READERS LETTERS
10 March 2000
READERS LETTERS
Milk facts could have funny side
Who says pigs cant skate? Milk as part of a healthy balanced diet, provides the calcium skaters need for strong bones. I wholeheartedly agree with Mike Wilkinson (Talking Point, Feb 25) that we must advertise the benefits of drinking British milk. But I would disagree with his sentiments that facts cannot be fun. Humour can be used effectively to get across serious messages that are remembered.
On the question of standards of animal welfare I would agree that the UK does have the structures and morals to be the best, but we must all support the enforcers. Inspections and, if necessary, penalties are an essential part of an industry promoting itself as safe and wholesome.
I have worked in dairy farming for 15 years, and in livestock marketing for 10 years.
Chris Dockerty
16 Leys Crescent, South Kilworth, Lutterworth, Leics.
Simple guide to measuring?
How about a simple mans guide to measuring a field? How does MAFF do it? It is, of course, always right. Yours, hoping not to be penalised, shot, hung, drawn and quartered.
Peter Ashley
Monks Green Farm, Hertford, Herts.
Dairy protests, yes – threats, no
I hope dairy farmers have thought out their proposed action of hitting primary targets such as a dozen processing plants across the West Country. They would do well to remember that the UK is allowed to produce only 80% of the raw milk used in this country. That means processors are already importing milk. So for them to order another tanker of foreign milk will cause no problems.
But the dairymans problem, after any action, is to get them to use their milk again. The dairy sector should take a long, hard look at the beef crisis. Our old beef customers had to find other beef suppliers and are now happy with them, although they would be better off using British beef. So please look before you leap. Protest, yes, but threats, no.
I am sure many beef farmers will support the dairy farmers with their protests.
Fran Evens
Barn Cottage, Ash Priors, Taunton.
Foolish time for milk year start
Who was responsible for choosing Apr 1 as the start of the milk year? With a maritime climate, we get a highly nutritious range of growth in April and May. So what do we do? Cut production at the end of winter increasing our overheads and sucking in imports, and then take the brakes off when we get spring, creating a huge surplus.
If the milk year started on June 1, supply to production would be encouraged naturally to the benefit of the whole country.
If our ministry of non-food wants to write and say it cant be changed, I already know it is not on our side; I do not want to know.
R Newton
Millers Court, Birtsmorton, Malvern.
Produced not just packed…
I see Chris Ling from Tescos misunderstood my letter (Feb 11) regarding the packaging and labelling of British produced pork.
Like many consumers, I would like to know why the pork sold in Tesco, showing it was packed in the UK, was labelled as British and carried the British charter mark? That mark should be shown only on British pork produced in the UK. If the pork is British, as Mr Ling says it is, why doesnt the label say it is produced in the UK? This is very misleading for consumers.
The MLC is a waste of time when it comes to promoting British meat and is unaware of what is happening. Why doesnt it, together with the NFU and NPA, get out into the grass roots of agriculture. Then, they could find out what is going on after the livestock leaves the farm and how the meat is marketed in the outside world.
Mrs Sarah Giles
38 Latton, Nr Swindon, Wilts.
Make use of our retailing nous
Having listened to the Farming Programme on Radio 4 on Feb 23, I was interested to hear comments on the future of farmers markets and the possibility of them opening in town centres.
As an independent retailer, I feel we could co-operate with the farmers to our mutual benefit by setting up a network using their production expertise and our retail areas.
Quality and flavour are essential, which is why customers come to people like ourselves. We already buy our cheeses direct from farms, so it seems common sense to expand facilities already in place, and forge links between the small producer and independent retailer.
Tim Dommett
Partner, Cheesebox, 53 Downing Street, Farnham, Surrey.
Lets net some better prices
We farmers should take Mr Blairs ideas seriously but not in the way he imagines. We should diversify but not separately. Lets form one worldwide, dot com company.
Mr Blair says we should all embrace the internet. So www. wheat, oilseeds, beef, pork, etc, would be farmer-controlled and would aim to match supply and demand worldwide by fixing minimum prices and regulating supply. Then all farmers around world could make a decent living without having to beg for handouts. We are not alone in Britain; the farming crisis is worldwide.
American farmers are having crisis meetings. The Irish beef protests scored a successful result, but will it last? Pig producers everywhere are losing money.
