tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://166 2007-11-28T10:42:24Z Movable Type 3.31 tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.31670 2007-11-28T10:40:13Z 2007-11-28T10:42:24Z

RECENTLY I attended a meeting about food and farming which was designed to bring together the farmers on one side and food industry boffins on the other. Unfortunately there were not many farmers present which I suppose is not surprising...

Arnold Pennant RECENTLY I attended a meeting about food and farming which was designed to bring together the farmers on one side and food industry boffins on the other. Unfortunately there were not many farmers present which I suppose is not surprising bearing in mind the recent battering they have received from the FMD crisis. I remember attending such a meeting a few years and the place would have been filled out with farmers - even if they were only there for a free meal. It is not in doubt that sheep farmers have received a real caning this year, but the question is have the authorities done enough to alleviate such a crisis? Sheep farming in Wales is in the doldrums this year and certainly any farmers selling lambs at the present time for less than 80p/kilo will not be making any profit. It is only about six months ago that HCC, meat promotion body in Wales, came up with figures which suggested that farmers should receive 132p/kilo if they were going to make economic sense of keeping sheep in Wales. As market prices have never achieved this level this year (market returns are now less than 60% of this desired level), you may well wonder what will happen in future if this discounted level of prices continues for any length of time. Sheep farming has become an integral part of the rural economy of Wales in recent years and the further you are away from the bright lights, its relative importance increases. I do not believe the industry will survive for any length of time unless something is done pretty quickly to bring prices up to a more acceptable level. It is easy to say what is wrong in any situation, but not so easy to put things right. Nevertheless, here are some suggestions. Firstly, I would suspend all imports of lamb from New Zealand. At a time of distress in our own market, I believe that the Kiwis have behaved irresponsibly by suppling extra lamb volumes to our supermarkets, thus creating surpluses in our market. Secondly, we all seem to have become enmeshed in a spider’s web of supermarket dominance. It would be lovely to think the Competition Commission would realise that time is probably running out in the battle against the supermarkets, but it would be wishful thinking to think that this Commission will take any realistic action to suppress the powers of the multiples. Thirdly, the Government must realise that it has a financial liability to farmers following the outbreak of FMD at Pirbright in August. FMD is not so much a clinical disease, as it can be treated quite successfully with a bit of tender love and attention, but should be remembered for its crippling economic consequences. I support government policy that the polluter should always pay, but it seems that the present government thinks it should only apply if the farmer does the polluting. Finally, the ban on exports of lamb from this country to continental Europe should be lifted as soon as possible. The fear must be that the New Zealanders have moved into this market as well, so diminishing any potential for sales of some of the best lamb in the world. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.30507 2007-11-15T15:55:57Z 2007-11-15T16:04:50Z

AS IF we had not had enough problems this year, there is now another in the form of high oil prices....

Arnold Pennant AS IF we had not had enough problems this year, there is now another in the form of high oil prices. Modern agriculture is oil-dependant I am amazed that one of the recent Chancellor’s stealth taxes was to substantially increase the taxation on red diesel, the fuel used by farmers and many others in the wholesale food chain. At some stage this will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. It was not known at the time, but the initial fuel protests marked the peak of UK oil production which has declined ever since. The significance of today’s high oil prices is that the daily world production of oil is less than demand. The peak production of oil was forecast for 2008 or thereabouts and this will surely bring about much more volatility in the price of a barrel of crude oil. It is unlikely that our present government will see the need to prioritise agriculture for its oil consumption if we are not to prevent a rapid inflation of consumer food prices. Just because the world is rapidly approaching the point where it cannot produce as much oil as it would like to consume does not mean that it is about to run out. But it does mean that, in future, we will all have to be far more careful as to how we manage a reducing supply. Fortunately I am no longer a big user of red diesel, but I don’t see that the recent increases of fuel tax will do anything to solve the problem of diminishing oil supplies. It’s just more likely to bring about higher prices for the food which we eat. ]]> tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.29440 2007-11-05T14:16:24Z 2007-11-05T14:20:45Z

THE recent publication of the Competition Commission’s preliminary report into the supply of food in this country has proved just another “kick in the teeth” for the farmers....

