Farming & Agriculture news

• Victory over Pret a Manger means the fight against misleading labels is on | Joanna Blythman

  19-04-2018 18:20 via Agriculture | The Guardian
  Challenging terms such as ‘natural’ is difficult, but the Real Bread Campaign’s win against the chain proves it can be doneWhen it comes to labelling, food retailers run rings around their customers, and mainly get away with it. They weave a lexicon of feelgood terms – “fresh”, “handmade”, “artisan”, “local”, “farmhouse”, “healthy”, “natural” – into their marketing messages, which ju
  
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• Winning Apprentice Josh has the edge at Landia

  19-04-2018 17:32 via Farming UK News RSS
  Josh Edge from leading international pump and mixer manufacturer, Landia, has won SBC Training’s coveted Apprentice of the Year Award.Twenty-two-year-old Josh, who has just completed a three-year apprenticeship with the Whitchurch firm, also won ...
  
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• NI farmers should not pay for unnecessary TSE sampling, union warns

  19-04-2018 17:32 via Farming UK News RSS
  The Ulster Farmers’ Union says it will oppose government plans to charge farmers for testing for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs).The comments follow a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) consultation ...
  
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• New standards adopted to prevent destructive agricultural pests

  19-04-2018 17:32 via Farming UK News RSS
  The body charged with keeping global trade in plant products safe has adopted new standards aimed at preventing destructive agricultural pests from jumping borders.The standardised norms developed by the International Plant Protection Convention ...
  
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• MEPs highlight 'deep concerns' in UK ability to get good Brexit deal for farmers

  19-04-2018 14:33 via Farming UK News RSS
  MEPs have penned an open letter to Trade Secretary Liam Fox expressing "deep concerns" about the Government's progress and ability to secure a good deal for farmers post-Brexit.The cross-party of signatories, signed by 18 Conservative, Labour, Gr...
  
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• Barriers to rural development revealed in planning survey

  19-04-2018 14:33 via Farming UK News RSS
  Rural businesses still face barriers to housing and economic development in the countryside despite the Government’s attempt to make the planning system more streamlined and efficient.The CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and rural busine...
  
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• Union welcomes £250k support package after 'unprecedented spell of bad weather'

  19-04-2018 12:04 via Farming UK News RSS
  Scottish farmers have welcomed a £250,000 Government package of support to help address the impact of recent extreme weather.It follows several weeks of discussions on the difficulties and challenges that the prolonged spell of poor weather has h...
  
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• New project looks at promoting agroforestry in UK

  19-04-2018 12:04 via Farming UK News RSS
  A research project is looking at promoting agroforestry with hopes it could change how the British countryside looks and functions in the future.The results of the four-year Cranfield University project entitled AGFORWARD (AGroFORestry that Will ...
  
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• Farmer ordered to pay out £36,170 for water abstraction and nitrate pollution

  19-04-2018 12:04 via Farming UK News RSS
  A farmer has been ordered to pay £36,170 after causing nitrate pollution and illegally abstracting water.On 16 April 2018, Telford Magistrates’ Court fined 55 year-old Edward Fair £16,000 and ordered him to pay £20,000 in costs, along with a £170...
  
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• Agriculture bill to be published in second half of 2018, Gove announces

  19-04-2018 12:04 via Farming UK News RSS
  The agriculture bill, first mentioned in last year's Queen's Speech, will be published in the second half of 2018, the government has announced.Defra Secretary Michael Gove announced the plans during Wednesday's (18 April) Enviromental Audit Comm...
  
