatives.
Terry Sugg
BOCM Pauls.
Wheres pride in Seale-Hayne?
In response to the letter (Mar 26) entitled, "Bacon sarnies hard to swallow", I wish to apologise to the three students. Since farming is having a hard time, it would not be too much to ask Seale-Hayne, and all within, to support the industry more heavily than it would appear to be doing.
It would seem that the college is losing its concern for the industry. Not long ago, Seale-Hayne college was one of the premier agricultural establishments. This incident supports the view that British agriculture is not foremost in the minds of the students, or the college. I find it hard to believe that this was done on purpose. But how could someone overlook the sale?
But it isnt just the students, its probably more attributable to the higher echelons of the college administration which seem more interested in completing the restructuring of the college under the University of Plymouths full control. Pride in the college, and its name, does not seem to exist anymore. Seale-Hayne must take heed. Serve British produce, support British agriculture and improve Seale-Haynes name in the industry.
Former Seale-Hayne student
Name and address supplied.
MLC, where did the lambs go?
Where have all the lambs gone that MLC claimed had yet to be sold late last year. Those of us who decided to finish lambs inside before Christmas and gave them away are regretting that decision now prices have improved considerably, due to reduced numbers coming forward. That begs the question – did MLC make a mistake in its forecast?
In my own case, returns have been halved and I want an explanation as to how MLC made the mistake. Where did it get this misinformation and is it liable for the damage caused?
Who is MLC accountable to and if false claims were made, is it going to admit to the mistake? Who did the calculations which gave such misguided information that distorted the market? It seems, in this caseat least, that MLC needs better statistics before it makes forecasts.
G Wynne
Glenshamrock Farm, Auchinleck, Ayrshire.
Agenda 2000 will fail farming
So Agenda 2000 in its reduced form will continue to cost the housewife dearly and fail the English countrysides diminishing farming structure. European elections are coming up in June and their remit for rural development which will not bear relation to future employment and land use.
What can New Labour do to prevent the wholesale depopulation which will come about in such marginal regions where the livestock industry is so vital? And what of the abattoirs having to pay the hygiene inspection charges which will again lead to further closures?
John E Willett
Future of Rural Society, 14 Eastgate Road, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire.
Who will police countryside?
Although not a permanent resident at the family farm, I visit each weekend and during holidays. I encounter many people who, in pursuit of enjoying the countryside, undermine the farming community, destroy landscape, leave hazardous waste and verbally abuse the landowner and family. Of course this creates considerable ill will and resentment.
It is reassuring to discover that at least Marion Shoard (Letters, Apr 2) is not one of those individuals. Although I have encountered others with a similar point of view, they are in the minority. But Marion is naive in her other views.
In an ideal world we could all enjoy the countryside, but who is going to police it? Who will ensure that ramblers keep their dogs on the lead as they go through a field of lambing ewes?
The comparison Marion makes of our countryside to Sweden is misleading, as the right to roam does not exist there in such simplistic terms.
I do not believe that the right to roam is a viable proposition. Perhaps a way forward would be for people to purchase a licence if they wish to walk footpaths.
Mrs E Hopkins
Manby, Louth, Lincs.