FINN(COM) DAILY RECORD: FRIDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2004
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
CAMP MATTERS WITH McLEOD AND POLLARD
A Report for FIBS by Sian Ferguson (SF) 29 October 2004
Intro by Corina Goss (CG). Today Sian Ferguson is talking to Mandy McLeod (MM) and Andrew Pollard (AP) from the Agriculture Department about the Pasture Improvement Programme.
SF: Thank you for coming in. Can you tell me a bit about the Pasture Improvement Programme? What’s been going on for the past couple of months?
AP: As people know the programme has got to its sixth year out of the. There are four more to go. This year a team of us have been out and completed plans with farmers and these plans have now gone to the office and will be implemented into this year. The plans have been based on forage cropping, reseeding and this year, also fencing to be used in the rotation of grazing.
MM: It’s been a very busy two or three weeks for us in the Department as plans have been received. We’ve gone through them scrupulously. Farmers have had to show a return of £3.00 for every £1.00 government have spent. This is being very rigorously looked at. Prior to our three weeks in the Office, we have been busy because we are on a very tight time line. We couldn’t move any quicker than we have because we needed to know if we had the money in the budget for this year. Under normal circumstances we probably would have had farmers hanging several months in advance of what they did. But because the budget constraints we had to leave the panic a little late. Andy, Damian and Doug have all been out in camp at various venues over the last couple of months helping Farmers think about what they want to do and put their plans together. Once the plans all came in - the deadline was the end of September - there was a mad rush to ensure the plans were scrutinised and approved accordingly. The farmers also had their agreements out to them for them to sign. Hopefully they will get back to us accepting our offer of a loan.
SF: How many applications did you receive this year?
MM: We received 48 applicants but there are 49 farms that are actually involved in the Pasture Improvement Programme to date. Just one farm decided not to be involved. In the scheme this year but they did send the form back.
SF: Have they all been approved?
MM: Yes. None have been rejected outright. We’ve had some where we had to clarify some points that were written one way by us but interpreted another way by them. So we have been phoning around the farms and clarifying situations where it’s been needed.
SF: What’s happened over applications that have gone out? Are all happy with them sent back to you?
MM: Once the Farmers are happy with their agreement - I’ll explain something now - the agreement they have is for what they call a loan agreement and it’s the way the Government work, on a grant system, really, that if the works aren’t completed - that the farmer has signed and agreed to, that grant gets transferred to a loan and any money that has been paid out towards the works on that farm would need to be repaid. It’s only if the Farmer fails to meet what he or she has agreed to do. But generally speaking, it is a grant.
SF: Will the Department of Agriculture be involved in the scheme at all when it has been started?
AP: Almost certainly - yes. On the farms now, the ground is being worked up. People are posting their fencing. It’s certainly a key part of my job, Damian’s job and Doug’s job to get on to the farms to monitor these works and help with them. We’ve also got trials going on that are linked to these pasture improvement works. We are ready to get as much advice as we can out to them.
SF: Are there any applications this year that are different than previous years?
AP: There are differences. There is a theme of re seeding going on. One of the biggest shifts going on is leaning away from just planting grass and legumes with the re seed and sewing crops such as oats to try and get feed off that crop in the first year. Otherwise, if it’s a re seed, you’d have to leave it for a year. There is rotational grazing - managed grazing. People are looking at sub-divisional methods so they can rest the plants and get more effective grazing out of the area they’ve got. There’s an element of ditching going on. But I suppose the main thing is people work hard on the feed at certain critical points in the year. One of the main crops we have been pushing for a while now is growing Swedes for winter feed. That’s the period when animals generally tend to decline in weight. Some of the farms recently showed that their animals actually put on weight by grazing the Swedes in the winter. There are approximately 360 hectors of Swedes going into the ground this year. This could feed 100,000 ewes for a month. This could have good gains for Agriculture.
SF: When will these schemes actually start being put into place?
MM: It’s started and happening now. The farmers are already ordering materials. Many farms are beginning anyway in the hope that their plan will be successful. They’ve bitten the bullet and said they are prepared to put their own money in as well. Things are already on the move, aren’t they, Andrew?
AP: Definitely, yes.
