Farming & Agriculture news

• Succession issues leads to growth in on-farm machinery sales

  14-12-2018 08:16 via Farming UK News RSS
  Growing demand for quality second-hand machinery in the UK and succession issues has led to a growth in total values for on-farm sales.On-farm sales have grossed over £11m across 24 sales in 2018 as succession issues and higher values for machine...
  
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• Romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak traced to California farm

  14-12-2018 03:00 via Farming UK World News RSS
  An outbreak of E. coli infections linked to romaine lettuce has been traced to at least one California farm, but it’s probably not the source of all the sicknesses, federal health officials said Thursday.So far, 59 people have been reported sick across 15 states in the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The CDC said 23 have been sick enough to be hospitalized, although no one has died. Canadian health officials have reported 27 cases linked to the same outbreak.
  
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• 'Trade up' pledge by shoppers after Red Tractor ad campaign

  14-12-2018 02:57 via Farming UK News RSS
  A televised campaign to encourage consumers to buy farm-assured produce instead of cheaper alternatives influenced 1.4m shoppers.The Red Tractor campaign, which commenced in autumn, was an opportunity for British farmers and growers to promote th...
  
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• Scottish cereal harvest in 2018 affected by extreme weather

  14-12-2018 02:57 via Farming UK News RSS
  Cereal production and the area of cereals grown in Scotland have decreased in 2018 due to the severe winter and sustained heatwave in the summer.The final estimates for the 2018 cereal and oilseed rape harvest in Scotland were released this week....
  
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• 7m Chinese people left cities to move to take up farming in 2017

  13-12-2018 12:29 via Farming UK World News RSS
  When thousands of diseased and bloated pig carcasses floated down a tributary of the Huangpu River in Shanghai in early 2013, after being dumped upstream by farmers, the stench turned Zheng Lixing's stomach."If you were there, you wouldn't have been able to eat for a few days," says Zheng, a native of Shaanxi province in northwest China with a doctorate in polymer science from Tianjin University of Science and Technology.
  
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• Veterinary centre pleas to public after dogs kill nine sheep

  13-12-2018 12:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  A group of up to three large dogs have attacked and killed nine sheep, with a further three needing to be put down.The incident happened on Monday (10 December) in County Armagh, Nothern Ireland. Farmers have been warned to be vigilant.Northe...
  
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• Project to enable farmers to determine optimum size for livestock

  13-12-2018 12:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  A new research project is aiming to improve production efficiency in the UK by enabling farmers to determine the optimum mature size for both beef cattle and sheep.The researchers, from AbacusBio International and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC),...
  
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• Halloween popularity in UK opens 'new opportunities' for farmers

  13-12-2018 12:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  The growing popularity of Halloween could open up new opportunities for the red meat, potatoes and dairy sectors.With Christmas round the corner, the UK’s food and farming sectors are braced for a spending bonanza.However, there are growth op...
  
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• County Antrim farmer killed in incident involving bull

  13-12-2018 12:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  A Northern Irish farmer has been killed in an incident involving a bull.The County Antrim farmer, named locally as James Gibson from Aughafatten, near Broughshane, was killed on Wednesday (8 December).An air ambulance arrived on the farm in t...
  
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• Alan Titchmarsh urges Brits to support farmers this Christmas

  13-12-2018 12:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  Alan Titchmarsh has urged the British public to support farmers this Christmas or “risk losing them forever”.In a new video for the Prince's Countryside Fund, the TV Presenter highlights that the British countryside is “idyllic”, but the realitie...
  
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• Muller finishes £15m Scottish dairy plant upgrade

  13-12-2018 06:21 via Farming UK News RSS
  A £15 million project to substantially upgrade Scotland’s largest fresh milk dairy and secure 265 jobs has been completed.The project by Müller represents the largest single investment in Scottish dairy processing for more than a decade.It gi...
  
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• Female farmers call for men-only tradition at show to be scrapped

  13-12-2018 06:21 via Farming UK News RSS
  Women in the Devon farming sector have called for a men-only awards dinner to “get with the times” and allow them to attend.The awards dinner, which runs during the Dartmouth Fatstock Show in Devon, has followed the men-only tradition for more th...
  
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• Review proposes farm regulation shake-up to rid 'nonsensical' rules

  13-12-2018 02:27 via Farming UK News RSS
  A major report looking into farm regulation concludes that the current rules of the farming sector – with its one-size-fits-all rules-based approach – is too inflexible.A more supportive, flexible and incentives-led approach to farming regulation...
  
