Business News

With farming having the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland, the charity behind the annual Farm Safety Week campaign launching today (17th July) is reminding everyone involved in the sector to take personal responsibility for making farms a safe place to work.

Companies in the British meat industry are having to pay £10,000-£15,000 in one-off costs to source workers from as far afield as Asia, pushing up food prices, as labour shortages continue to be a major challenge for the sector, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has revelaed.

Farmers in Northern Ireland are being urged to increase security in their farmyards and fields as harvest approaches due to a recent upsurge in global positioning systems (GPS) thefts reported by authorities.

Following the rural affairs minister’s statement on the development of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) this Tuesday (11th July), NFU Cymru expressed disappointment over new tree planting targets that is says will be a “very real barrier” to uptake among farmers.

Farmers and landowners in England can now run pop-up campsites for up to 60 days per year without the need to apply for additional planning permission, which Pitchup.com said could offer a lifeline to struggling rural communities.

An ex-SAS military adviser and his daughter have has launched a new business specialising in improving farm security and preventing rural crime.

The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has called on the UK government to maintain its leading edge over the EU in precision plant breeding by ramping up investment in research and innovation and moving forward with plans to bring gene edited products to market.

Despite high input costs, the total income from farming (TIFF) in England came to £5.7 billion in 2022, marking an increase of 12.9% on the previous year, the latest figures released by Defra yesterday (6th July) have revealed.

Beef and lamb producers with an interest in sharing ideas and making positive changes to their business are encouraged to apply for a national discussion group, funded and facilitated by AHDB.

Farmers are at increased risk of sepsis due to the nature of their work, prompting NFU Mutual and the UK Sepsis Trust to release a video to help farmers recognise the symptoms.

Responding to Defra’s independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain, the NFU has welcomed key recommendations set out to resolve the labour crisis, which are centred around continued investment in automation and boosting access to a skilled workforce.

Despite the cost-of-living crisis still impacting household finances, recent AHDB research has uncovered that consumers are willing to treat themselves in-home as a cheaper alternative to eating out, which presents an opportunity for some premium meat products.