Farmers Guardian January 31st 2025

Championing agriculture for 180 years

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January 31, 2025 TACKLING SUCCESSION FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS TOUGH ISSUES

‘We have lost 40% of our milking herd’

Cumbrian farmer James Robinson reveals heartbreaking toll of bovine TB and his frustration at Government policy

‘We are clear on the type of bull we aim to breed’

British Blue breeders find ready market for AI stud bulls

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Cedric Porter

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Farmers’ impassioned pleas do resonate with the public

CUMBRIAN farmer James Robinson’s heartfelt account of his dairy herd’s battle with bovine TB is a powerful reminder of the frustration felt by many as the industry battles to eradicate the disease.

While progress has been made on UK herd incidence rates, for those on the ground there is little to celebrate and the threat weighs heavy.

Like so many farmers, for James and his family it is the huge sense of loss and lack of confidence in the overall policy, as well as the screening regime, which places a burden on daily life.

of farms in England and 67% in Scotland will be caught out, are significant and prove that yet again the Government’s calculations are wrong.

The Chancellor, who has been doing the media rounds this week with her ‘go for growth’ mantra in an effort to avoid economic stagnation, remains at serious risk of doing the opposite.

The emotional, physical and financial impact of an outbreak and the testing process around it have also been highlighted in the Farming Community Network’s latest research and serve as a reminder of the human toll the disease takes.

The findings of this report must be heeded not only to raise awareness of the strain being felt by so many families, but to ensure farmers’ health and well-being is at the heart of future decision-making.

She may have told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that she had ‘drawn a line’, intimating there was no room for manoeuvre, but the data does not lie and already businesses both in and outside of agriculture are moving with their feet. National Insurance contributions are already hurting businesses, with many already cutting jobs.

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Whichever direction the Government does decide to go in, it should not ignore the strides made by farmer-led groups and organisations such as the TB Advisory Service, which do invaluable work in keeping farmers informed and supported.

The shadow of the family farm tax also continues to loom large and a report released this week by the Government’s own arm’s-length body, AHDB, is yet another damning indictment of IHT changes.

The levy board’s figures, which show 80%

Ms Reeves may not be for turning, but neither are the family farmers she seeks to harm and as the evidence against her plans mounts, new protests are planned across the UK. What last week’s Day of Unity showed is the power of farming’s collective. It was a demonstration of all that is possible, as well as all that is at stake.

There was also a clear message from the public that they are backing farming’s fight, with organisers reporting support from all sections of society. The public are on side, the entire supply chain is on side, the data is verified and accurate – what more has the industry got to prove?

Knight Farm Machinery receiving the LAMMA Award for Innovation. See page 65.

Regenerative farming

AHDB: 75% of farms to be hit by tax change

l 80% of English farms affected

THE Treasury cannot ignore analysis from its own levy board that more than 42,000 farm businesses across England and Scotland will be impacted by the changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT).

That was the message from NFU president Tom Bradshaw, who said the fact that AHDB has now come to the conclusion that 75% of farms more than 50 hectares could be affected ‘speaks volumes’.

“It could not be clearer that the data behind this abhorrent family farm tax is wrong and that the Treasury has drastically underestimated the scale of the impact on British farming and food,” he said.

Mr Bradshaw added the unions wanted to sit down with the Chancellor, but their requests were ignored.

He said: “Will she also choose to ignore the independent farming experts on its own levy board?”

The independent analysis from AHDB showed 80% of farms in England (33,286) will be affected, while 8,918 (or 67%) in Scotland will also be caught out.

It follows other reports from AHDB which showed the most cost-effective way for a cereals farmer to meet their tax bills would be to sell land due to the low rate of return on net current assets in farming.

The figures broadly tally with estimates made by the NFU, and show far more farms will be impacted than the amount suggested by the Treasury.

The new tax rules will see the full 100% relief from IHT restricted to the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property, from April 2026.

Balance sheet data

The study looked at average balance sheet data sourced mainly from Defra, the Farm Business Survey and the Scottish Government.

More than half of the farms affected are involved in cereals or general cropping as their main enterprise, with the rest predominantly livestock producers or mixed farming operations.

AHDB economics and analysis director David Eudall said the debate on IHT was not for the levy board to comment on, but its priority was to support levy payers navigate a path through the challenges.

He added: “There are 300 working days until April 1, 2026, when the tax changes come into effect. This means 140 farming businesses across England and Scotland per working day,

from [the end of January] onwards, will need to ensure their business is set up to manage their tax implications.” It comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves continued to double down on the changes to IHT, insisting the alterations were the right ones and that Agricultural Property Relief remains generous when quizzed by BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg.

Ms Reeves has also come under fire from environmental groups, with worries a focus on growth, planning and building was at loggerheads with environmental concerns, as she announced last week that ‘bats and newts’ would no longer be a barrier to building as she set out to ‘revolutionise’ planning. But she also said there would be no rollback on the party’s commitment to the climate crisis.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds chief executive Beccy Speight said the rhetoric on clearing a path for building ‘runs the risk of bulldozing through our chances for a future where nature, people and the economy all thrive’.

