Arable

New data from the Food Foundation has revealed UK vegetable box sales have more than doubled amid the virus pandemic.

The Agriculture Bill is coming back to Parliament, and that is good news for farmers and the environment, says Tom Lancaster, acting head of land, seas and climate policy at the RSPB.

With the ongoing health crisis and many farm businesses experiencing cash flow issues, the phase out of BPS should be delayed by one year, says Neil Parish, chair of the Efra Select Committee.

A good payment scheme will be vital to secure farmers’ post-Brexit future, but other pieces of work on the supply chain, trade and Food Strategy will also be key, says Vicki Hird, farm campaign co-ordinator at Sustain.

Brexit provides huge opportunities for UK farmers, and the pandemic which has exposed the fragility of global supply chains could encourage more shoppers to buy British, says Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski.

The 2019/20 sugar beet campaign came to a close in mid-April, when British Sugar’s Newark factory closed its gates for beet intake after 208 days – the longest known uninterrupted European sugar beet campaign.

The Mack family farm in the heart of the Norfolk broads is home to an arable unit, thriving rapeseed oil business, farm shop, timeshare swimming pool and more recently a beef enterprise. Clemmie Gleeson reports.

Miscanthus specialist business Terravesta has appointed ProCam as its official agronomy service, to support farmers with crop care throughout the UK.

The Environment Agency has revised its ‘2020 irrigation prospects’ to take account of the lack of rainfall in April throughout England.

Farm groups have hit out at the Government’s readiness to abandon a zero tariff trade deal with the EU.