Eight speakers chaired by Norfolk dairy farmer Ken Proctor delivered positive messages and warning signals at Anglia Farmers’ first livestock conference.

Held just two days after the purchasing group moved into impressive new purpose-built offices in Honingham Thorpe, Norwich, 50 delegates attended the event to find out the impact of agricultural inflation, the latest on Bluetongue, the future of the dairy industry and the outlook for livestock.

Speakers included campaigning landowner Lady Caroline Cranbrook, Michael Mack of Norfolk Rural Business Advisory Service, entrepreneurial sheep farmer Dameon Layt, agricultural quota and entitlement broker Ian Potter, Mike Richardson of Eblex, Clarke Willis of Anglia Farmers, George White of GLW Feeds and Brian Rice from Merial.

With a worldwide meat deficit and the environmental benefits of grazing, livestock seems to have a safe future but the theme here was for co-operation, developing local food hubs and campaigning to ensure local bodies like the armed forces sourced locally produced meat. The conference gave an opportunity to promote www.grazingforum.co.ukspecifically designed for livestock farmers in East Anglia.

Farmer Dameon Layt from Salhouse, who became the first winner of the Norfolk Young Farmers’ Growing Business Award earlier this year, gave considerable hope. This entrepreneur rear Norfolk Horn Sheep and take his labour all the way through to the consumer via the Shepherd’s Hut – a mobile catering van where he cooks and serves his own lamb burgers .

Ian Potter’s message left no one in any doubt about that the milk industry will continue to shrink in this country. He said there was little hope for small dairy herds, particularly if no investment had been made in the last ten years. With 1.5 million litres of milk imported, mainly from Ireland at 18p per litre, he believes there will be more turmoil in the UK with farmer demonstrations looming in 2009. Importing is a short term solution he warned.

Clarke Willis countered this with a glimmer of hope that agricultural costs may come down by 5 to 10% during the next year but emphasised this was from the high price rises realised over the last 12 months.

The feed industry is also in a volatile state and George White - who as well as running GLW Feeds has 400 milking Jersey cows - was keen to stress that while corn prices had come down this does not automatically reduce feed prices. He explained the global impact on UK costs where on 10^th October the worldwide crop report was rosy but just two weeks later the story is totally different.

The final speaker Brian Rice caused much interest with congratulations to the region’s farmers who responded to the 2007 outbreak with a 90% uptake on vaccination. He said other livestock farmers in the UK should be grateful for that as it stopped the disease spreading and the only cases this year were on imported animals.

However, he urged farmers to vaccinate again before next Spring although there was frustration in the audience that there were no guidelines or funding from DEFRA. Delegates stated Scotland’s stance with 50% funding for vaccination as the way forward and also urged the go-ahead for a combined vaccination to counter the previous serotype 8 (BTV-8) as well as the potential BTV-1. Mr Rice said it would take Merial at least six months to develop a combined vaccine.

Since the conference, outbreaks of BTV-6 have occurred in Holland. Defra has said it can respond rapidly should the disease arrive next year and would make sure vaccine was available to farmers.