Partnership reaps reward

The partnerships that I, as Livestock Chairman, have been working on with other European farmers unions, especially southern Ireland are beginning to work. The southern Irish have led the way in partnership with ourselves to test the European Commission for a top up on BSPS second payment for the scale back.

The reason that southern Ireland led was that their government is more sympathetic. By reading the small print and putting pressure on Fischler Bowls herself, we believed that, as we are the only two countries going for total decoupling, that damage had been done to our industry whereas the rest of Europe are being phased into SFP, and the pressure had built on overclaiming before the new system came in. This was a huge challenge and not easy to achieve and many told me we were banging on a closed door and we wouldn't be supported by our government. That is why we used the southern Irish to lead and that is what I call real partnership.

I am very pleased to tell you, but you should already know by now, that it is a minimum of £4.5 million, but already it could be as much as £5.8 million plus.

As I write this article, the UK government is saying it will not match fund the money as the southern Irish have. So what's new? I think we have all got used to our government turning its back on the farming industry.

We are also working on the OTMS scheme to be lifted this autumn and hopefully the date based export scheme to be lifted simultaneously. There is still a lot of work to be done on that side and we are seriously concerned there could be hiccups along the way. But by perseverance and not accepting the word "no" we will succeed.

Everyone is concerned about the dairy industry and the beef industry. The damage the major retailers and processors are doing is just unbelievable.

Whether you are in beef or milk or any other sector, we are all under pressure.

I give a clear warning to the consumers, retailers, processors and this government, that the pressure that has been forced upon our industry and the speed it is winding down is nearly irreversible. Who is going to feed the people of this island in ten years time? What other pressure is going on outside? Could we end up having ration books?

I don't think I'm scare mongering because I think Europe could be seriously short of food, especially the UK, and I don't think the consumer has a clue what's going on.

In the beef sector, the major retailers say the meat they are importing comes into farm assurance Eurogap. Eurogap and ABM British standard are totally different and this is where the wool is being pulled over the consumers' eyes, which is totally wrong.

We must put pressure on to correct this and I believe it is time that we, as farmers, and our organisations go out and approach our customers - the major retailer and consumers - and I believe we have to have a proper way of leafleting and getting the message across to the consumers out there.

The only way I think we can do it is to go outside the retailers, not picketing or blockading but talking and passing the message on about what is going on and what is happening to their food supply chain. I believe that our major retailers don't give a damn or if they do they're not showing the signs of it.

A recent national television report showed what is happening to farmers in South Africa. The programme made it clear that there are only two major retailers who treat their farmers with any respect and those are Waitrose and Marks & Spencer - both at the more expensive end of the market. The other retailers who are all in a price war with each other do not seem to care a damn about the farmers who supply them whatever country they are from.

It will be interesting to see what reactions we get in the near future but there is an awful lot of work to get through before then.

But all good things have to come to an end and, after four years of being deputy and chairman of the Livestock Board, I am standing down at the end of this term. I'm not walking away from the NFU, and it is up to the members what they want me to do, but I am standing down as National Livestock Chairman, so I do not become Londonised and too much like a politician!

I would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported me over the past ten years. I hope you all understand the work we have been doing in highlighting the serious damage that TB is doing to our Industry.

I think the message is slowly sinking in and the politicians are beginning to understand. But we have to keep fighting and everyone has to consider their business options.