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• Wageningen University to develop Chinese agriculture and food research centre

  19-04-2018 09:57 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Wageningen University is to to head the development of a new food and agriculture research centre east of Beijing, the Financieele Dagblad said on Monday. Wageningen’s chancellor Arthur Mol, who was part of the recent Dutch trade mission to China, told the paper the university was not investing any money in the €1bn project, but it would supply a great deal of knowledge.
  The research centre will house academic institutions and the business community who will work together to make Chin
  
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• Vanuatu signs on for EU assistance to agriculture chains

  19-04-2018 09:57 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Prime Minister Charlot Salwai has been in Brussels where he signed the Vanuatu Value Chain Programme agreement with the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven MimicaThe programme aims to promote a strong, climate-resilient rural economy to help Vanuatu's recovery from the devastation of tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015.It offers US$30 million in finance to strengthen value chains deemed the most strategic for Vanuatu's economy: coconut, beef, fruits and vegetables
  
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• Only Indian farmers prone to suicide, says agricultural expert

  19-04-2018 09:57 via Farming UK World News RSS
  India is the only country where farmers commit suicide though it became self-sufficient in foodgrain production in 1977,according to agriculture expert R. Haley. He has urged agriculture minister V.S. Sunil Kumar to form the long-overdue farmers’ welfare board.Mr Haley, former agriculture director, had spoken at the first state-level workshop for 1,200 agricultural officers held on Tuesday.
  
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• Moldova eager to borrow Belarus' best practices in agriculture

  19-04-2018 09:57 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Moldova is interested in borrowing Belarus' best practices in agriculture, industry, and social sphere. Moldova President Igor Dodon made the statement during expanded-participation negotiations with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 18 April, BelTA has learned.
  Igor Dodon said: “What is going on in Belarus is very interesting for the majority of Moldovan citizens. Frankly speaking, they would like to live as well as people in Belarus. Your country develops very dynamically. We are
  
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• Future of American agriculture depends on 2018 farm bill

  19-04-2018 09:57 via Farming UK World News RSS
  There hasn’t been a more tumultuous time for the American family farmer in forty years.
  Escalating tensions between the U.S. and our trading partners are threatening to collapse domestic markets. Natural disasters as a result of climate change are ravaging entire agricultural regions across the country. And massive oversupply of most major commodities means farmers are earning less money than what it costs to grow and raise their crops and livestock. In fact, a majority of American farmers
  
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• Canadian Federation of Agriculture President weighs in on trade issues

  19-04-2018 09:57 via Farming UK World News RSS
  There's been a number of recent developments on the agricultural trade front, with talk lately that U.S. President Trump is exploring the notion of rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with hopes of getting a better deal.Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) President Ron Bonnett weighed in."If the U.S. is in, then that resolves some of those issues around supply management because that was negotiated as part of the deal with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the amount of market access that
  
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• Farm company fined £400,000 after teenage boy's tractor death

  19-04-2018 09:56 via Farming UK News RSS
  A farm company has has been fined £400,000 after a 19-year-old employee died when the tractor he was driving collided with a bridge.Cambridge Crown Court heard that Harry Christian-Allan had been employed by G W Topham & Son for three weeks befor...
  
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• Avoid 'one-size-fits-all' approach to reap rewards for UK farm exports, report says

  19-04-2018 09:56 via Farming UK News RSS
  Understanding consumer needs in different countries and avoiding a "one-size-fits-all" approach will reap rewards for UK food and farming exports.According to AHDB’s latest edition of Horizon, understanding consumer needs in different countries i...
  
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• Whittingham Beer and Sausage Festival

  19-04-2018 01:08 via Farming UK Events RSS
  We will have 100 different real ales and ciders in 2018. Our cider selection is always worth a look with some of the more unusual varieties on offer. As always we'll be sourcing the best brews from the north of England. Remember, every pint you drink and sausage you eat is a donation to charity!As well as a superb range of local real ales and exciting ciders, we will be serving a selection of gourmet sausages, cooked to order to keep your appetite in check.
  With our range last year including Goo
  
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• Neilston Show

  19-04-2018 01:08 via Farming UK Events RSS
  Neilston Cattle Show began life early in the 19th Century as a result of a dispute between two farmers from the village. Both of the farmers had a prized bull that each said was better than the others.In a bid to settle the argument, the farmers arranged a contest that would be judged by the other farmers in the area. Nobody remembers who had the best bull, but the contest grew into an annual event that has continued for nearly 200 years.Show day falls annually on the first Saturday in May, and
  