But the Chancellor offered little hope for farmers hit by her Autumn

ASFARMERScontinuetochallenge theGovernmentonthenew InheritanceTaxrules, Farmers Guardian’sSaveBritain’sFamily Farmscampaignaimstosupportthe industryandshowcasefarming’s rolethroughoutwidersociety. Inournewweeklyvideoseries youwillhearfromthoseacrossthe industry,howitwillimpactthemand theneedtorallyconsumersupport.

DOWNLOAD THE POSTER

Download your free Save Britain’s Family Farms posters by visiting farmersguardian.com/familyfarms FG continues its support

PUBLIC BACK FARMERS ON DAY OF UNITY

FARMERS have been blown away by the overwhelming support shown for farming by the public during the farming unions’ National Day of Unity, with events taking place up and down the country on January 25.

The NFU, NFU Cymru and Ulster Farmers Union held events across the UK. NFU president Tom Bradshaw attended an event in Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner’s constituency, due to Mr Zeichner being unavailable.

In Scotland, events were called off due to Storm Eowyn, with NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy highlighting the importance of family farms in helping with the clear up in rural communities across the country. Events are now to take place this weekend.

Derbyshire upland dairy farmer David Handford said there had been ‘really positive responses’ from members of the public.

“One thing that surprised me was how many of them were already fully aware of the situation and fully behind the farmers’ cause. Another surprise was the number of people we spoke to that either owned or worked for local businesses that relied on farms for their custom,” he said.

“Overall, a great day talking to the public about why farming matters and why this Government must reconsider its position.”

Budget, insisting the fiscal rules set out in October were ‘non-negotiable’.

Ms Reeves also said a Nature Restoration Fund would be launched to ensure contractors managed nature in a sensible and responsible way, ruling out a repeat of the £100m spent on building a tunnel for bats during the construction of the HS2 rail link.

CLA president Victoria Vyvyan approved of the focus on removing barriers and blockers.

She said: “But the Government risks undermining its own growth mission by saddling farmers and family businesses with crippling IHT bills and prohibitive employment costs. If it does not change course it will end up shooting itself in the foot with one of the most anti-investment and anti-growth policies in living memory.”

VIRGIN MONEY SPEAKS OUT ON INHERITANCE TAX

VIRGINMoneyhascriticisedthe Chancellor’sAutumnBudgetfor bringing‘moreuncertainty’andcalled ontheGovernmenttoworkwith farmers‘tofindawayforward’on InheritanceTaxchanges.

Itcomesafterfarmers–including arablefarmerandYouTuberOlly Harrison–urgedbanksacrossthe UKtosupportfarmersintheongoing debatetoseethefamilyfarmtax reviewedandproperlyconsultedon.

Inanonlinevideo,thePrescot farmer,alsoknownasOllyBlogs, saidthewiderfarmingindustryhas appreciatedthebackingfromretailers inthecampaigntosavefamilyfarms.

Butheaskedwhichbankwasgoing

tobethefirst.Heencouragedfarmers togetintouchwiththeirownbank, requestingtheirsupport.

“Letusseeifwecangetthemall onboardandgetthemaroundatable tospeakwithRachelReevesand PrimeMinisterSirKeirStarmer,”Mr Harrisonsaid.

Inastatement,headofagriculture atVirginMoney,BrianRichards,said: “Farminghasalwayspresentedplenty ofchallenges,buttherecentBudget changeshavebroughtyetanother majorchallengetothesector, introducingmoreuncertaintyand distractingfarmersfromtheirmain jobofprovidingfoodforusall.

“Farmershaveconsistently

Farmers cannot be in this position of uncertainty

BRIAN RICHARDS

demonstratedhowresilienttheyare, buttheycannotbeinthispositionof uncertaintyandchangeinperpetuity andwewouldwelcomethe Governmentworkingwithfarmers tofindawayforward.”

PICTURE: TERRY HARRIS

NFU president Tom Bradshaw (R) and member Sam Goddard at Parker’s Piece in Cambridge.

Inset right, NFU Cmyru student ambassador Naomi Williams-Roberts constructed a wooden display highlighting all the sectors reliant on family farms.

Farming is not a ‘trading issue’

● Inheritance Tax debated in Westminster

By Rachael Brown

FOR those who have lived and worked the land all their life, farming is something that is within the soul – it is not just a trading issue. That was the message from Ann Davies, Plaid Cymru MP for Caerfyrddin, in a debate tabled in Westminster which discussed the impact of the Chancellor’s Inheritance Tax (IHT) reform.

Ms Davies said extending the existing scope of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) to land managed under environmental agreements opened up the opportunity for ‘foundations and large companies’ to buy up land sold to pay IHT ‘without being subject to it in the same way’.

“We have a train of people in west Wales who are already buying land for planting trees, carbon offsetting and solar and wind farms,” she said.

She added the changes failed to address concerns from Government about non-farmers investing in land to avoid IHT.