Arnold Pennant THE recent publication of the Competition Commission’s preliminary report into the supply of food in this country has proved just another “kick in the teeth” for the farmers. The Commission largely endorsed the supermarkets lobbying that they were doing a good job for consumers. Little was said in the report about farmers or the profitability of producing food, so I assume that they think that farmers will go on producing at prices largely dictated by supermarkets. It does not give a young person entering the agriculture much scope for the future when you are trying to sell your produce to the monopoly of the main supermarkets. It is easy to identify exceptions and some people have successfully transferred their attention to the farm shop concept. That is OK as long as you do not live in Surrey where the recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth have blighted the area and reduced the value of farmland in the area around Pirbright, but for the people who can afford to live in this somewhat posh area can probably afford grander foods than beef and lamb. Perhaps it was misplaced but I always stuck to the policy of not dealing directly with any supermarket, but perhaps that is why I did not have a long innings as a farmer. However, two instances have come to my attention recently. On the first occasion I was invited to attend a meeting in Llanrwst. Because I always like an excuse to attend this beautiful Welsh town I went along not really knowing what to expect, but that is what I had done many years ago when we had been told that North Wales had been blanketed in radiation from a Russian power station. Not so much histrionics this time: the meeting had been called as a result of a protest by farmers outside the Tesco store in Ruthin. Eventually the speaker arrived as he was the boss of some abattoir in South Wales which operates for Tesco. His first question was how many people in the room already supplied lambs to Tesco, and the answer was nobody. The second question from the floor was how many lambs did Tesco buy in Ruthin market to which the guy from St Merrion replied that they did not buy lambs in livestock markets. Unfortunately I had an appointment near home so I had to leave, but I did not want a listen to a presentation on selling my lambs to Tesco. The second instance is a group of farmers who wished to set the marketing of milk, again to Tesco, who would offer a premium price of something like 25p/litre and increasing to 28p/litre a month later. When it came to the paying it turned out to be that the price was 22.8p because the farmers had not read the small print. We must all regret the conclusion of the Competition Commission report because where there was hope for better trading conditions with supermarkets, there is now little prospect of things changing in future. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.28248 2007-10-22T15:29:02Z 2007-10-22T15:30:18Z

By Arnold Pennant It is welcome to report a bit of good news for a change. All the regulations regarding foot and mouth disease have gone thankfully. There are two immediate lessons which should be learned from the most recent...

Dan Owen By Arnold Pennant It is welcome to report a bit of good news for a change. All the regulations regarding foot and mouth disease have gone thankfully. There are two immediate lessons which should be learned from the most recent outbreaks. The first is that the foot and mouth virus should not be tampered with by scientific boffins and the second is that if bureaucrats which to impose restrictions on other peoples’ businesses that they should be prepared to pay compensation if they get things wrong. The countryside is very picturesque at present with all the beautiful colours of autumn now being seen at their best. Perhaps they are more noticeable this year as many of the field hedges have now been neatly trimmed. For most of the summer this year driving has been like travelling around in the “bocage”, because of all the uncut hedges. Would it not be a better idea to let farmers manage their hedges as they think fit rather than being governed by some interfering bureaucrat? Just as foot and mouth recedes, blue tooth raises its head but fortunately not in Wales. My main thoughts go out to all their livestock farmers who have had their lives blighted by regulations. Now that it is all over the Government would only consider compensation on the basis of keeping any opposition at bay whilst they had their eyes set on an election victory. Now that there is no election any interest in compensating farmers for their problems and financial losses seem to have waned as well. Fortunately I was able to bypass most of the hassle this time as I had drastically reduced the number of sheep which I have, and I was also able to go away for part of the time. But I had suffered during the last big outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001. Though the disease may not have hit this area on that occasion, the movement restrictions certainly did and you wondered how to go on making payments out from the business at a time when there was no income. Perhaps some farmers adopt a more optimistic attitude to the future of farming in this country, or perhaps it is just because I am getting old, but I realised that the 2001 FMD was going to end my farming career as I could no longer spend my time running to the bank manager pleading for more funds. Retirement did not come dramatically, but I wonder just how many more farmers there are out there who have just about had enough during the two outbreaks this summer. It was particularly unfortunate that the second outbreak all but destroyed the sheep marketing season in September this year. Many will persevere with some opportunistic accounting from their bank manager, but it will be just that bit more difficult for any rural business who depends on farmers as their customers. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.27685 2007-10-17T09:38:17Z 2007-10-17T09:39:31Z

By Arnold Pennant Perhaps it is a good thing to have been away so much recently, because it has meant that I have largely missed the ravages of the foot and mouth disease epidemic. It has also meant that you...

