FOLLOWING last week's tragic announcement over the demise of Newsham Hybrid Pigs, there are disturbing rumours that the current swine fever outbreak in East Anglia stemmed from an imported ham sandwich!

Up to the present time, 35,000 pigs have been slaughtered with swine fever, a further 16,000 slaughtered as "dangerous contacts"; and an astounding 52,000 pigs offered for slaughter under the Welfare Scheme.

Our short-sighted hard-nosed pig processors in this country have a lot to answer for, as do those who have knowingly purchased foreign pork.

The farmers suffering most are still those in the restriction zones and whose pigs have not been confirmed as eligible for full compensation.

At the moment, the British Pig Executive is giving its backing to a scheme which will help raise a levy to top up payments on pigs disposed under the Pig Welfare Disposal Scheme.

Meantime the pig trade remains steady.

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I haven't yet seen the report for the BSE Inquiry but it is due out this week at a cost to we tax payers of £27m.

Those looking for blood, like Professor Richard Lacey, were hoping that the accusing finger would be pointed squarely at Sir Richard Southwood, who himself chaired the original government working party in 1988, but they may well be disappointed.

Most of the criticism that could have been directed at the Southwood report has been diverted to the Government itself, and the local authorities, for not adequately policing the measures recommended.

Professor Lacey frightened the country with his ranting predictions of doom, delivered with hindsight after the March Declaration of 1996. I don't think the title of his book "Mad Cow Disease" is meant to reflect on its author but conjecture is not a crime, is it ?

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Charlie Breese had his most successful farmers market last Saturday with a full house of 25 stalls and a busy little auction of poultry and garden equipment.

It was wonderful to see a lot of people milling about and buying fresh produce but it doesn't harm to re-state the objective of the farmers markets.

They are intended to put real food back on our plates where supermarkets have been masking its proper identity.

However, we shouldn't forget that most of our local butchers stock local meat and, in between the farmers markets, remember to support them.

This week, Frank Turner of Rillington bought the highest-priced heavyweight steer which was produced by Chris Beal of Yedingham.

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MAFF has announced that it is going to extend the claim period for the Slaughter Premium Scheme by four months.

Up until now, producers have only had two months from the date of sale to make a claim but, retrospectively, this has been extended to six months.

It should help resolve any difficulties over animals that have failed to go through the Slaughter Scheme. MAFF has also stated that payment of the Slaughter Premium is expected by the late autumn.

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It really makes me cross when our all-powerful supermarket chains flex their muscles at the expense of our hard-pressed industry; it makes me all the more determined to try and find a fairer, more independent, system for marketing meat.

Seemingly without too much logic, the price of milk has been in a downward spiral for the last three years virtually halving the returns to producers.

This was achieved, once again, by supermarket giants dictating terms and buying in European milk whenever necessary.

I have never seen so many dairy farmers in this county go out of production and yet another genuine farming family saw me on Monday to arrange the dispersal sale of their 150-cow herd in Lincolnshire.

Now that supplies are starting to tighten up, Asda has magnanimously announced that it will pay an extra 2p per litre from October 1; and Waitrose have promised to improve on this opening bid.

How much of this will filter back to the likes of Ron Foster in Rosedale has yet to be seen, but it is a belated and welcome windfall.

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Tuesday saw little rain and the market was short of numbers with farmers desperate to get on with land work.

There were 206 cattle, of which 90 were bulls, and the variation in price was enormous.

At the best end there was little change, with most of the continentals making from 92-100p/kg; and the top price of 111p/kg was shared by Dave Sunley and Hebrons.

The bad-shaped Holstein was difficult to place and trade for these dropped to around 60p/kg, but with the better quality black and whites still getting up to 85p/kg.

The 116 clean cattle were a good trade but showed just as much variation between cattle that had some hard feed and those straight off grass.

Intervention-type steers were making from 90-100p/kg and the best-priced bullock of the day went to Chris Beal at 120p/kg.

Amongst the retail butcher heifers, George Marwood led the field at 134p/kg for a medium-weight heifer, followed by Richard Hardwick at 128p/kg.

With supplies in the east part of the country a little short the prospects for the live market are pretty good.

Sheep numbers at 558 were well down and the overall average was slightly better at 78p/kg, up to a top of 86.5p/kg shared between I Goulden, A Burgess, and G Belt.

We had 225 pigs on both days, with an average price of around 77.5p/kg.

Fred Horsley made top money on both days, 83.5p and 81p respectively.

It's very early morning on Wednesday and I am now off to the Showfield for the Michaelmas Fair.