Some anniversary!

Since that fateful day, the Government has twisted and spun in every direction to try and find a scapegoat, consistently pointing the finger at the farming fraternity for breaching the often impossible regulations; but they cannot avoid the inescapable fact they have mismanaged the epidemic in quite gargantuan proportions.

The following disturbing statistics were printed in The Telegraph on Sunday:

Number of confirmed cases - 2,030

Official numbers slaughtered - 4.068m

Unofficial number slaughtered - 10.849m

To put this last horrifying figure into perspective, the carcasses laid out for burning would stretch from London to Sidney.

Now there's a nasty thought, and the more upsetting to someone like myself involved in livestock because most countries in between Australia and the UK can still peddle illicit meat through our ports. Security officials at Heathrow estimate that 10 tonnes of illicit meat arrive at Heathrow every day.

It has truly been the worst 12 months I have ever experienced and now we must try and look forward.

Last Wednesday, Linda Bower and Sue Raper hosted an excellent seminar at the Norton Bowls Centre to look at "The Way Forward".

There were speakers from DEFRA reviewing the grant situation, advocates from Farm Assurance to give added value, adventurous entrepreneurs who had diversified into bottled water and farm shops, an intelligent spokesman from Morrisons supermarket who explained the practical advantages of vertical integration and finally, myself.

This column is meant to be about marketing and, without wishing to be boring, I repeat my reflections on the lessons to be learned from last year in our specialist field of selling fatstock:

Many end users, such as Morrisons, are quite specific in their requirements and stock falling outside that specification is just not wanted. Other wholesale buyers may have a wider range of outlets. Matching the supplies to the orders is vital if the farmer is to get the best return.

There are many variables in the deadweight system such as dressing specifications, weight recording, classification, and deductions. Did you know, for example, that in cattle the difference between the most lenient and most savage dressing spec is around 7p/kilo.

And did you know that some deductions will total £5/beast whereas at other abattoirs the charge has been up to £16.

All these variables need to be weighed before a sale is made.

There are different standards of procedure at abattoirs.

Classification is routine at some and non-existent at others.

The point of weighing the carcass varies from coming off the end of the slaughter line to when the carcass actually leaves the store several days later.

Identification, especially in the case of sheep, has been the subject of much soul searching.

There needs to be more consistency of operation.

My last comment is that the whole year's experience has exposed the weakness of individual farmers as sellers and confirmed the strength of the buyers.

For the most part farmers have become price takers not price setters and if anything goes wrong with a deal, like overweight sheep or overfat cattle, then as individuals the sellers can do little to salvage the situation.

Seeking a way forward, it is my opinion that we need to build upon the lessons learned from the last year and join together to market our stock as a group.

I don't mind if it's done in small or large co-operatives or by using a marketing organisation such as the auctioneers but I am certain that if farmers choose to battle on as individuals then fatstock production is destined for the same waste bin as chicken, fruit and pork.

My further thought is on the marketing channels available to us.

A lot of farmers have been yearning for the reopening of live auctions but, conversely, there are many of our clients who prefer the deadweight links we have developed for them.

Whilst my first love will always be the rostrum in which I was weaned, the auctioneers at both York and Malton will widen their horizons to cover the full marketing service of traditional auctions, direct, deadweight and the challenge of internet sales.

It has been a week for auction marts to reopen and I need to report on the situation both generally and relating to Malton. We have held back from being in the first flush of sales for various vital reasons:

With an implacable lack of logic, DEFRA has designated all markets, both store and fat, as having the same status. This is not so in Scotland where fat markets are classed as slaughter points.

The implication of the above status is that the 20-day movement rule applies. Any farmer who has had susceptible animals come onto his holding in the past three weeks cannot come to a fat market at present.

As one bull client told me yesterday: "I buy calves in every month and therefore I am virtually barred from the auction ring."

On the other hand, collection centres and OTMS cattle are designated as slaughter points which do not trigger off the 20 day rule. So these can continue to provide a regular service to the producer.

The difference in status means that DEFRA will not allow a fatstock auction sale to be held in conjunction with or on the same day as a collection centre for other fat cattle and OTMS. The consequence would be that we should then have to have separate days with all the associated expenditure and inconvenience to both buyer and seller.

It is going to be difficult enough to get up and running and I am sure some of the bigger players will seek to stay away from markets for the time being out of self interest. Unfortunately, I may have been proved correct as the shows of fatstock so far have been pretty small.

The store market at York will open on Thursday, February 28 and we hope Malton will follow shortly after. We shall try and time the reopening of the fat market to the best advantage of our producers.

Mucky Story - Having received the complicated proposals on nitrate control, Chris Nichols was puzzling over the regulation which required him to apply a maximum of 250kg/hectare of farmyard manure to his grassland.

The unbelievably facile advice given by DEFRA was that he should go and weigh his trailer loads of manure before application!

We are in funny waters at the moment for marketing stock and that is another reason why we haven't rushed into reopening the auction. Meat is generally difficult to sell and the cattle purchasers would all like to bring it back a few pennies.

'R' grade cattle have slipped 2p or 3p this week down to 170-176p/kilo; and there are bonuses about for premium quality and sucklers.

It is the breaking-up cattle that have suffered most with a drop of 3-5p down to 140-150p at the bottom end.

Sheep are still hovering, uncertain whether to go forward or backward. Currently the trade stands at 215-225p/kilo but the higher price often carries with it a weight limit. Cull ewes have been a flying trade with the best prices running up to 150p/kilo. Beware as this may suddenly stop at the end of the religious festival.

Pigs, however, have taken a mini turn for the better and baconers are making from 85-95p with some of the better gilts now going up to 100p/kilo.

Help us to help you and phone our help lines at Malton on (01653) 697820/692151 and York on (01904) 489731.

Updated: 10:29 Thursday, February 21, 2002