Farm Diary August 12 2009

Lovely dry, clover rich swards, all grown with dirty water from the lagoon. We made around 1,000 tonnes, and the clamp is now absolutely bursting!

It has been without doubt the best silage season I have ever had in Sussex, with more to come.

We still have another lagoon of dirty water to spread; starting today. This will encourage growth into the autumn, and I will either need to take another late cut which can be fed to the bio-digester, or bring in some sheep to graze it all off. It will all depend on the weather in late September.

We have drilled another 50 acres of grass seed behind the silage gang, putting new grass and clover seed into the swards with our direct drill.

This should improve our silage quality in these fields for next year, and I might drill the few remaining acres to be done at the end of the month depending on weather and ground conditions.

We have been very pleased with the performance and quality of the new grass and clover varieties, and with a bit of luck we will get more milk for our efforts this winter.

The maize is now basking in this sunny weather, taking full advantage of the conditions that suit it very well indeed. The cobs are nicely filled after the wet weather, and sunny days to convert sugars from the leaves into starch in the cobs is what we need.

The building site is quiet again, as the German workers have taken another holiday! The 'final push' petered out after two weeks, as employment legislation took priority over the need to get the job done.

We are once more left completely frustrated by this carry-on. We do have plenty to do now, as the site can be finished off, with all trenches filled in and the remaining pipes sanded before being covered in soil.

There are several small concrete plinths to be poured; one under each ladder leading to inspection port-holes in the tanks, and a couple where little sheds will be erected to cover the heating pipe manifolds.

The British site foreman has resigned, which has left me in charge over the last couple of weeks. The continued frustration with Germany proved too much for Chris, and sadly he decided that he could take no more.

We have managed to carry on with the work quite well, as the German lads know exactly what to do, but we have been taking care of the co-ordination on site and the Health and Safety, which is paramount on such a project.

The 'Control Room' is now practically wired up, with wires running all over the place like spaghetti! The computer systems that control the whole plant will be brought over on their return, and then we will be very nearly there. The roofs can now be built on each tower, as we have power on site, which will be needed to run the compressors that inflate the roofs, six meters high at the centre.

The agricultural community is delighted that the Competition Commission has called on the Government to step in and regulate UK retailers.

Having had a chance to voluntarily regulate their behaviour, only Waitrose, Aldi and M&S supported that idea, the supermarkets can not complain now that moves are afoot to moderate their worst excesses.

Whilst the world is in recession, with consumers hard pressed and farming suffering low prices, the retailers are posting record profits.

The promotions in store are largely funded by the suppliers, and whilst they sell more and more items for one pound, it has been found that for every item reduced to a pound, many more have been 'rounded up' to a pound; not such a bargain after all!

The Competition Commission's chairman, Peter Freeman concluded that 'Our inquiry clearly revealed problems that require action and which, if left unchecked, would damage the consumer'.

In other words, the abuse handed out to suppliers by re

tailers, if allowed to continue, will drive so many out of business, that British agriculture will continue to shrink at the present alarming rate, leaving customers with less choice and fewer British products to buy.

The retailers counter that an ombudsman will cost money, which will drive up the cost of food. This is laughable, as the total cost is a fraction of a penny per day for the consumer, which will not be noticed. Some say that an Ombudsman will make little difference, but when I see the effort put in by retailers to stop this taking place, I think it might just help a little.

This important decision will be taken by Lord Mandelson (aren't they all these days?), and it will be interesting to see how he positions himself.

He will on the one hand not want to offend the powerful retailers, who have been terrifying MP's with tales of sky high food prices if this goes ahead; especially as the next election is almost within sight.

On the other hand, he has food supply and food security rising up the political agenda, with the consumer (who has a vote) likely to suffer if nothing is done.

MP Andrew George (who chairs the Grocery Market Action Group) said: "The case for an Ombudsman has already been proven by the Commission's extensive and thorough investigation of the grocery market. There has been 10 years of enquiries and a failed voluntary code. There is no excuse for further deliberation and delay."

If Lord Mandelson can run the country for a few days by 'Blackberry' whilst completing his holiday, surely he can make the right decision here?