FARM DIARY

I was with Defra officials and Lord Rooker last week, and it does seem that nothing is going to be lifted before the 5th of Nov: at the earliest, although they could easily lift the 10km zone themselves at any time without affecting their assurances to Brussels.

Luckily the weather is still kind, and another dry week is forecast. The sheer cost of building pens with expensive straw, feeding all the calves twice a day on milk is becoming prohibitive. I just hope that they have a high value when we do eventually get to sell them on. They look a treat, and are having a very good time thank you very much; not caring a hoot about the amount of effort that goes into the running of their 'hotel'.

The catastrophic consequences of this FMD outbreak on the agricultural community is far-reaching, with the collapse of lamb and breeding sheep prices, the low beef prices across the board, and the total lack of export for dairy calves. Dealers and abattoirs take advantage at times like these, and last week there appeared to be a case of breeding sheep being bought cheaply in Cumbria, and entering the food chain, when they had been treated (quite rightly and responsibly as breeding animals) for parasites.

Asda amongst others found themselves removing lamb from the shelves, and one has to ask whether this was a case of buyers taking advantage of the fact that farmers are selling breeding sheep for far less than they would ordinarily be worth, spotting an opportunity to make a quick buck, or is this a case of retailers squeezing margins, causing the problem. Either way, a potential problem was averted thanks to some sharp individuals keeping an eye on things at the abattoir. The Food Standards Agency praised Asda for its prompt withdrawal of suspect lamb meat from the shelves.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette October 31

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