June 30

Gregor Christie

Does anyone out there have any recent experience of larger scale (more than one shed) building works with the building company Finrone? Recently I mean, the last 1-2 years. gregor@douriefarming.co.uk.

June 29

Jon Easey

How long have Waitrose been stocking Farm Assured Farmhouse Ham (produced and packed in Belgium)?

Digby Scott

Over to everyone else... is the Tesco near you stocking Quality Standard Mark bacon and ham?

Lizzy Owers

Digby, I was horrified to find while shopping today in Tesco in Gainsborough not to be able to find one single pack of bacon with the Quality Standard Mark on the packaging. There were a few in the Finest range with the Red Tractor but that was all. The same happened with the Finest ham and the only place I could get English bacon guaranteed was the loose counter. The only plus side of my search were the packs of pork chops, market value £4.27kg and they had the Quality Standard Mark on them. The dearer packs of chopsat £5.79 only had the Red Tractor displayed.T wanted to tackle the meat manager but he was not in store.

Digby Scott

Thanks for doing the recording Stephen. Several people are keen to get a copy.

If anyone has any Oz contacts for Stephen please contact him here: srt@poveyfarm.freeserve.co.uk.

Stephen Thompson

Sky+ set so should get it for DVD and son Oliver now finished A levels and on farm, so he will copy and send off ASAP. Oliver is hoping to spend a gap year in Australia. Do we have any contacts with Down Under who could be used to try to locate work for him? He can drive most things agricultural, is good with animals and is very IT literate. He will be going in early November when we have finished drilling. He is hoping to start off near Melbourne as we have relations there.

June 25

Joe Dewhirst

A big thank you to everyone who sponsorsed me and my Yorkshire 3 Peaks' walkers. We had a very enjoyable/exhausting/painful day on Saturday, with all 40 walkers completing the full 25 miles and three 700m peaks. Completion times ranged from 8 hours to just over 12 hours - a fantastic effort by all! The curent estimate is that we have raised over £15,000 for the Stroke Association. Dad would've been very proud not only of our achievement but also the generous support that you have all given us. Thank you.

June 24

Digby Scott

Steve, that's the second request for a DVD I've seen today. I shall record the programme but I think someone else may volunteer to do you a DVD (are you reading this Stephen?). The programme is on More4 Tuesday 30 June, 10pm. Tracy Worcester is twittering here: http://www.twitter.com/PigBusiness.

Steve Thomas

Hi folks any chance of someone putting this More4 programme on a DVD for me? TV in Canada is terrible and now that Sentanta has gone belly up not sure what I will do for my fix of Rugby. Just hope they show the final two games of the Lions tour before I cave into the hockey culture.

June 19

Ian Campbell

I would reiterate Hugh's message in encouraging people to note the date and watch the film for themselves. The final version still has it's core function of painting Smithfield in a poor light and linking 'factory' farming with various negative aspects for human health and the environment but it does give a big plug on labelling and local production. It is hardly surprising that the girl has eschewed communication with a frontrow man when she can talk to a svelte backrow man - what do you expect, Hugh!

Hugh Crabtree

I urge folk to watch the documentary made by Tracy Worcester - "Pig Business" - so that you can actually comment first hand. June 30th More4. Last year I was invited to be one of several to whom the programme was "pitched" by Tracy in order to garner financial and promotional support. This was part of the ongoing Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation set up to encourage independent documentary makers. It will firstly come as no surprise to you that although Tracy does indicate the United Kingdom industry produces its pigs more humanely, the programme is anti large scale / industrial / factory farming of pigs. It'll also be no surprise to you that many of the predictable misconceptions are trotted out. Another thing that'll not surprise you is that mine was the only dissenting voice around the table. Draft copies of the programme were offered to all and sundry.... except Tracy would not let me have a copy as she worried I might send it to Smithfield. I confess I took some umbrage at this and was only mollified by a promise from Tracy that she'd contact me to discuss the matter further following the event. I'm still waiting for Tracy to call. My point was basically that all such programmes focus too heavily on the perceptions of the ignorant and would be far more powerful if they got around to telling the actual truth with a particular emphasis on why scale production is required in the first place. I was also very concerned that at an apparently open event designed to review and comment on documentaries and their makers, the only "negative voice" was duly silenced. Surely documentaries should be able to take some criticism from informed sources if they set out to be critical themselves. "Methinks (s)he doth protest too much"? well maybe but watch for yourselves and let me know what you think. Better still, let Tracy know what you think. I'm still waiting....

