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Agri-NewsPublished by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
January 2009
Helping Manx farmers evolve and grow
The most fundamental change in Government’sfinancial support to farmers for more thantwo generations moved from possibility toreality in December following Tynwaldapproval of the Countryside Care Scheme.
Field Officers and Support Scheme staff arenow engaged in ensuring that theimplementation, and in particular theapplication process, of the Scheme is asstraightforward as possible for all applicants.
Four practical workshops have beenscheduled for March and there will be anumber of drop-in “surgeries” around theIsland in April for farmers requiringspecific assistance with filling in forms.
The application form for the Scheme is verysimilar to the previous census forms and willtherefore be familiar to the majority offarmers. One major new requirement will befor farmers to declare not only the size of theirfields but also the eligible farmed area.
Strict payment deadlines have been agreed,with the Department committed to makingthe first payment in July. To ensure youreceive a payment in July and do not incurany penalties for late submission, you mustensure your correctly completed applicationform is received by the Department no laterthan 11th May.
Industry Prepares for CountrysideCare Scheme By Ed Clague, Agricultural Policy Manager
Index
Bringing the Isle of Man to the BBC Good Food ShowThe Isle of Man is justly proud of the highquality of its produce and ‘Pure Produce of the Isle of Man’ has recently exhibitedat the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
Six producers highlighted the exports thatgive Manx food and drink such a goodname worldwide. Under the banner of‘Pure Produce of the Isle of Man’ theywere - IoM Meats, IoM Creamery, IslandSeafare, Kella Distillers, Moore’s TraditionalCurers and Okells Real Ales.
Once again the Isle of Man stand playedhost to the ‘Hairy Bikers’ who made nobones about their love of the Island andits produce. Pure Produce was delighted tobe able to bring with them the very firstsamples of a brand new product from theIsle of Man - Ellerslie Virgin Rapeseed Oilwill be available throughout the Island in
the nearfuture.
Isle of ManMeats puton show amagnificentdisplay ofManx meat, including fine Manx beef whichchef Steve Quirke roasted to perfection. Isle of Man Creamery displayed their fullrange of nine different award winningcheeses with customers queuing five deep tosample the produce.
Agriculture Minister Phil Gawne said. “I’mdelighted that our quality Manx food hasyet again been so well represented at theBBC Good Food Show. We have a fantasticrange of excellent Manx produce and I’mpleased that my Department is able tosupport such marketing initiatives.”
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Minister’s comments 2
New HQ Sod cutting 3
Closure and wind down of existing scheme 3
Sparling returns 3
Manx nature conservation forum 3
CCS next steps and update plus Farmers briefing 4
FHIS 4
Advisory Strategy report 5
Masters success 5
Isle of Man Meats certified to sell Organic products 6
Manx food at DTI’s exhibition 6
Local Food Market Research 6
What has DAFF done foragriculture…? 7
Expressions of Interest for IOM Food and Drink Festival 8
I Love Manx 8
Stay on a Manx farm 9
Success of Greeba Farmmushrooms 9
Live to Dead workshops– Beef and Sheep 10
Last date for Beef Cow Scheme 10
Animal Health 10
New rules for cattle over30 months 10
Timber clearance 11
Successful Milling Wheat gravity separator 11
Market Trends 12
“I look forward to the industry exploiting the opportunities now created and the emergence of a self-reliant and sustainable agricultural industry.”
Phil Gawne, MHK
Agri-News January 2009
2
Minister’s commentsAs we begin another year, it is worthconsidering the progress we have madeover the past 12 months.Firstly, the Countryside Care Scheme wasapproved by Tynwald. Farmers now haveclarity on what their support will look like forthe next 10 years and can plan theirbusinesses for the long term. The Schemeincreases farmers’ freedom to innovate andto respond to changing consumer demandand is the foundation of DAFF’s Strategyfor Developing a Reliable, Sustainable,Self-Reliant Manx Agriculture. On its’ own,the Scheme will not deliver the muchneeded regeneration of agriculture;however, when considered with the othersteps Government is taking, the work of theprocessors and the effort of farmersworking individually or in cooperation, theindustry has its best opportunity forsuccess and progress in a generation.At this point I would like to express mysincere thanks to all those who took anactive part in the debate surrounding theScheme and made representations, bothfor and against it, to the Department. TheScheme is very much a product of theindustry working very closely with theDepartment to deliver the best possiblebusiness environment for your businessesto prosper. Howard Quayle at a recentmeeting stated that the decoupled supportscheme being offered to Manx farmerswould be the envy of farmers in the UK and
Ireland, and the reason for this is in nosmall part down to the efforts of Industryrepresentatives such as the MNFU, BeefProducers, Flock Masters, theAssociations and the Marketing Society.It has also been an incredible year for Isleof Man Meats too. Subvention is nowagreed and paid. In a similar way that theCountryside Care Scheme allows farmersto restructure, the three year subventionagreement provides a foundation for IOMMeats to plan for the inevitable changesahead. This support, and the additional£200,000 plus of support for initiatives suchas the cattle contracting and qualityimprovements schemes and otherassistance for marketing initiatives and thelive to dead training workshop areexamples of the Department’s commitmentto help the industry deal with restructuring.The Marketing Society’s customer surveyreport demonstrated the high regard inwhich Manx produce is held. The reportwas launched at the Mount Murray on 15thJanuary and demonstrates theopportunities available for farmers andprocessors to respond to consumer need. Italso clearly shows the public’s desire forbetter labelling of the food we eat. Betterlabelling of produce is the Department’snumber one policy objective for 2009.Several reports and conferences, mostrecently the Oxford Farming Conference,have highlighted the opportunities for fresh,
locally produced food which is of highquality and well marketed. I am eager tosee this important aspect of the foodmarket developed further in the Isle of Man.I’m sure we all hope that 2009 will not seea repeat of the high fuel prices of 2008 andthat feed and fertilizer prices will return tomore realistic prices. The low value of thepound against the Euro should also havesignificant benefits for Manx Farmers. Inparticular Manx lamb which is sold inFrance should benefit by 30% alone, due toexchange rates.We are all facing a period of majoradaptation and change at farm level,processing level and indeed for theDepartment. Whereas there is still muchGovernment can do to establish the mostfavourable environment possible forfarmers to run their businesses, thefundamental elements are now in place. Farmers must now look to the market toenhance their returns, whether this is doneon an individual basis or by workingthrough the established co-operatives ofthe Creamery and IOM Meats or via newjoint ventures. I look forward to the industryexploiting the opportunities now createdand the emergence of a self-reliant andsustainable agricultural industry. Hon Phil Gawne MHKShirveishagh
Closure and wind down of existing Schemes By Ed Clague, Agricultural Policy Manager
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The Cereal Area Payment, Loaghtan Ewe,Dairy Cow Premium and Hill Sheepschemes are now withdrawn.
