[Ely Announce] From the Bishop's Rural Officer

[Owen Spencer-Thomas]

Geoff Dodgson writes:

While Foot and Mouth Disease is not making major headlines and the media are
not screening shots of burning carcases night after night, the effects of
this disease on the UK farming industry, particularly hard-pressd livestock
farmers, is heart breaking. The Farming Help Charities are beseiged with
calls which is why the Churches are being called to remember the plight of
farmers in their harvest festivals this year.

Further details of the issues and the charities involved are given in the
Church of England press release below.

If anyone needs any further information please contact me
geoff.dodgson at ely.anglican.org

Geoff Dodgson
Hon Rural Officer
Diocese of Ely

---------------------------


Sent:   19 September 2007 10:42
Subject:        NEWS FROM THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND: Churches called to remember
the plight of farmers in their Harvest Festivals

PR85/07 19/9/07  For immediate use

Churches called to remember the plight of farmers in their Harvest Festivals

The Bishop of Exeter has encouraged congregations not just to thank God for
the food they eat but to remember the farmers who produce it at their
Harvest Festivals. As Foot and Mouth disease continues to push farming into
crisis, the bishop also called on churches to consider the Farming Help
Charities when gathering their Harvest collections.

"The first outbreak of Foot and Mouth in Surrey was worrying enough for
farmers but the latest one could not have come at a worse time. Farmers left
with animals that should have gone to market, short of both feed and money.
Others uncertain about the condition of the stock they need to buy in for
the coming year," said the Rt Rev Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter, who
chairs the Rural Strategy Group of the General Synod.

"Harvest is supposed to be a joyful time; a celebration of the fruits of the
earth. That will be difficult for many farmers this year. Every church
should give thanks for the farmers who put food on their tables, and for the
auctioneers and hauliers who get it there, and pray for them at this
particularly difficult time. A true sign of thanks would be to donate
harvest festival collections to one of the Farming Help Charities:
ARC-Addington Fund, Farm Crisis Network and Royal Agricultural Benevolent
Institution."

Canon Glyn Evans, regional coordinator for the Farm Crisis Network, is
working with local clergy to ensure pastoral support for the Egham family
who had their stock culled when the new outbreak began. "It is important
that farmers know they are not forgotten and that support is available," he
said.

The local situation is a lot more tense for farmers than during the first
outbreak and people are more anxious. There are many hobby farmers in the
area around Egham and therefore many more holdings and farming families.
All local clergy have been contacted and asked to ensure that all holdings
with livestock are supported.

Nationally, farmers, auction marts and hauliers are under great pressure,
not least as this is the time of year for selling breeding stock and putting
them to the ram for future production, not just animals for slaughter. Hill
farmers face major losses with the cancellation of lamb sales, leaving them
overstocked and, the grass having stopped growing, having to buy feed with
no sales income. Animals should be moving down to the lowlands but such
movement is banned. Pig farmers, already hit by high feed prices, cannot
move stock, have no income and need to buy in more feed. Markets and
hauliers lie idle.

The ARC-Addington fodder bureau, part of the ARC-Addington Fund that helps
to support farmers at such times, is gearing up for an increased demand over
the coming weeks. The fodder bureau's is distributing fodder as required and
the appeal has so far collected £5,000 in cash donations to cover haulage
costs, 750 big bales of straw, 560 acres of straw in swath, 820 big bales of
hay, 152 acres of grass to mow and 515 big bales of haylage/silage.

"We've already had contact with a number of co-ordinators and volunteers
from Farm Crisis Network reporting the situation around the country and we
anticipate a major increase in calls to FCN, ARC-Addington Fund and
agricultural chaplains," said Dr Jill Hopkinson, the Church of England's
National Rural Officer, based at the Arthur Rank Centre on the Royal
Showground at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. The ARC is providing briefings,
information and support as needed.

Notes to editors

The Arthur Rank Centre is the Churches' rural resources unit and is a
partnership between the Royal Agricultural Society of England, the national
Churches and the Rank Foundation. It is 35 years old this year and is an
ecumenical centre for the UK Churches focusing on rural communities,
agriculture and rural churches. www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk

The Farming Help Partnership brings together the three national charities
working in the farming community, ARC-Addington Fund, Farm Crisis Network
and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.  Each partner charity
provides different but complementary forms of help and support to meet a
wide range of needs. www.farminghelp.org.uk. Helpline 07002 326326

The ARC-Addington Fund was set up by the Arthur Rank Centre in 2001 during
the foot and mouth epidemic, and distributed £10.3 million to farmers in 15
months. The Fund continues its work by providing strategic housing support
for those who loose their homes when their rural business ends and this will
continue beyond the current extreme circumstances.
www.arc-addingtonfund.org.uk  024 7669 0587

Farm Crisis Network provides pastoral and practical support to farming
people during periods of anxiety, stress and problems relating to both the
farm household and the farm business. It was set up by the Arthur Rank
Centre and the Agricultural Christian Fellowship in 1996. www.fcn.org.uk

Rural Stress Helpline (tel 024 7641 2916) is an Arthur Rank Centre project
offering a confidential listening service to those suffering stress or
distress in rural areas.