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• Lancaster Food and Drink Festival

  19-04-2018 01:08 via Farming UK Events RSS
  Over the bank holiday weekend, Lancaster Leisure Park was transformed into a foodie paradise with over 50 high quality local growers, producers and retailers showcasing their tasty goodies in marquees and gazebos in the brewery garden.With live music all afternoon and into the evening, the atmosphere was very relaxed with thousands of visitors browsing the stalls, eating hot street food and enjoying a cool beer.There was plenty for children too. Taylors Fun Fairs provided fabulous bungee trampol
  
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• Foodies Festival, Brighton

  19-04-2018 01:08 via Farming UK Events RSS
  Foodies Festival, the UK’s biggest food festival, returns to Brighton Hove Lawns this Bank Holiday weekend 29th, 30th April & May 1st.Watch Great British Bake Off Winners baking live in The Cake & Desserts Theatre. Meet Michelin starred Chefs, Great British Menu Winners, MasterChef Champions and top local chefs cooking their signature recipes in the Stoves Chefs Theatre.Feast in the Street Food Avenue; learn to bake in the Cake and Bake Theatre; enjoy afternoon tea in the Vintage T
  
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• Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink

  19-04-2018 01:08 via Farming UK Events RSS
  The ultimate foodie event!The Festival is an annual event held in the courtyard of Exeter Castle and the surrounding Northernhay Gardens, right in the centre of Exeter.
  
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• Artisan Cheese Fair

  19-04-2018 01:08 via Farming UK Events RSS
  For the 2017 Fair, 69 Artisan Cheesemakers from across Britain & Ireland attended who make between them 300 cheeses.Next year we expect over 70 cheesemakers. Many of them are small producers who rarely travel outside their local farmers market to sell their cheese. Some produce the UK’s rarest cheeses only available direct from the cheesemaker.Our events are all undercover – so don’t let the weather put you offExhibition Halls, Cattle Market, Scalford Road. Melton Mowbray.
  
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• 'Unsustainable': Muller places milk service delivery operation under review

  18-04-2018 17:59 via Farming UK News RSS
  A food service delivery operation supplying fresh milk to 3,000 non-residential customers in England and Wales, which is suffering losses of around £5m per annum, is to be reviewed by Muller.The company has confirmed a 45 day review and consultat...
  
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• Motorists warned to take care on rural roads as pothole problem worsens

  18-04-2018 17:59 via Farming UK News RSS
  Motorists should take extra care as prolonged harsh weather and limited highway maintenance programmes are taking their toll on countryside routes.There are growing fears of further damage to road surfaces due to prolonged freezes and flooding....
  
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• Shropshire farmer fined £16,000 for environmental offences

  18-04-2018 17:31 via Farming Monthly National
  On 16 April 2018, Telford Magistrates’ Court fined the 55 year-old £16,000 and ordered him to pay £20,000 in costs, along with a £170 victim surcharge.
  The charges were brought by the Environment Agency under the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 and Sections 24(1) and (4) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
  The Environment Agency discovered that between May 2015 and April 2017, the Defendant had abstracted on average over 20,000 litres of water per day from a b
  
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• CCTV catches dogs attacking and killing pregnant ewe in North Yorkshire

  18-04-2018 15:36 via Farming UK News RSS
  Police are investigating an incident in which dogs attacked and killed a pregnant ewe on a farm near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.At about 8pm on 14 April 2018, two lurcher dogs – one black and one white – entered a field in the Catterton area and ...
  
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• TecTracer sees safe return of Cumbrian farmer’s pregnant ewes

  18-04-2018 13:29 via Farming UK News RSS
  Fourteen stolen pregnant ewes have been safely returned to their Cumbrian farm thanks to a revolutionary marking system.Hill farmer Pip Simpson, a victim of previous livestock thefts, turned to TecTracer to help protect his flock from criminals t...
  
