Farm Business

Agroecology was top of the agenda at the Oxford Real Farming Conference

Farmers have become pioneers in providing nature based solutions to climate and biodiversity challenges but financial incentives have to stack up if more businesses are to follow suit.

The United States Government does not ‘have enough money’ to reward its farmers for adopting more sustainable practices, a top American official has said.

The UK Government must support domestic fertiliser production if it is to prevent a worsening of the food security crisis, NFU Scotland has demanded.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer has batted away concerns that the increased Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme payments announced this morning (January 5) are ‘too little, too late’.

The importance of funding and scale should not be overlooked when farmers are negotiating the various challenges facing their businesses, HRH The Princess Royal told the Oxford Farming Conference.

Farmers are being urged to look again at the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) after Defra boosted payment rates under both schemes.

Increasing economic pressures, supply concerns and wider environmental issues are set to amplify farm expenditure, with recent budgets looking quite different to those 12 months ago.

Increasing economic pressures, supply concerns and wider environmental issues are set to amplify farm expenditure, with recent budgets looking quite different to those 12 months ago.

Calls for the Government to work more closely with the poultry sector are growing following further outbreaks of avian influenza across both England and Scotland.