SF: You said they had to have a return of £3.00 for every £1.00 spent. How have they got to prove that amount?
MM: It’s based over a period of 10 years. For every £1.00 spent if they could have at least a £3.00 return over a 10-year period on that, we believe that that is money well spent. From our initial investigations and using our gross margin and from the knowledge and understanding of rotational grazing systems and alternative pasture management that we’ve done through the Farming for Profit schemes that we’ve done, I think that things are moving on very well. Each year they are going to put a plan in and I think that’s something we need to talk about as well. Farmers should be planning for next year.
AP: Just before we move on to that, it’s important to point out the farm doesn’t have to get a gain of £3.00 for every £1.00 spent. It’s important just to show that it has the potential to get £3.00. We all know crops can fail, people can have medical problems and all sorts of different issues, so the farmer just has to show the potential on the plan to do this.
MM: Yes. And that the farmer has done his best to achieve that potential. Moving on to the fact we had such a rush this year getting the plans together, which wouldn’t be the norm but we would like people to start thinking now about what they want to do next year and through the duration of the next three years of the programme.
AP: Our deadline this year was the 30th of September, which is hitting into the busy part of the farmers’ calendar year. Next year, we hope to bring this forward considerably to aid with all of this planning that people really need to start looking ahead now to next year’s plan. And, farmers have to assume that there is going to be a budget to work with this plan. The other thing is that the farmers have a baseline allocation of money this year that’s spread over a whole lot and some farms are still considerably below this baseline allocation. It’s important to see that into next year’s plan they may decide to grow a crop next year. Maybe they could use this funding this year to prepare that ground and make it ready for that. So, really they are getting a year ahead of what they want to do. This eliminates the risk of not being able to get into the ground next year.
MM: The state we are at the moment is that the agreements have gone out to the farmers and they are starting to come back in. Once they get back in to the Department, I then send them out another letter, which explains to them what they can and cannot claim for. We are making the payments direct to farmers and we won’t make the payments to suppliers or contractors. All negotiations with suppliers and contractors is down to the farmer to do. We will then pay the farmers on the receipt of invoices. So, that’s the next stage, if they are wondering.
SF: Anything else you want to add?
AP: Just a last minute plea to farmers - it is going to be busy for everyone this time of year but if you are trying to get seed on the Tamar to the West in cases like this, then it’s handy to know days in advance rather than a day in advance, just so we can get this prepared and get it down there so everything runs smoothly.
MM: Just to say if any farmers have any queries, don’t hesitate to call Andy or myself, Doug or Damian and we can talk them through things.
SF: Thank you for coming in.
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Argpress: 29 October 2004
Readers may like to know that Councillors from the Province of Tierra del Fuego are reported in the newspaper Sureno today to have been intending to leave in the small hours of this morning to hold a meeting of the Patagonian Forum at the Argentine base of Marabio in Antarctica. They had hoped to leave yesterday, but were delayed by bad weather, and the paper (and website) went to press before news of their actual departure could be confirmed.
This is the first example of a new piece of nonsense the Argentines have thought up to press their claim to sovereignty in Antarctica. I wonder if they'll ever try this on the Falklands. The Mayor of Rio Grande called it an "important precedent".
Also, La Nacion has a stupid article about Prince Harry's proposed visit to play polo in Argentina. The paper refers to him as Prince Harris. Clarin reports that the trip had been brought forward due to Prince Harry’s scuffle with photographers earlier this month. There is no substance to the story as the visit had been on the cards for some time now.
(100X Translation Service)
DEATH NOTICE:
It is with regret that FINN heard of the death of Mrs. Betty Miller, wife of the late Sid Miller of Stanley. She was a committed Christian. To her family and friends in the Falklands and overseas, Finn offers sincere sympathy.
