Defra

OF&G said a 'three fold increase' in organic land use area would reduce total agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions equal to the carbon sequestered by third of million acres of broadleaved woodland

The Environmental Audit Committee argued the framework must set out how land will balance producing food in a sustainable way that supports a resilient food system, while also responding to environmental change

He said the cull would continue in the short term, adding there was enough reason to see it was a way of ‘preventing transmission'. But he added it was not a ‘sustainable answer to the problem' and wanted to work with farmers to develop the cattle vaccine

The Secretary of State said ‘tearing down the barriers' to getting ‘game changing innovation' from the lab onto farm would be at the heart of his approach for British agriculture

Defra said the bill would not have been possible had the UK remained a member of the European Union

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said seven cattle have tested positive for the disease since November 11

The report recommended the Government to fund the widespread, standardised testing of soil through its Environmental Land Management schemes and to work with industry on an agreed set of metrics of soil health by next year

More than double the funding was on offer in the second round of the Slurry Infrastructure Grant. But with dwindling confidence in the dairy sector farmers are cautious about where, when and what to invest in, questioning whether now is the right time to apply

When it comes to the application process, the delivery and the options available to all farmers, there are some inconsistencies, which the industry hopes will be ironed out in the next SFI announcement

The selected projects will now begin their two-year development phase to finalise arrangements