2 CUMBRIA FARMER May 2009FarmingNews
Anna Burdett
Prizes for best meadow photos
CUMBRIA
FARMERA Cumbrian Newspapers publication, May 2009
BUDDING photographers are
being urged to snap their
nearest hay meadow as part of
a competition to raise aware-
ness of the plight of these
habitats in Cumbria.
There are five categories
including living landscapes;
wildlife habitats; flowers and
grasses in hay meadows; and
a section for under-16s.
Winning images will be
printed in Cumbria Farmer.
The top prize is a day's pho-
tography tuition in the Lake
District with wildlife photog-
rapher Nick Garbutt. A �100
gift voucher for Hayes Garden
World and a copy of A Year in
the Life of an English Meadow
is also up for grabs.
Bunty Wright, an adviser
on the three-year Hay-Day
project which is organising
the competition, said: "Grab
your camera and get out to a
hay meadow this summer and
start snapping.
"With summer on the hori-
zon, the meadows are burst-
ing into life, full of colour and
teeming with insects and ani-
mals."
There is also an artistic
vision category that will
reward more abstract pictures
of meadows.
Printed photographs
should be submitted in 6ins
by 4ins to 12ins by 8ins.
Name, address, telephone
number and the category
entered should be written on
the back.
A description of when and
where the photograph was
taken should also be included.
Send entries for the atten-
tion of Julie Haddock at Hay-
Day Competition, Cumbria
Wildlife Trust, Plumgarths,
Crook Road, Kendal, Cumbria
LA8 8LX.
The closing date for entries
is August 7, 2009.
Living landscape: A buttercup
meadow in Ravenstonedale
Young farmers' seaside success
FOUR hundred Cumbrian
young farmers attended the
national federation's annual
convention in Blackpool ear-
lier this month.
The county was runner-up
in the national competition
after triumphs in the football,
dodgeball, ATV handling,
senior floral art and junior
craft events.
Cumbria chairman Jim
Nicholson was presented with
the Tug Wilson Trophy.
Lamplugh club competed in
the Strictly Ballroom final,
while Brampton, Raughton
Head, Lowick and Carlisle
competed in the quiz.
Mr Nicholson said: "We had
some excellent competition
results last year and it is all
down to the hard work and
dedication put in by members
throughout the year. We're all
very proud to be Cumbrian
young farmers." Didn't they do well? Jim Nicholson, far left, with the other trophy winners in Blackpool
Farmers will benefit
from nuclear auction
BY ANNA BURDETT
& ALAN IRVING
W
est Cumbrian
tenant farmers
could be in for a
massive cash
windfall if they make way
for planned new nuclear
reactors at Sellafield.
Their tenanted prime farm-
land will be auctioned in the
next two months when bids
are expected to reach
�300 million for around 400
acres stretching for five
square miles outside the pre-
sent Sellafield site.
Current landlord, the
Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority (NDA), has pledged
that farmers will be properly
looked after for giving up gen-
erations of livelihood.
Farmers are being consult-
ed about their rights and are
thought to be in line for sub-
stantial compensation.
Among them is Robert
Jenkinson, of Midtown Farm,
which is right next to the Sel-
lafield main gate.
He told Cumbria Farmer:
"I'm not aware of what they
might offer to vacate. As I
understand, the earliest I
would have to move would be
2013.
"I don't think I'll go into
farming anywhere else when I
move off here. I'll be quite
happy to take the money."
Mr Jenkinson gave up his
dairy herd 18 months ago
after he admitted in court to
causing unnecessary suffer-
ing to a calf. He now spends
much of his time working off
farm, but still grows more
than 140 acres of cereals.
At least three farmers will
be affected by the sale and the
NDA plans to meet them indi-
vidually.
The auction is likely to
involve some of the world's
biggest power companies. It
will not be in a traditional
auction room, but conducted
electronically, inviting reactor
site developers to make their
bids confidentially online.
RWE Npower already has
options to buy agricultural
land at Braystones and Kirk-
santon, but admits it may also
be interested in bidding for
the Sellafield land.
A spokesman said: "We may
be interested in the Sellafield
site, although with our two
sites in west Cumbria plus
those at Wylfa and Oldbury
we currently have a strong set
of possible locations for new
nuclear power stations. We
look forward to hearing fur-
ther details about a potential
sale process for the Sellafield
land."
Several developers have
already expressed initial
interest which will be tested
before the auction.
The NDA says that anyone
buying the land is doing so at
their own risk because the 11
nominated sites are for gov-
ernment consideration only
at this stage.
Tenant farmers are still
being consulted around Sell-
afield, but Bill Hamilton, for
the NDA, said: "There is no
question of us riding
roughshod over anybody. No-
one will be asked to leave
without full and proper legal
compensation. We are
extremely aware of our
responsibilities as landlords."
NDA promises
compensation
for its tenants
Prime site: Bids are expected to reach �300 million for around 400
acres stretching for five square miles outside the present Sellafield site
IT WAS such an
eye-opener
accompanying
the north-west
farmers to
Brussels and not
just because of
what they get
up to off-farm.
Our visit
seemed to get
to the heart of
what is good
and bad about
the massive
European Union
machine.
It also gave us
a clear insight
into how the UK government has a lot
more freedom than I once thought
when it comes to member states
interpreting the EU edicts.
Most farmers understandably don't
have the time to trawl through the
seemingly endless European paper
trail, but that's no excuse for ignorance
or apathy.
Farmers, together with the rest of the
nation, will have the chance to have
their say in next month's European
elections.
The candidates might just be a name
on a piece of paper, but there is still
time to change that by going along to
the NFU European election hustings.
Find out just how much these
people who will represent you know
about agriculture and the big issues
and challenges being faced by the
industry.
In the run-up to a massive change to
CAP post-2013, it's more important
than ever to have the right people on
the ground in Brussels.
EDITOR
Anna Burdett
01228 612221
anna.burdett@
cngroup.co.uk

Page 1Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7Page 8Page 9Page 10Page 11Page 12Page 13Page 14Page 15Page 16Page 17Page 18Page 19Page 20Page 21Page 22Page 23Page 24 Produced by PageSuite