9February 2009 CUMBRIA FARMER
TV presenter to launch
farming photo exhibition
BY ANNA BURDETT
F
arming charity
Pentalk's exhibition of
a year in the life of
Cumbrian farming
opens this month.
Countryfile presenter John
Craven will launch the show in
front of invited guests on
Thursday, February 26 and it
will open to the public the fol-
lowing day.
One hundred images were
chosen from almost 1,000 sent
in by amateur photographers
involved with farming.
These will be displayed
alongside recorded memories
from people aged over 80.
It has taken almost 18
months to put together the
exhibition called: `A year in
the life of working farms in
Cumbria: now and then'.
Joe Harris, chairman of
Pentalk, said: "Against the
backcloth of the fells and
Lakes we know so well, the
hard work of farmers through-
out the year is superimposed.
"The images have their own
beauty and truth. We will see
the rain lashing down on a
showground, farmers feeding
their animals in the snow, men
doing wet maintenance work
on waterlogged land, repairing
equipment indoors and work-
ing in the fields.
"Women, too, will be work-
ing not only in the kitchen but
in the shows, buying and sell-
ing at farmers' markets."
The exhibition will tour
Cumbria before all the pho-
tographs submitted for
Pentalk's farming archive are
presented to the county
archives office.
Pictures were selected by a
steering panel chaired by Lady
Inglewood. She was helped by
former picture editor at The
Cumberland News, Mike Scott,
and Andy Lowe, formerly of
the National Park.
Gordon Lowery, a recently
retired farmer from Cocker-
mouth, won Pentalk's Ike tro-
phy for the top farming pho-
tograph of 2008. It is presented
annually by The Cumberland
News.
Mr Lowery's autumn photo-
graph of gathering sheep in
Buttermere was taken from
the slopes of Whiteless Pike
near Buttermere.
It shows Herdwick and
Swaledale sheep being gath-
ered from the fells for dipping
and clipping down in the vil-
lage.
Christopher Bland and
Vicky McCartney are in
charge of the flock which
belongs to Staggs, of Croft
House, Buttermere.
The three sheepdogs rest
watchfully, having worked
hard all afternoon to round up
the hefted sheep.
Ann Risman, project organ-
iser, said: "We're aiming to
showcase farming in Cumbria
and are inviting other farming
organisations to join us and
promote their own events and
publications."
For more information about
the exhibition, contact the
Pentalk office on 01768 840500.
Trophy: Retired farmer Gordon Lowery's prize-winning picture of sheep being gathered from the fells above
Buttermere and, inset, the photographer himself
Pictures at the exhibition: From left, Sharron Metcalfe of Littlewater Farm, Bampton, took this photo of
Andrew Metcalfe feeding cake supplement to his tupped ewes; Susan Atkinson, of Shap, snapped Yorkshire`s
Emma Andrews with her champion Charolais heifer at the 2006 Cumberland Show; and Eleanor Beattie, of
Dorryfield Farm, Roweltown, caught John Beattie in his workshop at Dorryfield, making a calf creep gate
FarmingNews
UK pig farms
at a `serious
disadvantage'
THE introduction of higher welfare standards for
pigs has left British farmers at a "serious dis-
advantage" to competitors from abroad, a par-
liamentary report has found.
The report said that ministers should realise
that their decision to ban the use of stalls and
tethers on UK pig farms in 1999 � 14 years ahead of
similar planned changes in the rest of the EU �
was a "significant factor" in driving many farm-
ers out of business.
It warned that, even when improved welfare
standards are enforced in Europe in 2013, British
farmers will still not be competing on a level
playing field as rivals in countries such as Den-
mark and the Netherlands will receive state sup-
port to make the changes.
The report from the House of Commons Envi-
ronment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
warned that farmers do not receive their "fair
share" of the retail price of pork products.
It called for better labelling to ensure con-
sumers are aware if they are buying meat from
abroad, some 66 per cent of which is reared in
conditions which would be illegal in the UK. Half
of the pork eaten in the UK comes from overseas.
The cross-party committee also urged Defra to
bring together producers, processors and retailers
in discussions to improve co-operation within the
pig supply chain.
According to the British Pig Executive, most
English pig farmers are losing �7 on each animal
they rear � down from a peak of �25 in 2007, when
farmers were being paid �1.10 a kilogram for pigs
that cost them �1.44 a kilo to produce. Defra esti-
mates the average commercial farm had losses of
�4,100 in 2007/08. The UK pig herd has declined by
40 per cent since 1997.
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West Scottish Lamb Ltd
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All classes of cows and bulls from the worst to the best, farm visits can be
arranged Prime lambs also needed daily from 12kg-21kgs deadweight
Deductions are �12.96 for cattle and �1.45 for sheep
Please call for up-to-date prices. Payment in fourteen days
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Contact Lisa Connell 01228 819805 or
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