Cows eligible for support under the BeefCow Premium and Beef Cow QualityIncentive Scheme (Beef Cow and HeiferSchemes) must have calved and thosecalves must have been registered with theDepartment no later than 30 January. TheScheme will formally close on 1 April 2009.
The value of the Sheep Variable Premiumand Beef Quality Headage payments willreduce by 5% every other month from 1
April 2009 and will formally close inOctober 2011.
Pig Premium Headage reduces in threesteps from £28.60 to £20.02 betweenApril and August 2009, but continues untilfurther notice after that date.
From April all slaughter premiums will bepaid monthly instead of the currentlyweekly process.
The Laxey Glen Mills Milling Wheat bonusremains unchanged at £32 per tonne ofeligible wheat until 2012 when support
will reduce to £21.21, and then £10.69 in2013. The Scheme closes in 2014.
All schemes remain open to new andexisting applicants until they close.Farmers increasing, reducing or startingclaims under the slaughter schemescannot alter the value of their HistoricEntitlements unless a formal application ismade to the National Reserve.
Farmers growing milling wheat between2009 and 2011 will have the average valueof the support they received over this periodadded to their historic support from 2012.
The new headquarters, to be called ThieSlieau Whallian, will be one of the firstoffice eco-developments on the Island andwill act as a pioneer for energy efficiencyand sustainability in line with theenvironmental policies of the Government.The design of the building has beendriven by the site and currentenvironmental thinking. It is designed to
minimise the impact on the environmentby maximising the use of naturalventilation and natural lighting.
Minister for Agriculture, Phil Gawne MHK,performed the official sod-cutting on the siteof the new Headquarters on the 4 December2008 and said: 'I would like to thank thewhole team who have worked so hard tomove this project on so quickly. I would also
like to extend my thanks to Tynwald for thesupport received at the sitting last Novemberwhen the project was approved.
'Importantly the new building will result insavings to the Manx taxpayer and a moreefficient service to people using theDepartment. The project really is ground-breaking for the Island and I am delightedto be able to officially open the site.'
Sod-cutting ceremony for new Department headquarters By Rosemary Leslie, Personal Secretary
Sparling Returns By Chris Kneale, Agricultural Adviser
Manx Nature Conservation Forum By Aline Thomas, Wildlife and Conservation Officer
The Minister for DAFF would like to inviteyou to the launch of the Manx NatureConservation Forum on World WetlandsDay, Monday 2nd February 2009, at
8.00pm at St Peter’s Church Hall, RoyalAvenue, Onchan.
The event is open to everyone and DAFFwould welcome your views on the
priorities for nature conservation on theIsland. Entry is free and refreshments willbe served. For further information contactAline Thomas on 843109.
Sean Sparling, UK Agronomist of the year2007, will be the Advisory Service’s guestspeaker at the Cereal focus Day onThursday 12th of February and Friday13th February.
At 8pm on the evening of Thursday12th February, at the Glen HelenHotel, Sean will give a talk on the themeof “Modern Agriculture from a Sparling’sPoint of View”. He will be looking atfarming and food production in general,and what the future may hold foreveryone involved in agriculture. Sean isan accomplished and entertaining speaker(and magician!), so this evening meetingshould prove very worthwhile for anyone
involved in farming today, not just thosewho are currently growing crops.
Then on Friday 13th February, there willbe two technical crops sessions. The firstsession of the day, starting at 10.00amat Knockaloe Farm will focus on“growing cereals for livestock” Thissession will look at all aspects of cerealmanagement including rotation, varietyselection, weed, pest and disease control,tank mixes and fertiliser use. This focusmeeting is aimed at farmers growingcereals either for combining and/or whole-crop, and how to best ensure good weedand disease control where there may beother demands on the farmer’s time suchas lambing, calving, silage and so on!
The second session of the day will shiftfocus slightly to those growers with ahigher proportion of crops in their farmingsystem, and often a higher proportion ofwinter cereals along with milling wheat,pulse crops and OSR in the rotation. Theafternoon session will start at 2.00pm atBretney Farm, Jurby.
