FARMERS at Saturday's final auction said the shock closure was yet another blow to the farming community, writes Lesley Tate.

Most had learned of the

closure by letter just days before, some had been told by farming friends and many had made a special visit to be there on the historic last day.

They blamed a steady decline in business at the market - once the busiest dairy cattle market in the North - on the general decline in the farming industry, government policies and the on-going BSE crisis.

The announcement was made just last week by Bill Cowling, the chairman of the board of Otley Cattle Market Auction Ltd, who blamed the combined effects of the BSE scare, the collapse of international markets for sheepskins and pigmeat and changes in the European Union's agricultural policies.

Mr Cowling, who said he was greatly saddened by the deci-sion, added market prices of livestock produced by farmers had dropped by up to 40 per cent in the last three to four years.

He said: "The company will continue to provide a service to the farming community from its base in Otley, but in form of quota transactions and by providing assistance with subsidy claims applications and, where appropriate, by stock dispersal sales upon farmers own prem-ises."

The Bridge End Auction Mart was built on a picturesque site next to the River Wharfe 65 years ago and was the flagship market of the Otley company renowned all over the country in the 50s and 60s for its enormous weekly sales of dairy cattle.

The closure brings to an end the engagement of the Lister family as auctioneers at the market. Willie Lister, 91, was the auctioneer and secretary for 39 years from when it first opened until 1974 and was at Saturday's final auction.

His son, Mervyn, has been an auctioneer for 43 years and company secretary for 26 years, while grandson, Martin, has been an auctioneer since 1986.

All three have been dedicated servants of the market and the farming community all their lives.

David Brook, a cattle farmer who also runs the farmers' shop at the market said on Saturday he had learned about the closure just the day before.

"I've been coming here for 65 years and didn't know about this until Friday when I got a letter. I'm absolutely sickened, because it's our main outlet. It was a shock, we've just bought a lot of extras stock for the lambing season and now we're stuck with it."

Mr Brook, of Ossett, near Wakefield, said he would carry on running the shop on Satur-days for a little while longer even though there would be no auction.

"We'll be coming along for a week or two, the locals might come and see us."

Harry Woodhead, 64, a retired pig farmer from Cockersdale, Drighlington, said he had been going to the auction for 40 years and had followed the Saturday market from Bingley when it transferred three years ago.

"I found out about it on Thursday, its disgraceful and its going to be a devil for the younger people now farming.

"This sort of thing is happening quite a lot all over but it's a great shame. I've always enjoyed coming here, it's always been a friendly market, the atmosphere is grand and it's a pleasure to come," said Mr Woodhead.

Leslie Grange, who farms sheep at Follifoot, Harrogate, said he had learned of the closure the day before by letter.

He said: "It was a shock, I knew nothing about it. It's a big blow and I'm going to have to find somewhere else to go.

"I've been coming here for 40 years, man and lad. The trouble is that families are not coming back into farming and there's nobody to keep the job going."

Wrightson Scaife, a retired farmer, said: "It's a right carry on and it'll get worse, it's a sad day but it's the demise of the agricultural business through and through.

"This has turned into mainly a smallholders market, but it used to be the dairy market of the North 50 years ago. People used to come from Scotland to the market," said Mr Scaife.

Ken Horner, a retired dairy farmer from Follifoot, added: "It's a declining job, you can't expect much else."

A sheep and cattle farmer from Sutton-in-Craven said he had been a regular at the Saturday market since it moved from Bingley.

"It's a poor do. We've thought over the last 12 months that something was up - you could see the turnover was just not there.

"The government has just messed it all up for farmers, even the sheep trade has col-lapsed now, I've been getting about £2 for a sheep."

Keith Hardcastle, from Dar-ley, a former pig farmer who now works at the Wharfedale Farmers Auction Mart off Leeds Road, said he had been going to the Bridge End auction all of his life.

"My father used to milk 500 cattle here on a Friday. I re-member him coming home with all the milk. In those days, the market was not big enough and they used to have to put up a tent for all the cattle.

"I've always been interested in the market and involved all my life, I came today because it was the last day."

Mr Hardcastle, a former pig farmer who sold all his animals in June last year, said the closure was another blow to farmers.

"There is not enough room for two auctions in Otley, and the Saturday market is mostly for the smaller man.

"No-one knew about this until yesterday and it's really sad, but every market is the same. Butchers don't want anything on a Saturday because they don't work on a Saturday.

"Farmers have been conned by the government and the meat industry but this is when people notice, when places like this close - not when the farms close."

Mr Cowling added the income from markets from livestock sales had fallen consistently over the past few years while costs had risen.

"Trading losses are being in-curred at levels which if allowed to continue would result in ruin and so, in the interests of our 125 share holders who own the business, my board of directors has decided it must call it a day."

A spokesman for Listers said the final auction was an emo-tionally charged one for farm-ers, staff, traders and buyers.

"It will be a sad loss to the community. There is no other industry where a producer can decide at 9am in the morning that he would like to sell his product, then transport it to the market, achieve a sale to the best competitive customer and go home with the sale proceeds in his pocket at 3pm in the afternoon on the same day."

Billy Gilliand is a familiar Otley character who, as market foreman, has served the company for more than 40 years. He is widely known in the farming community locally and much further afield.

Ken Knowles from Skipton, employed as a cashier with the company for more than 40 years, is also well known for his wit and humour.

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