“For those with new money from capital gains made in the non-agricultural economy, there will continue to be a huge incentive to buy agricultural land, given that the value of that land above the announced threshold will face IHT charges at half the rate of other assets,” she said.

Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Jamie Stone said the idea of people buying and selling land purely for fiscal purposes was ‘abhorrent’,

ENVIRONMENT Farming and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee chair Alistair Carmichael has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warning him of the ‘deep concern’ within the farming industry which was fuelling low confidence and morale. He requested an ‘urgent’ meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss ‘potential mitigations’ to Inheritance Tax (IHT) proposals.

In the letter, Mr Carmichael said that his committee supported the principle of IHT reform to ‘close the loophole’ where investors could buy agricultural land to avoid paying IHT. But he questioned Defra’s figures that only the wealthiest 500 estates

Extending the scope of APR would open up opportunities for ‘foundations and large companies’ to buy land sold to pay IHT, said Ann Davies, Plaid Cymru MP for Caerfyrddin (inset).

adding there was an ‘emotional attachment’ between farming, family and land.

He said: “I come from a farming family. My father was broke. He had to sell most of the land. There is not a day that goes by [where] I do not look at the fields and regret that my family parted with it.”

Ms Davies said capital business asset rollover relief should be abolished to provide a more targeted measure to tackle this issue. She also

EFRA CHAIR REQUESTS URGENT MEETING WITH PM

would be impacted by the changes each year.

Healsosaidtherewas‘compelling evidence’fromtaxexpertsand representativesofthefarming communitythatmanyfarmshad alreadyconsultedwithfinancial professionalsandthechangesmeant ‘significantlymore’farmsthanthe Treasuryestimatewouldbeimpacted.

Underestimate

He added Treasury figures only included Business Property Relief (BPR) claims where they were also made by Agricultural Property Relief claimants, resulting in an underestimate of the impact.

criticised the lack of Welsh-specific data to assess the ‘real impact’ of the IHT reform in Wales.

Sustainable

Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury) Torsten Bell said the decision to reform APR was the ‘right’ one to make the system ‘fairer and more sustainable’, and that the decision was coupled with ‘new investments in farming’.

He added the debate was about

Mr Carmichael said many farmers, including tenants, had only made BPR claims and warned the Prime Minister about evidence he had heard of landlords selling land to pay for IHT, with tenant farmers facing eviction.

He advised that there was sufficient time before the 2026 Finance Bill to adapt the proposals to fulfil his intention to ‘protect the family farm’ while better enabling the Government to meet its fiscal objectives.

Mr Carmichael supported the UK farming unions’ calls for an extended technical consultation on the proposals.

‘balancing

the objectives’ of protecting family farms with public finances and public services.

We have a train of people who are already buying land for planting trees, carbon offsetting and solar and wind farms

ANN DAVIES

RT hires new head of communications

RED Tractor has appointed Jo Miller as its new head of communications and engagement from February 10. Ms Miller has more than 15 years experience in public relations, stakeholder management, corporate communications and digital content.

PICTURE: GETTY

GCA survey to look into the behaviour of retailers

SUPPLIERS can now confidentially share with the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) their experiences when supplying to their customers, as part of the GCA’s annual survey.

The survey is focused on producers that sell to retailers, but there is also an opportunity for ‘non-direct’ suppliers to provide feedback.

The GCA, Mark White, said he wanted to hear from as many suppliers as possible about their ongoing experiences of supplying to large retailers.

“Your feedback helps me to better understand supplier concerns and to focus my engagement to ensure these retailers treat all suppliers fairly and lawfully.”

The survey follows comments from Jim Fairlie, Scotland’s Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, who said there needed to be greater acceptance that risk cannot be shouldered by farmers alone.

Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this the month, Mr Fairlie said: “Retailers have a much bigger role to play in ensuring food security in this country.”

Schemes

Mr Fairlie highlighted retailer schemes such as one at Morrisons, where growers and supermarkets shared the financial risk in the event of a crop failure.

Last year’s GCA survey showed ‘improvement’ in retailers’ compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. But results also highlighted issues involving discrepancies around invoices, inaccurate forecasting and delays around cost price increase requests.

TAKE PART

You can take part in the survey at gov. uk/government/news/gcas-2025-annualsurvey-now-live. All responses to the GCA will be treated with ‘strict confidence’.

Harmful effect of bTB on health uncovered

● Farmers a ected by anticipation of outbreak

By Alex Black

SLEEPLESS nights, anger, depression and a deep sense of a loss of control are some of the health symptoms reported by farmers as a result of being impacted by bovine TB.

A new report commissioned by the Farming Community Network (FCN), titled Finding the Box-Top: Addressing the Human Cost of bTB, surveyed more than 450 farmers and laid bare the impact that bTB has on farmers across the UK.

This includes significant financial costs, mental illness, physical injuries and damage to overall well-being.

The FCN worked with associate professor Willie Smith, formerly of the Science Council of Canada and the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and listened throughout the study to representatives including Government officials, rural community leaders, bankers and clergy.

