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T here is very little that a driver can do and

15th August 1996, Page 34
15th August 1996
Page 34
Page 35
Page 34, 15th August 1996 — T here is very little that a driver can do and
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Meat, Moody, Lorry, Beef

very little the French authorities seem prepared to do, when a group of angry French farmers decide to set about a haulage vehicle. Twice last month, Moody International vehicles experienced the unpleasantness of such attacks, saw reefer loads of lamb destroyed and had deliveries uncompleted.

The Grimsby operator was first attacked on Monday 1 July with a second attack on Saturday 27 July. In each case, the driver and his equipment were later allowed to depart somewhat ruffled but unharmed. The perpetrators retired to plan their next attack.

There will be more. "In certain areas of France, from now until the autumn, there will be what we call 'store cattle' coming on to the market," says managing director Mick Moody. "Normally that would be exported to Spain and Italy, but because of the beef crisis, those markets have collapsed. That's the reason why there are an increasing number of demonstrations by farmers."

After the second incident Moody might have been forgiven for rejecting further loads to the region. But he is a typical British haulier who has grown up in a trade renowned for teaching its participants more than a little about the art of surviv-al.

It was six years ago that his former employer called it a day, and Moody set up Moody International in partnership with his wife Annette. He'd always driven internationally and always been involved in the distribution of chilled hanging meat. So when the opportunity to go solo arrived he continued in the same line.

Growing business

He now runs five trucks and uses five regularly subcontracted vehicles to cope with a growing business. He used to carry beef and lamb out to France, Italy and Spain, bringing vegetables on the return trip.

The EC stopped the beef trade and there was nothing he could do about it. Now the French farmers are putting the pressure on the lamb trade, but here he can take a stand. "It might seem comical, but what we actually did was go along next morning to reload a replacement for the one that didn't make it. I'm not going to be intimidated by these people," he says.

Moody realises that while his response might be limited, the options for his drivers are even fewer. There is no standard procedure, only one form of common sense: "As a driver in that situation there is only one thing to do—let the farmers do what they want to do. It would be a brave man who takes on 25 French farmers alone," says Moody.

He lost about £1,200 earnings on the first load, valued at £10,000, and £1,600 on the second, valued at £30,000. On top of that is the expense of a lost day on each trip. But for Moody, and others who will surely follow, it's not a straight-forward insurance claim. "Goods in transit insurance dOes not cover war and riot and we have to claim through the French authorities," he says.

Liz Morris at the British Embassy in Paris explains the strange quirks of the French sys

tern, which on one hand offers recompense to the victim, but on the other appears to offer cover for the offender.

"The local authorities will pay compensation where there has been unrest and an unfortunate damage to property," she says. "If it is a planned attack, the logic of the legislation has it that it is not for the state to pay up." In such cases, a prosecution needs to be taken against those people who have deliberately attacked the lorry So, several weeks after the legal wheels begin to turn, the authorities who took no action at the time of the attack must then go back and take punitive action.

Forgive Mick Moody for being sceptical about the outcome. His opinion is tinged by the knowledge that his driver the same one on both occasions—has been the victim of a so-called unplanned attack, and an apparently planned attack. The first involved a Moody vehicle as it pulled up at the traffic lights at Bressuire in the Loire Valley, where some farmers were in mid-protest outside the town hall. "They must have thought it was all of their birthdays come at once," says Moody A marauding horde surrounded the vehicle, blocking the road with broken pallets and draping banners over the side. The banners suggested a barbeque was about to take place. It was not immediately clear whether this would involve only the load, or vehicle and driver as well In the event, the farmers waited for the arrival of television film crews before turning the load out on to the road. The meat was later crushed by tractors.

On the second occasion, farmers were waiting in ambush behind a French lorry parked alongside a motorway pe,age (toll point) near Mont Marau It They threw spikes across the road to deter further progress and again wait

ed for the media to arrive before 850 casses were discharged.

Moody realises that the sensible to opt only for loads to safe are problems seem to be in the Sou Brittany and the Loire Valley an most of our work is•to the South-I why should we give in to them? months of the year my vehicles ft French apples and vegetables. Pei should say we don't want them, th4 the cheese and see what the farmer that," he says.

British lambs

Morris says it is not just British lo British lambs which are being target week there was a Spanish lorry atta its beef was unloaded. If a meat lorry to come along when they are demor they direct their anger towards that. drawing the attention of the auth, Brussels and France to the impact o crisis," she believes.

Moody wants action and is frusI the apparent inability of the Road Association or the British governme vide effective protection for the dri the vehicles.

Mike Freeman, controller for inte: affairs at the FtHA, says representati been made to the Department of Tra the UK and the British Embassy. "Al effect taking place is a restriction of dom of passage and we feel that pei are not too far away from being WA( the EC Courts on this issue," he says.

This does little to reassure Ma future consignments will fare any be specialise in meat," he says. "All m has gone into the equipment for tran hanging meat. A Gray & Adams fro something like £53,000 and we had a Scania Topline 530 pulling it. That's t part of £140,000 worth of equipmer putting at risk every time we go out t

After six years of trading, Moody his is one of no more than three Grimsby operators still specialising ing hanging meat because many of ti have long since folded. He has no int, following them into oblivion and hi: and regular subcontractors are right on that.

However, all of them feel frustrated uation where France apparently does to protect the farmers who are wror Britain and the EC appears unable t■ the hauliers who are right.


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