A MAJOR initiative to create a strong future for red meat production in the North of England was launched last week.

The regional Red Meat Project aims to encourage greater collaboration between livestock producers to give them a more secure future. It is designed to help them share best practice, benefit from joint working and develop new projects to bolster the industry.

The first of six open meetings, held at Hexham auction mart last week, looked at the implications of CAP reform for the red meat industry.

Monthly meetings will look at different aspects and in a final meeting in February, to be chaired by Sir Don Curry, chairman of Defra's Sustainable Farming and Food Implementation Group.

The six meetings at Hexham have been organised by Susie Craddock, 29, the region's recently appointed Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy co-ordinator.

Her family is from Belford in Northumberland and she holds a BSc in agricultural and environmental science and honours in animal science from Newcastle University. She spent six years working for a pig breeding company in the UK, Europe and Asia, and for the last two years, was projects manager for the Rare Breeds Survival trust.

Her post is jointly funded by One NorthEast and Defra and is designed to deliver a regional SFFS plan which aims to improve the competitiveness, quality and sustainability of the region's farming and food sector.

The North-East plan is overseen by One NorthEast, the Government Office for the North-East, the Rural Development Service, and the Countryside Agency.

Hexham mart is a key partner because of its close association with livestock producers and its depth of knowledge of the general farming community.

Michael Walton, a local farmer and a director of Hexham mart, told the launch meeting that, if farmers were to survive they had to do what they did, but better.

"There is a future for red meat in this region and it is our job to shape it," he said, "These meetings give us the opportunity to make a difference."

It was hoped the meetings would result in a core group of farmers getting together to help the task group.

Mervyn Edwards, national upland adviser for the Rural Development Service, based in Penrith, gave the background to CAP reform and some of the implications for the red meat industry.

He said the annual cost of the CAP had been £3bn but it had not resulted in a profitable and expanding farming sector. "We have had to keep running to stand still, and not even standing still for some people, so things have not worked out," he said.

He touched on some of the environmental issues farmers would have to address as a result of the reforms. One of the biggest issues could be outdoor feeding of cattle, particularly in high rainfall areas where land could quickly get churned up.

Measures to protect soil from damage and erosion might result in such farmers having to carry out risk assessments of the potential damage and problems.

Measures to protect permanent pasture were also likely to have an impact although it was not clear to what extent, as the cross compliance rules were not yet known.

Mr Edwards said farming had already been changing but the single farm payment scheme was hastening extensfication. The large farms were becoming larger and the smaller businesses were increasingly reliant on non-agricultural income.

He concluded by urging producers to "know your markets, get closer to the customer and try to add value to your products".

The next meeting is on Thursday, November 11, and will look at Red Meat, agri-environment schemes and diversification. Other meetings: December 3, Red meat - working together in the North-East; January 13, Red meat producers - assurance schemes and carcase grading; February 4, Red meat - improving farm profitability; February 22, Red meat and the mid term review chaired by Sir Don Curry.

Each meeting is free and open to all interested farmers within the region. The venue is Hexham mart at 6.30 for a 7pm start