Countryside facing cost-of-living ‘rural premium’
Farmers Weekly The government’s neglect of the rural economy has resulted in a cost-of-living rural premium in the countryside, according to a report carried out by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The report compiled evidence from more than 25 companies, charities, campaign groups and industry bodies, and found that, in rural communities, spending on everyday […]
Parallel imports of pesticides ‘cliff-edge’ must be avoided, NFU says
Farmers Weekly British growers are facing of loss of choice of plant protection products (PPPs) on the market if the government fails to act now to extend parallel imports, the NFU has warned. Parallel trade permits have allowed PPPs to be imported into the UK, sold and used, based on regulatory assessment work done in […]
Editor’s view: Promises, promises… but can Labour actually deliver?
Farmers Weekly After Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, most farmers I speak to are feeling weary of politics. But I’m afraid if you’re in that camp, I’ve got some bad news. An election is coming. We all need to prepare ourselves for an onslaught of vapid three-word slogans, bad-tempered TV debates and […]
Call for resilience fund to protect upland farms on the brink
Farmers Weekly NFU president Minette Batters has urged prime minister Rishi Sunak to set the example for European countries and place food security at the heart of domestic agricultural policy. Speaking at this week’s NFU Council meeting in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, Mrs Batters said the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical tensions had highlighted the importance […]
Batters urges Sunak to lead the way on food security
Farmers Weekly NFU president Minette Batters has urged prime minister Rishi Sunak to set the example for European countries and place food security at the heart of domestic agricultural policy. Speaking at this week’s NFU Council meeting in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, Mrs Batters said the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical tensions had highlighted the importance […]
Welsh government delays NVZ rule change to October
Farmers Weekly Farm leaders in Wales have welcomed a further delay to the planned introduction of a nitrogen limit licensing scheme to apply organic manure to land, as part of changes to nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) regulations. Wales’ rural affairs secretary, Lesley Griffiths, has announced the implementation date for the 170kg/ha annual holding nitrogen limit […]
Yousaf’s failure to appoint junior rural minister a ‘snub’
Farmers Weekly Concerns have been raised about new Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf’s failure to appoint a junior rural minister, given the heavy workload of the department. Eleanor Kay, senior agriculture and climate change adviser at Scottish Land and Estates, said the fact that rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon had no deputy meant there was […]
New strategy to tackle rural crime in Wales
Farmers Weekly Domestic abuse in rural Wales is being prioritised in a new six-point action plan to tackle crime in the Welsh countryside. The Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2023-2025, a joint initiative between the country’s four police forces and the Welsh government, suggests that the conditions that give rise to domestic abuse, and to […]