First-gen farmer revives livestock farm with focus on nature
Farmers Weekly First-generation farmer Olly Walker has improved the financial performance and environmental value of his farm by redesigning the landscape to revolve around “nature-focused farming”. Essebeare Farm, a 95ha (235-acre) organic holding in Witheridge, Devon, is home to a 45-head herd of pedigree Red Ruby Devon cattle and a flock of Lleyn and Exlana […]
Opinion: Cybersecurity is crucial to protect food supply
Farmers Weekly First-generation farmer Olly Walker has improved the financial performance and environmental value of his farm by redesigning the landscape to revolve around “nature-focused farming”. Essebeare Farm, a 95ha (235-acre) organic holding in Witheridge, Devon, is home to a 45-head herd of pedigree Red Ruby Devon cattle and a flock of Lleyn and Exlana […]
UK government drops bill to end live animal exports
Farmers Weekly Rishi Sunak’s government has ditched a bill that would effectively have banned the export of live farmed animals for fattening and slaughter. In a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday 25 May, Defra farming minister Mark Spencer confirmed the government was dropping the Kept Animals Bill. Mr Spencer told MPs that […]
What the CPTPP free-trade bloc could mean for UK agriculture
Farmers Weekly The UK is set to join an 11-nation Indo-Pacific free-trade bloc in the coming year, but debate rumbles on over whether this will be good or bad for British agriculture. Prime minister Rishi Sunak says joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will “demonstrate the real economic benefits of our […]
Defra levels up payments in uplands after intense lobbying
Farmers Weekly The UK is set to join an 11-nation Indo-Pacific free-trade bloc in the coming year, but debate rumbles on over whether this will be good or bad for British agriculture. Prime minister Rishi Sunak says joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will “demonstrate the real economic benefits of our […]
Editor’s view: Timid tenancy reform is no bad thing for now
Farmers Weekly The UK is set to join an 11-nation Indo-Pacific free-trade bloc in the coming year, but debate rumbles on over whether this will be good or bad for British agriculture. Prime minister Rishi Sunak says joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will “demonstrate the real economic benefits of our […]
Call for £5m fund to set up regional food hubs in England
Farmers Weekly A group of food and farming organisations is urging Defra to inject £5m into a pilot fund to kickstart food hubs in England and enhance national food security. Sustain, the Sustainable Food Trust, the Soil Association, the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) UK and the Landworkers’ Alliance are among the signatories of a […]
Scots demand 80% of future funding goes to farmers as direct payments
Farmers Weekly NFU Scotland is demanding that four-fifths of all future support to agriculture should be made as direct payments to farmers, as Scotland moves towards a new post-Brexit policy from 2025 onwards. The demand is contained in a letter to rural affairs secretary Mari Gougeon, ahead of a debate in Holyrood on Thursday afternoon […]