Dan Owen By Arnold Pennant Perhaps it is a good thing to have been away so much recently, because it has meant that I have largely missed the ravages of the foot and mouth disease epidemic. It has also meant that you can reflect on it from a distance. I really do feel for all the livestock farmers who have had to suffer such hardship to their businesses. This degree of sympathy does not extend to DEFRA or any of its bureaucrats who I feel should bear the blame for this catastrophe. It would nice to think that DEFRA bureaucrats should have their salaries surcharged to compensate the farmers, but that is probably wishful thinking whilst sunning yourself on a foreign shore. After the last epidemic in 2001, the Government and the ridiculous DEFRA should have realised that you should not play around with foot and mouth virus. So why, I ask, do they permit a foreign company to use it within the security of a Government premise? The other major question which deserves an answer is just what was this foreign company doing with this virus? Was it something to benefit the UK farming industry or were they using this powerful virus to try extract some of its genes for other uses in genetic engineering. Whereas the Government may believe that genetically modified crops have a future in this country, I would be the first to disagree. It is morally wrong that farmers should have to suffer the financial hardship of movement restrictions at a time when the Government endorses such irresponsible activities at one of its research centres. I know what I would do with Pirbright, and that it is to call in the US Air Force because they like bombing things, but I would make sure that the local school was evacuated first as some US bombs have been known to miss. Coming a bit closer to home, I was always opposed to any FMD restrictions in Wales, as it was always clear that this was a totally different situation to that which existed during the last outbreak six years ago. As such I think the WAG should be accountable to farmers for the difficulties which they have suffered. Compensation must be payable in cash because this is what the farmers need to maintain their livelihoods and to look after families. The WAG does not need to give a million pounds to Higgy Cymraeg, but WAG do have a liability to the Welsh farming community. Unfortunately the only farmers who have been adequately compensated have been those farmers in Surrey who have had their livestock slaughtered. Unfortunately this epidemic of FMD is drifting towards the same unsatisfactory end as the last time in 2001. Whereas the Government can find money to fund foreign companies carrying out dodgy research in Surrey, they do not wish to compensate the farming community. It is, after all, the farmers who have such a responsibility to the overall prosperity of the countryside as a whole, as the Government must soon realise that you cannot maintain a rural economy on tourism alone. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.25489 2007-09-25T15:41:54Z 2007-09-25T15:46:13Z

THERE are certain times in history when you can look back and be relieved that you made certain decisions....

Arnold Pennant THERE are certain times in history when you can look back and be relieved that you made certain decisions. In 2001 I was one of those poor unfortunates - and I rigorously observed all the bureaucracy thrown at farmers by MAFF, Defra’s predecessor. Unfortunately the government finalised the whole matter with its “Lessons to be Learned Inquiry”. When I read that report there was only one suitable place for it - the wastepaper basket - because it completely failed to identify the true time and source of the outbreak. This time the biggest calamity has been the nationwide ban. It was totally uncalled for, as it was obvious from the outset that this outbreak was almost certainly localised in Surrey. The problem last time was that the government opted for a cover-up so the general public went uninformed for at least three months during which time the virus found its way into Longtown market and hence the disaster. Recently, as I travelled through several European countries, I began to realise just how much this country is being left behind in terms of agricultural production and the protection of our countryside. Anyone travelling from the Channel towards London will find a countryside disaster in terms of road works, overgrown hedges and unused land - as well as all that litter. In contrast my final country of call, Austria, provided a living landscape of working farmers tending their cattle on their journey to lower pastures, having spent the summer on higher mountain slopes. It was nice to be in a country where farmers were well respected, tending their livestock whilst cutting their surplus pastures for the last time before winter - necessary as they prepare for the more important skiing season. ]]> tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.24061 2007-09-10T11:27:12Z 2007-09-10T11:33:26Z

LOOKING out of my bedroom window this morning I am just glad that I was not where I was seven years ago. Home is much more preferable than Oil Tanks Road, Ellesmere Port, where a group of lorry drivers and...

