Around 550 supporters of Farmers For Action arrived at a Robert Wiseman Dairy plant to stop tankers going in or out.
They used 120 tractors to cause chaos between the plant and a nearby Morrisons distribution centre close to Bridgwater, Somerset.
Milk supplies ran low at a Sainsbury’s supermarket in the town.
Farmer James Small, 36, said: “The sense of frustration and anger is palpable amongst the people here — they all feel a huge injustice about it all.”
The action followed two protests on Thursday night when around 400 farmers blockaded an Arla plant in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. A plant in Leeds was also targeted.
Last night Farmers For Action threatened to cut off the nation’s milk supply. Chairman David Handley warned blockades could form again last night.
He said: “We have got to fight for the industry because if we don’t the industry will go.”
Dairy farmers are furious about a 2p cut in payments to produce milk. It will cost the average business £50,000 a year — making some go bust.
Up until April they got 29p for each litre of milk produced. But the price is now 27p — and will be cut to 25p from August 1. The average cost of producing milk is 30p a litre.
Rob Newbery, Chief Dairy Advisor for the National Farmers Union, warned: “The big supermarkets need to listen.”
Last night the Co-op vowed to raise the price it pays for milk to 29p per litre.
By ALEX JAMES, Sun food columnist
I HAVE a lot of sympathy with the farmers who have blockaded the dairies with their tractors.
Because of the way that agriculture is organised in this country, milk has become a commodity, margins are tight and the main focus is on making a profit.
We have Fair Trade initiatives with African countries.
Maybe it’s time to make sure our own farmers are getting a fair deal too.
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
Farmers in 'milk war' against supermarkets: Depots are blockaded in protest at price cuts - Daily Mail
- Co-operative Group said it would pay producers a total price of 29p per litre
- Announcement follows demonstrations last night outside processing plants
- Farmers were furious about 2p a litre cuts by major milk processors
- They were paid 25p per litre even though it costs 29p a litre to produce
- Farming minister doesn't know the price of a pint of milk as 'his wife buys it'
By Sean Poulter
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Time for action: Hannah Lewis, 17, from Maxstoke, Coalshill, Warwickshire, blocks the exit of the Arla milk processing plant in Ashby De La Zouch
Farmers last night threatened an all-out ‘milk war’ to disrupt supermarket deliveries amid fury over price cuts imposed by store bosses and dairy giants.
Hundreds of angry farmers blockaded dairies and supermarket distribution centres yesterday, with more protests planned to prevent deliveries to shops within days.
Protest leaders from Farmers For Action said members will start pouring milk down the drain if a threat to impose another cut comes in on August 1.
Last night, the Co-op bowed to pressure and agreed to increase the price it pays to farmers.
Now the pressure is on Asda, Morrisons and budget chains Aldi and Iceland to follow suit.
Farmers supplying these stores earn around 25p a litre, which is below the cost of production at around 29p a litre. By contrast, the price paid by families in the supermarkets is 44p to 60p.
Dairy processing giants Arla Foods, Dairy Crest and Robert Wiseman are at the centre of the protests. FFA chairman David Handley said: ‘If these stores and processors continue to dig their heels in, we will have no choice but to carry out more protests.
‘We will escalate action. The ultimate sacrifice will be a total disruption of supply from August 1. Farmers will not sell milk to people who refuse to pay a price that covers the cost of production. The milk will go down the drain.’
The news that the Co-op was to increase the minimum price it pays to 29p was welcomed by the National Farmers’ Union. Its president, Peter Kendall, said: ‘We need to see all retailers and major buyers step up to the plate. We have yet to see substantial moves from either Asda or Morrisons.’
The two supermarkets are in a price war. Morrisons is selling four pints for 98p, or 43p a litre.
Farm minister Jim Paice said: ‘Supermarkets have to account for why they are using milk as a loss leader. These price cuts are a severe blow for dairy farmers.’
However, Mr Handley said: ‘There are some government departments as ruthless at buying milk as some supermarkets – the NHS in particular.’
Around 550 farmers have already used tractors to blockade a Robert Wiseman Dairy plant in Bridgwater, Somerset, and a nearby Morrisons distribution centre. Hundreds more picketed Arla plants in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, and Leeds.