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• Support package worth £250,000 announced for Scottish farmers

  18-04-2018 13:29 via Farming UK News RSS
  The Scottish government has announced a support package worth £250,000 to help farmers who have experienced recent severe weather.The package of support for farmers and crofters will help address the impact of recent extreme and adverse weather. ...
  
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• Minister agrees to review sentencing for fly-tipping

  18-04-2018 13:29 via Farming UK News RSS
  The government will review sentencing for those found guilty of fly-tipping waste in the countryside after a parliamentary Committee explored the issue.Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday (17 April), Environme...
  
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• Govt should 'urgently prioritise' climate friendly farming methods

  18-04-2018 13:29 via Farming UK News RSS
  The government should "urgently prioritise" climate friendly farming methods in its new agriculture policy, according to a leading environmental charity.The comments from the Soil Association follows the government's Climate Minister Claire Perry...
  
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• Taiwan to invest £18m in UK to build new vertical farm

  18-04-2018 10:51 via Farming UK News RSS
  Taiwan has chosen the UK to be the home of a new £18 million vertical farming business, with hopes it will bring the next generation of food production to UK shores.Agritech company YesHealth Biotechnology will set up its European base in York, h...
  
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• National Rural Crime Survey launched as rural areas deemed 'soft targets' for criminals

  18-04-2018 10:51 via Farming UK News RSS
  The 2018 National Rural Crime Survey has been launched to spearhead greater recognition and understanding of the problems and impact of crime in rural communities.The last survey was launched in 2015 and it revealed the huge cost of crime to rura...
  
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• Muller confirms details of initiative to help farmers manage price volatility

  18-04-2018 10:51 via Farming UK News RSS
  Dairy giant Muller has confirmed details of a new initiative designed to help British dairy farmers manage the impact of extreme farm gate milk price volatility.The move follows recent confirmation by Lidl UK of a new partnership with Muller, whi...
  
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• Chinese delegation arrive in UK to carry out BSE inspections

  18-04-2018 10:51 via Farming UK News RSS
  A Chinese delegation has arrived in the UK this week to carry out inspections as part of the ongoing process to lift the BSE ban on British beef exports.Five members of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and General Administration for Quality Supe...
  
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• British rare breed pigs and cattle at risk of being 'lost forever'

  18-04-2018 10:51 via Farming UK News RSS
  A report has been released that sets out current state of the UK’s rarest breeds at risk of extinction, which includes Vaynol cows and British Lop pigs.The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST), the only UK charity dedicated to preserving and promoti...
  
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• Thailand's agriculture ministry to organise National Farmers Forum at SIMA ASEAN

  18-04-2018 08:40 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Thailand's ministry of agriculture and cooperatives said it would organise the National Farmers Forum at SIMA ASEAN Thailand 2018 between 6 June - 8 JuneThe event will be held at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok and is expected to be attended by more than 3,000 farmers, heads of cooperatives, dealers and distributors.A feature of the event, the farm exhibition showcase, will showcase the ideal farm model with farming machines and technologies focussed on Thailand's main eco
  
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• Tariffs’ impact on U.S. agriculture must be considered

  18-04-2018 08:40 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Any effort to impose tariffs on Chinese imports by the U.S. runs the risk of retaliatory measures against the nearly $20 billion in agricultural products U.S. farmers and ranchers sent to China in 2017, the American Farm Bureau Federation recently told Congress.“The impact on American farmers and ranchers, and associated businesses, must be considered when pursuing trade actions. U.S. agriculture has strongly supported, for decades, efforts to open the world to our agricultural and other t
  
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• Korea-Russia to boost private-led agriculture biz cooperation

  18-04-2018 08:40 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Agriculture companies of South Korea and Russia will meet in Vladivostok this week to discuss partnership and investment opportunities in the Far Eastern region of Russia.
  Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that 39 agriculture companies from Korea and Russia will participate in the first Korea-Russia agribusiness gathering event to be held in Vladivostok on Wednesday. The event is hosted by Korea Rural Community Corp. to promote private-level bilateral exchanges a
  