Arnold Pennant LOOKING out of my bedroom window this morning I am just glad that I was not where I was seven years ago. Home is much more preferable than Oil Tanks Road, Ellesmere Port, where a group of lorry drivers and farmers from North Wales and Cheshire and others blockaded the exit of the enormous Shell Oil refinery at Stanlow. Taxis cause chaos in Dale Street, Liverpool, during the 2000 fuel protests There was always that air of uncertainty as you imagined the police would intervene at any time. But perhaps the highlight was the parade of trucks passing the entrance so that no oil tankers could get out - just as Tony Blair was waiting on the steps of Downing Street to announce that he had sorted it out. Not that night he didn’t, but by the following morning it was all over. Reading Alistair Campbell’s book in Smiths (I wouldn’t buy it!), it was interesting to note just how much anxiety it had caused the Prime Minister and why he thought he must introduce the NHS factor. It was always a perpetual concern to the protestors that nobody should lose their loved ones because of a lack of fuel. Two things still stick out in my mind of this event. First, the year 2000 probably marked the beginning of the end for British crude oil production. This was the year when production from North Sea oilfields was set to decline and this is just what has happened ever since. Unfortunately this is now probably the state of world oil production. From now on production of crude oil is unlikely to keep up with demand, especially as consumption is increasing so fast in the Far East. The other intriguing factor was, I was to meet somebody there who was to send me a Xmas card more than a year later which was to give me the vital clue as to the true source of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001, but it almost certainly happened initially in the previous year. Perhaps the fuel protest and the later oil convoy to London were to set the scene for the new century. After two foot-and-mouth epidemics and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in less than 10 years, we might be in for a more turbulent part of our history. ]]> tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.23412 2007-09-03T10:57:55Z 2007-09-03T10:59:10Z

THANKFULLY it is all over bar the shouting, for farmers at least. I refer, of course, yet again to foot-and-mouth disease. Apart from another piece of dreadful bureaucracy, 20-day movement rule, this awful disease has essentially passed away....

Arnold Pennant THANKFULLY it is all over bar the shouting, for farmers at least. I refer, of course, yet again to foot-and-mouth disease. Apart from another piece of dreadful bureaucracy, 20-day movement rule, this awful disease has essentially passed away. However, for the government to have recorded two epidemics in less than 10 years is a pretty terrible indictment. I am sure they will soon relent on the 20-day movement rule when they realise how ridiculous a bit of bureaucracy it really is. But for the time being it will make livestock farmers lives just that little bit more difficult to operate strictly within the law. This outbreak has demonstrated how unsuitable our bureaucrats are for dealing with such an emergency. In Wales there was never any threat from the disease this time, unless Defra and the Surrey authorities had tried to send infected carcasses to an incinerator here. I just wonder why was it necessary to implement a full movement ban when there was no risk. I suppose it was unfortunate that the National Assembly was pre-occupied by other matters at the time - I refer to the extraction from his temple and murder of Shambo the bull. I do not see why the Assembly considered the destruction of Shambo as so important, but were impotent to deal with the foot-and-mouth crisis. We are assured the disease originated from the Institute of Animal Health, Pirbright, or its associated pharmaceutical company. I wonder how the Government are going to handle the problem of paying compensation to the livestock farmers and others who were affected by the resulting movement ban which was imposed by the State Veterinary Service. It’s tragic that such an epidemic could have been allowed to occur so soon after the previous outbreak in 2001. The earlier outbreak was caused by virus leaking out of a scientific research centre in Northern England and it would appear that the same thing has happened this year. The problem in 2001 occurred because scientific boffins probably thought they were dealing with dead virus, but failed to realise this virus can become reactivated if it comes into contact with its natural host, cattle. I don’t suppose we shall ever be told as to why this deadly and powerful virus is being used for scientific research in such a way that it can escape into local watercourses. A combination of this virus and muddled bureaucracy would make a wonderful weapon of mass destruction. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.22933 2007-08-28T11:09:08Z 2007-08-28T11:10:48Z

LAST Saturday I had a lovely rail excursion on the Settle railway via the Ribblehead Viaduct. It provided a beautiful and tranquil countryside scene, but this was not always the case: the Derwent valley, where the railway runs down towards...

