Big increase in dairy assurance

With three of the four main milk buyers in NI keen to get all their suppliers farm assured, there has been another significant increase in the number of local dairy farmers participating in the Red Tractor dairy scheme.

At the end of March, figures presented by inspection body, NI Food Chain Certification (NIFCC) at their recent AGM, show that the number of scheme members in NI stood at 1,636, up 178 from the previous year, and over 500 ahead of the number in 2015.

That number is set to rise further, with more LacPatrick coming on board this year after the co-op announced it would be introducing a 0.5p/l penalty on non-Red Tractor milk from 1 January 2018, and requiring all milk to the farm assured by 1 January 2019.

However, the bulk of assured scheme members are in the beef and lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS), with 11,865 participants at the end of March 2017.

Throughout the 2016/17 year, NIFCC undertook 8,740 inspections against the beef and lamb scheme standard. In terms of other sectors, the cereals scheme has 922 members, and the poultry scheme has 586.

Lamb trade improves

Lamb prices have strengthened this week on the back of increased competition between processors on both sides of the Irish border.

Local plants have increased base prices to 400p/kg on a 22kg carcase, up 25p/kg on last week, which adds £5.50 to the value of fat lambs.

This puts the value of fat lambs to £88, bringing prices into line with marts where prices have mostly been running at £86 to £89 per head since the start of the week.

Demand for sheepmeat has strengthened on the back of seasonal demand in the run-up to Christmas. Plants in the south are paying up to €5/kg, which converts to a sterling equivalent of 419p/kg.

Death of Wilson Holden

The chair of the NI Ploughing Association, Wilson Holden, died suddenly after a stroke last weekend, aged 60.

In his eighth year as chair of the association, Wilson was also a successful dairy and arable farmer, operating outside Larne.

His funeral took place on Monday to Gardenmore Presbyterian Church. Sincere condolences to his wife Alison, and the wider family circle.