Health Secretary, Rt. Hon Andrew Lansley MP, will address the Royal College of Nursing annual Conference in Harrogate today where the RCN has released figures which expose the extent of pressure on the profession as a result of cuts in nursing posts and increased workload.

Mr George said, “The last Government inflated nurse recruitment figures by counting in untrained healthcare assistants as nurses when claiming to increase nurse numbers within the health service. Successive Health Ministers and health service managers have sought to intensify pressure by pursuing the repeated mantra of reducing acute hospital beds through avoiding what they term ‘unnecessary’ hospital admissions and ensuring earlier discharge of patients to the community.

“This has added to pressure on hospital wards where nurse to patient ratios have not kept pace with increased patient acuity and through-put and in many cases declined as nurse posts have been replaced by healthcare assistants. Restricted admission and earlier discharge policies of course have also increased pressure on community nurses where resources have remained either static or have declined.

“Health Ministers would do well to listen to what nurses are telling them, undertake an urgent review of nursing resources within the NHS and reflect on the need for an adequate complement of registered nurses in both the acute and community sector in their future workforce planning.”

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Andrew George, the Liberal Democrat MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Constituency of St Ives, chairs the Grocery Market Action Group (GMAG) which has pressed for action.

Mr George welcomed the announcement that the Government will now proceed with a Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill.

The need for a supermarket watchdog was made clear in two reports by the Competition Commission published in 2000 and 2008. Both reports found that big supermarkets were abusing their power in the market and were transferring ‘excessive risk and unexpected costs’ to farmers, growers, and suppliers. They warned that if action was not taken these practices would ‘have an adverse effect on investment and innovation in the supply chain, and ultimately on consumers’. New rules (a Code of Practice) governing fair business practices in the supply chain were introduced in February 2010 but GMAG has frequently noted that unless the Government also take action to create the watchdog there was no one in place to ensure the new rules are enforced.

GMAG includes in its membership the National Farmers’ Union, the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland, the British Independent Fruit Growers Association, Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, Traidcraft, the Association of Convenience Stores, and others.

Commenting Mr George said:

“After a decade of campaigning with GMAG and others I welcome today’s announcement. Though it is not before time!

“The code is fine. But it’s like having a game of rugby with a rule book, but no referee! So the code needs an Adjudicator.

“The progress of this long campaign has met with constant opposition from some of the large supermarkets but I think they should embrace this move – if they have nothing to hide then they will have nothing to fear. Some of them have already responded to today’s announcement with the same old bluster but it is good news for farmers, growers, and consumers.

“The Government should now press on with its plans and create the watchdog to ensure fair trade runs through the supply chain from the farm to the shopping trolley.”

- Ultimatum to farmers -

A major farmers’ livestock marketing group, Graig Producers, has been forced to suspend trading with prominent meat processor, Vion, following an ultimatum from the company to the farmers that they must be paid directly by Vion, bypassing their marketing group. Objections have been raised by the farmers about the particular kind of additional information that they are now expected to hand over to Vion.

The concern is that by side-lining the farmers’ group in the payment process, Vion, armed with the information they gather directly from the farmer, might choose to select predominantly large farms. This could result in the smaller traditional family farms having to find their market through inferior contracts or live markets.

“Vion’s action threatens to rip the heart out of our relationship with our members.” says Bob Kennard, managing director of Graig Producers. “We believe it also represents a major shift in the balance of power between beef and lamb producers and the processor, as the move affects all farmers’ groups, not just ourselves. The widespread support we have had on this issue reflects concern that it could result in more large-scale beef and sheep farms and the demise of smaller family farms. This has already happened in the dairy sector, where the number of dairy farmers has halved in the last 10 years. We have very few options for marketing our members’ organic livestock, and this action restricts us further.”

Wider Support

Graig Producers has strong support from its farmer members together with a diverse range of organisations and individuals, all with an interest in a vibrant rural community, and who strongly oppose Vion’s action. These include Professor Tim Lang, of the Centre for Food Policy at City University London who commented “This case highlights continuing tensions in the UK food system to which Governments – shame on them – turn a blind eye. The ruthless power relations are driven down from retailers via processors to farmers. When farmers get better organised, with co-ops, look what happens!”

Well established Group

Graig Producers is an independent livestock marketing group that has been operating for over 17 years supplying organic beef and lamb to the major supermarkets via their designated abattoirs. The Group has several hundred members – from small family farms to large estates – for whom it secures economies of scale through collaboration, helping to optimise income, minimise costs, and improve management.

“Vion are now demanding that farmers sign a new form of individual contract with them before they will be paid for their livestock” continues Bob Kennard. “We believe this reflects their increasing control of the supply chain. We are concerned that this may ultimately result in the amalgamation of family farms. But we have shown that economies can be achieved through farmer collaboration, rather than amalgamation. Why risk the collapse of family farms and the consequent devastating impact on the wider rural community, when there is another way?”