FIBS NEWS DIRECT: 28 OCTOBER 2004
CAMP DENTISTRY:
A number of possible options for a dentistry service in the Camp are being put before the Health and Medical Services Committee meeting on Monday. Health Services Director, Norman McGregor-Edwards says that these include fixed dental surgeries and the use of mobile dental surgeries mounted on vehicles, adding that the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as well as some urban areas of the UK have similar problems to us in delivering healthcare to remote locations. He says they have sought the advice of the Chief Dental Officer in Scotland and, although understands his reply is imminent it isn’t yet to hand. Advice has also been sought from mobile and fixed-based surgeries. And, once all the information has been assembled, another paper outlining alternatives will go before HMSC. The Director says that there are some significant problems with the current service including the fact that it is impossible to use x-rays to help with diagnosing, sterilising instruments, difficult access to the patients without a proper dental chair and inadequate lights to enable proper examination. He also adds that in the event of an emergency, such as a haemorrhage or adverse reaction to an aesthetic, access to emergency medical care is likely to be difficult as it is delayed and putting patients at serious risk. In the past, many dental visits have been supplemented by the use of a permanent fixed base surgery in a lean-to at the Fox Bay Doctor’s House. But that is now reported to be in an advanced state of disrepair and is being sold by FIG. At the same time, the Director says the dental equipment and facilities at the settlement have also deteriorated to the point where they don’t meet modern clinical standards and are unsafe for both patients and staff. The Committee is meeting at 1215 on Monday.
FIREFIGHTER:
Losing one full time fire-fighter would have massive implications for the service, according to Chief Fire Officer, Gardner Fiddes. In a memorandum going before today’s Standing Finance Committee Meeting, he explains that the day-time manning of the station comprises of the Chief Fire Officer, Station Commander and two fire-fighters, saying that to lose one full time post would result in them being unable to respond to an incident until a retained member turns up. This is because the appliance needs a four-man crew. There would be a reduced or no helicopter fire cover during office hours. Statutory or other training in the UK would be difficult or impossible. He points out a string of other services that would be lost or reduced, highlighting that this will result in poor morale leading to resignations or stress-related illnesses. In his report, Gardner says that the service is currently allocated 40 retained places, with current staffing levels just allowing them to operate with 32 with a difference of £9,000.00 for full funding. He says his current estimate for 32 retained fire fighters is nearly £27,000.00, over £11,000.00 less than the full estimate for that number. Chair of SFC, Cllr. Mike Summers, says that the matter is going to be referred back to the Chief Executive and Deputy Financial Secretary so that they can have further talks with the Chief Fire Officer. He says he will look at effects caused by the reduction in staff rather than why it can’t be done. SFC will be looking at the item under the heading “Target Savings for 2004/05.”
COMMONS QUESTION:
Conservative MP John Wilkinson asked Undersecretary of State for Defence, Iver Caplain, whether the UK Government would take the 25th anniversary of 1982 as a chance to reflect on the role played by the Fleet Air Arm, saying that the best thing they could do to honour those who laid down their lives would be to ensure that Naval Aviation doesn’t become a second class aspect of the UK’s future defence. Mr. Caplain replies saying that the Honourable Gentleman knows that there will be a joint strike force in the future and that he will certainly pay tribute to those who fought in ’82 to recover the Falklands.
And, in a separate session, Mr. Symonds, MP asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to make a statement on recent talks with the Argentine Government in relation to the Falklands future. Mr. Rammell told him that during the Foreign Secretary’s meeting with Raphael Bielsa during the UN General Assembly last month they discussed a variety of issues including the Falklands, saying the Foreign Secretary made it clear that the UK has no doubts about its sovereignty over the Islands and surrounding maritime area. And, they won’t negotiate on sovereignty unless the people of the Falkland Islands wish it.
EXCO EXTRACT:
Executive Council has been recommended not to impose a minimum wage for the time being but that a report on this and working condition related issues be prepared annually by the Head of Policy, with the next one being due in September. Progress to date is that MOD at MPA employers have agreed to a non-statutory process to prevent exploitation of migrant workers. This consists of a statement of basic workers rights and minimum working conditions, a grievance resolution process and an employer/employee council or forum. In a paper prepared by Head of Policy, Michael Hart, it said regarding the next step would carry on jointly with MOD and MPA employers and that the Chamber of Commerce and RBA will be kept informed of developments and be invited to adopt similar voluntary schemes for Camp and Stanley, saying that at this stage there’s no apparent need for legislative action in the minimum wage by FIG. This should be reviewed in December or sooner, should there be evidence wide-spread exploitation of vulnerable workers. The outcome of the meeting will be made public during the Governor’s EXCO round-up next week.
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