Farmer Anthony Rew, from Newton Abbot, Devon, said: ‘This summer has been terrible.’
Priced out: Farmers for Action protestor Andrew Hemmings delivers a letter and remonstrates with Arla security staff at the processing plant gate in Ashby-de-la-Zouch yesterday as he calls for change
Furious: More than 300 farmers block the Arla milk processing plant in Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire upset that it costs more to produce a litre of milk than it does to sell it
Placards: The farmers say they could be forced to cut off the milk supply at source, keeping on the farms, if the price cuts continue as it is slowly crippling the dairy industry in Britain
The number of British dairy farmers has fallen from 17,000 to 11,000 since 2004, while many more are on the verge of quitting.
Wyke, the UK’s largest independent cheese and milk processor, has warned of a long-term threat to home-produced milk, with poor weather this summer meaning many farmers will not have grown enough fodder to feed their herds this winter.
Chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall want the public to boycott some supermarkets over their milk policy.
However, the British Retail Consortium said some supermarkets paid well for milk.
Milk
Anger: Farmers blockade the milk processing plant at Arla in Stourton, Leeds last night in protest
Demonstration: The scene outside Robert Wiseman Daries in Bridgwater, Somerset where 550 farmers and 120 tractors were positioned between the plant and the nearby Morrisons distribution centre
Blocked: The scene outside Morrisons manufacturing depot in Bridgwater, Somerset where dozens of lorries were unable to get into the depot because of the protest
Losses: Dairy cows being milked in Gloucestershire. Farmers are furious that it costs them 29p to produce a pint of milk but they can only sell it for 25p and they fear it will finally cripple the industry for good
Campaigning: Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have stepped into the debate and urged the public to boycott some supermarkets over cuts to the price of milk
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Sussex v Durham LIVE (From The Argus) - The Argus.co.uk
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
Sussex hope to have Matt Prior available for FL t20 quarter-final - BBC News
Sussex hope to have wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior available for their FL t20 quarter-final on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old, who is in action for England in the First Test against South Africa, averaged 46.75 in his four domestic T20 innings this season.
Sharks coach Mark Davis told BBC Sussex: "He's been unbelievable and it's hard to believe England don't choose [him] in their T20 side.
"If he's fit to play I can't see why he shouldn't play."
He added: "We got a message from Matt saying Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook are playing for Essex, so it shouldn't be a problem that he plays for us."
Prior has scored 187 runs in this year's competition, with 81 of those coming off just 37 balls in Sussex's game against Hampshire earlier this month.
"I don't think I've seen anybody play like that," Davis continued.
"The pitch was seaming and Dimitri Mascarenhas is very effective in those conditions. Matt started sweeping him over fine leg and it was extraordinary."
Sussex, who won the South Group, face Gloucestershire Gladiators at the Probiz County Ground in their last-eight tie.
After losing just one game in the tournament this year - and that by the Duckworth/Lewis method to Surrey - Davis is hopeful of securing a berth at next month's finals day in Cardiff.
"We've got a strong side but we've still got to perform," Davis said.
"We've batted really well and bowled well in the top six overs. We've got a method of winning games so long may it last.
"Hopefully we can keep playing with confidence and get to finals day, where anything can happen."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sussex v Durham - County Championship Division One – Day 3 – Live Score Update - Bettor.com
Sussex v Durham - County Championship Division One – Day 3 – Live Score Update
Durham 231 & 80/7 (25.4 ov) v Sussex 231 - Durham lead by 80 runs with 3 wickets remaining
In the ongoing County Championship Division One, Durham lead by 80 runs with three wickets in hand against Sussex at stumps, on the third day of play, at Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground.
The day began with Sussex resuming their first innings from a tally of 100 runs for the loss of three wickets, with MW Goodwin on an overnight tally of 14 and, MH Yardy, standing on 29.
Having been jabbed for 231 runs by the hands of Durham, Sussex knew they needed to put a strong show in order to subdue this total.
With 110 runs on the board, the side suffered the loss of their first wicket of the day when Goodwin fell after scoring 18 runs.