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• As climate change bites in America’s midwest, farmers are desperate to ring the alarm

  12-12-2018 12:00 via Agriculture | The Guardian
  ‘The changes have become more radical’: farmers are spending more time and money trying to grow crops in new climatesRichard Oswald did not need the latest US government report on the creeping toll of climate change to tell him that farming in the midwest is facing a grim future, and very likely changing forever.For Oswald, the moment of realisation came in 2011. Related: Weatherwatch: slower tropical storms are raising flood threatRelated: Meet America's new climate normal: towns th
  
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• Warning after hundreds of farm pollution incidents reported

  12-12-2018 11:43 via Farming UK News RSS
  Farmers are being warned about the risks of farm pollution after official figures revealed 430 incidents occurred across England in the past decade.The Environmental Agency statistics were obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.
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• UK potato production hits lowest level since 2012

  12-12-2018 11:43 via Farming UK News RSS
  UK potato production has hit its lowest level since 2012 and the fourth smallest since 1960, down by 13% on the five-year average of 5.6m tonnes at 4.9m tonnes.The relatively low production figure is a result of an estimated 4.4% drop in planted ...
  
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• Farmer left devastated after barn fire destroys hay and straw supplies

  12-12-2018 11:43 via Farming UK News RSS
  A Cambridgeshire farmer has been left devastated after a barn fire destroyed all the farm's hay and straw supplies.On Monday (December 10) at 9.29pm, crews were called to the barn fire on Lowndes Drove, Needingworth.Firefighters arrived to fi...
  
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• Midland farmers have until 31 January to apply for £5,000 grant

  12-12-2018 08:56 via Farming UK News RSS
  Farmers in the Midlands have until 31 January to apply for an environmental grant of up to £5,000.The Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS) aims to minimise pollution and protect local watercourses.The programme focuses on work...
  
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• Farming’s crucial environmental role showcased at landmark conference

  12-12-2018 08:56 via Farming UK News RSS
  The vital role farming plays in protecting and enhancing the environment was underlined at a landmark conference hosted by the NFU on Tuesday.Farmers from across the country joined politicians, civil servants, campaigners and industry representat...
  
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• Senate approves massive farm bill

  12-12-2018 06:19 via Farming UK World News RSS
  The Senate on Tuesday approved a massive farm and agriculture bill, marking off one of the remaining crucial items on its to-do list.Senators voted 87-13 on the legislation, which was unveiled on Monday night after months of closed-door negotiations. The bill now heads to the House.
  The legislation authorizes agriculture assistance and nutrition programs for the next five years. The current farm bill lapsed on Sept. 30, but senators viewed the end of the year as their hard deadline, with numerou
  
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• Farmers urge Government to postpone 'Making Tax Digital' plans

  12-12-2018 06:14 via Farming UK News RSS
  The Government has been urged to postpone its plans for the introduction of “Making Tax Digital” which will require the digital recording and submission of VAT returns from 1 April 2019.There are reports of farm businesses going to desperate leng...
  
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• Farmer who won unique '£1 a year' farm tenancy appears in court

  12-12-2018 06:14 via Farming UK News RSS
  A farmer who beat thousands of other hopefuls to take over a farm for just £1 a year has appeared in court over animal health charges.Daniel Jones, from Anglesey, was named National Trust's new shepherd for the 124 acre Parc Farm in Great Orme, N...
  
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• Online calculator developed for farmers to cut ammonia emissions

  11-12-2018 10:24 via Farming UK News RSS
  A new online calculator has been developed to help farmers and others to design woodlands to capture airborne ammonia and so reduce air pollution.Scientists from the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology worked with Forest Research to develop the f...
  
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• New Codes of Practice to safeguard UK cheese and cream standards

  11-12-2018 10:24 via Farming UK News RSS
  Two new industry Codes of Practice on compositional standards for cheeses and creams have been launched.The Codes carry forward standards from a number of UK regulations which will be revoked on 13th December 2018.It will provide an authori...
  
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• Free range egg industry reiterates over-expansion warning

  11-12-2018 10:24 via Farming UK News RSS
  The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) has re-stated its warning about over-expansion after bird numbers surged by a million in just a month.BFREPA chief executive Robert Gooch described the latest increases in bird numbers as ...
  
