Is the climate change debate heading in the wrong direction for UK agriculture? January 2, 2019 Opinion Brexit may well prove to be a minor hurdle relative to the challenge of…
Paying for cattle on the basis of meat yield just doesn’t stack up January 1, 2019 Opinion At least one farm stakeholder group in the Republic of Ireland is now calling for cattle to be paid for in terms of…
Bluetongue is the last problem we need December 31, 2018 Opinion Recently saw the alarm bells ringing in Northern Ireland in the wake of a heifer imported from France testing positive for Bluetongue. So…
Farmers are the true custodians of the soil December 30, 2018 N.Ireland December 5 this year was World Soil Day. I hope it provided members of the general public everywhere with the opportunity to pause…
Farmers are the true custodians of the soil December 30, 2018 Opinion December 5 this year was World Soil Day. I hope it provided members of the general public everywhere with the opportunity to pause and…
India is turning out to be a good news story for the UK’s sheep industry December 28, 2018 Opinion The news that sheep meat exports will soon be making their way from the UK to India is to be warmly welcomed. By…
Preventing animal disease is the next frontier for agriculture in the UK December 27, 2018 Opinion Improving animal health standards and reducing disease levels represent the next challenge for British agriculture. A case in point is the fact that…
NFU has gotten its principles all wrong December 25, 2018 Opinion The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is at least one ‘principle’ short, if my reading of the organisation’s latest Brexit demands is anything to go…
It really is time to support home-grown produce December 24, 2018 Opinion I am aware of the ongoing debate within the fresh produce sector as to what proportion of the monies coming in at the…
Beef and sheep farmers need Brexit certainty now December 3, 2018 Opinion Assuming Theresa May gets a Brexit deal across the line with her parliamentary colleagues over the coming weeks, then the Government must act…
Dairy fairs are a winter wonderland for milk producers December 2, 2018 Opinion Take the latest farm gadgets, the country’s best stock, copious amounts of tea and then make boots and coats the dress code…is there…
‘Guess what, rural businesses are totally unprepared for Brexit – but can’t blame them’ December 1, 2018 Opinion So only 20% of rural businesses across the UK are Brexit-proofed. Or, put another way, 80% aren’t. These are astonishing figures, given that…
Government must appoint a food ombudsman with real teeth November 26, 2018 Opinion Food prices continue to fall in real terms. This is good news for consumers. However, it’s a real kick in the teeth for…
‘Beef farmers must become more efficient – there’s no other show in town’ November 25, 2018 Opinion The Christmas beef shows and sales are about to get into full swing around the country. And they are all worth a visit.…
Farmers will always work for the public good November 24, 2018 Opinion Environmental groups continue to lobby for a farm support policy, post-Brexit, that delivers in terms of the public good. Significantly, they do not…
Is the Brexit deal a case of perfect timing? November 19, 2018 Opinion They say that timing is everything in life. And where Theresa May is concerned, the fact that she has left the agreeing of…
‘CCC report is nonsense but the NFU has been asleep at the wheel’ November 18, 2018 Opinion Forget Brexit, the truly worrying story to come out of London this week was the report from the Government’s advisory Committee on Climate…
Bovine TB: Could chipping or electronic ID be part of the solution? November 17, 2018 Opinion The latest public declaration by a number of veterinary surgeons to the effect that badger culling is not controlling Bovine TB in the…
