Arable

Swarms of locusts have wreaked havoc on farms in Pakistan, wiping out swathes of winter crops and leading to fears of long-term food shortages.

In conjunction with Bayer we will be keeping track of winter wheat crop development this season as emergence is likely to be variable following the challenging conditions.

Breaking away from restrictive EU rules on gene editing should be a no-brainer for Government, and we have provided a means to do this through the Agriculture Bill, says Julian Sturdy MP, chair of the Science and Technology in Agriculture APPG.

The House of Lords has an opportunity to ensure our production standards are protected in the Agriculture Bill, and it must, because we cannot afford to get this piece of legislation wrong, says Martin Lines, chairman of the Nature Friendly Farming Network.

A battle is currently taking place over whether the UK’s iconic regional foods will be protected in the EU after Brexit, and this is one fight we must win, says Jackie Evans, managing director of agriculture and land management at ADAS.

The Agriculture Bill provided an opportunity to make empty shelves and empty stomachs a thing of the past, but it is an opportunity missed, says Luke Pollard, Labour’s Shadow Defra Secretary.

A new initiative said to add an innovative dimension to refining crop nutrition has been launched by ADAS.

Recently elected Tenant Farmers Association chairman, Mark Coulman is keen to ensure tenants do not miss out when the transition is made to the Environmental Land Management scheme.

The unprecedented number of aphids being found in sugar beet crops are presenting a serious ongoing challenge to virus control this season, with risk of transmission said to be very high.

Cereal growers are being urged to spray off patches infested with black-grass now, before more plants set viable seed.