CUMBRIA
FARMERJUNE 2009
IN BRIEF
News and advice from the
riding world starts on p14
CUMBRIA HORSE
Business booming
DOLKEN Dairy near Wiggonby
supplies all the goats' milk to
Thornby Moor dairy at Crofton
as well as
several other
cheese-makers
in the region.
It was set up
by husband
and wife team
Ewen
Cockburn and
Tessa Kennedy
in 1992 and
since then has
expanded to meet the
growing demand.
Ewen said: "We've built our
business up as Thornby Moor
has built its business."
Full story � page 3
Organic meltdown?
TOM Wilson started the
conversion of Geltsdale Farm
near Brampton
to organic a
decade ago.
At the time,
there were
plenty of
incentives to
make the
switch; there
were generous
government
grants and a
premium of 50p a kilo over
conventional beef and lamb
prices.
Now, the grants have dried
up, the premium has fallen and
there has been a fall in demand.
Producers have some tough
decisions to make.
Full story � centre pages
Dangerous pigs!
MY attention was recently
drawn to an H&SE pamphlet
entitled Noise
in Agriculture
which details
likely areas
where farm-
related noise
can potentially
be injurious to
hearing, and
one of them is
pigs, writes
Cumbria Farmer columnist
Austen Davies.
"Large numbers of pigs in a
building can create noise levels
of 100 decibels and above,
especially at feeding times."
View From The Trough � pg 7
Busy: Ewen
Cockburn
Organic
producer:
Debbie Simpson
Opinion:
Austen Davies
Dairy farmers face
prospect of �1,375
bill for disease levy
BY ANNA BURDETT
Farming and Rural Affairs Editor
F
armers could have to pay
�4.80 per dairy cow annu-
ally when a new disease
levy is introduced by the
Government.
The rate per beef animal could
be �1.20; nine pence for each
sheep; and four pence for each
chicken.
It could mean a �1,375 annual
bill for the average dairy farmer
with an 180-strong dairy herd
with calves.
The levy would pay half the
�44 million annual Government
bill for disease surveillance and
preparation.
About 10 farmers attended
Defra's consultation on responsi-
bility and cost-sharing for animal
health in Carlisle last week to
learn more about the levy, which
is likely to be introduced in 2011.
They also heard about propos-
als for a compulsory insurance
premium that would cover the
costs of an exotic disease outbreak
such as foot and mouth or blue-
tongue.
Andrew Bishop, policy manager
for the project, presented the pro-
posals at last Thursday's meeting.
He said other European coun-
tries such as the Netherlands and
Germany had already introduced
a levy.
Among the benefits, he said,
would be reduced levels of animal
disease and associated costs.
He said setting up a new body for
animal health in England would
give the livestock industry greater
involvement in policy-making.
But he said its powers would
not include the ability to order a
badger cull to tackle bovine TB.
The new body might be a non-
ministerial body such as the Food
Standards Agency or a non-
departmental public body such as
Natural England.
Farmers at the meeting
expressed concern that a board
with eight to 10 members would
not be big enough.
Mr Bishop said: "Everything
that Defra does for disease control
would move over to the new body."
But he said animal welfare
would remain within the minis-
ter's control.
A calculation for the annual
levy fee has yet to be agreed, but it
is likely farmers will have to pro-
vide an annual declaration of live-
stock numbers.
Smaller livestock keepers may
not have to pay anything because
the cost of collecting the levy
could be more than the levy itself.
Mr Bishop said the payments
would be based on the production
output of farms and would take
into account their viability.
He added: "It's no good us set-
ting up a scheme that effectively
puts a sector out of business."
Defra is in discussions with var-
ious insurers about offering cover
for disease outbreaks. If none
come forward, the costs could be
subject to a second levy on farm-
ers. This is likely to be consulted
upon in the autumn.
A draft bill on the animal
health levy is likely to be pub-
lished before the next General
Election, but the Welsh and Scot-
tish devolved parliaments are yet
to begin the process.
Cumbria farmer Jim Webster
was at the meeting. He said: "I
think the industry wants deci-
sions de-politicised, but we don't
want ministers using welfare as a
back-door to controlling other
decisions."
Dalston vet Bruce Richards
wanted to know how much inde-
pendence the new body would
have. He was told any regulatory
change would still have to go
through the minister but the body
could propose it.
Russell Bowman, a Cumbria
farmer and the county's NFU
chairman, said: "We don't want to
share your costs because we don't
think �22 million will be the fig-
ure it stays at.
"Our liability will be �100 mil-
lion before we know it.
"We're facing costs for Nitrate
Vulnerable Zones, electronic
sheep-tagging and cost-sharing. It
seems a far better option to give
up producing."
Consultation ends on June 30.
For a consultation form,visit the
Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk.
e-mail ABurdett@cngroup.co.uk
Cost-sharing proposals also include compulsory
insurance premium to cover outbreak of illness
Andrew Bishop: Said other European countries such as the Netherlands and Germany had already introduced a levy
`Back-door': Jim Webster

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