Arnold Pennant LAST Saturday I had a lovely rail excursion on the Settle railway via the Ribblehead Viaduct. It provided a beautiful and tranquil countryside scene, but this was not always the case: the Derwent valley, where the railway runs down towards Carlisle, was the scene of utmost carnage during the last outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in 2001. The train rattled along in the sunshine amid early autumn colours where green begins to give way to brown, with heather in flower on the high ground. It made me wonder just how all those farmers out there felt now that the wretched disease had returned to this country. Thankfully the outbreak is 400 miles further south. For most people the disease is out of sight and out of mind: how it’s affecting farming families is of no concern to most in this country. As the train with its two diesel engines finally approached our final destination for the day in Carlisle, we passed through Wetherall. It was here, after the 2001 outbreak was finally over, that I attended a conference whose audience was mainly doctors. I was made aware that farmers had been affected in other ways than just the loss of their livestock: It had also profoundly affected their mental health and the health of their families, and I am sure many of the younger people will have left home to join other youngsters in the bright lights in the towns. After it was all over a report appeared called “Lessons to be Learned Inquiry”. Now that FMD has reappeared so soon afterwards, perhaps a better title would have been “Lessons not Learned” - it was really just a waste of effort and paper. The important question as to how and where the disease arose from was not discussed by this report. Whilst the real source was soon identified many miles away from the valley of the River Derwent, it does make the present outbreak look like an identical repetition of the earlier outbreak. Different research centre, different strain of FMD, different part of the country, but probably an identical reason for the outbreak. Unfortunately we still await the Health & Safety Executive’s report into the cause of the outbreak at Pirbright. With the jobs of well-paid public sector workers at stake I suspect we may have to wait a long time. In the meantime livestock farmers have to undergo massive bureaucratic restraints on how they manage their businesses. Some members of the Welsh Assembly Government even seem more interested in murdering more of Shambo’s friends at the Skanda Vale temple ranch. I notice that about 100 police were required in the latest Assembly raid to remove cattle and a buffalo from there. It is probably too much to expect that AMs would break their long summer breaks to realise that this outbreak of FMD had no place in Wales. Whilst they have been sunning themselves on some faraway costa, building sandcastles, many farmers have undergone a heartbreaking summer trying to gather their harvests as well as coping with so much unnecessary bureaucracy. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.22034 2007-08-15T19:12:27Z 2007-08-15T19:16:05Z

A FORTNIGHT can sometimes seem a long time, particularly if you a livestock farmer in North Wales at the present time. The announcement of another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could not have come at a worse time for many farmers....

Arnold Pennant A FORTNIGHT can sometimes seem a long time, particularly if you a livestock farmer in North Wales at the present time. The announcement of another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could not have come at a worse time for many farmers. Whilst the source was quickly identified as the Pirbright Animal Health Facility in Surrey, there has been no definitive and independent report as to the actual source - although most believe that the blame lies with the American pharmaceutical company operating from that site. However, farmers must be becoming increasingly frustrated with the State Veterinary Service, (though I believe it now calls itself Animal Health). The way in which they have handled this crisis has been utterly deplorable. Their spokesperson has lacked any form of charisma and appears totally unconcerned with her bad management of the situation. North Wales is more than 200 miles from the source of this outbreak, so I do not see why farmers here should be subjected to the same levels of biosecurity as those within, say, 50 miles of the outbreak. Several years ago the Welsh Assembly was created so as to bring power closer to the people in Wales, but all we really have is a glorified talking shop. Whilst it might be unreasonable to expect them to make an exception for Welsh farmers during what is afterall their extended summer holiday break, I think that they should at least have had a debate as to the merits of reducing livestock movement restrictions in Wales. Whilst everybody else is sunning themselves or making sand castles on the beach, Head Vet orders farmers to be extra vigilant in looking after their livestock. I think there is a limit to how much longer livestock farmers can be abused bearing in mind we have now had two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, a worsening situation with regard to bovine tuberculosis and we still await the scientific evidence with regard to what effect BSE has on human health. With regard to BSE, it is nearly 15 years ago that the Government initially warned of problems with the “human form of mad cow disease”, but in all that time since they have failed to provide the scientific evidence of the link between BSE and the similar disease in humans. I think it is dreadful that farmers have been subjected to another bout of heavy handed bureaucracy and movement restrictions after another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease for which they were in no way responsible. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.21553 2007-08-10T12:09:05Z 2007-08-10T12:10:48Z

THE scourge of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has now been with us for one week. So far the main plus was the prompt action by the Prime Minister and the environment secretary that brought about the rapid disclosure of the source...