For those who require it, we will again beseeking NRoSO CPD points for both of thepractical sessions on the Friday. Pleasebring your NRoSO membership numberwith you if you wish to register for points.
For further information please contact theAdvisory Service on 842335.
Agri-News January 2009
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Countryside Care SchemeBy Kim Etherton, Countryside Care Project Officer
Much work is now underway to preparefor implementing the Scheme from 1 April2009 - and no, there are no April Fools’jokes planned!
Workshops
These are designed to help you with thepracticalities of the Scheme:
• how and when to apply for a paymentincluding knowing what land to includeas eligible.
• the conditions that you must meet inorder to receive a full payment – crosscompliance standards.
• the matters that you need to consider, toinform your decision making – NationalReserve, consolidation and transfers.
• what to expect from inspections.
• how to appeal and who to go to forhelp and advice.
Delivered by the Field Officers and otherDAFF staff, these workshops will help youget to grips with the Scheme – and makethe most of the opportunities that itprovides. You’ll get a preview of a workedexample of the new application form beforeit comes through your letterbox at the endof March - so if it’s your job to completeone of these, you might find it helpful tocome along to one of the meetings.
To help with catering, please let us knowwhich meeting you are attending bytelephoning 685838 or [email protected]
Meeting details are:
Tuesday 3rd March at 7.30pm at theWentworth Suite, Mount Murray, withrefreshments to start.
Wednesday 4th March at 12 noon atthe Falcon’s Nest, Port Erin with lunch to start.
Monday 9th March at Sulby Village Hallat 2.30pm with refreshments to start(please note change of venue as the GrandIsland will not be available).
Friday 13th March at 2.30pm at theWentworth Suite, Mount Murray withrefreshments to start.
Farmer’s Handbook
Work on this is well advanced, withconsultation with the Industry AdvisoryCommittee planned for later this month.
Copies will be made available at theworkshops and anyone not attendingthem will receive one in the post beforethe end of March.
Countryside Care Scheme Appeals Committee
The first two members of the Committeehave been appointed – Derek Kermeenand Carol Kermode. Both will bring awealth of experience to the Committee somany thanks to them for applying.However, we need more members soplease do consider applying and helpingwith an important aspect of theCountryside Care Scheme. An informationpack is available - contact Kim Etherton on687343 or email [email protected] your copy. Expenses are paid and fulltraining will be provided.
Contrary to rural rumours, the FHISscheme will not be ending when theCountryside Care Scheme starts in April.
The FHIS scheme which attempts to helpproducers improve the infrastructure ontheir farms is seen as an important aid tohelp those who wish to restructure theirbusinesses in light of the opportunitiesthat may arise from decoupling. This couldbe in the form of capital works (buildings,
slurry, silage, feed stores etc) and stockhandling equipment.
A review of the scheme will be undertakenshortly, when eligible items and rates ofgrant will be looked at with a view totargeting areas which can help producersreduce input costs.
The current FHIS budget is £800,000 butonly half of this amount was spent last
year, partially due to uncertainty in theshort term future.
The FHIS scheme is and remains verymuch open for business and applicationsare always welcomed.
If you require details of the scheme, orany advice concerning an application,please call the Field Officers on 842335.
Farm and Horticultural Improvement Scheme By Andrew Willoughby, Field Officer
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The DAFF Agricultural Advisory Service,which is both independent and availableto all farmers without charge, recentlyrevised it’s forward strategy to best helpfarmers take on the challenges andopportunities that lie ahead. The strategywas formulated with the advice andconsultation of people and businessesfrom all sectors of agriculture in theIsland, and has now been approved bythe DAFF Agriculture Committee.
Two of the most important and hopefullysignificant initiatives contained in therevised strategy are Whole Farm Reviews,and Seeing is Believing. These initiativeswill run in parallel to, and in addition tothe normal day to day work of theAdvisory Service, advising farmers on allaspects of business and technical issues.
A Whole Farm Review is exactly what itsays on the tin - it’s a review of everythingassociated with the farm – land, labour,livestock, buildings, equipment, finances,skills and more. It will provide an in-depthassessment of the farm’s currentperformance and the opportunities open toit. Perhaps now more than any time in thepast 20+ years, farmers have morefreedom to choose what type of farmingenterprises they want to carry out. Butfreedom of choice can be daunting too,and a Whole Farm Review will provide afrank and completely confidential review ofall of the options available to the business.
This will be accompanied and complementedby the “Seeing is Believing” initiative. Anancient Chinese proverb suggests that:
“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand”
The Seeing is Believing initiative will fromAutumn 2009 provide the opportunity forindividuals or groups to see and getinvolved by offering financial assistance toattend off Island training sessions /courses / seminars or similar wishing toimprove their sector understanding with aglobal perspective. So if you’re thinking ofchanging your farm business, and want tosee how others have achieved similarchanges elsewhere, then this initiativecould be for you, or a group of like mindedfarmers. It could literally be anythingwhich has the potential of benefiting youand or the Manx farming industry, withpossible funding assistance ranging from20-80% of approved costs. Further detailson the initiative and how to apply will beavailable in early Summer 2009.