Supporting comments

Andrew George MP, West Cornwall and the Scillies Constituency of St Ives and Chair of the Grocery Market Action Group which has led the campaign for a supermarket and grocery supply regulator, says: “We should be encouraging joint initiatives and cooperation between farmers. As the Government prepares to introduce measures to improve fair dealing in the supermarket supply chain it’s important to make sure that practices which could undermine the viability of small livestock farmers are resisted.”

A poll of Graig Producers’ members returned 98% with the view that they did not want to be paid direct by the abattoir. One member commented “This is our chosen route to market, we have a contract with Graig.” Another said “(some supermarkets) would start controlling how we produce our goods and the small producer would be forced out as has happened to the milk industry”; “Graig provides advice regarding the correct route to market, hopefully then acting on my behalf to achieve the best possible prices long term”.

According to Graig Producers and its supporters these views confirm how vital a trustworthy and reliable route to market is for organic producers. “Organisations like Graig Producers are an essential part of the marketing chain,” said Rt Revd Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield. “Not only do they promote collaborative marketing and give a large group of producers a coherent voice but they serve to promote diversity of production from farms of a wide range of sizes.”

In contrast, earlier this lamb marketing season Graig Producers secured a landmark agreement with major meat processor, Dunbia, on guaranteed fair prices for organic lamb, with the aim of ensuring a year-round supply and removing the need for imports.

The public are invited to join others in urging Vion to reverse its decision, by signing an on-line petition at www.ethicalFood4Me.org

Andrew George, the Liberal Democrat MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Constituency of St Ives, chairs the Grocery Market Action Group which has pressed for action.

Mr George expects that the Government will proceed with a Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill soon after the Queen’s Speech.

The need for a supermarket watchdog was made clear in two reports by the Competition Commission published in 2000 and 2008. The reports found that big supermarkets were abusing their power in the market and were transferring ‘excessive risk and unexpected costs’ to farmers, growers, and suppliers. They warned that if action was not taken these practices would ‘have an adverse effect on investment and innovation in the supply chain, and ultimately on consumers’. New rules (Code of Practice) governing fair business practices in the supply chain were introduced in February 2010 but GMAG has frequently noted that unless the Government also act to create the watchdog there was no one in place to ensure the new rules are enforced.

Mr George has led the campaign for the creation of a supermarket watchdog since 2000. GMAG includes in its membership the National Farmers’ Union, the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland, the British Independent Fruit Growers Association, Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, Traidcraft, the Association of Convenience Stores, and others.

Commenting Mr George said:

“Every day that passes without Government beginning the process of creating a supermarket watchdog is another day too late for many farmers and growers. Farmers and growers have had a tough start to 2012. I welcome this. Though it is not before time!

“The progress of this long campaign has met with constant opposition from some of the large supermarkets but I think they should embrace this move – if they have nothing to hide then they will have nothing to fear.

“The code is fine. But it’s like having a game of rugby with a rule book, but no referee! So the code needs an Adjudicator. And I now want the Government to assure us that the Adjudicator can instigate and investigation on the basis of sound market intelligence and third party reports of improper activity. I remain optimistic that the Government will concede this point.”

Read an associated article here

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The MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Andrew George, has called upon the Fisheries Minister to ensure that there is a legal review of this entitlement. He claims that the entitlement is widely abused and that few if any of the foreign fishing boats which take advantage of the entitlement are not the same as those which were granted the entitlement when Britain joined Europe and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The MP for South East Cornwall, Sheryll Murray, is also pressing the same case.

Mr George said: “The boats which take advantage of this ‘entitlement’ are significantly more powerful than the registered vessels which were granted a licence over 30 years ago.

“How long should a legacy entitlement last? Forever? Should it outlive the lives and careers of the fishermen granted the entitlement and the lower impact vessels which claim they originally fished between the 6 and 12 mile zone when the entitlements were granted?

“The historic entitlement of foreign vessels to fish so close to our coast was only intended to apply to vessels which were significantly less powerful and damaging than those that are taking advantage of this effective policy loophole now. Before the Government signs up to a new CFP next year it should make sure that this legacy is properly reviewed rather than just carried forward for another 10 years.

“With new marine conservation measures being implemented, Government Ministers should make sure that any rules are applied equally to all vessels whether UK or foreign. It would be completely unfair for British Ministers to tie the hands of UK fishermen within the 6-12 mile limit but be incapable of doing anything about the activities of foreign vessels. The only way to establish integrity in the 12 mile limit is to acknowledge that the old ‘historic’ entitlement has reached the end of the intended purpose. It cannot go on forever.”