Arnold Pennant THE scourge of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has now been with us for one week. So far the main plus was the prompt action by the Prime Minister and the environment secretary that brought about the rapid disclosure of the source of this virus as the Pirbright Scientific Centre in Surrey. I believe this centre and all companies operating from there should be shut down until such time as a full and independent investigation as to the actual source of this virus has taken place. I do not have any confidence in an inspection by the Health and Safety Executive as it is not independent: its staff will soon look for an expedient solution which will not disadvantage fellow public servants. The overpowering presence of the State Veterinary Service has certainly made things more difficult. I believe its immediate clamp-down on all movements nationwide of cattle and sheep was excessive in the current circumstances. Unfortunately there does not seem to be any way in which farmers can challenge this Gestapo-style body. I would question just who this amorphous body is responsible to - and who picks up the bill when it makes a mistake, as it has almost certainly done in this case. I do not believe that a nationwide response was required in this case. Now that regional Assemblies have been established, we would not now be in this state of shambles (remember Shambo?) if decisions concerning livestock movement had been devolved to these Assemblies. In Wales, normal livestock trading could have continued under careful conditions of biosecurity, but any cross border movements from England would be banned. Such an arrangement would have made common sense to maintaining a sensible supply of meat to the retail sector at sensible economic prices. It would have also received the respect and support of livestock farmers in Wales. There has been enormous attention paid to this crisis by the national media. The farming industry does not normally expect such attention, but it is time the general public should learn to appreciate the hard work for meagre rewards that many farmers receive. However, there is a limit as to how much messing around that farmers can stand with in their livelihoods. My guess is that any one person can only take three attacks before he caves in and accepts the inevitable: that this government really does not like farmers and would prefer to convert the whole country into a wilderness of naturally occurring fauna and flora. An expanded number of foxes would then be expected to keep this amorphous mass under control. Unless this outbreak of FMD can be brought under control fairly rapidly, we risk breaking the heart and backs of our livestock farmers. Successive government policies have already reduced the number of farmers to probably what is less than desirable anyway, but lurching from one crisis to another is not going to encourage any youngsters to invest their future in this industry. tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.20825 2007-08-06T11:36:28Z 2007-08-06T11:40:03Z

WE WAKE up to another farming week and another epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease. And yet I am somewhat baffled as to why a total ban has been placed on all livestock movements nationwide....

Arnold Pennant WE WAKE up to another farming week and another epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease. And yet I am somewhat baffled as to why a total ban has been placed on all livestock movements nationwide. Empty sheep pens at this year's Oswestry Show However, that was a long time ago. There is one positive thing this time in that they have already identified the source which is the FMD site at Pirbright. It might become more difficult to determine the culprit as two laboratories involved try to throw a veil of secrecy over the truth. There is no doubt about the strain of the virus which has caused the problem. And the manner of transport of the virus from lab to farm is probably the same as in 2001. Whilst I cannot recall the actual word, there is a means by which a dead virus can come back to life again when it comes into contact with its natural host, in this case cattle. An accidental discharge of this virus into a small stream which was then drunk by the affected cattle was probably all that was needed to create this problem. Perhaps if we had had a full and proper public inquiry in 2002 after the last outbreak instead of that largely useless “Lessons to be Learned Inquiry” by Dr Ian Anderson, then we would not have the problem now. I am sure the national ban on all livestock movement is an excessive reaction in these circumstances. I do not criticise the rapid reaction to control this outbreak of the disease, which is commendable. Last time the disease had four months to become established before the government of Tony Blair took action. It is particularly galling for farmers at this time that their lives are being thrown into chaos by the very public officials who should be protecting them from such an occurrence. However determined the Prime Minister and Hilary Benn may be to bring about rapid results, I am worried that when one public service investigates another one, they opt to “hunker in” to each other so as to protect their livelihoods’ and to prevent the full truth emerging.]]> tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.20647 2007-08-05T12:50:45Z 2007-08-05T12:56:35Z

PERHAPS a better ending to my last blog should have read “Aprés le Shambo, les shambles” - because nobody could have predicted that we were about to have another foot and mouth disease (FMD) fiasco....

