British beef farms are among the world’s least profitable, an international study of performance has showed.

Grocery staples including potatoes, butter and mince are at the heart of a new supermarket price battle as Tesco tries to dent the expansion of discounter Aldi by matching its prices.

British beef farms are among the world’s least profitable, an international study of performance has showed.

Straw prices are rising in anticipation of a small harvest this year, but merchants have warned against any panic buying.

The battle against billions of locusts devastating crops in East Africa will continue through into April as the international community steps up efforts to control the pest.

Aside from the panic-buying of items in supermarkets, little disruption because of coronavirus to the supply chain has been reported yet.

Many non-aligned dairy farmers are facing a two-pronged crisis of low milk prices and rising costs, which is largely being ignored by farming leaders.

Higher than average rainfall throughout autumn and winter will hit arable margins in the coming year, business consultant Andersons warned.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has been warned that the scrapping of agricultural property relief in the budget would damage family farms across the country.

The economic impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus has hit markets across the world, although some restrictions in China have been eased.