The Great Storm of twenty five years ago (and a few days)

It was twenty five years ago (and a week ago) that the South East of England was hit, by what some newspapers called, a hurricane or a very strong storm. Michael Fish MBE is a weather forecaster who has worked for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) and is still known for a comment before a forecast he made on the 15th of October 1987:

"Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way... well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!"

It was suggested that Michael Fish was referring to Hurricane Floyd in Florida, USA that had developed off the coast of Nicaragua on the 9th of October and had been referred to in the One O'Clock News bulletin. But to his credit, Mr. Fish did warn people of high winds for the UK and to "batten down the hatches", but the storm did turn out to be a lot stronger than predicted.

The BBC On This Day website for the 16th of October records that "at least 13 people are known to have died and many dozens have been injured, mostly by falling trees and buildings...winds hit 94 miles per hour (151 kilometres per hour) in the capital and over 110 miles per hour (177 kilometres per hour) in the Channel Islands" and "In the London Borough of Ealing alone, 600 calls came from people whose homes and cars had been struck by falling trees and debris."
 
 The BBC Science and Environment website for the 15th of October 2012 records that "an estimated 15 million trees were uprooted...with winds recorded at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometres per hour or 86 knots)" and "at Toys Hill, the highest point in Kent, about 98% of the woodland...was lost".

It was suggested that this widespread devastation of woodlands was going to be disastrous, but with time it has been shown that the storm helped increase the woodland biota. Dr. Keith Kirby (of Natural England), a co-author on the Great Storm's ecological impact on woodlands (an interesting pdf on climate and woodland ecology can be found here) reported that the lack of woodland exploitation after the Second World War and decreased coppicing had led to the woodland canopy closing over and reducing the low-level biodiversity. The storm opened up the canopy and led to an increase in bluebell and primrose density as well as a temporary increase in the fritillary (a woodland butterfly)  population

Dr. Peter Buckley, the other co-author with Dr. Keith Kirby, found that the effects post storm changed the past monoculture of the woodlands. The tightly packed tall trees had shallow roots that led to them being easily ripped out, whereas as coppiced trees tend to be kept shorter and lead to less trees being damaged by the stronger winds. A lot of the woods regenerated naturally with pioneer species and since there were struggling with nature, there was less need for artificial management.

What are your memories of the Great Storm in 1987? Please add your comments.

Bad Harvests and Kent Farmer's Markets

With the mixed harvest, the NFU reports (on the 10th of October 2012) that "Wheat yields are down 14.1% on five year average, from 7.8 to 6.7 tonnes per hectare; Winter Barley yields are up 1.6% on five year average, from 6.3 to 6.4 tonnes per hectare; Spring Barley yields are down 7.4% on the five year average, from 5.4 to 5.0 tonnes per hectare and Oilseed Rape yields are up 5.9% on five year average, from 3.4 to 3.6 tonnes per hectare." So be prepared for a change in the supermarkets and especially the farmer's markets. 

Kent’s Farmers’ Markets are feeling the pinch.  Compared to last year, the number of customers is down 10-15%; the average spend per shopper is down from £22 to £17, and four markets have had to close.  While no one pretends that farmers’ markets are critically important to the local agricultural sector, they provide a valuable income to some family farms, and play a wider role in helping to reconnect the public with where their food comes from. This can have knock on effects in the choices they make at the supermarket in terms of buying British.  In addition, in some villages, markets have grown up as replacements for the village shop, and provide a venue for the community to get together.

Do you have ideas for helping markets survive the economic pressures?  What stops you visiting a market?  If you used to go, but don’t any longer, what changed your habits?  Benjamin Dent, chairman of Kent Farmers’ Market Association, would like to hear any comments or suggestions: benjamin.dent@dsl.pipex.com

Learn more about Kent’s markets at : www.kfma.org.uk

 

Milk may get a new lease of life

Milk in its usual form contains both A1 and A2 β-casein proteins that are genetic variants of the beta-casein milk protein with different chemical structures. Wikipedia states that:

the "A1 β-casein type is the most common type found in cow's milk in Europe (excluding France), the USA, Australia and New Zealand." (Source: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/231r.htm)

However A2 milk comes from selected dairy cows "whose milk is rich in A2 beta-caseins – but contains no A1 – it is a completely natural, and highly effective, solution to cases of A1 milk protein intolerance." (Source: A2 Milk)

It is thought that the A1 β-casein protein in milk can lead to specific forms of milk intolerance. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and nausea (Source: A2 Milk) 

So, therefore, the A2 branded milk is a form of milk protein that contains β-casein protein formed by Robert Wiseman Dairies and the New Zealand's A2 Corporation. It is thought that this A2 milk will be sold at Budgens, Tesco and Waitrose in the UK. In Australia, FWi states, "A2 milk has taken a 6% value share of the milk market."

The FWi has produced an interesting case study of an A2 milk producer, Andrew Evans in Shropshire, England. 

On the 2nd of October, the BBC News reported that "a genetically-modified cow produced milk without beta-lactoglobulin - a whey protein to which some people are allergic...The instructions for making the beta-lactoglobulin protein are contained in genes in the cow's DNA. The scientists added extra genetic material to disrupt the manufacturing process using a technique called RNA interference. The resulting calf was born without a tail, however, the researchers say that is "unlikely" to be because of the genetic modification. It has not yet become pregnant and produced milk normally so the scientists used hormones to jump-start milk production."

It certainly looks like there will be changes within the dairy industry, especially after the summer of discontent (see this post).