Six-day rule for sheep at the market

FOR our new wash, two likely lads arrived from Skipton on Thursday last, much like Fred Dibnah and Donald, equipped with sufficient tools to service a jumbo jet! The old pumps that had been in place for 25 years were duly removed and laid to rest at the eternal metal graveyard at Swinton.

The new equipment is now installed, complete with coin-operated apparatus, to conform with ministry spec. Chemical is infused by adjusting the nozzle at the end of the lance and there is sufficient pressure to blow out boot laces! The installation was carried out by John Lambert of Skipton and his assistant Mathew, whose knee pads seemed to be a permanent fixture. When asked whether the knee pads were installed ready for worship on Sunday, the reply was: "Nivver tek em off, lad"!

British pig meat

An interesting article appeared in the Pig Farmer, I believe relating to a visit to local Tesco and Morrison branches by a local farmer's wife. She was was looking for UK pig meat but was informed that there was "none available".

A similar incident occurred when a customer, ordering over the internet, requested her usual order of pork and, on delivery, the product was found to be imported. On contacting the store, she made it known that foreign pig meat was not part of her order and the reply was: "Madam, we shall credit your account to the extent of the purchase. It is not worth our while to fetch it back." Serves them right!

Pig prices continue to rise, and for those producers having had a belly-full over the last five years, this situation cannot come too soon.

Six-day rule for sheep

As from March 4, sheep will be sold at Malton under the six-day store stock status. This means that anyone can purchase sheep out of the sheep section on Tuesdays, take them to their own premises or send them direct to slaughter. It is important from the producer's angle that other stock must not have been moved onto the holding of origin within the previous six days. In the sheep sector, this is highly unlikely but it would be unfortunate for anyone to fall foul of this rule. Please note sheep and cattle will not be permitted to travel to the market on the same vehicle. It is important that sheep are presented clean and dry at auction and those which are belly-clipped will command a better price than those not so.

Sheep prices continue to remain firm, around 120p per kilo, for the simple reason that there is a serious UK shortage.

Farm assurance

A local likely lad, having been advised that Farm Assured stock has a wider market, was visited by the inspection officer. The inspector spent ten minutes looking round the stock and three hours looking at the paperwork. The requirements for Farm Assured grain, as most of the large cereal producers will know, are very stringent indeed. Roller shutter doors, adequate vermin control and the prevention of all rodents and birds from entering a grain store are all required. It is a very small hole through which a mouse can pass!

David Thompson

We were sad to learn of the passing of David 'Piggy' Thompson of Earswick. David led life to the full and most of the time in the fast lane!

He was a successful pig farmer in Old Earswick village and during the time he was striving for planning consent on the pig unit, he gave the residents in the village some serious grief by heavily populating land close to the urban conurbation in an effort to help his application.

He was a lively, outgoing character who enjoyed a visit to the Spotted Cow on a fairly regular basis, as well as being an active member of shooting parties throughout the north, including Wintringham. One of his favourite pastimes was having a tour round in the recently-acquired vintage Bentley open tourer and only in January this year was he seen outside Frank Turner's shop with Paul Caddick as a passenger on one very frosty morning when we had a bit of good crack. The parting message from the writer was: "By the way, David, your passenger requested that you turn the heater up a bit along the A64!"

On another occasion, he was entertaining John Machin. As we all knew John, he had a pair of clean leggings and a pair of dirty leggings and believe me there wasn't much difference. Machin arrived at the rather upmarket shoot and was addressed by David: "Machin, for God's sake, you can't come on a shoot like this dressed like that." The reply was: "I come like this or not at all".

During the day, Machin was in position on the second drive, where it was like trying to shoot a pheasant up the living room chimney. Of course, dear old Mach didn't connect and was becoming rather exasperated, to the extent he began firing from the hip. At lunchtime, another guest complained about the activities of David's guest and Mach was duly chastised. The reply from Machin was: "If John Wayne can shoot from the hip, so can I." Bet they are comparing notes!

Bloody EU regulation

A little light reading on Sunday took me down Christopher Booker's column - he's always good for raising the eyebrows.

Since 1973 and our entry into Brussels, the number of new regulations introduced amounts to 101,811, simply mind-blowing.

One, shortly to be introduced, is that blood from the abattoirs, which until now could be spread on the land or processed as an effluent, now has to be separated at source, and collected by the renderer. Expense, expense, expense.

cereal exports

The first six months of this season saw UK wheat struggle to find buyers, both within the EU and further afield, in the face of intense competition from Black/Baltic Sea wheat. Ice-bound ports, new third country buying interests, diminished availability of Ukrainian wheat and the introduction of the EU's new import tariff regime have all combined to kick-start the UK's export campaign.

Because of the slow first half of the season, we now have to export between 400,000 and 500,000 tonnes per month up to and including June. This means that the current level of activity has to be maintained and is not helped by a large surplus in France at prices that are not far above our levels.

In other words, our prices cannot move up much further, given that sterling remains where it is against the euro.

On a positive note, new crop prices have remained firm and may well remain so until we see what sort of crop emerges from underneath the ice in eastern Europe.

Market report

At Tuesday's market, forward were 149 cattle including 48 bulls and 27 cows; 1,539 sheep including 375 ewes and rams.

Lightweight steers to 95p/kilo from L Thompson & Son, Fimber (ave 93.5p); medium steers to 106p from B Gray, Fryup (92.5p); heavy bullocks to 98p from P Gibson, Bempton (89.5p).

Light heifers to 126p from G I Marwood, Harome (125p); medium heifers to 130p from G I Marwood, Harome (101p); heavy heifers to 135p from G I Marwood (102.1p).

Light bulls to 109p from D Sunley, Nawton (94.6p); heavy bulls to 109p from R Mason, Ling Farm (95.2p).

Black and white bulls to 85p from M Welford, Weaverthorpe (83.5p).

Standard hoggs to 131.5p from K Goodwill, Westmoor Farm (125.2p); medium hoggs to 130.2p from Glaves and McNay, Staxton (122.3p); heavy hoggs to 126p from T Midgley & Sons, Painsthorpe (114.8p); overweight hoggs to 111.3p from S R Grayson, Nova Lodge (106.5p).

Ewes to £82 from R Green, Pickering (£52.30).

Updated: 10:04 Wednesday, February 26, 2003