York reopens auction

It has not been an easy decision and I am still not sure we are right, having listened to the frustrated phone calls of farmer clients who are not allowed to attend. Let me briefly explain the situation that persists eight months after the last confirmed case of FMD in North Yorkshire and that still penalises the auction markets from earning a living.

- DEFRA has decreed that a farmer bringing cattle, sheep or pigs onto his holding cannot move any stock off the farm for 20 days except direct to slaughter.

- DEFRA has further designated all auction sales, be they fatstock or storestock, as events which trigger off the 20-day rule.

- As long ago as last June, DEFRA allowed the introduction of collection centres in order to alleviate the very real difficulties that farmers with small numbers of stock were having in transporting them great distances to find a slaughter house.

Collection centres are designated as slaughter points and therefore do not trigger the 20-day rule. Farmers can bring their stock to a collection centre with impunity and in many places, such as York, they have worked well, allowing viable loads of sorted animals to be dispatched to the abattoirs.

- The collection of OTMS cattle is given similar slaughter point designation and can be run concurrently with a collection centre for clean cattle.

- DEFRA has allowed auctions to restart but will not permit them to be held on the same day as collection centres for other clean cattle or OTMS animals.

The whole situation is quite bizarre and unreasonable; and the more frustrating because Scotland has already had its rules relaxed for months now, enabling stock to be marketed normally.

The solution we are seeking can go down one of several routes.

- The 20-day ban on movement could be changed so that it applies only to the animals brought onto the holding and does not affect the remainder of the stock on the farm. This is the solution that Scotland has followed.

- The length of the 20-day ban could be reduced to, say, six days which would then allow people to plan their marketing in a sensible manner.

- Fatstock markets could voluntarily designate themselves as slaughter points which would then not trigger off the 20-day ban at all.

Any of the above would help, but can we get DEFRA to understand - can we heck?!

For those interested in the York sale, the operation will be similar to that in Malton and here are a few details: 8.30 am sale of pigs; 10am sale of cattle; 11.30am sale of sheep.

We shall still be taking cattle that are destined for the deadweight system and putting them on the appropriate lorries. Following the finish of the market we intend to collect our OTMS cattle from 2pm onwards.

Half a century ago, it would be standard practice for guests, and even family, to dress for dinner in many households; and invitations would arrive with discreet but firm postscripts about "black tie" or "lounge suits".

Over the years, increasing informality has led to the casual attire with which we live today and the reintroduction of a formal dress code, especially onto the livestock market scene, has been both difficult to understand and implement.

Whatever the weather, "wellies and waterproofs" have to be worn by farmers and buyers if they want to go into the livestock area of the cattle market and Tuesday saw the DEFRA staff on duty in sterner mode to enforce the rules.

Peter Mason echoed the views of many, saying that walkers in any sort of gear could walk freely across the footpaths on his farm and yet we were all subjected to a rigourous inspection to look at our own stock in the market.

But there was no doubt that clients from both sides of the book were turned away on Tuesday and it was refreshing to see one farmer with a sense of humour striding into the sheep market clad in a large plastic mac with two huge orange sacks tied around his legs!

Away from the waterproof fripperies, there was plenty of market activity and some encouragement for loyal supporters. There were 55 cattle and trade was markedly improved with more confidence from the buyers especially.

Roland Mason showed a superb run of homebred Belgian Blue bulls which topped out at 115p/kg, bought by Steve Hibberd.

In the clean section, it was Roland again who had a Belgian Blue heifer which made 116p/kilo and he was followed by Chris Beal with another smart heifer at 113p/kilo bought by Roland Agar.

Last week, I forgot to mention that Frank Turner had bought the highest-priced animal; so would all Frank's customers in the Rillington area please note that he continues to purchase the finest and best in Ryedale!

Sheep prices have dropped significantly over the past week but Tuesday saw a levelling out of trade.

Hoggs would hover around 92p/kilo and lambs were making 116p/kilo plus. Ewes averaged £42/head and made up to £73.50/head for a pen from Mark Bulmer and a little sanity was restored into this section of the market. Top price for hoggs was £53.50, produced by Chris Beal, and £53.20 for lambs from David Taylor.

- The collapse of the grain cooperative, Viking Cereals, last week is the more worrying as the company seemed unable to control its business affairs to produce profitable results despite being farmer-owned. Apparently the collapse was triggered off by inappropriate futures trading and forecasts are that there will be little for members to recover

- Conversely, Tesco announced a small increase of 14.1pc in its profits; and at the same time set a new record giving it £25.7 billion of total sales in its UK stores. The Farmers For Action chairman described the announcement as "obscene" and he argued that the practice of Tesco selling bread, milk and other staple products as loss leaders would force suppliers out of business.

- As if to reinforce the point, the various milk co-ops were concluding negotiations with buyers and warning that ex-farm price cuts will now be inevitable. Some have forecast that the overall average payment will drop to 16.2p/litre and others are hoping to maintain it at around 17-18p.

At these miserable below production cost levels, farmers may well be tempted to start tipping milk down the drain or, more appropriately, down the shopping alleys at the supermarkets.

- A new report has uncovered serious deficiencies in BSE controls in France and it is apparently self-evident that the ban on meat and bone meal is not fully effective. Such revelations sit uncomfortably with the only country to still ban British beef.

- Talking of hypocrisy, there was some interesting speculation in the Arable Farming magazine this week where Guy Smith hypothesised on taking a fleet of lorries loaded with wheat through the tunnel to a grain store outside Paris. Once tipped, the wheat would then be certified as organic and loaded back onto the same lorries before returning to England, where it would have miraculously trebled in value!

- I was sat having lunch with a proper West Riding farmer's wife the other day and she came out with a delightful description of a horse with a good temperament: "Ee," she said, "Ee's as soft as tripe!"

We still continue to send stock direct to slaughter and especially for those clients who cannot come to the market.

The cattle trade slipped at some of the abattoirs and on the 'R' grade, prices have been quoted at 165-174p/kilo. The breaking-up cattle, especially Friesian bulls, have been more difficult to find and prices, if anything, are moving slightly forward with little under 140p/kilo now.

The sheep section has been worst hit over the past seven days and spring lambs have dropped to around 250-280p/kilo. Hoggs have fallen away also and prices range from 185-210p/kilo.The deadweight trade for ewes has recently lagged behind the live auction at around 150p/kilo.

Pigs are the one bright spot on the horizon but supplies are short. Bacon pigs are now running from 104-110p/kilo and the best gilts are making up to 115p/kilo.

Anyone wanting further information, please contact the helplines at Malton on 01653 697820/692151 and York on 01904 489731

Updated: 09:29 Thursday, April 18, 2002