FARMER 13February 2009
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Want a more secure
future? Ask your dairy
for a better contract!
A
fter our recent dairy meeting at
Carlisle and my quarterly visit
to the national council at
Stoneleigh it's clear that,
although the NFU is working on more
than 200 issues on behalf of farmers,
two or three stand out as being espe-
cially important to this region.
No one could be in any doubt after lis-
tening to dairy board chairman Gwyn
Jones that the sector is facing turbulent
times. The reasons for price deductions
are many and varied depending on who
you listen to, but we farmers cannot avoid
the plain fact that the vast majority of
contracts with dairies are inadequate.
We are all aware there are many farm-
ers handing in their resignations and
looking for a new buyer, but without an
improvement in contract terms, there is
no guarantee the new buyer will be any
better than the last one.
Many dairy farmers realise a stronger
contract would go a long way to providing
a more secure future. It would also limit
the ability of milk buyers to reduce prices
at will, but how many of us actually ask
the potential buyer: "Will you give us a
contract based on the NFU template?"
Despite what is happening in the wider
world, the supply of milk in this country
falls month by month and, with a weak
pound, imports are rendered unaffordable.
Processors need a continuous supply of
raw milk or they simply do not have a
business. I would encourage all dairy
farmers, whether giving notice to their
dairy or not, to at least ask the question
about a better contract.
Another hot topic at council was the
proposed replacement for the Hill Farm
Allowance, which will be known as the
Uplands Entry Level Scheme. This
scheme, which was more than four years
in the making, is to my mind one of the
best results the NFU has had for some
time and much of the work has been done
by this region's very own Will Cockbain.
However, it would be dishonest of me to
say that all farmers view this scheme in
the way that I do.
Some farmers in other regions are of
the opinion that we should return to the
old-fashioned `headage' payment system.
In other words, they want to be forced to
keep a largely unprofitable animal to
claim a payment.
As the new scheme stands, farmers can
be rewarded for environmental protection
for the public good and the decision to
stock is based on an assessment of likely
market reward.
As we have seen in the past, whenever
we have been compelled to keep an animal
to claim a payment, the meat trade nearly
always succeeds in taking that payment
away from us because they know the ani-
mals have to be there for payments to be
received.
Any enterprise should be there only
because of the likelihood of profit from the
marketplace.
Farmers may be surprised to learn that
in countries that have retained a headage
payment type system, notably France, live-
stock numbers are falling far quicker than
ours.
RUSSELL BOWMAN
NFU Cumbria chairman
and dairy farmer
Lagoon cuts fertiliser cost
DAIRY farmer Anthony Errington has
invested in a million-gallon slurry lagoon
which he says will save his business
thousands of pounds.
The 49-year-old farms at the Lowther
Estate's Low Moor Farm near Penrith.
He has invested thousands of pounds in
the lagoon and says the increased
available slurry will dramatically reduce
much of his farm's high fertiliser costs.
He has also bought a 2,500-gallon
injector to ensure nothing is wasted and to
minimise run-off.
The new purchases allow him to use
slurry only in the summer when its
nutrient content can be put to best use.
Mr Errington said: "Other farmers
would be installing similar systems to this
a lot quicker if some grant aid was
available.
"This aid would help farmers protect
the local environment.
"We opted for an earth bank-walled
lagoon as we'd have struggled to secure
planning permission for a concrete or
steel structure in the middle of the farm."
Investment: Anthony Errington says his new slurry lagoon will save him thousands of pounds
amily since the early 1800s,
ay, the estate has to be
na Burdett finds out more
d at lambing
through the
Welsh Country
grows cereal.
3 tonnes of
nnes of barley
rape.
own because of
ast harvest.
om �3.50 to �10
ain was so wet.
hs of drying in
educe the grain
forward con-
0 per tonne.
There are 770 acres of forestry divided
between commercially harvested
conifers and deciduous woods used by
John and his friends for private shoot-
ing.
The conifers have a life cycle of 60
years and are used for joinery, pallets
and chip products � 8,000 new trees are
planted to replace those felled each year.
At 50, the time has come for John's
portrait to join the ranks of his fore-
bears on the walls of the ancestral
home.
He was sitting for the painting when
Cumbria Farmer visited Brackenburgh
one snowy day in early February.
When asked what was the biggest
challenge facing the estate today, he
said: "Dealing with the increased
amount of bureaucracy and legislation."
His father Joe believes the future of
agriculture is completely dependent on
marketing.
John spends seven days a week man-
aging Brackenburgh and talks about
maintaining a legacy for his eldest
daughter Imogen, now 16, who he even-
tually hopes will take over.
He added: "It would be the first time it
has passed to a female. I'm the first male
not to have a son, but it doesn't matter
in this day and age.
"I almost think she might make a bet-
ter job of it than a man."
aig Stoddart, left and estate herdsman Richard Savage PICTURES: PAULA PAISLEY

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