June 18

Andrew Zarkos-Smith

Just to give encouragement, having got back from Russia last night: the Russians are getting 82 roubles a kilo live ungraded at the moment; it will rise to about 90 in the next month (£1.57/kg rising to £1.73/kg). So they are getting live what we get for dead! They start complaining when they get more than 25 mm of back fat so you can take pigs to 130kg liveweight. Corn is about £86/tonne but protein costs are 30 percent higher for fishmeal and soya. Their cost per kilo is about the same and the productivity is very similar to a well run unit in Britain. Mind you, the European managers get about £70k untaxed and the basic worker get about £100 per month. So you can tell 1,000 sows will net you about £3m a year - nearly as good as in Britain! The women are very attractive to say the least so it might be time to get on the net and find that Russian wife with a small farm!

June 12

Stephen Thompson

Have sorted a placement for the student mentioned below. She is coming to us in July.

Paul Smith

A reliable friend has asked me to help a second year vet student looking for a two-week (12 day) pig husbandry placement. The pig unit must have at least 60 sows either on an indoor or outdoor production system. This young lady student has some basic experience with pigs and is willing to learn more, and needs to complete a basic welfare survey as part of her placement. The student is available 5th July - 15th September. Contact Vikki on 07531 363608 or email vwyse@rvc.ac.uk.

June 10

Digby Scott

"When we were young" is a build up to publishing a number of pictures that have come into my possession. (Watch out Mick Sloyan at BPEX). Meanwhile I would welcome pictures (probably from wives) of all our industry great and good, taken when they were much younger and probably wearing silly clothes. Get the photo album out Janet Houston, and you Diana Longthorp, and you Phoebe Godfrey. Alister, can you find a picture of Jimmy Butler when he a svelte nipper? Ed, how about one of your dad doing something silly? I'll definitely pay a fiver for a picture of Andrew Saunders when he had a full head of hair. In answer to your question Nick - the other one is Nimmo Clarke who has worked in the supply industry for many years and who was also a member of Reading University Morris men, The Whitenights. Hugh inspired Nimmo to learn how to play the melodeon and for many years he has been playing in a local ceilidh band

Nick White

When we were young - no doubt I will kick myself when the second person is identified (beats me), but I just assumed (wrongly) that it was the beginnings of some of the Feast of Fiddles gang. Isn't anyone else going to have a guess?

Digby Scott

Sorry Terry... the page blew up in some browsers. Should be okay now.

Terry Cross

Can I just say how much I prefer the Forum page when the text is 'aligned left'. The new format is like reading a cross between a hymn sheet and a tea shop menu.

Richard Longthorp

What has the BNP election "victory" got to do with Yorkshire and Humberside Health?

It will not have gone unnoticed that there a currently cartloads of people who appear to have difficulty engaging their brain, full of righteous indignation protesting over the democratic election of two BNP MEPs.
(And no, for the record I am not a BNP supporter.) I wonder how many of those people who now "protesteth too much" actually took time to vote in the elections. Perhaps, if they and their fellow constituents had exercised their electoral prerogative, the BNP would not have picked up the two seats they did.

With the Yorkshire and Humberside Health initiative. Yorkshire pig producers now find themselves in a similar but undoubtedly (I hope!) less controversial and polarised position as the electorates of the North West and Yorkshire and Humber. But the principle remains the same. Exercise your prerogative, attend the meeting at Malton, make your views known and engage with the process even if it is to say "no". But for ****'s sake don't find yourself like these wretched people complaining after the event when only 32% of them actually engaged.

Digby Scott

Spot on with Crabbers. Wrong on the other person, who is in the industry and who I think you probably know.

Nick White

When we were young - looks like Crabbers and Ian (Wicker Man) Cutler. The young Crabbers looks remarkably like Rob Mercer today (no offence to either!).

June 8

William Healy

Barney - the gay pink pig. Should that not be a heat-stressed pig? I hope he has found a few alcohol-free wallows to cool in.

June 5

Lis Ravn

Re Julie Fulljames - Julie, I have read your forum message with interest and contact you on behalf of the BPEX Knowledge Transfer team. If you could contact me and provide me with your address, I can send you the Buildings project book we have that covers all aspects of getting into pigs such as rules and regulations. We can also be helpful with other material covering advice on practical pig production. My contact details are 0789 1656784, lisbeth.ravn@bpex.org.uk. You can also visit our website www.bpex.org.uk. Looking forward to hearing from you.

June 3

Duncan Penny

Re Julie Fulljames' message; despite what some established producers may think about the bureaucracy of regulation, I suggest your Local Authority Trading Standards Animal Health team are one point of contact. Request a visit from them and they should be happy to visit you and go over what is required. They can also help with contact with Defra/RPA as well if necessary. Together with their enforcement activities, a large part of Trading Standard's work is advice and they are paid to do the job, preferring to avoid problems happening rather than having to sort out the consequences later. You don't mention where you are, but County Councils/Unitary Authorities usually handle Trading Standards. You should be able to get contact information for your area from the internet.

