LET us not mince words - this Government's actions are directed towards the destruction of rural life and farming activity as we know it.

One only has to look at a few of the way-markers along the path we have been forced to tread over the past few years.

- The worst pig crisis in living memory decimated UK pork production with no overt support from Government.

- The escalation of the numbers of state-employed officials to police abattoirs and our farming practices.

- The apparent lack of interest in any sort of import control with meat arriving in this country legally from countries with dubious health standards and illegally in any old suitcase.

- The acquiescence in Europe's continuing ban on our exports which France, in particular, seems to impose at the drop of a beret.

- The persistent pursuit of the eradication of country sports.

- The scandalous mismanagement of the mass slaughter policy in the current F&M crisis has been caused, not by the workers on the ground, but by the absence of any strategical direction from above.

- The Prime Minister's decision to call a general election in the middle of the FMD crisis can only reflect his callous disregard for the countryside.

- And now the Government is, with indecent haste, trying to introduce a blanket 20-day movement ban on all livestock.

The consultation document is published and selected organisations are being asked for their views; but make no bones about it, these proposals, if implemented in full, would be another nail in the agricultural coffin.

In principle, the proposed movement ban is being introduced as a disease control measure; and the idea is that any livestock moving onto a farm will trigger off a movement ban which will prevent any stock leaving the farm for a 20-day period. It is not clear how stock going to slaughter will be dealt with, but indications are that they will only be allowed to go direct to a slaughter house and certainly not via a market.

These implications are serious enough, but when placed against the background of stock breeding units and hill farming, the scheme becomes transparently and totally impractical.

For example, the dairy farmer buying the odd replacement heifer could not sell his calves for three weeks; a beef producer rearing calves would be subject to an almost continuous ban on movements; but worst hit would be our North Yorks Moors stock farmers, whose marketing activities are mainly concentrated into a three-month autumn period.

A farmer buying some replacement breeding ewes or a new tup could not then move his store lambs or suckler calves.

Last week, a study in Scotland showed that the permanent 20-day standstill order could cost the Scottish farming industry as much as £16.5m per year and jeopardise a thousand jobs.

It's time to say NO and as loudly as you can.

Shortly, you will be receiving from Malton Auctioneers a news letter suggesting how to make your protest, if you feel one needs to be made. I urge you to respond as this Government only appears to be uncomfortable when faced with a united protest. Write to your MP, the Minister of Agriculture or even the Prime Minister but please let it be known how the ban will affect your business.

The progress towards establishing collection centres, which would relieve a lot of hardship for small farmers, has been painfully slow and I have to say pretty disgraceful.

On Friday, May 11, the basic decision to go ahead with collection centres was made in London, but the powers that be wished to delay the announcement until the following Tuesday, May 15.

When Tuesday came, no minister could be found in London to sign the order and this was repeated on Wednesday and Thursday until at last, on Friday afternoon, the application forms and instructions appeared on the MAFF website.

By this time, it was too late to make application to the Trading Standards Office which will oversee the collecting centre operations.

The application for York was handed in on Tuesday and for Malton on Wednesday. Thereafter, we are in the hands of Trading Standards, MAFF and MLC who will jointly carry out the inspection.

Although the rules are still not clear, the following procedures are likely:

- All stock will continue to be moved on licence and only to slaughter.

- Stock may be moved to a collecting centre where they will be inspected, sorted and amalgamated into larger loads for onward transmission to the abattoir.

- No stock can return home.

- Only approved market staff can work within the market premises.

We are proposing operating Malton market on a Tuesday, which would be our normal market day; and York will stick to Monday and Thursday.

The introduction of a collecting centre will enable farmers with small numbers of stock to move them with less cost and also to receive a more competitive price.

The establishment of a collection centre for slaughter stock is a first step on the return road to normality and hopefully it will be followed, as in Scotland, by trading store stock.

I am afraid it will be an expensive operation to run from the auctioneers' point of view and we can only make it viable if we have your support.

In my unenviable position, I seem to receive quite a lot of phone calls and letters about agricultural affairs; and for better or worse I feel I have a responsibility to respond.

This week's flurry of phone calls have partially been targeted at reports of cattle being moved under the Welfare Scheme for slaughter and incineration in Ryedale.

For my lay readers, the Welfare Scheme was set up to allow farmers, on welfare grounds, to dispose of stock that could not otherwise be moved; and to receive compensation according to the published scale of values.

Eyebrows would not normally be raised, but the cattle coming into Yorkshire this week are rumoured on pretty good authority to have started their journey from Tow Law in County Durham. Stock on many farms in that area have been slaughtered as either confirmed cases or official contacts. If true, this transport of cattle from an infected area into a relatively clean one must be the height of stupidity, putting us all at risk.

- We must have an answer from MAFF to confirm our worst suspicions or allay fears.

The fight to maintain prices goes on, but it has been more difficult in this last week.

Cattle numbers in the area are getting scarce and trade has been directly affected by the backlog of overweight meat coming out of the infected areas.

We have struggled to keep prices of around 160-168p/kilo for 'R' grade cattle, although I have to say the breaking-up meat hasn't altered dramatically, still hovering around 145-155p/kilo. Butchers cattle command a premium and I sold the odd show beast for 200p last week!

The sheep trade has been even more volatile with increasing numbers of spring lamb coming forward. Prices started at the dizzy heights of 290-295p/kilo but have dropped like the proverbial stone to around 220-240p/kilo. I am afraid the availability of cheap Welsh lamb has spoiled our Yorkshire trade. The last of the hoggs are getting more difficult to place with the added problem of erupting teeth.

Pigs have been pretty steady although numbers are not great. Bacon pigs are running from 98-102p/kilo with lighter weights commanding prices from 105-110p/kilo.

- Help us to help you and ring our help lines at Malton on (01653) 697820/692151 and York on (01904) 489731.

Updated: 09:24 Thursday, May 24, 2001