Anger at Milk Quotas System: The Week That Was July 12 to 18, 1984

A coffin was placed on the lawn outside the National Farmers’ Union pavilion on the GYS showground in Harrogate, to symbolise the hardship farmers said the quotas imposed on the industry.

NFU West Riding branch chairman Richard Harrison said: “Yorkshire farmers have earned a day out at the show, but much of the usual pleasure will be eroded by the anger, frustration and downright despondency that runs through the industry.”

The quota scheme was aimed at curbing Europe’s costly dairy surpluses, but farmers said it was causing them severe financial hardship. Being forced to cut back on milk production meant 10,000 more cows a week were going for slaughter compared to the previous year.

Mr Harrison asked the public to lobby MPs, arguing that the package was “illogical”, and would lead to milk shortage followed by the importation of milk to meet shortfalls.

Meanwhile, the two sides in the ongoing docks dispute were to meet for talks aimed at a settlement.

The stoppage had been sparked at Immingham on Humberside a few days previously, when the British Steel Corporation had used non-registered labour to unload iron ore.

Divorcées could be married at Anglican altars by the autumn of 1985, as the provisional go-ahead was given by the General Synod of the Church of England at its meeting in York.

After a five-hour debate, the Synod backed a draft package allowing second church weddings for divorcees. This was a simplified version of a proposal which had met with a widespread clergy revolt the previous year.

Refinements to the scheme were now passed, moving the Anglican Church forward – after previously holding the strictest marriage discipline in Christendom.

Robert Maxwell’s Pergamon Press bought the Daily Mirror newspaper group from Reed International for £113.4m this week. Reed said that the deal required it to maintain Mirror Group’s political stance and to settle £23.4m of debts with MGN, meaning it would make £90m.

In foreign news, a British tanker was hit by two missiles from an Iranian fighter in the Gulf with one of the missiles bouncing off the deck of the 261,000 tonne British Renown and the other tearing away oil loading equipment and starting a fire.

None of the 24 Britons and two Maltese on board was injured in the attack, which took place off Arabiyah Island between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Master of the vessel Noel Brookes said the tanker had been buzzed by an Iranian spotter plane 50 minutes before the attack was launched from another plane.

York Minster reopened to the public, two days after the blaze which caused damage estimated at well over £1m.

Visitors could see workmen clearing tons of blackened roof timbers and lead still in piles on the floor of the south transept, and a huge clear-up operation was still ongoing in the nave.

Cathedral authorities said it was estimated that restoration of the building would take around four years and a public appeal was launched.

The immediate task was to erect a temporary roof over the south transept and assess the damage to the gable end.

The cause of the fire was still being investigated, but was later attributed to lightning striking a metal electrical box inside the roof.