Stephen Thompson

If anyone has young children have a look at lea.derbyshire.sch.uk/birdcam/kestrelcam/index.html. We are working with Derbyshire Council to show pictures of our Kestrels to local schools.

June 2

Kevin Gilbert

Hi Julie. As far as I know, all you need is an agricultural holding number and movement licences for moving pigs on and off your holding. I assume you are based in England in which case you will probably need to have your premises inspected by a quality assurance scheme - whoever you contract finish for can sort these things out for you.

June 1

Julie Fulljames

Good morning everyone! I wonder if there are any friendly farmers out there keen to encourage new people into the world of agriculture? I am looking for some help and advice on current licences/rules/regulations for pigs! We are currently purchasing a unit and we intend/hope to become contract fatteners. I have spoken to a huge number of people who have been a great help but now I need some regulations and facts. I look forward to hearing from you.

May 30

Sam Walton

Mention is being made more and more about our largest retailer and its attitude towards primary producers. A dairy farmer told me recently it was fed up of people accusing it of screwing milk producers, so it set up an independent body to find out what it really costs to produce milk. The answer I am told, at the time, was 27.14p per litre. The response he tells me, from you-know-who, was, in which case we will pay them 26.90! Says it all.

May 29

Fred Henley

Went to a Defra meeting on cost and responsibility sharing yesterday - not many there but from all sectors. I simply cannot see how a fair system can be devised to collect and set the amount to pay. There are many animal keepers, many too small and almost invisible, so surely the government must pay to control notifiable diseases. The proposed levy will not pay to control and compensate an outbreak, the insurance industry will not participate, so the present levy will be a fraction of what may be needed in the future. Some animals will be charged more than once if they are with different keepers. Pigs bred, reared and fattened on different farms will be charged three times. Gross output disregarding profitability is not the way to calculate the levy. There is to be no levy on importers and if notifiable diseases appear they are the ones who will bring them in. As to illegal imports, that is the government's job, full stop. Farmers will be made to contribute ("they" have already deceided ) though it was the goverment that made 2001 foot and mouth the disaster it should never have been. I said to a Defra man after the meeting, farmers will get out (the levy for me will be too big a proportion of B & B payment, so no more pigs ). His reply (my summary), "tough if that's the way it has to be".

May 27

Robert Mills

I hear the Pig Veterinary Society is to make disease control and elimination a priority. Surely that is what vets are trained for. What else would they be doing! I have had an invite to a talk on how we beat the wasting disease. I hope they are right but 40 years ago I remember a lecture on how we beat bovine TB.

Peter Marager

Danbred International UK already exists and is in the process of looking at the opportunity of setting up a breeding herd and AI Stud presence. Watch this space!

May 24

William Healy

I don't want to be seen to be advertising but there currently is a Topigs presence in the United Kingdom. Currently it is managed from the Netherlands. Glenmarshal Sires in Northern Ireland (whose hat I wear) have the franchise for the entire island of Ireland. We have Topigs dam line boars in our station. Tempo semen, in particular is regularly sent to a number of producers in England.

Kevin Gilbert

Re Bill Jones' question, I think Danbred are now investigating multiplication in the United Kingdom. Previously they had wanted to keep the genetics to themselves but they are now selling to any market worldwide where they can command a price. Can't comment on Topigs.

Stephen R. Thompson

Re Bacon in the Lords, the Lords seem to be able to massage their figures just like the Commons! From our butchery we get 38 slices of bacon to the kilo. The costs quoted are £1.86 per kilo higher for high welfare and Unirted Kingdom-sourced bacon, so this gives a rasher an extra cost of 5p. Looks like another Lord should be resigning.

Steve Thomas

Chairman of committees Lord Brabazon of Tara told peers that all outlets served only English pork and bacon "except the river restaurant that serves Dutch bacon". He added at question time: "This is because English bacon at £6.71 per kilo is considerably more expensive than Dutch at £4.85 per kilo. If we were to serve English bacon the cost of a rasher would increase from 25p to 45p because of the higher price and lower yield." Labour's Lord Hoyle said: "I and many others argue it shouldn't be a matter of price and we urge the British consumer to buy British bacon because of the higher welfare standards that are applied in this country." Lord Brabazon replied "It is fine for the Lord Hoyle and people like myself to buy British bacon for ourselves, but when we are dealing with other people we do have to offer value for money". The price should be increased to extortionate levels as surely this can be expensed???

Bill Jones

Why do Topigs and Danbred not have a breeding setup in the United Kingdom?

May 23

Robin Traquair

As one of the Denmark fact finding posse I found that the pig buildings were all of similar style, with very little or no manual work to do (other than washing down of course). All feeding was automatic hence large numbers of animals could be looked after by well motivated, well paid staff. These buildings had been bought with a combination of good profits and shrewd borrowing. Co-operation was years ahead of the UK. There was nothing mecurial over there that that we should not be able to aspire to over here.