Many farmers believed the impact of the long-term physical, emotional and financial impact of bTB outweighed having to deal with the shorter-term impact of a disease outbreak.

Symptoms

The health symptoms reported by farmers range from fear and depression, sleepless nights and persistent anger, to a deep sense of loss of control over their personal lives and their farm business.

Farmers said health impacts were often generated most by the anticipation of statutory testing and fear of an outbreak.

One farmer in England who responded to the survey said: “Horrific interest rates eroded our ability

A new report has laid bare the impact bTB has on farmers across the UK.

to survive, yet that still pales with the loss of our beautiful cows.”

The impact of bTB also puts the brakes on business expansion and puts long-term development plans on hold.

The report concluded that the impact of bTB could contribute to a disengagement of farmers from the statutory policies that have been designed to manage and eliminate the disease.

The report recommended exploring the development of an agency, independent of Government, for the management of bTB.

Dr Jude McCann, chief executive at the FCN, said bTB was a factor in many cases presented to the charity and caused the farming com-

munity a ‘significant amount of stress and uncertainty’.

Findings

“We hope the findings and recommendations of this report will help to raise awareness of the human impacts of bTB, and ensure that farmers’ health and well-being remains at the heart of decision-making.

“We also hope to see greater UKwide collaboration across agencies, organisations and farm businesses, working together to eradicate bTB,” Dr McCann added.

MORE INFORMATION

The FCN can be contacted on 03000 111 999 or help@fcn.org.uk

Shoppers binning fresh food worth £520 each

DISCOUNT retailer Aldi is urging consumers to think about food waste, after it was revealed that more than half of its shoppers throw away nearly 500 pieces of fruit and veg each year.

According to new research from the supermarket chain, 52% of customers said they binned around 482 fresh items, adding up to a cost of around £520 a year.

Of the 2,000 Britons polled, 53% said they threw out food that had not even been touched, with 56% admitting that they completely forgot about food they had bought.

Storing

More than half of those surveyed (57%) said they were not confident they fully understood exactly where

and how to store food in order to keep it fresh for longer.

Bananas were top of the list for forgotten fruit, with the average household throwing away 114 each year. They were followed by potatoes – around 99 are sent to the bin alongside 94 carrots, 83 onions and 73 cauliflowers.

Home food waste expert Kate

year

Hall said food waste squandered both time and money, but added that small changes could have a big impact.

“By storing our produce differently or adopting a few simple habits, we can significantly reduce food waste, save money and make sure we actually eat the food we have worked hard to pay for.”

Government steps up avian flu measures

● Prevention zones across Great Britain

By Rachael Brown

AN Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has been declared across England, Wales and Scotland, alongside new regional housing measures introduced in the counties of York, North Yorkshire and Shropshire. It follows a change in the risk levels and an increase in the number of detections of avian influenza in kept and wild birds. It is now a legal requirement for all bird keepers in Great Britain to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the threat of disease.

While the nationwide AIPZ did not include national housing measures, new mandatory housing measures were declared by Defra in York, North Yorkshire and Shropshire, in addition to those already in place in some counties in the east of England.

The NFU also called on the Government to implement nationwide housing measures to help prevent any further disease outbreaks.

NFU poultry board chair James Mottershead said the union was pleased the Government had acted promptly on this issue to protect the national flock with an AIPZ being implemented across England, Wales and Scotland.

He added: “While housing measures have been extended into York, North Yorkshire and Shropshire, we urge the respective governments to keep this under constant review and extend this requirement where necessary.

“Outbreaks of avian influenza can put huge emotional and financial strain on farming families. Farmers take such care to protect the health and welfare of their birds and it is devastating to see that compromised.”

‘Be alert’

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss asked for all bird keepers, regardless of their size of flock, to be alert.

She said: “I urge bird keepers to check which requirements apply to them while continuing to exercise robust biosecurity measures, remain alert for any signs of disease and report suspected disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.”

A case of avian influenza was found in a farmworker this week in the West Midlands region who had close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds, according to the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA).

Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UKHSA, said the risk to the general public remained low and there was currently no evidence of onwards transmission.

The number of cases of avian influenza in kept and wild birds has increased.

● Public concerns over feed additive

By Chris Brayford

FRUSTRATED farmers have said they had been ‘left in the middle’ on the use of Bovaer in dairy diets, as those advocating for its use went silent.

During the NFU Council on Tuesday (January 28), dairy board chair Paul Tompkins said he was disappointed that farmers had to make public announcements regarding the robust animal welfare and biosecurity on their farms.

It came after Arla confirmed it would trial the use of Bovaer, a feed additive which aims to cut methane emissions, on UK farms in November, which led to widespread public concern about safety.

Silent

Mr Tompkins said the farmers were abandoned while those advocating for its use were ‘silent’.

“I wish we were not in a place where we had to consider such options, but the reality is this topic has left farmers in a really tricky place,” he added.

He said they were squeezed between the pressure of the supply

Farmers ‘left in the middle’ over Bovaer

chain to reduce carbon emissions and the nervousness of customers.

