Business News

British farmers are critical to the UK food supply chain and protecting the nation’s valuable and vulnerable environments. Technology can play a key part in that, making it the focus of the South West’s freshest agri-tech event.

At a conference hosted by Scrutton Bland earlier this year, Kerriann McLackland from the Environment Bank talked about the various ways farmers can capitalise on creating and selling biodiversity net gain (BNG) units to developers, while still receiving income from BPS and environmental schemes.

Jan-Hendrik Mohr has been appointed as the new CEO of CLAAS with effect from 1st April 2023. The incumbent CEO Thomas Böck had decided to step down as CEO to pursue new endeavours. Shareholders and the Group Executive Board have acknowledged this decision with deep regret. They were able to find an experienced successor in Jan-Hendrik Mohr.  

The Royal Bath & West Society have introduced a Farm Vet of the Future Award, which seeks to recognise and celebrate the next generation of farm vets.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) confirmed it has achieved the target of reducing operational costs by £7.8m by the end of the 2022/23 tax year, saving a total of £8.5m in a bid to offer better value for levy payers.

An unnamed processor currently under investigation by the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCA) has allegedly been passing up to tens of thousands of tonnes of imported pork per week as British in what is possibly the biggest food fraud and safety scandal since Horsegate in 2013.

The NFU has cautiously welcomed the new deal with the CPTPP, saying it could provide opportunities for getting more British food on plates overseas.

A joint message has been issued from union presidents following summit in Belfast. The four leading agricultural organisations across the UK have repeated calls for UK Government to recognise food security concerns and extend the Energy and Trade Intensive Industry scheme (ETII) to include those sectors of agriculture heavily reliant on energy.

Harper Adams University has been named as the best in the world for agriculture and forestry employer reputation for a second successive year. It has also risen to become a top 200 global university in its field.

Rural land and property specialists GSC Grays believe some farms could be better off under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme and urged farmers to consider transitioning to a regenerative farming system.

A Scottish farmer with a passion for nature has created a 100-acre wildlife corridor by transforming his land with new, native broadleaf trees through The Woodland Trust’s MOREwoods scheme. Increasing farm biodiversity was core to Chris’ project goals.

Nearly three-quarters of off-gas grid rural homeowners are expected to fall into fuel poverty as a result of the government’s proposed 2026 fossil fuel boiler ban, with 69% of households unable to afford a replacement electric heating system, new rural polling data has shown.