Change is welcome but must be practical

Mr John Thorley, chief executive of the National Sheep Association, gave his warning this week.

He welcomed statements by Lord Whitty that government was fully committed to a "viable, vibrant and sustainable British agricultural sector containing both livestock and arable farms"and that the government was "in the business of construction not demolition."

But Mr Thorley said that while change was needed it could not all come from the producer.

"In an industry which is based on infinitely variable systems of production, dictated by terrain, climate, the lie of the land etc, any change will be limited by sheer practical capability," he said.

The systems of production and marketing had largely been dictated by necessity, not wishful thinking.

"Any change therefore will have to take into consideration practical realities and the limitations associated," said Mr Thorley.

"Equally a greater share of the income derived from the sale of a lamb will need to get back to the primary producer and again the relatively loose talk about 'added value' needs to bear this in mind."

NFU welcome for new sheep price survey

THE NFU has welcomed the new weekly deadweight price reporting survey for sheep launched by the Meat and Livestock Commission.

The new service currently covers nearly a quarter of British clean sheep production.

Mr Tim Bennett, NFU deputy president, said producers desperately need accurate and transparent price reporting.

"This has been sadly lacking in recent months following the temporary closure of all livestock markets in England and Wales as a result of foot-and-mouth control measures," he said.

"It is not only producers that benefit from price transparency - it is good for all industry interests in the food chain."

He very much hoped the MLC would be able to increase the amount of British sheep production covered by the survey.

"For this to happen we need all abattoirs - large, medium and small - to provide their prices. I hope that we will see this sort of co-operation as soon as possible," he said.

One woman's crusade against culling

A North Yorkshire woman is leading a crusade against the government's foot-and-mouth culling policy.

Mrs Jean Dixon, of Ingleton, near Settle, started collecting signatures for a petition at a flower stall in Skipton market.

So far she has delivered 15,000 signatures in just over one month to Defra's headquarters in London and to Downing Street.

Mrs Dixon and her supporters are calling for the government to stop the culls in favour of a vaccination programme.

She said: "This is not an organisation or pressure group. I am just an ordinary country person among the many who are horrified by the culling.

"People feel very strongly that culling is not working and it is time it was stopped and the alternatives explored."

Petitions are available at several places around North Yorkshire. These include Fox's Copy Centre, Thirsk, Rufforth car boot sale on Sundays, Hawes market on Tuesdays, Delma's clothes shop in Ripon, Lewis and Cooper's in Northallerton Skipton town hall or through the Smallholders' Association in Boroughbridge.

Great North

Meet is off

THIS year's Great North Meet has been cancelled due to the ongoing foot and mouth crisis.

The conference was to have been held at Camphill, Kirklington near Bedale on November 2.

But Mr Alan Spedding, chairman of the organising group, said they did not want to add to the risk of spreading the disease in the slightest way.

"We also felt that it would be insensitive to carry on when local people are so focused on the short term business of survival," he said.

"It is a shame in particular for our hosts at Camphill who are working very hard to take all the necessary biosecurity precautions. They have even removed all livestock from the vicinity of their operations. They are struggling to keep 'business as usual'".

"This is the first Great North Meet we have missed in nine years but we look forward to going back to Camphill next year."