SCHOOL EDITION 22 MARCH 2023 - Flipbook - Page 10
10
NEWS
FARMWEEK
JANUARY 28 2021
BASC highlights firearms concerns to Economy Minister
B
ASC has highlighted concerns
about the negative impact of
Brexit on rearms dealers to
Northern Ireland Minister for the
Economy Diane Dodds.
Prior to Brexit, a dealer in NI and
the dealer in GB simply exchanged
copies of their rearms dealer’s
certicate before the dealer in NI
sent the rearm via the contracted
courier.
However, post-Brexit, Trader’s
ABOVE: James and Mya with a lamb.
Support Service (TSS) and the
Department of International
Trade (DIT) have been advising
NI dealers that they need a Single
Individual Export Licence (SIEL)
for each customer before TSS will
support a Customs Declaration.
NI dealers have also been advised
that a single SIEL application can
take 6-12 weeks.
Such timescales will affect the
ability of NI dealers to honour
warranties on rearms, which may
need to be returned to a distributor
in GB. This delay in effecting any
warranty repair may cause a NI
dealer to breach the sale of goods
legislation and consumer rights.
BASC NI director Tommy Mayne
said: “This is an important issue
for dealers who are already
under signicant nancial strain
as a result of repeated Covid
lockdowns.
“The new requirements are
ambiguous and Prime Minister
Boris Johnson promised “unfettered
access” to the GB market for NI
businesses. However, that is clearly
proving not to be the case.
“BASC has written to the Minister
and also written to Ian Paisley MP
asking him to bring this issue to the
attention of the Northern Ireland
Affairs Committee at Westminster.”
David McBride, chair of the
ABOVE: Laying fabric to protect new vegetables at McGowan’s farm.
Northern Ireland Firearms Dealers’
Association (NIFDA), said: “We
are grateful to BASC for raising
this important issue with Minister
Dodds and her party colleague Ian
Paisley.
“The NI Affairs Committee must
appreciate the fact that these new
Customs requirements mean more
unnecessary red tape, which could
have dire nancial consequences
for dealers.”
ABOVE: Andrew Little getting the cows ready to go to the
fields.
Rare Breed farmers show real
resilience during April lockdown
I
T’S April 2020 for the Rare
Breed farmers and as the
coronavirus pandemic
continues we see how our
farmers are coping with all
the health and safety and travel
restrictions in place as we meet
up with them again next Tuesday
for Episode Four of ‘Rare Breed – A
Farming Year’ on UTV.
We see how our farmers protect
new life in the spring, be that in
plant or animal form. A familiar
face from series seven pops up
with the Preston family, and
despite Covid-19, the farming cycle
continues with cows being put
out to pasture after a long winter
indoors.
In April, the McGowans are busy
with eldwork at their County
Down vegetable farm. They are
doing essential work to protect
baby vegetables from weeds, birds
and rabbits. They have invested
heavily in miles of fabric which
is draped over the crops to stop
critters getting in. An added bonus
is that it reduces the need for
harmful insecticides.
It’s physical work carrying and
dragging the material and when
the wind gets up it can be quite a
challenge. But as Adrian says: “If
everyone knows what they’re doing
it makes is so much easier.”
Adrian explains the challenges
associated with vegetable farming
being so labour intensive and
seasonal workers not being able
to y in from Eastern Europe. He
is, however, very happy with the
local labour which is ‘working well’,
commenting that “youthful energy is
a wonderful thing!”
Near Randalstown in Antrim,
James Alexander has new helpers
joining the lambing team in the
form of daughters Mya and Alesha.
With 750 ewes, it’s all hands on
deck, and James is delighted with
ABOVE: Eliza putting lambs out in the field.
ABOVE: Richard Beattie in Gortin mart.
how they are doing.
The girls are a dab hand
at delivering the lambs, and
administering the iodine spray
and antibiotics for the newborns,
although they think it’s a bit
‘warm and disgusting!’ With safety
constantly at the front of James’s
mind, he points out that the cows
are too big and dangerous for the
girls to be involved with yet.
James talks about the quality of
the lamb he produces compared
to foreign imports on shelves and
laments: “I wish our own folk would
buy our own produce.” With near
perfect weather the whole family
then help with bringing the lambs
out to the elds with their mothers.
Northern Ireland’s marts perform
a vital role in the cycle of the
months. His dairy cows, like many
other herds, spend the colder,
wetter months living indoors.
Traditionally, April is when the
elds are dry enough for the cattle
to move outside.
Andrew and his family really
enjoy watching the animals
return to the elds to enjoy the
grass and the sun on their backs.
Andrew lights up when this is all
happening, laughing to himself:
“There’s so much to learn, maybe
I’m cow mad? You’ve good company
too, cows don’t talk back!”
Once they’re out, he’s hoping
they’ll be t to stay out till October.
Andrew’s wife Margaret and
mother Catherine have built a new
poly tunnel to grow vegetables.
Margaret has never grown
agricultural sector, helping bring
animals to buyers, and then on
into the food chain. Near Gortin,
Tyrone, like all other auctioneers,
Richard Beattie (who appeared
in series seven with wife Selina)
was under pressure to gure out
a safe way forward. He comments:
“There’s an eeriness in the town.”
The marts turned to online sales
and changing how they worked on
the ground. Richard has invested
heavily in cameras and computers
to ensure it all works. Kenny and
Zara Preston bring some stock
to the mart and talk about how
the family is coping with all the
rules and restrictions, especially
younger daughter Leah.
Near Tempo in Fermanagh, April
is one of Andrew Little’s favourite
vegetables before, but with the new
poly tunnel they’ve ‘made a proper
wee go of it’.
The two families are self-isolating
as a unit and shopping is done
for the two households together.
Farming still has to go on despite
Covid-19 and Margaret hasn’t
seen her own family in weeks, not
wanting to risk taking any illness
down to them, nor bring anything
back. She says: “It’s just about
being sensible.”
She can’t wait to try her home
grown veg once it’s ready to eat.
n UTV’s Mark McFadden narrates
the series. Sponsored by Moy
Park, ‘Rare Breed – A Farming Year’
continues on Tuesday, February 2,
at 7.30pm on UTV.