2 CUMBRIA FARMER February 2009FarmingNews
Anna Burdett
June Bell
01228 612235
june.bell@cngroup.co.uk
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER
CUMBRIA
FARMERA Cumbrian Newspapers publication, February 2009
Auction raises �30k
WHEN you read
this month's
front page, it
would have been
quite natural for
cynicism to have
kicked in.
Do grants like
this have any
long-term,
sustainable
benefit? And will
there be
anything to show
for it when the
grants have been
eaten up?
Fells and Dales
project manager
Adrian Banford says this �16 million
funding injection is different � and it
certainly sounds it.
Mr Banford says it has been tailored
for our county and the farmers who
work its land.
There will be no upper cap on grants
while smaller grants, he says, will be
turned around by staff in six weeks.
Staff will visit farms and help fill in the
application forms.
The money has come just at the right
time to stimulate investment when most
people are drawing in their purse strings.
Continued investment in the farming
industry is crucial whatever the
economic climate. Farmers need the
flexibility to be able to respond to the
increasingly volatile markets out there.
While grant money will not be
available for core agricultural projects
such as new farm buildings, it will give
farmers the impetus they need to take a
chance on new technologies such as
wood fuel boilers and micro-hydro plants.
There are some encouraging ideas in
this programme; ideas that are sure to
concentrate the minds of many farmers.
As Mr Banford says: "Modernisation
and diversification is a significant part of
future farming."
That is, of course, for those who want
to be a part of it.
EDITOR
Anna Burdett
01228 612221
anna.burdett@
cngroup.co.uk
Herdwick lamb gets welfare accreditation
Call for rights of way help
BY ANNA BURDETT
A
charity farmers'
auction raised
almost �30,000
thanks to the gen-
erosity of Cumbria's agri-
cultural industry.
The event, held at Border-
way Mart in Carlisle before
Christmas, was opened by Blue
Peter presenter and Cumbrian
farmer's daughter Helen Skel-
ton.
More than 400 lots were
donated, including a Belgian
blue bullock from Messrs Hall,
of Inglewood Edge, near Skel-
ton, which sold for �800.
Solicitor Tim Cartmell's
offer of dinner for eight people
VOLUNTEERS are needed to
advise the Lake District
National Park Authority on
how best to manage rights of
way.
Members of the Lake Dis-
trict Local Access Forum are
chosen for their expertise in
areas such as land manage-
ment and conservation.
LDNPA's access and recre-
ation developer David Switzer
said good communication and
networking skills are essential
to being part of the team,
along with sound countryside
knowledge.
He said: "This is an exciting
opportunity. We are looking
for people who have a specific
interest such as landowners,
land managers, lake users and
conservationists."
The closing date for appli-
cations is Monday, February
23. For more information,
contact Stephanie Conway
on 01539 792676.
Yan, tyan, tethera...
Jump in prices: This sprightly sheep looks like it was getting a stern
telling off as it made a leap for freedom at Longtown Mart's store sheep
sale at the end of January. There were 2,702 store hoggs through the ring
that day. Read about the mart's record prices on page 5 BEN RUSSELL
SUPERMARKET chain Booths
has teamed up with Cumbrian
farmers to ensure all of its
Lakeland Herdwick lamb is
accredited by an animal wel-
fare charity.
Freedom Food insists on
higher welfare standards dur-
ing an animal's life and gov-
erns everything from handling
to transportation to the
slaughter house.
Regular traceability checks
will be carried out to ensure
that everyone involved in the
products is approved by the
scheme.
Ian Knight, a young farmer
from Church Stile Farm in
Wasdale, has supplied Booths
with Herdwick meat since 2006
and has now joined the scheme.
He said: "Getting Freedom
Food accredited has added an
extra dimension to our lamb.
"Our customers already
knew that Herdwick has a fan-
tastic flavour and comes from
the heart of the Lake District,
but Freedom Food has enabled
us as farmers to demonstrate
that it is also produced to the
highest welfare standards."
The Knight family first
farmed at Church Stile in 1898,
following in the footsteps of
the Fletchers who farmed
before them for 300 years.
Ian is the fourth generation
of his family to farm on its 400
acres.
Booths Freedom Food Lake-
land Herdwick is also being
reared by Frank Hindmoor at
Thistleton Farm in Gosforth,
Ben Steele from Easthwaite
Farm in Wasdale and David
Cooper at Troughton Hall
Farm near Broughton-in-Fur-
ness. They will all be regularly
inspected by Freedom Food
and the RSPCA.
CLA urges early foot
and mouth response
Four charities
will benefit
from sector's
generosity
Guest of honour: Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton opening the charity
auction at Borderway Mart in Carlisle
at his house fetched �500 while
cattle minerals donated by
Carrs Billington sold for �700.
One of the organisers, Nick
Utting from Carlisle NFU, said:
"Everyone present thoroughly
enjoyed their day, both selling
and buying all manner of
items ranging from cattle,
sheep, crop and machinery to
ferrets, ducks, household
effects and holidays.
"Over 400 lots were sold
throughout the day."
The money raised will be
divided between The Royal
Agricultural Benevolent
Institution, Carlisle and
North Lakeland Hospice at
Home, Great North Air
Ambulance and Life Educa-
tion Centres.
Each charity will receive a
cheque today at the Auction-
eer.
Hopes of Wigton, Longtown,
Penrith, Cockermouth and
Carlisle marts all got involved
with the auction.
A similar event held in 2003
in the wake of the foot and
mouth crisis raised �32,700,
which was divided between a
number of charities.
THE Country Land and Busi-
ness Association (CLA) has
called for the Government to
respond rapidly to recommen-
dations made in an indepen-
dent foot and mouth review.
Sir Iain Anderson's report
said the 2007 disease outbreak
should never have happened,
and the "creeping degradation
of standards" that led to it
should never be allowed again.
Douglas Chalmers, director
of CLA North, said: "Although
the actual outbreak was con-
tained, the economic implica-
tions of these measures were
disproportionately savage for
large parts of the livestock
industry across the country.
"Any future risk assess-
ments should also be aware of
the bigger picture and, while
Defra seems to accept this, it
must be put into practice.
"Respecting local knowledge
is also an important point; as
many northerners will
remember, failure to do so was
an early complaint during the
2001 outbreak."
The review contains 26
main recommendations
including maintaining vigi-
lance against disease, being
prepared, reacting with speed
and certainty, respecting local
knowledge, improving infor-
mation and basing policy on
the best available science.
Report: Sir Iain Anderson
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