Farm Diary

Cows are inside looking out, thinking how lucky they are! Mind you they wander out for a shower and to freshen up occasionally; steam rising off their backs as they stand there, cudding quietly, contributing to climate change.

We passed our 'Farm Assurance' inspection last week, the chap was here for over three hours, checking records, all the paperwork, sheds, cows, milking parlour, dairy, water troughs, you name it '“ he checked it!

All the cow's feed was covered, the dairy door locked; the medicine under lock and key, and the chemicals. Warning signs up everywhere, bio-security in place, the file for training certificates in order, the file for complaints against us by the general public (!) present.

Manure plans, fire escape routes for the cows, contingency plans for all sorts of 'events' such as no mains water. Feed plans, passports, protocols, telephone lists, wash basin with towel, nail brush and non-scented soap in the dairy. If this was April the 1st, you would have stopped reading by now.

Supermarkets have been getting a canning in the media this last week. Last Friday the Office of Fair Trading announced that: 'Following the OFT's Statement of Objections (20 Sept: 2007), which provisionally found evidence of collusion between certain large supermarkets and dairy processors on the retail price of some dairy products, certain of these parties have now admitted involvement in anti-competitive practices and have agreed to pay individual penalties which, combined, come to a maximum of over 116 million'.

The media was scathing, and brutal.

For full diary see West Sussex Gazette December 12