Comment
Comment: Farm cash flows need longer Brexit transition
The spell of warm, dry settled weather over recent weeks has allowed spring crop plantings to progress almost uninterrupted, in contrast to last autumn. Despite the Covid-19 lockdown affecting much of society, spring forage and arable field work is well underway....
Comment: Longer-term effect of COVID-19 on agrifood chain hard to gauge
While the farm supply trade is coping with the disruption from coronavirus and its control measures in the short term, the medium-term effect on the industry and its markets is harder to predict. Government must underwrite vital food supply chains and think hard about...
Comment: Don’t skimp on silo safety
On farm silos to store feed and other essential inputs are such an on-farm fixture that they become “part of the furniture” and are often taken for granted. But the national stock is ageing. Without regular checks and maintenance, a silo can fail, with severe...
Comment: Import tariffs would hit farm supplies
Michael Gove’s threatened imposition of import tariffs on EU goods from January 2021 may just be an opening position in the trade negotiations that start next month. It is certainly a U turn on his statement a year ago that there would be minimal or no import tariffs...
Comment: No end to Brexit uncertainty
With a second Brexit deadline missed, the political and business uncertainty continues, only this time with less clarity over the shape of the EU withdrawal and its date, plus a general election thrown in for good measure. The putative Jan 31st 2020 exit deadline...
Defending the UK’s animal health and fertiliser sectors
Pressure to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock production has been growing for many years. Although the EU has tighter controls on their farm use than some areas of the world, veterinary usage is seen by many as contributing to the growth of resistance in...