News Category
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Latest bute test results on horse carcasses
In the wake of the horse meat contamination scandal, the Food Standards Agency has reported that tests on the presence of phenylbutazone (bute) in horses slaughtered in the UK found that eight out of 203 carcases tested positive for the drug, which should not enter the human food chain. Of these eight, six were sent to France and may have entered the food chain. They were slaughtered by LJ Potter Partners at Stillman’s (Somerset) Ltd, Taunton. The ...
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New money for workforce training
Businesses across all sectors and of all sizes can now apply for a share of up to £240 million of government money to create training programmes that address their skills needs. The Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) has already committed around £90 million to projects ranging from helping young people into work by delivering pre-employment training, to extending apprenticeships and training to supply chains. Applications are now open for the second round and will close on 28th March. Skills ...
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Groceries Code Adjudicator appointed
The Government has appointed Christine Tacon to the newly created role of Groceries Code Adjudicator. Ms Tacon will be responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, which regulates interactions between the ten largest supermarkets and their direct suppliers. She will have the power to launch investigations into suspected breaches of the Code, including those arising from confidential complaints from any source. Where there is evidence of a breach, the Adjudicator can make recommendations against a supermarket, ...
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EFSA identifies risks to bees from neonicotinoids
Scientists at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have identified a number of risks posed to bees by three neonicotinoid insecticides. The Authority was asked by the European Commission to assess the risks associated with the use of clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam as seed treatment or as granules, with particular regard to: their acute and chronic effects on bee colony survival and development; their effects on bee larvae and bee behaviour; and the risks posed by ...
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Mobile payments to launch in Spring 2014
Paying a friend or business from a mobile as easily as sending a text message is set to become a mainstream option in Spring 2014, when the Payments Council launches its new mobile payments service. The service will enable secure payments to be made directly to or from an account without the need to disclose the sort code and account number but instead using a mobile phone number as a proxy, and the project has the ...
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Lamb prices lowest for three years
New figures from The National Farmers' Union (NFU) show that farmers are losing on average £29 for every lamb they sell at market, farm-gate prices having dropped by almost a fifth in the past year. With lamb prices at their lowest for three years, the NFU points out that the situation for farmers has been made worse by rising production costs due to the extreme weather in 2012. In addition, impacts from the new lamb-deforming disease Schmallenberg ...
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KPMG warning on “Payment Diversion” fraud
Accountancy firm, KPMG, is drawing attention to fraud suffered by businesses that have been advised that a supplier's bank account details have changed. Over the past six months, KPMG's forensic team has examined 11 new cases of this type of fraud and become aware of at least 13 more. Cases range in value from just over £30,000 lost by one business in a single transaction to a total of £5 million extracted from another. It also appears that ...
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UK shale gas fracking to resume
Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Edward Davey, has announced that exploratory hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas can resume in the UK, subject to new controls that should mitigate the risks of earth tremors. According to the minister, shale gas represents a promising new potential energy resource for the UK and could contribute significantly to energy security, reducing the UK's reliance on imported gas. Mr Davey commented: “We are still in the very early stages of shale ...
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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 ...
