Environment

Farm groups have claimed the Chancellor’s pledge to reduce VAT by 15 per cent for the tourism sector will see agritourism ‘fight back’ post Covid-19.

With Government advice still set on urging the public to avoid mass gatherings due to Covid-19, Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) has taken the ‘difficult’ decision to postpone Open Farm Sunday (OFS) until June 13, 2021.

In a new virtual challenge to encourage positive climate change action, the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) is asking young farmers to share their solutions for achieving net zero emissions by 2040.

Farm groups concerned about the Government’s ‘lacklustre’ proposals for its new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme have joined forces to help design something ‘fit for purpose’.

Coninciding with the Government’s transition towards a ‘green’ Brexit and with its sights set on achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the renewables sector is expected to continue to grow.

An environmental charity has come under fire from farmers, after it ‘recklessly’ claimed poultry farms in Wales were polluting rivers in the region.

Government has been called to invest in rural communities to kick-start the economy and protect the countryside.

While there may be a guaranteed income to be had from leasing land for a solar use, it is a long-term commitment with serious tax implications. Iain McVicar, of Albert Goodman, tells us more.

The year 1976 was a notable one. Steve Jobs launched Apple, the first Star Wars came out and I turned one during harvest that August.