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Harvest of despair...

27th August 1976
Page 4
Page 4, 27th August 1976 — Harvest of despair...
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

AGRICULTURAL HAULIERS face bankruptcy this autumn as the drought ruins crops, and future loads dry up in the sun.

The drought has meant that hauliers in Lincolnshire are suffering with potatoes going soft in the fields and neither the potatoes nor the sugar beet is swelling to its normal size — or weight.

But the conditions have had a spin-off effect for hauliers in the South Wales area who are finding work carting supplies of feed from mills to farms.

Feed carting is work that would normally be done in the winter, but the conditions have meant that farmers are drawing on winter feed now.

But chairman of the Road Haulage Association livestock and agricultural group, Mr Gordon Sleightholme, thought there was a gloomy prospect for the farm hauliers.

"A lot of hauliers in Lincolnshire are going to be in trouble," he said. "Fleets have been cut down over the past two or three years, but even so there is only going to be about two thirds of work around that there was last year."

He said that outlook for some crops was grim. Where there had been no rain for months some crops were in danger of failing even if there was rain. "Greens are also going to be very poor this year," said Mr Sleightholme.

The only bright spot in the ocean of gloom is for onion growers who are having one of their best seasons for years because of the drought.

In South Wales hauliers in general are faced with a crisis as water stocks dwindle and industry is faced with cutbacks that could in turn push their hauliers into the hands of the receiver.

The latest drought follows two years in which crops have not been as good as expected — each year has been worse than the last and for many hauliers it may be the end of the road. Late last year there were fears that poor harvests could have a disastrous effect on hauliers. The then vice-chairman of the agricultural hauliers group, Mr J. B. Herhpsall, said that he was worried for the future of the business.

Already some of the predictions from last year had come true. Fleets had been cut even more savagely than was anticipated and in some cases they had suffered more cuts after those of last year. Mr Sleightholme said that fleets had been slimming over the past three years in an effort to keep businesses viable.

It is estimated that water could be supplied by road tanker to key industries in south-east Wales at a cost of about E8 per 1,000 gallons — 16 times the normal price. This would save them from shorttime working or close down.

A committee to study the logistics has been set up by the water authorities and the Confederation of Britisl-, dustries.

The CBI wants the Go ment to call in consultants study options for getting "1 conventional water fri unconventional sources" industry — including the I of road tankers and pipelin( The National Water Coin says that where supplies cut by 50 per cent, compar will be offered the option taking supplies from rc tankers, ships or overlE pipeline.


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