LJ Wright was then the next man to face the music, as he came in the middle at a time when Durham bowlers were fancying their chances of making a few more breakthroughs.
Sussex were left stunned when with 119 runs on the scoreboard, they lost the services of Wright, who perished after scoring only four runs.
The arrival of wicketkeeper/batsman, BC Brown, changed everything as he forged a stupendous alliance with his skipper, taking the score to 188 runs, before the lethal partnership came to its end on the wicket of Yardy, who hit the showers after jabbing an innings of 66 runs.
Brown was then left without much options, as the remaining batsmen failed to provide him the much needed support. Nonetheless, the batsman managed to hammer an under pressure innings of 51 runs to help the side amass a first innings total of 231 runs.
From Durham, C Rushworth and CD Thorp were the top bowlers as they grabbed four wickets each.
Meanwhile, Durham suffered a terrible batting collapse in their second innings, as they were reduced to 80 runs for the loss of seven wickets by the end of the day.
Sussex bowler, SJ Magoffin, exhibited dominance by nabbing four wickets in his 10 overs.
Source: blogs.bettor.com
Javaid Ali Paisley murder police report 'encouraging leads' - BBC News
Police investigating the murder of a Renfrewshire shopkeeper have said there was a good response to the BBC's Crimewatch programme.
Javaid Ali, 48, was stabbed in Sunshine Grocers, Paisley, on 15 June. He died in hospital on 29 June.
On Thursday's edition of Crimewatch, Strathclyde Police made a fresh appeal for help to trace his killer.
A reward of £50,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible.
Det Ch Insp Duncan Sloan revealed that two calls were of particular interest.
“Start Quote
End Quote Det Ch Insp Duncan SloanWe had a call from an anonymous male who named an individual responsible and stated that he'd seen a weapon that had been used”
He said: "The first is from a male who says he knows information and was going to to attend at Paisley police office.
"This is really encouraging and I would welcome this but I would ask him to please call back so we can speak to him."
Det Ch Insp Sloan also gave details of a caller who had named a suspect.
He added: "We had a call from an anonymous male who named an individual responsible and stated that he'd seen a weapon that had been used.
"Clearly this is important and I would urge that caller to please call back.
"I'll be sitting waiting for that phone call."
Two weeks ago, Abbas Ali, 25, one of Mr Ali's three sons, issued a statement appealing for help.
'Trauma and hurt'He urged anyone with information to "think of the trauma and hurt" caused to his family and contact police.
The statement read by Mr Ali said: "Our family is absolutely devastated at the loss of my father, Javaid Ali. He was a wonderful father, husband, son and friend.
"He meant so much to us and it is heartbreaking to know we will never see or speak to him again.
"I cannot put into words the suffering this has caused our family and it will take a long time for us to come to terms with what has happened."
Mr Ali said he could not have asked for more from his father whom he described as "an exceptionally hard worker and a great provider for our family".
"He always put our needs first and did his best to provide my brothers and I with opportunities that he did not have when he was younger," he said.
More than 60 officers are working on the inquiry and have visited 700 homes and taken up to 170 statements so far.
Detectives are still trying to trace a man who was seen walking from the direction of Sunshine Grocers at about 15:00 on the day Mr Ali was attacked, and a young woman carrying Aldi shopping bags.
She was walking towards Green Road in the direction of the cycle track.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
An Inspector Calls At... Newick Park Hotel and Country Estate, East Sussex - Daily Mail
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Rating: 
The leafy drive looks promising. Then a lake by a meadow creeps into view. In the distance, the South Downs are bathed in evening sunlight.
There could be disappointment round the last corner, but instead it’s joy unconfined as we come to a halt outside the Grade II*-listed Newick Park in East Sussex.
Privately owned. Set in 255 acres of parkland. Tasteful. Top-notch antique furniture; cabinets of fine old glass and china; stellar food. Discreet and efficient service. And an almost zen-like atmosphere.
Stately: Newick Park Hotel is set in more than 200 acres of landscaped gardens and parkland
It’s mainly Georgian, built on three floors with two tall bays on each side. At one time it was occupied by the Chief Justice of Bengal, reputed to have buried treasure from India in the garden.