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• Farmers encouraged to support Big Farmland Bird Count 2019

  11-12-2018 10:24 via Farming UK News RSS
  Farmers across the country are being urged to take part in the Big Farmland Bird Count which is back for the sixth successive year.The nationwide citizen science project calls on farmers, land managers and gamekeepers to spend 30 minutes spotting...
  
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• NFU agrees six principles for post-Brexit farming amid political turmoil

  11-12-2018 04:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  The NFU have agreed six principles to encourage the best outcome for British farmers when the UK leaves the EU next year following further political turmoil.The principles were agreed at an extraordinary meeting of the NFU’s Council held at Centr...
  
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• Farmer fined £40,000 after worker left severely injured following fall

  11-12-2018 04:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  A farming company has been fined £40,000 for breaches of health and safety legislation after an employee sustained severe injuries following a fall from height.Based in Moray, Alan Twatt Potatoes Limited, which turns over more than £1m a year, is...
  
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• £80m boost for Glastir and Sustainable Production Grant

  11-12-2018 04:26 via Farming UK News RSS
  Over £80m has been announced to extend Glastir agreements, investment through the Sustainable Production Grant and the continuation of the Farm Business Grant.The Welsh Government funding package will support the delivery of environmental outcome...
  
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• Trump-Xi truce could boost ag sales to China

  11-12-2018 02:46 via Farming UK World News RSS
  China will buy more U.S. agricultural goods, the White House said in its readout of the trade-war ceasefire President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached in Buenos Aires this weekend. But the details, beyond Trump’s pledge to hold off on imposing additional tariffs, were blurry — like which ag products (and how much) China will purchase. Now the pressure’s on to reach a broader resolution before a 90-day clock runs out.
  
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• Field of dreams: heartbreak and heroics at the World Ploughing Championships – podcast

  10-12-2018 13:00 via Agriculture | The Guardian
  Some compare it to snooker, others to figure skating. But for those who have given their lives to competitive ploughing, it’s more than a sport, it’s a way of life• Read the text version here Continue reading...
  
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• Small family-run abattoirs struggle to install compulsory CCTV

  10-12-2018 10:38 via Farming UK News RSS
  Small family-run abattoirs are struggling to install CCTV as part of a new Government law demanding compulsory installation.Legislation to make CCTV cameras mandatory in slaughterhouses in England to safeguard animal welfare was laid out by Defra...
  
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• Scheme to help monitor pig herd health relaunched​

  10-12-2018 10:38 via Farming UK News RSS
  Farmers are being invited to join a scheme which will give them access to post-mortem data on their pigs to help monitor the health of their herd and potentially save money.The scheme provides information to farmers on the diseases they may not b...
  
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• Out-of-control dog kills 2 sheep with further 6 put down

  10-12-2018 10:38 via Farming UK News RSS
  Two sheep have been mauled to death and a further six had to be destroyed after a vicious dog attack in Shropshire.The incident happened between Sunday night and Monday morning on 1/2 December.A dog, described as a black-faced Alsatian, attac...
  
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• Deadline approaching for Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme

  10-12-2018 10:38 via Farming UK News RSS
  Eligible farmers are reminded to apply to the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS) before the deadline of 31 December 2018.The scheme provides support to specialist beef producers and has an annual budget of €38 million (£34m) for beef ca...
  
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• Claudia Schiffer agrees to pay £8,000 after dog attack on sheep

  10-12-2018 10:38 via Farming UK News RSS
  German supermodel Claudia Schiffer has reportedly agreed to pay out £8,000 after her dog killed a pregnant sheep and mauled two others.Northamptonshire police were called to a farm in Culworth where they found the supermodel's German Shepherd cov...
  
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• Waitrose to use small robots to farm its food in new trial

  10-12-2018 06:22 via Farming UK News RSS
  Retailers are to start selling food produced by UK-made robots in a project led by Waitrose.Autonomous robots will start cultivating wheat fields in the three year trial to help produce bread and flour for Waitrose, according to The Telegraph.
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• Devon farmer jailed for letting livestock starve

  10-12-2018 06:22 via Farming UK News RSS
  A Devon farmer found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal has jailed and banned from keeping cows and sheep.William Douglas Dolley, of Holwell Farm, Collipriest, Tiverton, was also found guilty of failing to dispose of animal carc...
  