The only sure thing in farming, as withlife, is change. Farming in the Isle ofMan, and the rest of the world, has beengoing through unprecedented changes inthe past few years. And perhaps thesechanges are more numerous and
significant in the Isle of Man than mostother places – impending loss ofderogation; massive fluctuations in thecosts of feed, fuel and fertiliser, as well asagricultural produce; dependence upon arelatively small processing sector; inter-relationship between agricultural sectorsin the island; and of course thedecoupling of agricultural subsidies in theCountryside Care Scheme. It is hopedthat this revised Advisory Strategy willhelp to meet the changing needs andchallenges facing the Farming Industrytoday and in the future.
Copies of the revised Advisory Strategywill shortly be available on the DAFFwebsite, or hard copy on request. Wewould also like to thank all of those whocontributed to the revised strategy, yourinsight was invaluable. For advice on anyaspect of your farm or rural business,please contact Andrew Macdonald or ChrisKneale at Knockaloe on 01624 842335.
Whole Farm Reviews and “Seeing is Believing”Revised Advisory Strategy Andrew Macdonald, SAC Senior Agricultural Adviser
Masters successCongratulations to Stuart Jaques MRCVS,one of our team of Veterinary Officers in theAnimal Health Division, who has successfullycompleted his Masters Degree at the RoyalVeterinary College (London University)through distance learning; passing with
Distinction in Veterinary Epidemiology andPublic Health (VEPH).
Stuart said: ’The return of bovine TB to theisland in 2001 increased my interest in boththe theory of animal diseases and thepractical and economic impact disease has
on the community. This course seemed anideal way to improve my knowledge,although I really didn’t expect some of thematerial to become relevant quite so quickly- Bluetongue was an exotic disease when Istarted the course!’
Agri-News January 2009
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Isle of Man Meats certified to sell Organic productsBy Kewin Kerruish, Technical Manager, Isle of Man Meats
Isle of Man Meats is now accredited to supplyretail pack organic meat to supermarkets.
In the past we were able to sell organicbeef and lamb in carcass form or asvacuum packed primals (which aresupplied to butchers and wholesalers).
Now that we have the higher level ofaccreditation we are able to further processthese products into retail pack form. Thistherefore gives us the ability to expand thecustomer base for Manx Organic beef andlamb both on and off the Island.
To gain this certification there are a largeamount of procedures that have to becomplied with in order to guarantee the
integrity of the organic product. Fullfactory audits are carried out by thecertification body ‘Organic Farmers andGrowers’. Audits include full traceability
exercises ensuring all products can betraced back to farm, as well as auditingour organic quality management systemagainst the Organic Farmers and GrowersCodes of Practice. For more informationabout this process please go towww.organicfarmers.org.uk.
We are also accredited to sell certifiedAberdeen Angus beef as well as Halal lamb.
By gaining these certifications we are able tooffer a wider range of products to our currentcustomers as well as opening the doors intonew markets, both on and off the Isle of Man.
For more information on this, pleasecontact Isle of Man Meats on 674346.
Manx food represented at DTI’s “Living for theFuture” exhibition By Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer
DAFF will have a high profile at this years“Bright Ideas – Living for the Future”exhibition to be held on Friday 6th March10am to 7pm and Saturday 7th March10am to 4pm at the Villa Marina.
The aim of this exhibition is to raisepeople’s awareness of the savings thatcan be made, both financially and
environmentally; such as increasing theirhome insulation to reduce energyconsumption or buying locally producedgoods which would help to cut fuelemissions and transport costs. This ties into the Government’s initiative already inplace to encourage conserving energy andbuying locally in order to supportproducers and the economy as a whole.
Manx food producers have been invited toattend this event and will coincide withthe monthly Farmers’ Market.
DAFF will be promoting reasons to buyManx food, displaying an update of thenew eco-friendly HQ and our ForestryDivision will be exhibiting their locallygrown timber products.
Local Food Market Research - with implicationsand opportunities By Derek Legg, Secretary to the Isle of Man Agricultural Marketing Society Ltd.
The Isle of Man Agricultural MarketingSociety Ltd, a leading body in the Isle ofMan food industry, has recognised theimportance of understanding our localfood market and customers’ needs at atime where there is significant change:
1. Quality, price, freshness and local arewhat Isle of Man residents look forwhen buying their food.
2. Three quarters of respondents oftenbuy local food.
3. Isle of Man residents rated very manylocal products highly in terms of qualityand value for money.
4. Whilst the Society has carried out theresearch, individuals or groups may
want to note potential opportunitiesand take action specific to their own sectors.
5. 95% of respondents checked labels(very much higher than in the UK) tosee where products are produced andgrown.
6. The importance of recognition of “ILove Manx” and the 3 Legs of Mansymbol (triskele) was impressive.
7. Almost 90% feel there should beguidelines on what is allowed to becalled ‘Manx’.
Along with extensive planning work, DAFFwill use this market research to helpprioritise activities and funding to support
the industry in capitalising on theopportunities developing in the food market.
The Isle of Man Agricultural MarketingSociety held a press briefing on the 15thJanuary 2009 at the Mount Murray Hoteland Country Club, with invitations goingto key stakeholders in the food industry.There was an excellent turn-out of peoplefrom various sectors of the industryinvolved in some way in promoting locallygrown fresh quality produce.
A copy of the Summary Report can beobtained from the Agricultural MarketingSociety by telephoning 672060 or [email protected] or by viewing DAFFweb siteDAFF/reports/research_report.xml
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• Gained Tynwald support for our 7 pointstrategy to rejuvenate Manx agriculturetitled “Developing a Reliable, Sustainable,Self Reliant Manx Agriculture.”