“Left in the middle, is the dairy farmer. It is a sad reflection of our sector when this spanned live into

Responsibility and collaboration the key factors driving Defra

COLLABORATION and responsibility are the key factors driving Defra, the department’s director general Emily Miles has revealed.

Speaking at the Sustainable Foods annual conference in London this week, Ms Miles told attendees despite the ‘numerous challenges’, the department remained committed to doing its best for food, the planet and for people.

“I believe in the power of the collective to make things better and I believe we can use this power for good – for people and for nature,” she said.

“I and a lot of my colleagues at Defra bring a sense of mission and responsibility to our roles and believe that Government can make a difference.”

Ms Miles, who left Defra in 2019 to head the Food Standards Agency (FSA), returned to the department in September 2024 and said governments in the past had ‘glided over’ the

4.4 million private sector workers in the food and drink sector and its contribution to the economy.

Involved

She said: “I often think of all the hands that have been involved with the food on my plate, all those people who have been putting their efforts into the soil, the plants, the animals, the harvesting, creating the packaging, distributing and serving – all of those people that have touched that food.”

She said it was Defra’s job to ensure practices were in place to benefit all those who worked in the sector and to keep a dialogue in place.

“To create that sustainability, the Government has to focus not just on plant and animal health, but also on the environment we are creating for those businesses,” she added.

“Those businesses need to thrive and grow but they also need to behave in ways that make things better.”

mainstream media, the advocates of the new technology were nowhere to be heard.

“It is not my role to go on breakfast television and reinforce the safety and quality of dairy products.

“There was a lack of support from people who are interested in this.”

Meeting

The manufacturers of Bovaer will be meeting with NFU representatives next week, the union confirmed.

Dairy farmer Helen Griffiths, at Gloucester-based Longridge Farm Produce in Ashleworth, said she

had received concerned questions from the public about the additive.

She added she did not agree with feeding animals any feed supplement that is designed to ‘chemically change’ their natural processes for arguably a ‘negligible impact’ to a farm’s carbon footprint.

Natasha Smith, deputy-director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency, said there were no safety concerns regarding Bovaer, currently used in Canada and the US, and added that more than 58 studies had been undertaken on potential risks which found that the additive was ‘safe at twice the recommended dose’.

DEFRA HAS NOT BEEN TRANSPARENT FOR ‘YEARS’

NFU president Tom Bradshaw has called on Defra to increase its engagement with farmers following ‘years’ without consultation on policies which impacted farm businesses.

At the union’s council meeting on Tuesday, January 28, Mr Bradshaw said he had concerns over the Government agency and the decision it had made, which he claimed, lacked impact assessments and scientific underpinning.

Taking grievance with the level of uptake and productive farms taking part in schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive, support for upland farmers and taking away Agricultural Property Relief, the NFU president claimed Defra had not been transparent with the

organisation since the health and harmony consultation in 2018.

“At the moment, it feels like we are walking into these policies blindfolded, rather than knowing what the destination looks like,” he added.

Concern

“My concern with all the policies over recent years is that I do not see the science they are underpinned by.

“We want to understand the impacts on food production, the environment and the viability of members’ business.

“We have not had any clear idea of where policies in place are taking us. That is simply not acceptable,” Mr Bradshaw said.

Defra has been approached for comment.

Dairy farmers feel unsupported after questions from worried members of the public over Bovaer.

Farmers hit back at ban on neonicotinoids

● Virus yellows poses high disease threat

By Jane Thynne

THE Government’s decision to withdraw emergency authorisation of a valuable crop protection chemical has been condemned by industry bodies and farmers, who accused Defra of undermining UK growers.

Last week, Defra ruled out the use of neonicotinoid Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops for 2025, citing its negative impact on pollinators such as bees.

While the move was quickly welcomed by nature campaigners, industry bodies and farmers have

labelled it the latest assault on the agricultural industry.

Daniel Jones, an arable and poultry farmer from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, said: “It is ridiculous really –the Government is just attacking growing crops on every front. The industry is trying to grow sugar without neonicotinoids, but it is not there yet. It needs a helping hand.”

Mr Jones said ‘any sensible Government’ would have the infrastructure or an alternative in place before issuing a complete ban.

He added: “Sugar beet is not a flowering crop – you do not see huge swarms of bees as there is no pollen. But it is too late to do anything about it now, the crop is

planned. We will have to see how it goes and whether British Sugar will have to come back with a much better price next year if there is going to be no neonicotinoids.”

However, stating its case for the ban, the Government said there was ‘clear and abundant evidence’ Cruiser SB was ‘extremely toxic to pollinators such as bees’.

Protecting bees

Environment Minister Emma Hardy said: “This Government is committed to protecting bees from toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, while working with our farmers to find new ways to protect crops and support a profitable farming sector.”

Cruiser SB has been used throughout the sugar beet growing sector to

ward off virus yellows – a disease which can cause up to 50% yield loss.

British Sugar’s agriculture director Dan Green said the body was ‘disappointed’ Defra had taken the step.

