THE new chairman of the National Sheep Association has launched a scathing attack on the new hill farm allowance scheme.

Mr David Smith said the agriculture minister claimed the switch from headage to area payments will leave more than 50pc of producers better off.

"To date I have not found anyone whose income will be improved and some people who are looking at substantial losses of up to 75pc," he said.

"Personally I have calculated a reduction of almost 50pc in my income from this source once the safety net is removed in two years.

"That, frankly, is a total travesty of fairness especially at a time when the industry has been under such enormous pressure."

Speaking after last week's meeting of the NDA executive board, he challenged Mr Nick Brown, minister, to make a clear statement to explain in precise terms how the loss would be made up.

"But more importantly, how the change will help to stem the flood of people leaving the industry and re-inject some confidence," said Mr Smith.

"There is continuous talk of Britain being a prosperous country. It appears to me that this so-called prosperity is a long way from sheep farming.

"If the government is serious about revitalising the rural economy then it needs to act now to rebuild the lost confidence - there is no time to waste and no room for window dressing."

l The CLA was also critical. Mr Antony Haslam, regional director for the CLA in the North-East, said it was "discriminatory and compromises the environmental and social contribution of larger hill farms."

He said the reduction in environmental payments for farmers at artificial cut-off points of 350 hectares and 700 hectares was unreasonable.

"No attempt has been made to link the scale of payments to any objective indicator such as whether the farmer is full-time or part-time, to the farm income, costs of environmental delivery or anything else."

The CLA had always supported the concept of area payments rather than headage payments to enable farmers to deliver the environmental benefits the nation wanted.

"But this decision makes a mockery of both approaches," said Mr Haslam, "Investment in the environment is not subject to economies of scale and to impose a cut-off will inevitably constrain that investment in the deprived upland areas."

Help with the

harvest headache

A COUPLE of days respite from the wet weather last week saw farmers struggling to get the harvest in.

For many wheat growers in particular, this year's harvest has been the most difficult in living memory and national estimates of a higher UK wheat crop have left them wondering what those reports are based on.

A few farmers locally have managed to get their wheat in, but the majority have been defeated by the weather. Some even face the prospects of having to plough some wheat into the ground after it has shed the ear or sprouted in the field.

For wheat which is gathered in, there are questions over bushel weights and increased drying costs.

However there was some good news from Farmway, which announced that it had not, and would not, increase its drying charges this season. The Darlington-based farmers' co-operative is holding all charges at 1999 levels, with no payments due until November 28.

Mr Tony Simpson said that, with grain prices at rock bottom, everyone had hoped for a dry harvest producing large volumes of quality grain. "Instead we have a high cost salvage operation," he said.

However, over two better days, tonnes of wheat were delivered to Farmway's Piercebridge silos.

"Some of the grain had a moisture content of between 22pc and 28pc and needs a lot of drying to bring it down to 15pc," said Mr Simpson.

The extra fuel costs involved are enormous but Farmway is sticking to its pledge not to increase drying charges which it made in April.

l The Northumberland and Durham machinery ring has 260 members who may be able to help out with manpower and equipment.

A telephone call to the office could, at very short notice, supply combines, ploughs and equipment/machinery to help with combining or cultivation work.

The ring is a non-profit making farmers co-operative which can match a request for help with a provider within the locality so that transport costs are minimal.

Usually several members who could provide help are given to the person seeking help so they can make contact and negotiate terms.

If the moisture content needs to be reduced, the ring also has many members with in-store dryers or mobile dryers.

Anyone interested should contact Annie Hastie on 01207 590064 or mobile 07950 026487