• Finalised the Countryside Care Scheme,with Tynwald support.
• Issued the new Milk Price Order.
• Supported the Organic Working Party tolaunch the Organic Action plan.
• Introduced significant extra marketingrelated support to the industry:
- Proposed, negotiated and delivered subvention of the Meat plant.
- Supported the IOM Meats to introduce ground breaking supply management contracts and improved Farm Assurance contracts.
- Supported the IOM Creamery with local, UK and rest of the world marketing plans.
- Supported Pure Produce of the IOM to attend 5 trade and 5 consumer shows off-Island.
- Supported the Agricultural Marketing Society in local food market research.
- Supported the new “Stay on a Manx Farm” brochure.
- Supported the Milling Wheat producers to grade and improve over 1,100 tonnes of Milling Wheat.
- Provided media training to several key industry representatives.
- Supported the I Love Manx Campaign,in association with the Manx National Farmers Union.
• Introduced New Tenancy Act.
• Undertake Manx Celtic Lamb Trials.
• Arranged Knockaloe beef & sheep event.
• Arranged 24 Farm Visits at Knockaloe -ranging from 5 to 50 people per visit.
• Delivered 270 advisory meetings on farm and 3 advisory winter meeting programmes. Also held 8 technical meetings.
• Gathered and arranged for the analysisof 900 soil samples
• Artificially Inseminated 2,780 cattle
• Milk recorded around 60,000 individualcow yields.
• Wool control moved and opened atKnockaloe on the 22nd September
• In the first two grading sessions atKnockaloe approximately 90 tonnes ofwool have been graded, baled andexported for sale.
• Net weight of wool shipped from the2007 clip was 152 tonnes
• Undertook around 50 Plant Health visits
• Weighed and classified 8552 cattle,54,360 sheep and 5,938 pigs at theMeat Plant resulting in the payment of£2,577,034.44 to producers under thevarious support schemes.
• Hosted 7 live to dead workshops (inconjunction with IOM Meats).
• Paid out more than £8 million ofagricultural support.
• Calculated historic support payments.
• Conducted several meetings on crosscompliance.
• Conducted and collated the annualAgricultural Census.
• Amended the fencing grants scheme.
• Co-ordinated and supported the ManxFood Court, Meet the Buyer eveningand Manx Food Live Theatre at theAgricultural Show.
• Establish Tynwald Day Manx Food Fairlinking Manx food to our National day.
• Manx food promotions at NoblesHospital, IOM College, DTI Save EnergyExhibition and linking to celebrity chefs eg: James Martin and the TwoHairy Bikers.
• Promote the benefits of PDO (ProtectedDesignation of Origin, an EU protectedfood name scheme).
• Publish 6 bi-monthly Agri-Newsnewsletters.
• Kept Foot and Mouth Disease out in2008 therefore permitting exports ofmeat to continue.
• Controlled outbreaks and progressingtowards re-eradication of TB.
• TB tests on over 8,000 cattle.
• Recorded over 8,000 cattle births and10,000 movements.
• Maintain a health status that isfundamental to continuing trade.
• Established and ran a bluetonguetesting regime for the limited numberof imports.
• Certified tens of millions of trout eggsfor export.
• Operated the cull calf and cull cow scheme.
• Established both pig holding and beeholding registration for the furtheranceof disease control objectives.
• Supplied 300 tonnes of wood for use incattle corrals.
• Supplied a wide range of timber fencingproducts to the industry satisfying ahigh proportion of local demand.
• Hosted visits from UK countrysideagencies to discuss uplandmanagement.
• Convened a seminar on heathmanagement in conjunction with theIOM Fire & Rescue Service.
• Investigated land diversification for useas alternative fuel crops including shortrotation coppice.
• Payment of £17,000 to landowners andtenants for protecting key species, rarehabitats or sensitively managing landwhich is designated as an Area ofSpecial Scientific Interest.
• Provision of a leaflet on guidelines forgoose management.
• The Pilot Agri-environment Schemecontinues to support 29 farms byrewarding them with £200,000 tomanage over 7,000 hectares (17,297acres) for landscape and biodiversity.
• Replacement of the General Licenceson bird control for a further two years.
Plus much more…
What has DAFF done for agriculture…?In 2008 we . . .
Growing OpportunitiesBy Alison Teare, I Love Manx co-ordinator
Agri-News January 2009
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Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival By Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheriesand Forestry and the Department ofTourism and Leisure are seekingexpressions of interest for the 2009 Isle ofMan Food and Drink Festival.
The festival is due to take place on the26th and 27th September, 11am to5pm and is intended to be a platform forproducers, suppliers and retailers topromote local produce to Island residentsand visitors alike. The hub of the festivalwill be the Villa Marina gardens which willfeature the Manx Food Live Theatre withcooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs,food exhibitor marquee, farmers’ market,restaurant marquee, picnic area, fringeevents and craft stalls.
Minister for Agriculture, Hon Phil GawneMHK said “The Isle of Man Food and DrinkFestival will be a major event in both thelocal and national food calendars. Wehave a wide and varied range of qualitylocal produce on the Island and this eventwill give local producers an opportunity toshowcase their outstanding produce toresidents and visitors alike. I would like toencourage all local producers, retailers,cafes and restaurants to join the festivaland help to make it a huge success.’
The Minister of Tourism and Leisure, HonMartyn Quayle MHK said “We believe theFestival will further raise the Island’sreputation for quality food and drink andencourage greater demand for local
produce from visitors and residents fiftytwo weeks of the year”.
