Farming Category
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Keenan wins “Practice with Science” award
An new, science-based approach to feeding dairy and beef cattle has won feed wagon manufacturer , Keenan, the Oxford Farming Conference and Royal Agricultural Society of England "Practice with Science" award. Sponsored by AB Agri, the prize money totals £10,000 and will be used by the firm to further research into feed efficiency and carbon footprinting. The judges were impressed with Keenan's "mech-fiber" system which gives farmers a practical approach to improving their economic, environmental and animal ...
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Autumn Statement: investment allowance raised to £250k
In today's Autumn Statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced a temporary increase in the Annual Investment Allowance, from £25,000 to £250,000 for two years, with the move aimed at supporting small and medium-sized businesses. In addition the Chancellor set out plans to create a £1 billion Business Bank to help smaller firms access finance and support. The Country Land and Business Association has welcomed the increase in the investment allowance saying it could kick-start investment ...
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Ugly fruit and veg have their day
Over 300,000 tonnes of "ugly" British fruit and vegetables are thought to have appeared on supermarket shelves this year after retailers relaxed specifications in response to a difficult growing season. According to the National Farmers' Union (NFU), growers across the country have welcomed the decision by major supermarkets to accept imperfect, weather-marked produce including potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, swedes and apples. So far concessions made include: An early move by Waitrose to accept shorter carrots, thinner parsnips and smaller strawberries. A ...
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Livestock and poultry research grants awarded
A couple of new research projects have been awarded funding to tackle some of the world's most devastating livestock and poultry viruses. Two projects funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) aim to provide new solutions to combating foot-and-mouth disease and poultry viruses. Over £5.6 million has been allocated to transform the way foot-and-mouth disease will be controlled in the future and over £6.2 million to develop rapid responses to emerging poultry viruses The grants ...
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Unite calls for action over Agricultural Wages Board
Britain's biggest trade union is furious with the Government for trying to scrap the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) with just four weeks of consultation. According to Unite, without the AWB to negotiate pay and fair housing, agricultural wages will fall to the lowest legal wage possible, as bad employers see this as the opportunity to cut pay and raise housing costs. Unite is therefore calling on minister to extend the consultation on the future of the AWB ...
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English farmland prices steady
The value of English farmland has held up remarkably well, despite one of the worst growing seasons in memory. According to Knight Frank's Farmland Index, the average value of farmland dropped by a little over 1% to £6,220/acre in the third quarter of 2012. Prices remain very close to their record highs and are expected to start rising again soon, driven by strong demand and an ongoing shortage of good land for sale. Where there is strong demand, English farmland ...
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Booming demand for farmland
Demand for commercial farmland has continued to surge ahead with the average price per acre standing at £6,628 in the first half of 2012, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). In the six months to end-June, a jump in demand coincided with a sizable downturn in land availability and transactions fell to 115, the lowest level recorded by the RICS Rural Land Survey since the start of 2006. Across the UK, most areas saw ...
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Development land prices slip 0.4%
The value of residential land in England and Wales typically slipped by 0.4% between April and June 2012, according to Knight Frank. The decline comes after a 1.3% rise in values last year, as land prices continue to mirror the movement of UK house prices, which are down 0.3% since the start of 2012. The real estate firm is hopeful that constrained supply of development land, caused partly by backlogs and uncertainty in the planning system, will ...
