Agriculture in the national news - March 9

Landmark rent dispute case gets underway

A LANDMARK case relating to aspects of a farm tenancy kicked off in the Scottish Land Court in Edinburgh yesterday.

The result will be the determination of rent on a Fife arable farm, but the significance is that it will be the first case to be determined through the court under the relevant section of the Agricultural Holdings Act (Scotland) 2003.

The Scotsman
http://tinyurl.com/yba9qqg

Somerset farmer takes cider brandy fight to Brussels

A Somerset cider brandy distiller is going to Brussels in a battle to save the product after it became illegal under revised EU laws.

Because of an oversight the drink - produced in the county for 300 years - was left off an official list of spirits available in EU countries.

BBC Online
http://tinyurl.com/y865tvj

NFUS sets out its stall over Pack proposals

IT TOOK 14 pages of detailed response from NFU Scotland to get its points over to the Pack Inquiry, which is looking into the future of farm support.

The NFUS agrees with Brian Pack on the difficulties of getting new entrants into farming and the need for the industry to rid itself of the “slipper brigade”, who still receive subsidy cash long after retiring from active farming.

It also supports the view that support should be “activity” based.

The Scotsman
http://tinyurl.com/yl2u6hm

Arrival of lambs means spring is just around the corner

BridgwaterCollege’s Lambing Sunday proved a hit with families eager to see the newborn creatures.

More than 1,400 people came to see the lambs, piglets and calves at Rodway Farm for the college’s third annual Lambing Sunday.

This is Somerset
http://tinyurl.com/y9sehuw

Spring has sprung but where are all the daffodils?

Bright yellow daffodils growing by the roadside are a welcome sight at this time of year, signalling the end of the bleak winter months and the start of spring.

But this year, the extreme cold weather has delayed England’s daffodil season by up to four weeks, causing a shortage of the flowers.

BBC Online
http://tinyurl.com/ygx4l3m

Cow dung and urine ‘healthy’

‘God resides in cow dung,’ says Kesari Gumat, as he walks through his laboratory where researchers mix bovine excreta with medicinal herbs and monitor beakers of simmering cow urine.

The lab in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad is one of a growing number of research centres that have embraced the sacred status of cows in India and sought to push it to a new level.

Daily Telegraph
http://tinyurl.com/yfnstr8

Have your say

Please do not complete the following form field for security reasons.

Name

E-mail

Comment

Post as

Anonymously

Display name