Although DAFF and DTL are puttingcombined resources into the setting up ofthis event, it is envisaged that this festivalwill become self sustaining in future years.
A working group has been established toco-ordinate the festival in 2009 andalthough the closing date for expressionsof interest was the 23rd January, it is not too late to apply. Please contact:[email protected] or call 685856for further information.
I Love Manx now have a new websitewww.ilovemanx.org and we would like tohear from you! As farmers you may takefor granted the inherent knowledge andskills that are second nature to you, butyou can be sure that there are manypeople in our community that arecompletely unacquainted with agriculture.Send in your farming photographs to our seasonal gallery; let us know aboutcommunity events and help us tointroduce the countryside to the Manx consumer.
During 2008 our campaign to educate andinform Island residents about food andfarming began to take shape. The ball isnow rolling and the key to promoting ourproduce is to maintain this momentum.Island residents have a passion to find outwhere their food comes from and how it isproduced. Their willingness to chooselocal is clearly shown in the results of the‘Local Food Survey’, a recent studycommissioned by the Isle of ManMarketing Society. This revealed that localresidents rated many local products highlyin terms of quality and value for money,
with 75% of people surveyed buying Manxproduce at least ‘often’.
It is hoped that work towards a Manxfood labelling initiative in 2009 will makeshopping for local produce even easier.
The Island already produces a superbrange of staple products such as milk,butter, cheese, meat, fish, bread, flour,eggs, mushrooms, vegetables and beerwhich rival any comparable product fromthe United Kingdom. Island processors,who attended the BBC Good Food Show inBirmingham, presented some of the bestproduce exhibited at the event and were acredit to the quality of produce from theIsle of Man. It is no wonder that Islandresidents, supermarkets, local shops,cafes, pubs and restaurants are nowasking for more!
There are fantastic opportunities emergingfor development of new products,widening existing product ranges andexploiting niche markets.
Isle of Man Creamery is launching twonew products in 2009. Mild cheddarcheese sticks, aimed at the children’s
lunchboxmarketcalled ‘YumTums’ and ‘MatureCheddar Cubes’ which will be available inthree different varieties. Laxey Glen Millsare well advanced with their new ‘granaryflour’, ‘sun dried tomato flour’ and aspecial ‘seed flour’ products for the localmarket.
It is not only the larger processors whocan benefit from these market trends.There are growing opportunities forsmaller producers to establish themselvesand new business possibilities to beexplored. If you think you have identifieda gap in the market or have ideas fordeveloping your own Manx product andwould like to discuss the possibilities orpracticalities of the project. You cancontact Alison Teare at ‘I Love Manx’.
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DAFF is pleased to offer new Marketingsupport for ‘Stay on a Manx Farm’. Thedecision was based on the fact that thisassociation is promoting the diversifiedenterprises of its members, who areexclusively agricultural businesses.
The Stay on a Manx Farm Group began in1997 and all members are entirely fulltime farmers who have diversified intofarm based holiday accommodation. Theten members provide ten self cateringunits and six bed and breakfast unitsspread throughout the Island. Membersprovide their guests with welcome packsof Manx produce on arrival.
It is hoped that this new initiative will raisethe profile of Manx agriculture to visitors,so that they can enjoy a unique taste of
Manx country living, as well as providing anextra income source for farmers.
Agriculture Minister Phil Gawne said: ‘Theaim is to extend the holiday season totake in early spring and late autumn,when there is a lot happening on ourfarms. We’re also highlighting the joys ofwalking and cycling around our beautifulisland. For city dwellers, staying on aManx farm would be a very enjoyable andunique holiday experience.’
A glossy brochure has been published thathighlights the unique experience ofstaying on a working Manx farm. It will bedistributed at major UK food shows andother off-Island marketing events.
For more information seewww.stayonamanxfarm.com
New Marketing support for “Stay on a Manx Farm”By Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer
Growing against the odds... and now a Farm shop!By Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer
Managing growth is never easyand resurrecting a decliningbusiness is definitely challenging.Throw in an indigestible dose ofcost increases and an outbreak ofgreen mould across the industryand that’s what was faced by Markand Kathy Irwin when they tookon Greeba Farm three years ago.
Against all odds the business isgrowing. This is an amazing featconsidering this time last year Mark andKathy were fighting to keep their site. Witha catalogue of the unexpected it wasn’t longbefore their investment capital was eaten up.
Mark said: ‘We were stripped to the bonesand left with the loyalty of our staff, our owngrit and determination and the support ofour customers. Probably the best assetsmoney can't buy!’
A partnership formed with Robinsons meantthat the farm was able to continue to takeorders, with Robinsons providing finalpacking and Greeba Farm providing theproducts and skills.
Growing in confidence, they took a leap offaith and invested in their own label, both
parties were delighted when ManxMushrooms began to fly off the shelves!
Kathy added: ‘As an island it’s so importantto be self sufficient, that was one of theattractions of coming over to keep the farmgoing – it seemed a crime to let it go andallow the Manx community to rely evenfurther on imports. The Manx communityhave been so supportive and we hope wecan continue to deliver the high quality theyexpect for many years to come.’
Now turn around times are so fast the crophardly has time to go into the fridge, itspicked, packed, weighed and deliveredstraight away. In just three years sincetaking over the farm, Mark and Kathy havemore than doubled output, developed a full
product range and are now gettinginternational and UK recognitionwithin articles and through Mark’sre-election onto the UK Governmenthorticultural development panel.
