I UNDERSTAND that about a month ago an exercise was carried out in England and Wales to find out how the six-day rule was working. This is the regulation brought in after foot-and-mouth which dictated that if you had any cattle, sheep or pigs come on to your holding, it closed you down. You weren't able to move any stock off the farm until six days had elapsed and all the relevant forms dealt with.

I have made my position clear on several occasions. We do not have foot-and-mouth in the UK so there is no need for these standstills which get in the way of business management. They are pretty well a bureaucratic nonsense and, of course, come under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' favourite heading Thou shalt not.

However, we must abide by the law, however daft; and that is what most people do. So they have nothing to fear from any investigation, particularly when we have our own Farm Animas' Movement Records. Now the exercise I am telling you about involved more than 40 police forces in England and Wales. I am not trying to make any further points about them looking into the six-day rule, but look at the overall view.

You may recall that I have been arguing that in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, with its introduction of the single farm payment (SFP), we should be treated in England on the same basis as Wales and Scotland. That is a fair and reasonable request, but not only that, it makes common sense as well. However, Defra says no or is it non! But, of course, you are quite right, by now I should know better because as it is Defra carrying out the policies of New Labour, common sense doesn't come into it.

Wouldn't you perhaps think that as England and Wales can be lumped together for an exercise using over 40 police forces, presumably treating everyone alike, that England could be treated the same as Wales in administering the reformed CAP? But that's just an old farmer's view and I'm sure Margaret Beckett will think farmers know nowt!

I am pleased to be able to report that I have had some feedback from writing about lime first being spread on moist pasture in the parish of Old Hutton around 1800. I have one or two points I would like to cover before telling you about it but I'll get around to it next time I hope.

Dialect word: Kyek meaning cake.

Thought for the Day: The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up.