Tanks for the memory as farmer opts to call it a day

One of two farm dispersal sales announced for the coming weekend by auctioneers George F White will include a slurry tanker which has been raising a smile in North Yorkshire for years, thanks to the words Government Think Tank on one side and Bank of England Think Tank on the other.

It belongs to Roy Smith, who is retiring from the tenancy of Blades Farm, on the B163 between Stillington and Easingwold, at the age of 75. He and his wife Audrey are handing the 73-acre farm back to their landlords and moving to a house in Easingwold.

Their main business was dairy until foot-and-mouth in 2001. Since then, they have kept going with a bit of growing and a few sucklers. Mr Smith painted Government Think Tank on his 900-gallon slurry tanker in exasperation at the old Ministry of Agriculture's handling of a series of crises leading up to foot and mouth, under the unlucky leadership of Nick Brown. He added the Bank of England jibe a little later.

He said yesterday: "I'm leaving the slogans on the tanker because I guess there's a good chance of finding a bidder who still feels the same."

The sale is at Blades Farm, Stillington Road, Easingwold, YO61 3ES, on Friday from 5pm.

Also selling up this weekend is Martin Richardson, 64, who says he has had enough of "ever-increasing bureaucracy".

His sale includes 26 Hexham-bred mule gimmers and associated stock handling kit as well as arable machinery, at Pasture House Farm, Highfield Lane, Nawton, YO62 7TU, on Saturday from 11am. For information on either sale, contact Tom Oates on 01665 603 231.