AS the dust settles after Malton Foods' depressing revelation that it had made a £5.4m loss in the last six months, industry analysts believe that all the signs are there for UNIQ to make an exit from the pig-slaughtering business.

However, the prospects of finding a British buyer look bleak, unless the chairman can galvanise a management buyout or a producer consortium can find enough pennies.

From a Ryedale and British viewpoint, it is essential that we keep this major slaughtering and processing plant under UK control; and don't allow it to fall to the predation of the Dutch and Danish companies who are scenting blood.

As you know, I have never agreed with Max Hilliard over his policies which forced prices down to a level at which part of our production industry was destroyed. Our pig population in the UK is around 20pc down compared to two years ago, and the market was inevitably going to rise at some point when numbers had dropped far enough.

National newspapers at the weekend suggested a price tag for Malton would be in the region of £50m, but this is considered by many to be unrealistic.

Farming campaigner Richard Haddock commented: "If Malton is given away to a foreign company, you might as well be giving the British pig industry away."

Let us hope for the sake of Ryedale that this doesn't happen.

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Just as I was going to press last week, Radio 4 announced the publication of the latest report that hit us, in the shape of words of wisdom from the "Better Regulation Task Force".

This independent inquiry, headed by Lord Haskins, hits at the red tape and over-regulation in our industry combined with a weak and uncoordinated lobby in Brussels.

Some of the recommendations include:

Not only should the Government play a greater role in influencing policy in Brussels, but also our farming lobby comes in for some criticism. EU officials have told the inquiry that the UK was among the weakest lobbyists, falling far behind the Danes and Dutch.

Agriculture is the most regulated industry in the UK, and MAFF should reduce the amount of record-keeping demanded of farmers. Lord Haskins goes further, and suggests that the ministry officials should reappraise their role in implementing the regulations, with perhaps more sympathy and less enthusiasm.

The Government should look at compensating farmers for the additional costs of animal welfare regulations.

There should be an ombudsman for the rural environment, and this is something we have been crying out for. We have no independent arbiter to whom we can refer some of the miserable disputes which arise.

For example, we are still fighting the case for the lady farmer whose bull was condemned for losing an eartag in January 1999; and the Food Standards Agency has not yet even agreed to the format of our appeal!

All we can hope is that Lord Haskin's report doesn't just sit on a shelf and gather dust like so many others.

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The French beef farce continues to gather momentum but, once again, the knock-on effect for our own cattle industry has been detrimental.

Because of the loss of confidence in beef in France, consumption has dropped by almost 50pc over there, and the EU is now preparing a £36m rescue package.

However, as far as we are concerned, it is the Irish surplus that is now eating away British profits.

The Irish have not been able to move as much meat to the rest of Europe as anticipated, so they are now dumping, if that is not too strong a word, large quantities into our own meat plants which, I have to report, are often controlled by Irish companies.

The sad effect has been for beef prices in the market to drop by around 10pc in the last ten days and further enforces my view that we should take the opportunity, as soon as possible, to insist that all meat is labelled with its country of origin, both at the supermarket and on the restaurant table.

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Don't forget that the date for lodging your Suckler Cow Premium claims is looming, on December 6.

This year, the premium is available on some heifers but the number of heifers must not exceed 20pc of the total claim.

A heifer is defined as a female bovine which has not calved and is aged eight months or over at the time of the claim!

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I told you last week about the metric martyr, Steve Thorburn from Sunderland, who sells fruit and veg on his market stall; but he commits the now criminal offence by so doing in pounds and ounces.

Steve faced the Sunderland magistrates, accused of selling "a pound of bananas", thus demonstrating the ridiculous level to which this nation has sunk in paying homage to Europe.

In 1985, we passed an Act of Parliament allowing us to continue to sell in Imperial measure but, apparently, even the Mother of Parliaments herself cannot stand in the way of a Brussels Directive; and so Steve Thorburn goes on to full trial in January.

He gets no legal aid, so anyone wanting to join me in sending a cheque to help should do so to: "The Steve Thorburn (Metric Martyr) Defence Fund", PO Box 526, Sunderland SR1 3YS.

I found a comment in a little known publication, for Hartrig Oaks Residential Home, which concisely explains the principles of European democracy: "You have two cows. At first, the Government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. After that it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows!"

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The market this week has been a real curate's egg with cattle taking a sharp downward turn following upon the Irish dumping; but the other two sectors were very healthy.

Starting with pigs, we had 270 on the two days and David Lindley returned from his honeymoon to be the first auctioneer in the country to break the 100p barrier.

Fred Horsley made 103.5p/kilo and Dennis Wardle 103p for quality pens of lightweight gilts. The emphasis is on lightweight and quality, as the heavy bacon pigs lagged some 20p behind. The best bacon pigs again came from Dennis Wardle, at 88p/k.

In the sheep section we had 1,300 turn up to face a much improved trade. The best hoggs, from Leysthorpe Hall, made 99p/kilo but the overall average of nearly 87p/kilo was very satisfying.

For the first time, we were seeing some of the heavier lambs make just short of £45/head.

I am afraid it was cattle which let the side down this week and I had a very difficult spell in the rostrum for the 70 odd bulls. In the end, we escaped pretty lightly and our buyers supported the market as well as they could.

Most Continentals were making over 90p and up to a top of 114p for a magnificent heavyweight from Alice Thompson who managed to produce a trio of bulls all making in that region.

The black & whites were running from 75-85p, provided they had some flesh, and the best old-fashioned Friesian made 90p/kilo.

Philip sold the clean cattle and had a similar fate, with most categories showing a decrease on last week.

The best Continentals were making from 95p upwards and the real quality retail cattle were still in demand.

John Clark of Duggleby had the highest priced steer at 108p whereas Brian Lunn of Wilton had the best heifer this week at 122p/kilo.