“As an industry, we have written to Defra seeking immediate support in the form of a ‘Virus Yellows Resilience Package’ to mitigate any threat posed by a high virus yellows year for this crop,” he said.

Mr Green also pointed out the decision left the UK in conflict with its own trade policy, which the body would also be raising with Defra.

“There is continued tariff-free access to the UK market for sugar which has been grown with neonicotinoid plant protection products, undermining our home-grown industry and British sugar beet growers,” he added.

PICTURE: GARY NAYLOR

Defra has ruled out the use of neonicotinoid Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops for 2025.

Social media reactions Is Cairngorms right for lynx?

POLLEN analysis, historical records, archaeological findings and environmental reconstructions suggest that 1,000 years ago the Cairngorms were covered in dense forests dominated by Scots pine, birch, rowan and oak, particularly in the glens and straths.

This landscape provided an ideal habitat for species like the lynx, especially with a sparse human population of only a few thousand, at most. Over centuries, however, the demand for timber and food production led to significant forest loss, reduced habitat and prey for the lynx, and, combined with persecution, caused their local extinction.

Ironically, this human activity shaped the unique mosaic landscape that is now a biodiversity hotspot and home to many rare species.

READERS had their say after the farm assurance review called for a ‘reset’ to rebuild farmers’ trust:

■ “I was a fan in the beginning, but it got silly. Most of my milk cows get sold next week, I’m just keeping a few to keep our

Designated a National Park, the Cairngorms remains a critical area for conservation, though crofting and farming still shape its character. Any proposal to reintroduce lynx must, therefore, carefully consider the potential impact on these communities.

Today, the Cairngorms’ landscape is vastly different from when lynx last roamed. Lynx depend on tree cover for shelter and roe deer as their primary prey. At present, forest cover stands at around 17%, the human popula-

ice cream business going. No more Red Tractor for us ”

STEVE MORRIS

■ “Just get rid of it – simple. Not needed, just more box ticking and paper wasting.”

LYNDON HULL

tion has grown to 18,500, and there are more than two million visitors annually.

Deer density is as low as two per square kilometre in some areas, raising questions about prey availability, especially as lynx require one to two deer-sized prey per week. Given such a fragmented landscape in the Cairngorms National Park area, which covers some 4,528sq. km, such conditions must surely be considered suboptimal?

Does the current landscape truly meet lynx ecological needs, or could

■ “It’s just a cost, it doesn’t add anything to the price when you sell. Supermarkets import meat that doesn’t meet the same standards.”

DANIEL JAMES

■ “Dropped out five years ago.”

GWYNDAF ROBERTS

their return inadvertently harm the species? Could such significant visitor numbers actually exacerbate challenges? Wildlife disturbance, such as that seen with the capercaillie, highlights the potential negative impacts of unmanaged tourism on species recovery efforts.

From an ecological perspective, could lynx reintroduction disrupt current predator-prey dynamics, increase competition with existing predators, and trigger unexpected cascading effects on ecosystems? Could a lack of prey mean that lynx might predate on sheep where their habitats overlap with agricultural landscapes?

NatureScot’s Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations clearly states that any reintroduction or translocation must include a detailed socio-economic study, which we believe was not adequately done for the beaver reintroduction, and must not harm existing ecosystems, species, or habitats.

All these potential risks must be thoroughly assessed before proceeding.

Economically, reintroducing lynx would require substantial funding. Public agencies like NatureScot, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, and Forest and Land Scotland would likely allocate grants sourced from taxpayers.

Would those agreeing to the reintroduction of lynx pay for the mitigation measures and economic compensation that might be re-

data, pricing, insight and market intelligence to agribusiness professionals across the globe. This policy sets out how we do this and applies the use of your personal data that you disclose to us by entering into our competition to win £200 for the Stockjudging Competition or £20 Love2Shop vouchers for the weekly Crossword Competition, referred to throughout this statement as the “Competitions”. How we collect your information: We collect the personal data you have provided to us by filling in the form on our website www.fginsight.com OR printed form when entering the Competitions. If you have entered the Competitions via our site we may also collect some technical information about how you use our site, for example, the type of device you are using, your operating system, IP address, uniform resource locator (URL), clickstream and length of visit. How we use the information you provide: We will use your personal information: • to administer the Competitions, on the basis that the use of your personal data for this purpose will be necessary to enter you into the competitions and, if you are successful, contact you to notify you of your prize; and, • if you are new to Farmers Guardian and where you have agreed to this, to provide you with news and updates from time to time about our services; and, if at any point in the future you do not wish to receive any news and updates from us or from, you can unsubscribe from our marketing list at any time by following the steps below. To unsubscribe from any communications using the link on the email we send you or by emailing us at dataprotection@farmersguardian.com. We will not use your information for any purposes except those listed in this policy without letting you know and getting your permission, if necessary, first. Who do we share your information with? We will not disclose your information to any third parties without your consent, except where: • it is necessary to enable any of our staff, employees, agents, contractors, suppliers or commercial partners to provide a service to us or to perform a function on our behalf; • we have a legal obligation to disclose your information (for example, if a court orders us to); or • there is a sale or purchase of any business assets, or where Farmers Guardian or any of its group companies are being acquired by a third party. Where we use third parties as described above to process your personal information, we will ensure that they have adequate security measures in place to safeguard your personal information. For how long do we keep your personal information? We keep your personal information for 36 months for the purposes for which it was collected or for any period for which we are required to keep personal information to comply with our legal and regulatory requirements, or until you ask us to delete your personal information. Your rights: You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. These include the right to: • find out how we process your personal information; • request that your personal information is corrected if you

quired? Is it really the best use of public funds?