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Mr George, who joined the March of over 500 brave local people in cold and torrential conditions, and who spoke at the rally, said: “The Government has got this one wrong. Of course we need to tackle the deficit. But Chancellor Osborne reassured us that ‘we’re all in it together’.

“So, who should bear the greatest burden? Caviar consuming second home owners or pasty dependent and poorly- housed Cornish folk? I think we all know the answer.

“Before the Government unleashes an army of pasty police armed with their thermometers to scour the pasty retailers of Cornwall I hope that Government Ministers will think again.”

Mr George and his MP colleagues will be using forthcoming stages of the Finance Bill and the VAT consultation to urge Government Ministers to review their plans.

Image credit:  Toby Weller

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But I have a problem with this proposal. Wherever a line is drawn an “anomaly” is usually created. The Government isn’t resolving an anomaly, merely shifting it and creating a new one. It is no surprise that, in these straightened times, a Government tends to iron out anomalies by increasing rather than decreasing the scope of taxation and hence revenue to the Treasury!

The new “anomaly” created by Government is that it will impose a 20% burden on the purchase of static caravans that are used as holiday homes, whereas it applies no taxation on the purchase of static bricks and mortar holiday homes. The impact of this is that static holiday caravans which can only be occupied for a part rather than the whole of the year – i.e. for holiday use – will be discouraged. Therefore those people seeking to purchase a property for their regular holiday use may, as an alternative, purchase from the finite supply of houses and cottages, thus denying their availability to local families in housing need and adding to the inflationary impact this would have on the housing market, thus pricing properties out of the reach of local people.

Static holiday caravan sites are an ideal solution to managing the demand for a permanent location for those regular visitors who wish to have a stake in our area, without denying a local family a home. The last Conservative Government introduced a very significant tax rebate for second home owners which had the opposite effect – a 50% council tax reduction which cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds and which helped better off people with their second homes when there were thousands of local families who couldn’t afford their first. The Government should be doing the opposite to what it is proposing to do with static holiday caravans.

Apart from that, the static holiday caravan market is a very important sector of the tourism industry in Cornwall. It brings an estimated £104 million each year into the local economy and accounts for 506,000 annual staying trips (figures supplied by Visit Cornwall). Expenditure by domestic and overseas visitors to Cornwall is in excess of £1.6 billion and tourism is estimated to support over 40,000 full time equivalent jobs of which 26,000 are in business directly serving visitors.

The fear in the tourism trade is that, if implemented, these changes will have a detrimental impact on the number of visitors and on employment both in holiday parks and many businesses which are indirectly supported by tourism spend such as local cafes, pubs, restaurants, visitor attractions and shops. Research for the British Holiday and Home Parks Association predicts that the tax will lead to one job loss for every 15 holiday park pitches left vacant.

This week we asked the Government to review its position. Apart from proposing to extend the consultation time on the proposals by a further two weeks, the Government has not indicated that it is prepared to rethink.

It is for that reason that I supported a proposed amendment which sought to delete the Government plan to increase VAT on static holiday caravan purchases and ended up voted against the Government when they refused to budge.

Mr George is urging the Chancellor to respect the Cornish Pasty’s special status by exempting it from the extended VAT rules on “hot takeaway food”.

He is also encouraging local people to respond to the Government’s “Pasty Tax” proposals by responding to the Government’s consultation before the deadline on 4th May.

The march is due to take place on Sunday 29th April 2012 at 2pm and will start from The Moor. Mr George is one of the invited speakers.

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“Creating an elected second chamber is an understandable but, nevertheless, reactionary response to Lords having for centuries derived their authority from birth and dodgy patronage. But it’s not a solution.

“Yes. Let’s finally end hereditary Lords, stop Party Leader patronage and cut the place down to size. But we should remind ourselves what we want a second chamber for before we start deciding how it should be composed and how it’s members derive their authority.

“Most agree that the Commons can benefit from having a revising chamber which offers sober second thought, to reflect on matters of practical implementation and upon expert and professional advice. (A politically neutral independent Appointments Commission would provide the obvious mechanism to achieve that.) Creating another chamber of party political tribalists seems to me the last thing we need.

“God knows the Lords needs massive reform. But it should all be in proportion to the primacy of the preeminent democratic chamber of the House of Commons.”

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Mr George will meet his constituent Sandra Cousins – the mother of Mercedes Curnow who lost her fight against cervical cancer at the age of 23 – in Westminster today. Mr George has already raised the issue of cervical screening for the under 25′s with the Anne Milton MP – Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health) in the Department of Health – and has supported the petition delivery of 100,000 signatures.

Mr George said, “The lives of many young women can be saved if the Government accepts a reasonable policy of earlier testing and at a younger age.”

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