Today, there are 13 rooms in the main house and three in the Granary. Ours is pretty in an understated, British sort of way. There’s something comforting about the old-fashioned headboard, a luggage rack, dressing table, huge cupboards, thick curtains, and a roll-top bath that looks like it’s been there for ever.
The public rooms downstairs are big and grand, fabulous for a party. A wedding will be held here in the morning, which is why the library has become the temporary dining room. It’s a gorgeous space, with a grand piano, bookcases galore, duck egg walls, elaborate cornicing.
Each round table easily seats four so there’s bags of room. Nothing grates here (well, perhaps the fussy pelmets) and it’s the antithesis of corporate.
A framed letter from John Major, who stayed in May 1994, hangs in the corridor. ‘I am particularly grateful to you and your staff for making me feel so welcome.’
I feel moved to write a similar sort of letter — even though it might not get quite the same treatment.
We went for a long walk in the morning and then played a game of croquet — anything to delay our departure. Newick Park is a discovery.
Travel Facts
Newick Park Hotel and Country Estate
Newick
E. Sussex
BN8 4SB
Tel: 01825 723633, www.newickpark.co.uk
Doubles from 165 B&B
Rating:
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Sussex garages caught cheating their customers (From The Argus) - The Argus.co.uk
Sussex garages caught cheating their customers
6:26pm Friday 20th July 2012 in News By William Metcalfe
Seven out of eight garages were found cheating customers in a council sting.
West Sussex trading standards investigators tested garages across the county to check mechanics were doing their jobs properly.
But just one of eight garages tested was found to have carried out work requested without making false or misleading claims.
The operation followed complaints from members of the public about a number of garages.
A car was checked by trading standards before being taken to each of the eight garages for a service and pre-MOT check.
One garage charged inspectors for an oil filter that had not been changed.
In another case a tyre and exhaust were reported damaged despite actually being in good condition.
The tests also found an engine over-filled with oil, tyre pressures which had not been properly checked and extra work which had been carried out without permission.
Trading standards is now considering taking formal action against four of the garages.
Christine Field, county council cabinet member for public protection, said: “Motorists need to be able to trust their garages won’t exploit them, as most people are unlikely to be able to check the claims for themselves. In the present economic climate, people are feeling the pinch, and need to be able to rely on work being done competently.”
A council spokesman said he was unable to reveal the location of the garages due to possible legal action.
Drivers looking to find a garage have been advised to use trading standards’ buy with confidence scheme by visiting www.westsussex.gov.uk .
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
Great British drives: Chichester to Salisbury - Daily Telegraph
It can mean one of only two things when, after a decent day’s drive, you’re greeted not by a chocolate on your pillow but by a pair of foam earplugs. Either you have noisy neighbours and thin walls – or the perfect host who’s thought of everything. Fortunately it was the latter at The Old Vine in Winchester, a cosy, peaceful inn so close to the cathedral walls that it virtually echoes to the great building’s rhythms of tradition and mystery.
We were half way through our first Great Drive: a two-day journey began in Chichester and took in an abbey and three cathedrals. Drawing heavily on the history, beauty and some of the best driving roads in the region, our route then climbed through the South Downs, looped through ancient Winchester and snaked its way to Mottisfont Abbey, before flying west across the backbone of Wiltshire, finally homing in on Salisbury’s famous spire. Just in time for choral evensong.
It was disappointing then, for a city that makes much of its ease of access by road that, at the very start of our trip, it was almost impossible to park. Chichester urges visitors to use its “award-winning” Avenue de Chartres car park but omits to say that its ticket machines spurn credit and debit cards, accepting only coins or locally purchased vouchers. I had neither. Precisely how visitors should park when they go in search of vouchers they don’t say, so bless the good Samaritan who offered her last few coins.
The various trials you face in penetrating the Roman city walls quickly fade, however, as you find yourself in the buzzing honeycomb of streets that centres on Market Cross (1), a scarred but noble 16th-century edifice pointing the way to the magnificent cathedral and ringed by shops set amid the mellow flint and brick architecture.
Savour the tranquillity of the cathedral’s cloisters, marvel at the towering stained-glass windows and gasp at the tension of Graham Sutherland’s Noli me tangere. And then reflect on it all over a cup of tea in the Cloisters Café garden, before picking a souvenir at the shop. Mine? A cathedral pencil sharpener.