Although the last three years havebeen hard and sometimes painfulMark and Kathy remain passionateand optimistic. They continued:‘The last three years have made usmore resourceful, creative and
definitely more determined. We’ve learnt somuch and will continue to learn I’m sure.You can’t be an expert in everything and theagencies over here are extremely helpful.What keeps us going more than anything isour customers’ unfailing belief in us and forthat we will always be truly grateful.”
Our Farm shop is now open on Thursday,Friday and Saturday – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.selling a wide range of mushrooms andthemed mushroom products.
For further information telephone 851611or see website www.greebafarm.co.im
Agri-News January 2009
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Live to Dead workshopsBy David Cain, Meat Grader
New Legislation: The Animal Health BillBy Stuart Jaques, Veterinary Officer
Suckler Cows –last date for claimsBy Frank Harrison, Agricultural Support
Schemes Administrator
The Beef Cow Premium Scheme drawsto an end in January. Cows that youintend to claim this Premium for musthave given birth and their calvesbeen registered by midnight on the30th January 2009. To be eligible forpayment all other criteria must then alsobe met. If you have any questions inrelation to this or the specific eligibilitycriteria please call me, 687304.
DAFF consulted on the Animal Health Billin 2008. It has been in the legislativeprocess since October and is currentlybefore the Legislative Council. The Bill isprimarily a ‘lessons learned’ exercise from Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) 2001 and2007 and, secondarily, a legislative review to ensure we can face the futurewith confidence.
Disease control: outbreaks
1) With the possibility of diseasespreading quickly over long distances,the Bill provides for controls to be putin place before disease is confirmed inthe Island; reducing the chances ofdisease spread in the early days of anepidemic (if disease were raging inScotland say, it would be wise to takeprecautions here). This would includethe abilities to regulate animalmovements and close footpaths wherenecessary on diseaseprevention/control grounds.
2) The Bill also provides for animals to be slaughtered in order to prevent the spread of specific diseases oncepresent on the Island – not just FMD
but diseases that may arrive on ourshores from distant countries, eitherthrough food, animals, their productsor even people!
The powers above can only be exercisedonce an order is made by the Department.
Disease control: genetic
We know that the chance of individualanimals catching diseases such as scrapieis strongly influenced by their genes. TheBill provides for genetic diseases to beidentified and animals carrying them tobe prevented from breeding or sterilisedwhere necessary.
Again, a disease would have to beidentified by order of the Departmentbefore any action could be taken.
Other items
- The deliberate infection of livestock with listed diseases, including FMD, is made an offence.
- Formal biosecurity guidance can be published by the Department after consultation with representative bodies, e.g. Manx NFU, Manx Horse Council.
New rules for cattleover 30 monthsBy Ed Clague, Agricultural Policy Manager
A relaxation of rules for the testing ofcarcasses, from animals over thirty monthsof age, came into effect this month.
Cattle between 30 and 48 months ofage no longer need to have a brainsample taken and tested for BSE. Thisshould simplify the slaughter processand save about £28 in testing fees peranimal. (Testing costs are currently metby the Department)
Unfortunately other requirements forover thirty months cattle, in particular theremoval of the spinal column have notbeen relaxed for this age group of cattle.
It is believed that the legislation will bereviewed again in June and at thatstage it is to be hoped that otherprocessing requirements could beamended to make the treatment ofcattle between 30 and 48 month of ageconsistent with those below 30 months.
Regrettably, cattle over thirty months ofage are still perceived by many buyers asbeing of lower value. However, with atight supply of beef in the UK at themoment it is likely this will change. ASDAhas become the first supermarket to raisethe age limit for beef cattle going into itsstandard beef range to 36 months andhopes to increase the upper threshold to48 months after further trials.
The Department will be monitoring thesituation to assess the desirability ofincreasing the age of cattle eligible forBeef Quality Headage above the current30 months of age limit.
Two further dates have been confirmed forlive to dead workshops on:
Thursday 5th February for lambs andTuesday 10th March for cattle.
So far a total of seven workshops havebeen held with an average of twelveproducers on each.
The response from those attending hasbeen positive not only from the experienceof assessing animals alive and seeing theresultant carcases but also being able toappreciate the working of the Meat Plant.
For any further information or to reserve a place on either of these forthcomingworkshops please contact the Meat Plant on 674346.
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Woodchip Corral Timber
As the shortest day has just passed nodoubt there are few people thinking aboutspring yet, never mind bringing cattle backin next autumn. However, in a bid toforecast harvesting we are trying to identifylikely demand for timber to replenish corrals.
The Department will take orders for corraltimber until the end of May in each year.This means that the Forestry Division canplan harvesting to meet the requiredspecification and have timber available intime for the cattle returning to the corral.
Orders should be placed with the ForestryDivision on 801263.
New post production plant
The Department is delighted to announcethat the new post production plant at theSawmill in St. John’s is now fullyoperational. The plant is capable ofproducing a far higher and better qualityoutput than the original, elderly equipment.
The new plant is capable of producing inexcess of 1500 split posts per day but willalso produce strainers and peeled roundposts. Strainers are now hydraulicallypointed and as such the product should be ofa consistent high quality and easier to use.
The next stage of re-development on theSawmill site will be the main cuttingequipment. This is planned to avoid breaksin supply of any products, with fencingproducts being kept available year round.
