Dairy customers question trade

Dairy processors in NI are being questioned by international customers about their ability to continue to trade post-Brexit, MPs on the NI affairs committee in Westminster were told this week.

Speaking at the committee on Wednesday, Tom Acheson from Lakeland Dairies said that Brexit has brought uncertainty to both the co-op’s employees and customers.

“We export to 80 countries worldwide and we have long-standing customers. They are starting to ask questions to us about our ability to maintain quantity of supply in the long term and at the present time we can’t answer those questions,” he said.

Dairy UK NI director Dr Mike Johnston said that processors are now concerned that customers may start to look elsewhere for some of their volumes until future trading arrangements become clear.

“I would expect to see some of the dairy companies looking at a rebalancing of their market portfolios to try and maximise the opportunities within the British market,” Johnston said.

However, he highlighted that this approach was only a short- to medium-term strategy. “The only way to get a sustainable longer-term growth is to have an active export programme,” he said.

Online firearms application system opens

An online application system for initial, re-grant and variations to firearms certificates in NI will become available from Monday (16 January).

The PSNI has said it is proposed to continue both the new online system and the existing paper application process for six months ahead of any final decision to remove the paper application.

The online application requires the same information as the paper version, including details of two referees and an upload of a passport size photo of the applicant. Once started, the application has to be completed in one go and referees are required to approve applications within seven days of being contacted by the PSNI via email.

The online application and a video tutorial can be accessed from both the PSNI and NI Direct websites.

UK tractor registrations decrease in 2016

Registrations of new tractors in the UK decreased by 2.2% in 2016 compared with the previous year reaching the lowest level in over 10 years, according to the Agricultural Engineers Association.

Overall, 10,602 tractors over 50hp were registered in the UK in 2016. In December alone, registrations decreased by 13.4% to 515 tractors. Financial pressure across farming sectors is thought to have reduced expenditure on machinery during the year, but the AEA notes that registrations increased significantly in the second half of the year, having been 9.8% lower in the first six months compared with the same period in 2015.

Strong interest in grass monitor farms

Over 80 beef and dairy farmers from across NI have applied to become grassland monitor farms in two AgriSearch projects in 2017. A total of 12 dairy farms are required for an extended GrassCheck project in 2017 and 18 beef farms are required for a new project “Beef from Grass.”

AgriSearch chair Michael Bell said: “We are really encouraged by the enthusiastic support for AgriSearch and these new projects which aim to maximise the use of grass – our greatest asset.”