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• NZ farmer confidence falls further in quarter

  10-12-2018 02:43 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Farmer confidence has slipped further into negative territory.Rabobank's rural confidence survey fell for the third consecutive quarter, on concerns over Government policy, falling commodity prices, overseas markets/economies and rising input costs.Sentiment was down among dairy farmers and sheep and beef farmers but rose among horticulturists. More farmers in both sectors were expecting conditions in the agricultural economy to worsen in the coming year than those who were expecting an improvem
  
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• Waitrose to use small robots to farm its food

  10-12-2018 02:42 via Farming UK News RSS
  Retailers are to start selling food produced by UK-made robots in a project led by Waitrose.Autonomous robots will start cultivating wheat fields in the three year trial to help produce bread and flour for Waitrose, according to The Telegraph.
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• 'Cheap, lower-welfare food': Renewed warning over post-Brexit deal with US

  10-12-2018 02:42 via Farming UK News RSS
  A leading academic has issued a renewed warning that a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States could result in the UK being flooded with cheap, lower welfare food.Ever since the British public voted to leave the European Union in the summer...
  
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• Hemp legalisation included in farm bill could 'open floodgates' on nascent industry

  09-12-2018 04:06 via Farming UK World News RSS
  The final 2018 Farm Bill is expected to be voted on as early as next week. The bill would legalize hemp cultivation and could be a catalyst for explosive growth in a nascent industry that some forecast could top $20 billion by 2022.The long-awaited bill would remove industrial hemp from the federal government's list of controlled substances, making it a lawful agricultural commodity. The hemp legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., earlier this year also allows s
  
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• New report looks at outlook for UK agriculture in 2019

  09-12-2018 01:49 via Farming UK News RSS
  AHDB has produced a report on the outlook for UK agriculture in 2019, but the report's author warns that forecasts could change depending on the outcome of Brexit.The report looks at various sectors of farming for the next 12 months. But Phil Bic...
  
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• Difficult times for Danish pig farmers

  08-12-2018 06:59 via Farming UK World News RSS
  The mood in Danish pig farming has darkened, with both swine farmers and the supply chain seeing dwindling evidence of a bright future.So much became clear at the recent Svinekongres, a Danish Congress held in Herning, Denmark, 23 and 24 October 2018. The mood there contrasted with the pig census reports that have been published in Denmark in the last few years – all those livestock surveys have indicated that the Danish breeding herd and inventory were expanding and the consensus was that
  
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• Bluetongue virus detected in two French cattle in Yorkshire

  08-12-2018 06:57 via Farming UK News RSS
  Farmers have been urged to increase their vigilance for bluetongue virus after the disease was picked up in two cattle imported from France in Yorkshire.Two consignments were brought to two separate premises in Yorkshire, where the Animal and Pla...
  
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• EU moves to re-open glyphosate issue 'politically motivated', Tory MEPs say

  07-12-2018 17:33 via Farming UK News RSS
  Conservative MEPs have condemned EU moves to re-open the decision to licence glyphosate as "politically motivated".The European Parliament's Special Committee on Pesticides wants the issue to be reassessed 12 months after glyphosate was licensed ...
  
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• Bluetongue detected in French heifer in Northern Ireland

  07-12-2018 14:04 via Farming UK News RSS
  Northern Irish farmers have been encouraged to remain vigilant after Bluetongue was detected in a heifer imported from France.The animal, which was imported last week, tested positive following a stringent post-import testing regime.Northern ...
  
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• Deadly pig virus could hit US in a year, warn experts

  07-12-2018 12:30 via Agriculture | The Guardian
  African swine fever has been spreading rapidly in China and has also travelled from Russia and Eastern Europe to Belgium. Experts fear it is only a matter of time before it reaches the US. A global outbreak of African swine fever will reach the US within a year unless border protections are tightened and imports of high-risk pork products banned, warn biosecurity experts. It would cost the US economy $16.5bn (£12.9bn) in the first year alone, it has been estimated.An ongoing epidemic of th
  
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• Tech developed to prevent culling of one-day-old male chicks

  07-12-2018 10:36 via Farming UK News RSS
  Technology has been developed in Germany to prevent the culling of one-day-old male chicks.The first eggs produced by hens that have been through the new process have appeared on the country's supermarket shelves.Animal welfare campaigners ha...
  
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• Farmers congratulate incoming first minister for Wales Mark Drakeford

  07-12-2018 10:36 via Farming UK News RSS
  The Welsh farming industry has congratulated Mark Drakeford for becoming the the next first minister of Wales.A keen supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, Drakeford, 64, will replace Carwyn Jones as the leader of Labour in Wales.Drakeford was the favou...
  
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