Research News

Data commissioned by the NFU has shown Labour is not trusted by its 2024 voters on issues surrounding the impact of the Budget on farmers. Changes to inheritance taxation on family farms are unpopular, and perceptions that Labour does not value rural voters as highly as urban ones are building. 

Farmers who fell victim to agricultural crime from across the UK are being asked about their experiences for new research that aims to demonstrate the extent of the issue to policymakers. 

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has revealed that Northern Ireland’s total income from farming has fallen by 44% in 2023. 

Farm input costs have increased by an average of 44% since 2019, according to research by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). 

Research led by Norfolk crop scientists has received a £3 million boost from Defra to enable the development of climate-resilient legume crops.  

Organic veg box company, Riverford, has teamed up with a group of British farmers, including conservationist and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty, to launch a new fairness campaign called ‘Farmers Against Farmwashing’, aimed at exposing misleading supermarket “farmwashing” practices. 

British farmers warn that extreme weather could cause food shortages and riots in the next decade. 

Researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have been awarded nearly £700,000 for equipment, which will form part of an ultra-modern research facility to measure emissions from beef cattle. 

A project aimed at improving management of cabbage stem flea beetles (CSFB), which are the primary cause for the dramatic reduction in the area of UK Oilseed Rape (OSR) crops over the last decade, has just been launched. 

The supply of publicly marketed farmland in Great Britain has increased by 36% year-on-year, representing 118,232 acres, according to the latest market analysis from Savills.  

Farming communities have responded to the report from the National Audit Office (NAO) on the Farming and Countryside Programme that has recently been published. 

The number of flood warnings on England’s best farmland last winter hit a record high, exceeding the previous record by 20%.