Finally, the recent death of an illegally released lynx highlights the importance of prioritising the species’ welfare.

Decisions on lynx reintroduction must balance conservation goals with robust ecological realities and community needs, ensuring they are guided by science, sustainability, and strict adherence to NatureScot’s Code for Conservation Translocations.

Cairngorms Crofters and Farmers Community group.

Radical change of Government

THE politics of successive British governments and their advisers trying to destroy British farming over the past 25 years has led to a continuing decline in home-produced food on our island nation. It might be time for a radical change of Government, where common sense might prevail.

With us all 25 years in to the 21st century, I don’t think the next 25 are going to be as easy for some.

Don’t let them grind you down – nobody can do without food.

Stephen Ramsden, Harrogate.

Rachael Brown Chief Reporter – rachael.brown@agriconnect.com

New entrants are key to sustainable farming Leader

YOU cannot talk about a vision for sustainable agriculture, without talking about new entrants. But does Government policy truly understand the value of investing in new entrants to meet its ambition of sustainable farming?

Here at Farmers Guardian, we are passionate about supporting new entrants. After all, they are the future of our industry. And that is why they need nurturing and supporting.

In our webinar this week, a fantastic panel shared valuable tips on how to get into the sector, as well speaking about the many challenges faced.

One panellist said their success came down to ‘a lot of luck’, while others referenced resilience, perseverance and just not giving up on your dream.

But should the environment for new entrants be this difficult, especially for those not from a traditional farming background?

Hard work should always play a part. But to bring new talent to the sector, there has to be more opportunities and support than currently on offer.

Young Farmer Focus

‘Farming has made me feel part of a community’

Future: I absolutely love the English countryside – being out every day and meeting new people is what I want to do with my life.

Background: Despite not growing up on a farm, I was raised in rural Lincolnshire, which is surrounded by farms, and my family is passionate about animals and farming.

My dad, who is an agricultural engineer, would often take me to farms after school so I could go and see the cows. I have always felt at ease around farm animals and from a young age wanted to be a vet.

Experience: As I got older, I started approaching farms to ask about how I could gain experience which was vital for my application.

I helped with TB testing when I was only 16, then I was introduced to a dairy farmer and fell in love with milking cows.

Studies: It has been fantastic to get that hands-on experience to build my confidence of farming at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC).

I joined the RVC via its gateway programme, which is a foundation year, so it is a six-year programme instead of five.

The course has equipped me with essential understanding and knowledge, which will allow me to quickly gain the further skills I need when I go out into the profession.

Being part of the RVC’s Farm Animal Veterinary Society has provided me with the opportunity to support other people and share interests. I feel honoured to be vice-president of the society.

Support: Everyone I have met has been so supportive in helping me on my journey to becoming a vet.

For anyone wishing to study at RVC, I say just go for it.

Council tenancies also need to be part of the conversation. Why can a slice of the £2.4 billion farming budget not go towards supporting our local councils to invest in council farm holdings, rather than selling them off?

The Government needs to recognise that new entrants must be placed more at the heart of policy conversations.

Profitability will also play a key role, as NFU Scotland next generation chair Ben McClymont stated. The industry will not be enticing if people cannot make money.

All the farm experience and training has really helped to give me a head start with my confidence in handling animals and husbandry.

Career: From showing cattle at the Lincolnshire Show to my career

Gainsborough, Lincolnshire

Eleanor Rawson, 24, is a farm vet from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. She is also vice-president of the Royal Veterinary College’s Farm Animal Veterinary Society.

today, farming has made me feel part of a community.

I want to be part of an industry where I can make a difference and I believe I have found that place.

That is why I love speaking to the general population about farming – I believe they can have misconceptions about farming, which I like to address.

There are always so many new ideas and developments, and I feel passionate about building trust with farmers to help support them with their businesses.

MORE INFORMATION

If you would like to be featured, email chris.brayford@agriconnect.com

Eleanor Rawson

Eleanor Rawson

Farmers face clean-up as storms hit UK

● Heavy rain adds to already soaked fields

By Jane Thynne

TWO storms tore through the country last week leaving farmers to deal with damage to buildings, crops and already flood-soaked fields.

Northern Ireland and Scotland felt the force of Storm Eowyn, which saw gusts of 100mph hit Drumalbin in Scotland.

