Farm Business

The coronavirus crisis has exposed the Government’s failure to think about food policy, and it needs to be properly considered now, says Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City, University of London.

The economy must be drastically rebalanced if rural communities are to be shielded from the worst impacts of coronavirus, says Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Rural Affairs Minister.

When the coronavirus has been brought under control, politicians must take stock and recognise the importance of food security, says Robert Largan, Conservative MP for High Peak.

2020 started badly, and has only got worse since, but it still has the potential to go out on a high, says Leicestershire arable and beef farmer Joe Stanley.

Workers at Moy Park and ABP Food Group factories in Northern Ireland staged a walk out following concerns social distancing measures were being ignored by the companies.

The Covid-19 outbreak has hastened the introduction on a new livestock sales platform involving ANM Group.

Farmers should be prepared to protect their stock from flies earlier this year with the mild weather expected to increase fly numbers and prolong the season, warns a leading biologist.

The scale of the disruption we have seen to the food service sector due to the coronavirus restrictions in the past week is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and I know farmers up and down the country who supply the likes of McDonalds and Nando’s will feel concerned about what this might mean, says Head of food and farming Philip Hambling. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a UK-wide lockdown on March 25 to reduce further spread of Covid-19.

Defra Ministers are ‘in constant discussion’ with industry about delaying the phase out of direct payments, as the Agriculture Bill faces a fresh hold up due to the coronavirus epidemic.