The Department is aware that in the pastsome customers have suffered fromdelays in orders due to break-downs ofthe old equipment. All involved haveworked tirelessly to ensure that, not onlyare products of the highest quality, butare available either immediately or withinjust a few days if stocks are low.
If you need any fencing or other timberproducts please contact the Sawmill officeon 695719.
Sawdust and Peelings available atdiscounted rates – or even free!
As a result of the increased throughput oftimber we currently have a stock of timberpeelings available. We are investigating anumber of alternative uses for the peelingsat present but if you have a use for thisproduct on the farm as either bedding or tosupport wet gateways for example thenplease call. The product will be availablefree to collect until the end of March 2009whilst stocks last and will only be availablefor collection. Please telephone theSawmill office on 695719 before comingto collect to ensure that we have theproduct and a vehicle available to load up.
2009 January Sale – timber clearance
A limited number of packs of timber, suitablefor a variety of uses, are available at halfprice from the Sawmill. This is clearancestock and cannot be ordered for production.
Available as full packs only. When it’sgone ….its gone!
Boards/Rails
5 packs 6’ x 5” x 1” Pack size 175 units was£217 now £108.50 + VAT per pack Sold
10 packs 6’ x 4” x 1” Pack size 225 unitswas £234 now £117 + VAT per pack
9 packs 6’ x 3” x 1” Pack size 300 unitswas £237 now £118.50 + VAT per pack
4 Packs 6’ x 2” x 1” Pack size 450 unitswas £252 now £126 + VAT per pack
Posts
6 packs 6’ x 3” x 3” unpointed - Pack size120 units; was £277.20 now £138.60 +VAT per pack
13 Packs 5’6” Tree Stakes - average packsize 500; was £275 now £137.50 + VATper pack
We also have a small quantity of assortedtimber in various lengths and dimensionsat 25p per meter.
Call in and collect or we can deliver.(Delivery charges will apply).
For more information telephone St JohnsSawmill on 695719.
St John’s Sawmill By Peter Birch, Sawmill Manager, Forestry Division
1,100 tonnes of Milling wheat salvagedBy Andrew MacLeod, Senior Field Officer
The Department has provided more than£20,000 worth of support for Milling Wheatgrowers whose grain last year failed tomeet milling wheat standards due to thepoor growing and harvesting conditions.
A gravity separator, which is able to sortthe better quality grains from the poorerquality ones, has been successful inrecovering over 1,100 tonnes of millingquality grain which would have otherwiseonly been suitable for feed wheat.
The separator came to the island in earlyDecember and has been workingcontinually, other than a break for
Christmas and New Year, to make sure thatthere is a good supply of locally grownMilling Wheat in stock at Laxey Glen Millsand milling wheat growers were not forcedto accept lower value feed wheat prices.
The Department has also provided sometemporary storage for growers who hadinsufficient space to store grain as a resultof not being able to put the grain into themill after harvest.
Steve Martin, Manx NFU’s CerealsChairman applauded the team effortswhich had contributed to the successfulseparation of over 1000 tonnes of Manx
Milling Wheat. “There has beentremendous co-operation between LaxeyGlen Mills, the Department, growers,operators, hauliers and the Manx NFUwithout which this level of success couldnot have been achieved.”
Now we can hopefully look forward to a better harvest in 2009, and a continued supply of top quality wheat to Laxey Glen Mills.
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Agri-News January 2009
Contact Information
Market Trends By Chris Kneale, Agricultural Adviser
Details of how the graphs have been calculated can be found at: www.gov.im/daff/News/agricultural.xml
Cattle. What a year for beef producers!The value of an R4L steer is up onaverage over the whole year by 41p/kg.The average price paid for an R4Lthrough 2007 was £2.04/kg; the averageprice for the same animal in 2008 was£2.45/kg. An increase of 20%. For a280kg steer this works out at £115 morein the farmer’s pocket. Similar trends ofincreasing values for heifers and SYB canbe seen and prices look set to at leastcontinue if not strengthen as worldsupplies look to remain static.
Lamb. Prices have not been left behindand the average value per lamb duringDecember 2008 (£2.60/kg) up 62p/kg
compared to December 2007 (£1.98/kg).Lamb price would appear to have beensimilar to UK prices during the year witha smaller price gap between UK and IoMprices, perhaps a reflection on IoMfarmers producing more of what themarket requires. As the Euro strengthensand the supply of NZ lamb becomeslimited; the export market and comingyear looks even more positive than the last.
Pigs. Values are some 23p higher nowthan they were a year ago. Althoughthese may not be high enough to reflectthe increases in feed costs faced by IoMproducers, the strengthening Euro is
forecast by industry pundits to increaseinterest in local produce, good news forlocal produce.
Milk. Prices have generally, to date,been ahead of last years prices althoughthe IoM budget price (dashed red line)for January is of concern to producers.MDC suggest that recent cuts in the gatemilk price are not justified and theexchange rate will help bolster UK prices,reducing imports of both milk andcheese. Long term predictions certainlyappear to suggest a profitable milkindustry; could this be the blip that facedthe meat industry in June/July last year?
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and ForestryRose House, 51 – 59 Circular Road, Douglas IM1 1AZ
Telephone: 685835 Fax: 685851 e-mail: [email protected] Web: www.gov.im/daff
If you would prefer to receive an electronic link, rather than paper copies through the post, please let Frank Harrison know by phoning 687304 or email [email protected]