My friends say it would never work, but the technology exists to try – all it needs is the will. Then we could say: "Its £100/t, how much do want?" Not, as now: "Ive got 100t, how much will you give me?"
I J Bennett
HomeFarm25@aol.com
Popular choices, but kept out
Ken Livingstone and Richard Haddock. Two people with, I expect, very different political beliefs and ideas. But they share a large following and probably a majority of popular support. But because of their organisations voting systems, neither can get the top job. This makes the NFU and New Labour strange bedfellows.
Richard Hanby
Apperley Hall Farms, Apperley, Glos.
Delia has been promoting pork
In response to Gillian OSullivans letter (Feb 18) we, and many others, have written several times to Delia Smith to enlist her help and magic touch with regard to promoting British Pigmeat. She has written extensively about British pigmeat products in her latest book which accompanies the current TV series and also recommended British is best when discussing pigmeat on television.
We did also ask if we could have a short slot on one of the programmes to explain the issues of our case but we were unsuccessful.
Delia has also signed the honest labelling campaign petition set up and run by pig producers which is going to be handed to government as part of its Better Food Labelling consultation process.
The one thing this crisis has done for pig producers, and many in the allied industries, is to pull us closer together.
Everyone has had to think of more ways to try to get our message across. We have to continue to press all concerned to ensure that pigmeat products are clearly identified as have being produced to UK legislative standards.
George Gittus
Geo.E.Gittus & Sons Ltd., Symonds Farms, Great Saxham, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Lazy…he surely cant mean us
Judging by the authoritative tone of Mr Stubbs of Burton Hole Farm (Letters, Feb 25) I can tell that here is a man who knows a thing or two about financial hardship.
Naturally, it doesnt matter a jot whether Britain manages to keep its old infrastructure of small farmers. Why should we care if UK food production falls into the hands of a prosperous few? Tenant farmers in particular do not deserve to breathe the same air as the virtuous Mr Stubbs, who I am sure, must have gained his farm entirely through unmitigated hard work. And if he tells us that to be struggling with rent demands and other costs is synonymous with laziness, then of course he must be right.
Caroline Drew,
Simon Drew Gallery, 13 Foss Street, Dartmouth, Devon.
Should have got right advice
I was disappointed to read your article "Its not right way for all" (Arable, Feb 11). If the grower had sought proper advice on careful planning and rotation design, the result would have been a far happier one. Thats the type of advice we received from the Organic Advisory Service and is also now a requirement under the Organic Farming Scheme.
To simply turn-off the agrochemicals does not make a farm organic.
Gerry Minister
Farm manager, Luddesdown Organic Farms Ltd Organic@luddesdown.u-net.com
New danger from Brussels
Livestock farming readers should be aware of the latest bureaucratic proposals being imposed from Brussels. If they become law, they will have far reaching effects on their livelihoods and the welfare of their stock.
Regulation 13 would prohibit the use of nutritional supplements and additives (minerals, trace elements, vitamins, etc) where such products are top dressed onto forage or feed, added to drinking water, liquid drenches, pastes and boluses. That means all applications unless additives are incorporated into a feed.
Such non-feed supplements are already used on almost every livestock farm, especially for grazing and forage based diets. Millions of livestock would be deprived of these essential elements and the potential effect would be devastating in terms of profitably and animal welfare.
There is still time for farmers to influence these draft regulations provided they do so in writing immediately. Write to MAFF, your MP, MEP, NFU, FUW and any others stating your objections to Regulation 13 of Draft Feedstuffs Regs 2000 indicating the effect it would have on your business. Further information and addresses are available from Agri-Lloyd International, telephone 01568 610111. We must act now.
Thomas F. Lloyd,
Agri-Lloyd International Ltd, Glendower Road, Leomister, Herefordshire.
Barley growers not whingeing
Your Business section (Jan 28) reported Mr R C S King, the grain buyer for a Norfolk malting company as saying that the growers keen to launch a Malting Barley Confederation were whingeing farmers.
Whether Mr King was voicing his own acerbic views or representing his employers or the Maltsters Association is unclear. Nevertheless, his words were singularly unfortunate. I attended the NFU-sponsored meeting where growers expressed their opinions and price was not the only factor on their minds. Nor were they whingeing.
