Mrs Downs Diary- January 21 2009

Of course, we had every intention of doing the opposite and a bit of rope and baler band is hardly going to make any difference, but, it will have cost a fortune in postage and felled a wood or two to provide the bumph ( that went straight in the bin).

The HSE, being a public body, do not have to watch their costs in the way that self employed and privately run businesses do.

And of course , the banks are working very hard to try and get their hands on whatever profits farms and businesses do make. Despite all that public money that has been poured into them. This morning we had a call from our bank manager.

Our overdraft is up for renewal. The cost, believe it or not, and this is non-negotiable, has not been doubled, not tripled or even quadrupled; it has been nearly octupled. Eight times to what it was last year. And we have not even reached our limit and for most of last year were in credit.

Fortunately I am married to a very canny farmer. "Well is the rate above base negotiable then" he asked. Mr Bank Manager. It was. After some time parrying back and forth we have clawed back some of the cost of renewing the overdraft but certainly not all of it.

Costs are on everyone's mind, and we had a drop in call from a meat buyer to remind us of this yesterday. He had seen our suckler herd in the yard from the road and instantly spotted what good quality stock they were we flatter ourselves.

Apparently with the drop in the pounds value against the euro, exports of our meat are proving economically attractive once more to foreign buyers. Beef and sheep prices have risen for the export market. We cannot make anything of it at the moment as we have no beef animals ready for market and it will be late Spring before we start selling again.

Also , we are now finishing lambs to a heavier weight than the export market demands. They like an animal that is about ten kilos lighter then we finish to, so no luck there either.

The buyer wants to deal with us directly. This company have their own abattoir, but it would involve quite a long journey for us to take stock there and this in its turn piles up extra costs for us, as well as the welfare considerations. Currently we take all our stock to the local market for sale. A journey of about ten miles, half an hour at most. Any journey over forty miles ( and this would encompass the meat buyer's abattoir) would mean John or I needing to pass a special test, and probably a new Land Rover as well. Our old girl can mange short trips on the flat quite happily, dragging stock up hill and down dale over any distance would soon have it's engine spluttering and complaining.

Plus selling through a market, opens up competition amongst buyers and the market has always paid up straightway into our bank account. Selling to a private company might give us a guaranteed cost, but, you are putting your eggs, or hooves, all in one basket. Unlike the banks we are not keen risk takers.