THEY say it's the early sheep that catches the lamb trade, and this Friday sees the autumn sale season open up in Malton market place with a healthy entry of over 3,000 head.

Thankfully, the use of the market premises will water down to practical levels of implementation the bio-security regulations which have to be enforced on DEFRA guidelines.

The entry will include 1,200 gimmer shearlings and over 100 rams.

Most of the usual vendors are to be represented and, with the buoyancy of the lamb market being maintained over the summer, we are hoping for a good turnout of buyers.

Catalogues are available from the market offices if you want one.

Will the 20-day

standstill stay?

There is no doubt that the 20-day standstill rule on the movement of livestock is getting to be an unbearable hardship; and nothing like it exists anywhere else in Europe or, for that matter, in any other country from which we are accepting boatloads of meat.

It is the more frustrating because all the scientific opinion that is printed seems to accept that a reduced period of six days would be equally effective and, balanced with the economic pressures, they have supported a farmer's case to Government.

Despite all this, Frau Beckett is intent on keeping the hatches down on British farming while maintaining an open door policy to every disease-ridden country in the rest of the world.

In places like Wales and our own upland farming areas, there has been a strong reliance upon selling store stock in the autumn. It represents their livestock harvest each year and the 20-day rule means that they cannot buy a tup or some replacement ewes without accepting that they cannot sell anything else for three weeks.

It may not be the whole reason, but it is quoted as an ancillary cause for the transfer of the entire livestock trading business belonging to Penrith Farmers & Kidd who operated at Penrith, Lazonby, Kirby Stephen, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Stokesley. It's a sad day for the agricultural community when a progressive, farmer-based auction company has to close its livestock arm, even though they are in competition with us.

More chaff from

the combine

Like my wife's slimming programme, this year's harvest is going in fits and starts, punctuated by incredibly hot days of activity and frustrating rest periods.

Considering the disastrous £50 price tag for barley, it is hardly any wonder that there is renewed interest in crimping moist barley, and even whole-crop silage.

When we get this harvest behind us, the next question facing the struggling arable farmer will be whether to drill as many cereals this autumn.

Check dates for extensification - Three dates have been announced now for checking stock in accordance with the Extensification Payments Scheme. These are as follows:

January 9

April 19

May 22

British milk or not? - Back from Pony Club Camp came a part-used plastic container of milk bought from Tesco.

Tricia Russell was interested in its origin, but all that was to be seen on the label was a Union Jack accompanied by the Little Red Tractor and a statement that the milk was up to "British Farm Standard".

Although it may have been British, it could, as far as I can tell, also have been imported, and, if this is possible, then the current labelling system is as near to deception as you can get.

Watership Down joke - Judy and I were blessed with a new baby grandaughter, Lily, last week and we went on a flying visit to the big city for an inspection.

Whilst there, we noted a sign outside a butcher's shop promoting rabbit, which read "Watership Down - you have seen the film, you have read the book, now try the stew!"

Market hit by

harvest and show

Ryedale Show and harvest combined to reduce numbers forward on Tuesday; and we ended up with 40 cattle and 350 sheep.

The trade for clean cattle was quite respectable, with John Remmer showing an excellent batch of clean cattle which made up to a top of 119p/kilo for a heifer and 118p/kilo for a steer. The best lightweight steer came from Bridget Raby at 108p/kilo.

The bulls were not spectacular, and the best price, of 92p/kilo, was shared by Bill Smith and Tom Spence.

The lamb trade is holding up well, and the averages were 101p/kilo through the market up to 112p/kilo. The best price per head went to Megginson Brothers of Wharram, with £54.20, but there were a lot of sheep making from £43 to £50.

Updated: 09:31 Thursday, August 01, 2002