Now you must brave Chichester’s bewildering gyratory system and – sticking doggedly to signs for the A286 – head for the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum (2), seven miles north. This sheltered South Downs valley museum is where old barns, grand medieval houses, schoolrooms, churches, lavatories and tollhouses “retire” when threatened by the bulldozer elsewhere in Sussex and Kent. To walk the streets of this artfully arranged “village” of some 50 historic buildings, each dismantled brick by brick before being reconstructed, is to stroll back in time.
Enjoy a snack lunch from the café on the “village green” (don’t eat too much: there’s a culinary treat in store this evening) and then discover all you ever wanted to know about stonemasonry, joinery or how to thatch a roof.
Retrace your route for about four miles and follow the B2141 then the B2146 as they corkscrew towards historic 17th-century Uppark House and Garden (3), perched on a stunning hilltop site, with sea views, hidden tunnels for servants and an inspiring story of how it emerged from a devastating fire in 1989.
Wearied after tramping the gardens but revived by a National Trust cream tea, rejoin the undulating B2146 (careful, it’s a blind bend) before taking a left by The Ship Inn at South Harting and following your nose to Petersfield to admire the 22-acre Heath Pond (4) and, if accompanied by children, letting them out for a romp on the swings.
Following the A272 to Winchester, take a look at the church of St John the Evangelist, with its lychgate, at Langrish and (if there’s time) squeeze through the tight gateway into splendid Hinton Ampner to see the gardens and house. My compact Citroën DS3 Ultra Prestige was a perfect fit – perfect, too, with its sporty handling, comfortable seating, plush cabin, snappy gearbox and powerful engine, for this tour.
But don’t dally; you should leave time enough to rejoin the A272 and (dragging yourself past the inviting beer garden at The Hinton Arms) take a right on to the B3046 through Cheriton (careful, ducks on the road) to inspect pretty New Alresford, home to excellent cafés, interior design shops and an other-worldly riverside walking trail.
Climb out of this charming village along The Avenue through a tunnel of lime trees and appreciate long views from the A31, a road that will speed you to your tastefully appointed room at The Old Vine (and those earplugs) within the fast-shortening shadow of Winchester Cathedral (5).
That culinary treat you were holding back for? As evening falls, amble through the cathedral grounds to the city’s oldest commercial building, the fabulous Chesil Rectory (6), run by a group of six friends and specialising in modern English cuisine. Dine on seared Blackmoor Estate pigeon, roast rib of Hampshire beef with a sauce made from local mushrooms, and a fabulous pecan tart with whisky ice cream.
After breakfast in the bar at The Vine, take time to admire the brilliant artist-designed traffic bollards in Great Minster Street, just yards from your inn, then become lost in wonder inside the cathedral. Antony Gormley’s haunting statue in the crypt is unmissable, so are the Great Screen and the captivating weight of English history.
Tear yourself away and take the A3090 through the pretty villages of Hursley and Ampfield. Take the A3057 as it criss-crosses the River Test and marvel at the gardens of Mottisfont Abbey (7), the former home to Maud Russell, who made it a retreat for her artistic friends in the Thirties. Peruse the extensive art collection, be amazed by Rex Whistler’s trompe l’oeil and lunch on local trout in the Old Kitchen Café.
Now, all that remains is to motor north through picturesque Stockbridge (8), where you turn left to soar along the swooping A30. Fix your sights on Salisbury’s cathedral spire, park at the Market Place and stroll to The Close (9), which cradles the cathedral which, by the way, houses Europe’s oldest working clock.
There should just be time to gaze into the still surface of the “waterfall” font, to stand just inches from one of only four surviving original texts of Magna Carta and to savour tea and a fine cake in the magnificent refectory before creeping quietly into the stalls to sit next to the choir for choral evensong. Hospitality never felt so good.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
I fully support the farmers. I'm more than happy to pay more for milk (and I don't earn a lot) if it gives farmers a fair deal and particularly if it gives cows a fair deal and doesn't force them into batteries just to break even.
- jo, london, 21/7/2012 03:28
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