The meeting, at which Mr King spoke, was well balanced and sound in its presentation. He certainly did not dare to challenge the growers as whingers face to face.
These growers are seeking a sound foundation to continue growing malting barley on the light lands of Norfolk. That could be a contractual link so that they may be assured of the need for their product.
Or it may be better guidance from the merchanting trade and the malting industry as to how they should husband the crop and present the grain so that it meets malting specifications, in order that they may obtain a reasonable premium over the feed barley. They were not asking for, nor do they expect, a return to the ultra-high premiums of recent years.
As an initiative it is to be encouraged. Perhaps Mr King sees it as a challenge to his commercial role, but he must allow others to express a view without demeaning their efforts.
If the production of malting barley is reduced by a tightening of the prices then disproportionately higher on-farm prices will result for that smaller quantity which is produced.
That means there will be stiffer competition for UK maltsters from Europe. In Europe malting barley production is better regulated, with an integration between growers, co-ops and traders, and where the farmers prices reflect the price at which the resultant malt may be sold. Whos the real whinger Mr King?
Peter Brown
Commodities Consultants, Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
More copyright, Mr Brown
Having watched, with interest, the publicity concerning the copyrighting of the Newcastle Brown Ale name by Nick Brown, I am left wondering, and hoping, whether his next objective will be to do the same for other British produce. Only then will those foods grown and produced in Britain, as well as meeting our high welfare and quality standards, be allowed to carry the much sought after label of "Produced in Britain".
That would go a long way towards helping many British farmers, and may even increase Mr Browns rapidly declining popularity among them.
Tim Gurton
Writtle Agricultural College, Chelmsford, Essex.
Co-operation needs trust
In response to J L Wrights letter (Jan 11), co-operation is something which farmers in the Dengie Hundred area of Essex have been involved in for more than 30 years.
Dengie Crop Driers was formed in 1968 by a group of 12 farmers who realised that by working together, they could achieve real benefits. Their idea was to set up a co-op venture to establish a new market for dried lucerne and grass.
The production and marketing of dried lucerne is still the cornerstone of the business today as well as grain storage and marketing.
And even though Dengie Crops is now a limited company, its 120 farmer members continue to reap the benefits of co-operation.
Dengie Crops also operates a buying group which, with a combined acreage of 30,000 acres, allows considerable savings to be made on farm inputs like fuel, chemicals and fertiliser.
Dengie is also a founder member of Saturn Agriculture, a company formed last year by Cambridge Farmers, West Essex Farmers, Framlingham Farmers – all farmer co-ops – and Dengie Crops.
It brings the benefits of farmer co-operation to 700 farmers, who farm close on 0.5m acres across East Anglia.
Co-operation can and does work, but it also needs trust.
Keir Wyatt
Managing director, Dengie Crops, Hall Road, Asheldham, Southminster, Essex.
Reveal your vote or else…
One wonders why Mary James, chairman of the NFUs public relations working party, cannot tell her local union branch who she voted for at the recent NFU office-holder elections.
Given that members pay their subscriptions for her to have the privilege of representing them, you would think it was the least they could ask for.
Perhaps Mrs James and the rest of the NFU council should realise the game is up. The London Club NFU must end or subscriptions will dry up.
John Redman
Somerset County NFU chairman 1994, Clapton Court, Clevedon Lane, Clapton-in-Gordano.
Research keeps finger on pulses
Your editorial (Opinion, Feb 18) correctly drew attention to the changes in cereal and oilseeds profitability and the need for variety testing to reflect current conditions.
These market forces also apply to pulses where PGRO, through its pulse levy, funds the series of variety trials for the pea and bean Recommended Lists. That costs about £110,000 a year and covers Recommended Lists for winter and spring bean and spring peas plus Description List trials for winter lupins and winter peas.
Each year the work is reviewed, with both NIAB and PGRO aiming to produce the most technically viable and cost-effective service for pulse growers and users. Areas for discussion include trial numbers and locations, crop and variety management, disease investigations and market trends. Most years, changes are made to the programme within the overall money available for the work.
Evolution and responsiveness are the keywords in our approach.
G P Gent
PGRO, The Research Station, Great North Road, Thornhaugh, Peterborough.