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• Impacts of agriculture on Brazil's Cerrado region

  18-04-2018 08:40 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Brazil’s Cerrado region is incredibly biodiverse, supporting more than 10,000 plant species, 900 birds, and 300 mammals. But it has long been overlooked by scientists and environmentalists alike, and as protecting the Amazon has become more of a priority in recent decades, much agricultural production in Brazil has moved from the rainforest to the vast Cerrado savannah.In February, Mongabay sent journalists Alicia Prager and Flávia Milhorance to the Cerrado region of central Brazil
  
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• Farm exports: A starring role in US agriculture's profitability

  18-04-2018 08:40 via Farming UK World News RSS
  Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue likes to tell people that he’s a "grow it and sell it kind of guy" who is always on the lookout for opportunities to do so. Increasingly, that means understanding world population and demand growth – outside of U.S. borders.
  Banner ad FBThat’s because the U.S. population, at roughly 326 million strong, pales in comparison to China, with 1.4 billion hungry mouths to feed and India, with 1.35 billion people. By 2024, India is projected to overta
  
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• A US farmer talks about Trump, tariffs and soyabeans

  18-04-2018 08:40 via Farming UK World News RSS
  FT journalist Patti Waldmeir asks farmer Bob Stewart about China's proposed tariffs on US soyabeans in retaliation to US president Donald Trump's tarrifs on Chinese products.
  
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• All-Energy

  18-04-2018 01:33 via Farming UK Events RSS
  All-Energy is the UK’s leading renewable energy and low carbon innovation event, showcasing the latest technologies and services for the energy supply chain and both private and public sector energy end users.All-Energy generates invaluable connections between the buyers and sellers of low carbon solutions across the UK marketplace.
  
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• First Milk to sell Scottish creameries following strategic shake up

  17-04-2018 17:59 via Farming UK News RSS
  British farmer-owned First Milk has announced that it will be offering its creameries on Arran and in Campbeltown for sale.The announcement follows a strategic review where First Milk determined that its branded consumer-facing businesses in Camp...
  
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• High-speed pig slaughter will be disastrous for everyone involved | Deborah Berkowitz and Suzanne McMillan

  17-04-2018 16:13 via Agriculture | The Guardian
  A new rule in the US would eliminate food inspectors and lift limits on how quickly pigs can be killed. The impact on workers, animals and consumers would be disastrous
  The Trump administration has proposed a radical change in food safety protection. They’re misleadingly calling it the “Modernization of swine slaughter inspection rule”, but what it really does is roll back progress on protecting the public from serious and sometimes fatal diseases such as salmonella.The propos
  
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• Significant interest in Countrywide Farmers leasehold stores

  17-04-2018 15:46 via Farming UK News RSS
  The administrators of Countrywide Farmers have announced significant interest in approximately twenty of itsleasehold stores.The administrators continue to trade the 48 store portfolio of Countrywide Farmers following their appointment on 7 Mar...
  
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• New imaging technology in development to increase crop yield

  17-04-2018 15:46 via Farming UK News RSS
  A new type of imaging system for use in agriculture, designed to be far less expensive than existing technology and to increase crop yield, is being developed.Academics and the farming industry have teamed up to develop a new type of hyperspectra...
  
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• Livestock haulier suspended from operating due to safety failures

  17-04-2018 15:46 via Farming UK News RSS
  A livestock haulier is to be suspended from operating HGVs at the end of this month for not paying enough attention to safety and licensing standards.Fife-based Andrew Adams and partners, trading as A&Y Adams and Sons, won’t be able to operate an...
  
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• Dairy producer invites farmers to support increased international trade

  17-04-2018 13:43 via Farming UK News RSS
  The UK’s largest independent cheese producer is inviting dairy farmers to join their global alliance to fulfil international orders.Currently trading in over 160 countries worldwide, the export side of Wyke Farms has seen solid growth.The bus...
  
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