News from United Kingdom

Arable plant species disappearing Some of the most well-loved flowers of the British countryside are disappearing from arable fields, conservationists warned today. Cornflowers, cor... How dirty tricks are ruining country shows The big Hereford bull is buffed and fluffed, and heading for the show ring as though he has just walked out of a George Stubbs painting. This is some ... Tourists flocking to see Britain's yellow fields A tour company is taking Japanese to visit rape fields in Britain after they started to become intrigued by the crop, which turns a bright yellow in s... Sentamu attacks ‘derisory’ prices for farmers The Archbishop of York has launched an attack on UK consumers and supermarket industry, accusing both of paying too little for food and failing to rec... Warning after sheep rustling in north Antrim Farmers have been urged to be vigilant after more than 200 sheep were stolen from a field in County Antrim. It has emerged 75 ewes, 137 lambs and t... 47% of dairy farms lost in Gloucestershire in ten years "Large processor buyers have ruthlessly exploited their dominant relationship and pinned the dairy farmer to the wall." These are the words of Glou... Taxman has his eye on farm investments Investors who buy farmhouses and land in order to avoid inheritance tax (IHT) could face a visit from the taxman, accountants and other specialists ha... Farmers back out in protests over milk prices Leicestershire farmers have taken part in a second protest in their dispute with dairies over the amount they are paid for milk. They joined hundre... Welsh sheep and cattle exports hits record high Welsh sheep and cattle exports have hit a record high of almost a quarter of a billion pounds, it was revealed today at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanel... Milk price cuts will see collapse of dairy farming in Britain Andrew Hemming, the vice chairman for Farmers For Action, said that the collapse will see more than a billion litres of milk taken out of the market –... Shooting badgers will cost farmers more Rejection of the Badger Trust Judicial Review is a tragic result for badgers, cattle, farming and tourism. Thousands of healthy badgers will now be... Dairy farmers are being skimmed alive Dairy farmers are not sentimental creatures. But when Rosalind Gott says goodbye to Snowy, a pure white cow born the first Christmas Day she spent wit... UK farm land sees decade of annual growth UK farmland values are on course for a tenth consecutive year of annual growth following a 3.9% increase for all land types during the first six month... Agriculture minister doesn't know the price of milk The agriculture minister has admitted he does not know how much a pint of milk costs, telling the BBC his wife "buys most of it". Jim Paice's comme... Rain making life increasingly difficult I have measured over 110mm of rain at Poolham Hall Farm in June and at the time of writing, there is still a week until the end of the month. This ... Time running out for badgers in England The pluvial mist of English July wraps Warren Farm in the Mendip Hills, as James Small prepares for a morning testing his cattle for TB. His beef herd... TB infected badgers face cull to tackle cow diseases The Agriculture Minister has announced a plan to wipe out badgers that have bovine tuberculosis. Michelle O’Neill has announced tests will be condu... It’s make or break time for Scottish cereal growers For Scottish cereal growers, the next four weeks will be critical in determining the yield and quality of the crops they harvest and there is a desper... Badger cull 'could spread cattle tuberculosis' A proposed badger cull could result in the further spread of tuberculosis in cattle. That is the claim of the Badger Trust, an organisation which i... Young farmers call for action over rural road deaths Nineteen-year-old Tamsin Cook is looking through some of her brother Tristan's things. Belts, photos, a hoodie - she says they help her remember hi... EU biofuel aid 'inflates food cost' European Union support for biofuel production could force the price of food crop staples up by as much as 36% by the end of the decade, a report has w... New deterrent for cattle thefts in Greene County Cattle thefts are on the rise in the Ozarks, and in Greene County, the sheriff's office and local businesses are joining forces to try and catch cattl... Mines pollution fear investigated Scientists are to investigate whether severe flooding near Aberystwyth has contaminated land with harmful metals from abandoned mines. River banks ... Farmer dies in slurry tank fall A father-of-two who died after he fell into a slurry tank while working on his farm has been described by those who knew him as “a decent, hardworking... Tesco cancels meat contract over cattle claims