Arnold Pennant PERHAPS a better ending to my last blog should have read “Aprés le Shambo, les shambles” - because nobody could have predicted that we were about to have another foot and mouth disease (FMD) fiasco. The FMD virus Seven years later, in 2007, we have another outbreak of FMD, but this time on a farm near Guildford in Surrey. Living in this area are probably more stockbrokers than cattle and I do not see such people taking kindly to disinfecting their brollies as they depart on commuter trains up to the City every morning. But there must be a word of congratulation to the new Prime Minister and the environment minister, Hilary Benn, for bringing about a rapid announcement as to the probable, or should we say the certain, source of this new infection as the Merial virus lab in Pirbright, about five miles from the affected farm. This is a big change from the last outbreak when the government decided on a cover-up and did not make an announcement for about four months. Instead it stage-managed an outbreak at a pig farm in Heddon-on-the-Wall. In those days, when I used to be a proper farmer, I did not wish to breach biosecurity rules because of my responsibility to other farmers at that time. It was on a cold winter’s evening that I was to accidently bump into the true site of the source and then have a long journey home in the dark. I had been tipped off by a journalist on a Christmas card who I had met on the earlier fuel protests. He told me what to look for, but he like me, was not prepared to name that institution. We must be relieved that we have identified the source of the new infection so quickly. Thankful too that this deadly virus does not live in hot temperatures, so the current hot summer temperatures in Surrey will do much to suppress the spread of this virus. A word of warning though: this live virus might have being used in genetic engineering work for some purpose. If they have accidently created a genetically manipulated virus which is more virulent than the original then we might be facing an uncertain future. But that is unlikely. In 2001, the government of the day was not prepared to set up a public inquiry into a fiasco which probably cost more than £8billion. What is surprising is that this new epidemic is probably a mirror image of that epidemic six years ago. ]]> tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.19912 2007-07-30T14:02:47Z 2007-07-30T14:10:39Z

HOPEFULLY this week will prove more relaxing than the one just gone when a planned countrywide tour went awry....

Arnold Pennant HOPEFULLY this week will prove more relaxing than the one just gone when a planned countrywide tour went awry. Royal Welsh parking fiasco: heads should roll Travelling back up the M5 you could only sympathise with all those people who had suffered so much from the flooded Rivers Severn and Avon. I wonder just how much effort has been spent on maintaining these rivers in recent years. In the old days of the National River Authority river management was a high priority to maintain a decent channel and thus a decent rate of flow. Unfortunately the Environment Agency now seems to give a higher priority to preserving habitats for wading birds. I have little doubt that heads should roll at the Agency - just as much as those who were responsible for car parking at the Royal Welsh Show. But it was also a time when I was able to listen on the car radio to the last rites of Shambo. After the first court case, which the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) lost, a spokesperson remarked: “We are disappointed with the judgement. Our aim and responsibility continues to be the protection of public and animal health.” It makes you wonder just how much of a threat Shambo was to public and animal and animal health, but WAG was prepared to deploy Draconian measures to bring about his destruction. But there does not seem to be the same desire for action in the control of badgers. Perhaps WAG should issue a statement as to why it was prepared to sanction such violent sanctions for poor Shambo, but is happy to ignore all those infected badgers? After Shambo perhaps we should say “Aprés le Shambo, la Shambles”.]]> tag:arnoldpennant.welshblogs.co.uk,2007://166.19185 2007-07-21T11:50:07Z 2007-07-21T11:57:11Z

WHILST on a recent farm tour to Germany, I became aware that the European price of wheat was rising. I used to grow wheat but quickly realised that any price below £100 was unprofitable and so I stopped the crop...

Arnold Pennant WHILST on a recent farm tour to Germany, I became aware that the European price of wheat was rising. I used to grow wheat but quickly realised that any price below £100 was unprofitable and so I stopped the crop on my farm. But the main thing that has happened this year is the potential use of wheat to produce bio-ethanol. To produce energy from wheat now makes the crop more valuable. It also provides a much more stable price platform for which farmers to plan their future. There is also the potential to harvest the crop as whole crop so that it can be fed into a biomass plant where methane gas is extracted from the fermenting crop. This gas can then be used to drive an engine and generator to produce electricity. In this wettest of years there does appear at last to be a glimmer of hope for arable farmers (but woe for livestock farmers). Perhaps this renewed optimism will soon spread to other crops such as barley where its previous unprofitability meant farmers no longer grow sufficient supplies to satisfy demand. I have even heard that milk prices will rise in the near future as spot prices are now considerably higher than farmers’ contract prices.]]>