Politics

New precision breeding technology to increase food production, reduce costs to farmers, and allow drought- and disease-resistant crops to be grown will be brought forward under new laws, the government has just announced. 

Scrapping inheritance tax reliefs would tear apart family farms and damage the UK’s food security, according to a new poll by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA). 

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. 

The ag budget has formed a key part of discussions at this year’s Labour Party Conference, with farming groups urging the government to make good on food security promises.

With rural communities increasingly on the frontline of extreme weather and the devastating impacts of flooding, the government just announced the launch of a new partnership that aims to support rural flood resilience and help farmers adapt to a changing climate. 

There has been a 27% drop in UK exports, and a 32% drop in imports to and from the EU since 2021, with farming one of the worst affected industries.

The British meat industry is warning that beef exports can be “ceased overnight” as Defra is failing to comply with the EU’s new regulations. 

Thousands of Australian farmers protested in front of Parliament House, showcasing their dissatisfaction with government farming policies. 

Liberal Democrat MP and farmer Alistair Carmichael has been elected as the new chair of the cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee that scrutinises Defra’s work in Parliament. 

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

Levy payers are being asked to vote to ratify nine appointments across AHDB’s four Sector Councils, following an open and competitive selection process.

Plans to build a solar farm the size of 86 football pitches on high-grade farmland in Kent have been rejected.