The environmental charity claims to have tracked cattle from illegal farms in the Brazilian rainforest to slaughter houses and processing plants used ... Santos report may benefit Scots farmers Members of the European Parliament agriculture committee are continuing to express their unhappiness with the commissions’ proposals on reforming the ... Burden of TB red tape landed on farmers The Devon County Show was a great success, with high visitor numbers, very impressive livestock areas and an exciting line-up of entertainment and att... Tesco sold beef farmed in Amazon Tesco has been accused of fuelling the destruction of the Amazon rainforest by selling beef from cattle reared on land stolen from the jungle. Duri... Apple harvest at risk from April's chill County Armagh’s famous apple harvest could be under threat because of the recent unseasonably cold weather. Sheep rustling warning Farmers in the Scottish Borders have been urged to join together and form a watch scheme after 53 sheep and lambs went missing from a farm. MPs want to curb religious slaughter The government is facing renewed calls to curb the slaughtering of animals that have not first been rendered unconscious - a debate that pits religiou... Producers with a beef about age rules When is beef not beef? It may seem a daft question but European Union labelling legislation states that any meat from a beast slaughtered under 12 mon... Redefine drought, Environment Agency urges Policy makers should drop "drought" as a blanket term and move to a sliding scale to describe dry conditions, the Environment Agency says. ... Man arrested after GM trial break-in Scientists at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire are trialling a strain of wheat which has been modified to release a chemical signal which scares a... UK farmers enjoy boom despite economy Britain’s farmers have said they are enjoying a boom in business in spite of the economic downturn. It comes as the National Farmers’ U... Farmers concerns after fruit crop delays In the latest blow to farmers the cold and wet weather has left them worried crops may be poor and people won’t want to ’pick their own&rs... UK in £50m pork deal with China The UK has agreed a £50m trade deal to sell British pork to China, the world’s biggest market for pig meat. Much of the pork will be in the f... Dairy co-cop pays out £34m to members Higher prices helped Milk Link, Britain’s biggest dairy co-operative, this year to pay its 1,600 members £33.7 million, a 15.4 per cent rise on ... Bankers reap benefits of booming agriculture Bankers in Northern Ireland have a new mantra: find farmers and ditch developers. The property crash has pushed construction-related business in No... Farm thefts hit £3.8m as rustling soars Livestock rustling has rocketed in Northern Ireland by 184% in a single year. That’s the shocking revelation by rural insurer NFU Mutual whic... Call for Pack inquiry into CAP rejected A call for Brian Pack to be brought back into harness and update his report on how the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy should progress to Sco... Signs of light at last in CAP reform saga Significant progress was made yesterday on the environmental proposals for the next Common Agricultural Policy with concessions being made but for UK ... Farm workers in line for pay rise Farm workers are in line for a pay rise of between 1.8% and 2.8% from October this year. The proposed pay rates were agreed by the Scottish Agricul... The new Viking invasion We knew the Scandinavians were dominating our television schedules with their dark detective dramas – but the news that they are buying up large swath... We need more trees to rely less on imports Annual statistics produced by the Forestry Commission once again highlight Britain’s reliance on imported timber. In 2010 wood products impor... Dog-owners warned as sheep attacked Police are warning dog-owners that farmers have every right to shoot their pets if they are discovered attacking livestock. The stark warning follo... Food price rises starting to slow There was some good(ish) news for hard-pressed consumers on Tuesday as figures pointed to a slowdown in the march of food prices. Higher food and fuel... Buy British to help farmers - David Cameron The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of agriculture and manufacturing to the economy, saying too much wealth was concentrated in London. "I... April's cold snap hits lambing Although no numbers have been put on lamb deaths this spring, industry experts yesterday agreed that there had been "considerable" losses in the cold,... Demand will drive lamb production - bank Sheep farmers were urged yesterday to maintain production to meet the demand for Scotch lamb in both home and export markets. Although the price of...