By Saturday evening, the storm had moved away from the UK, only to be quickly followed by Storm Herminia which arrived on Sunday, bringing flood warnings for more

As the water rose they [youngstock] started to panic –we could have lost them all EMILY KINGSTON

than 30 areas of the UK, gusts of 84mph wind and almost 60mm of rain which fell in a matter of hours.

Waitrose rolls out app to monitor farm health

MORE than 2,000 farmers will be given free access to advanced mapping tools as part of Waitrose’s sustainable farming policy.

The retailer has teamed up with Land App in a bid to ‘revolutionise sustainable farming and support farmers in the adoption of nature-friendly practices in the UK’.

The partnership will provide Waitrose farmers with free access to advanced mapping tools and expert ad-

vice, helping them to create bespoke land management plans that protect and enhance the environment.

Rolling out Land App, Waitrose will gather real-time data on the environmental health of its farms, measuring progress on more than 60 key sustainability metrics that will help understanding of the current state and potential to enhance biodiversity in the retailer’s supply chain.

ELECTRIC DAIRY SCRAPERS by

Storm Eowyn’s 100mph gusts of wind brought trees down across the country.

A major incident was declared in Somerset and more than 100 people were evacuated from their homes.

Emily Kingston, a mixed farmer from Wrantage near Taunton, said while they had managed Storm Eowyn, the arrival of Herminia brought huge problems which will take longer to deal with.

She said: “We had 20mm of rain fall in just under an hour. That was on top of 54mm which had fallen overnight.

“The water in the shed had risen to one metre and we only just managed to get our youngstock out. As the water rose they started to panic – we could have lost them all.”

Ms Kingston said the Environment

Agency (EA) and the Government must look at the ‘bigger picture’ in order to protect farmers and the nation’s food supply.

Small family farm

“We have around eight or nine acres that are under water and I have yet to check the herbal leys.

“We are a small family farm and we cannot keep on like this.

“We lost crops in May when 40mm of rain fell quickly and there is no protection. We have a channel that runs through the middle of the farm so we get the worst of it.

“The EA is not dredging the rivers and there is so much building going on that the water has nowhere to go.”

NRW urged to overturn sheep dip permit decision

for sheep scab, the new permit ban will only hinder efforts to eradicate it.

NFU Cymru has called on Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to reverse its decision to stop issuing new permits that allow farmers to dispose of waste sheep dip to land.

Farmers will be required to have waste dip removed by a registered waste carrier and disposed of in a suitable facility instead.

NRW has confirmed farms with active permits can continue to dispose to land for the time being, but eventually all waste dip will need to be disposed of via a registered waste carrier.

NFU Cymru livestock board chair, Rob Lewis, said the union believed there was no scientific case to prevent disposal on land and pointed out that new applications for permits were still available elsewhere in the UK.

Mr Lewis added with sheep dipping being a ‘key tool in the armoury’

NFU Cymru rural affairs board chair, Hedd Pugh, said it was ‘extremely disappointing’ the decision had be made without ‘proper consultation’ with industry.

He said despite considerable efforts, the industry was ‘nowhere near’ a workable spent-dip disposal scheme.

Premature

“So, for NRW to make this decision now to withdraw is not only wrong, but totally premature, as the alternative disposal is not fully in place,” he said.

“NRW’s advice to farmers needing their sheep to be dipped, but without a permit, is to apply to use the Welsh Government-funded Gwaredu Scab programme which is, at best, short-sighted.”

Slurry contains multiple gases, including methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide, but the most dangerous of all is hydrogen sulphide.

Warning to farmers over slurry gas risk

day, whether it is working with slurry, handling livestock, dipping sheep or working at height.’’

l Hydrogen sulphide can overcome in seconds at agreed times with someone, would be highly beneficial for many farming operations, including slurry work.

instances where a buddy system had saved lives.

By Alex Black

LIVESTOCK farmers have been warned of the risks of hydrogen sulphide, a deadly gas emitted by slurry, which is responsible for farming fatalities every year.

The Wales Farm Safety Partnership (WFSP) has reminded farmers that hydrogen sulphide can be just as deadly outside as it is in confined spaces, and can overcome farmers within seconds.

The WFSP added it was more important than ever that farmers were aware of the risks, with the new Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations in force.

Closed periods prohibit the spreading of slurry and organic manures ranging from August 1 to January 31, depending on land and crop type.

Alun Elidyr, WFSP ambassador, said there was ‘no such thing’ as a safe slurry tank.

Gases

Slurry contains multiple gases, including methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide, but the most dangerous of all is hydrogen sulphide.

Just two or three breaths of this is sufficient to disorient or overcome a person, Mr Elidyr said.

“This gas is heavier than air, so it sits a metre or two above the surface of slurry. Anyone putting their head in that space, especially when a tank is agitated, can breathe it in without realising it,’’ he said.

“It has no smell, so you will not be able to tell if you have been exposed to it.’’

Agitation was particularly dangerous because this process releases the gases.

Livestock can also die from inhaling these fumes.

Mr Elidyr added it was vital to adopt the ‘stop and think safe’ mindset before starting a job involving slurry, as was the case with any other farm task.

“It does not have to be written down but the effect of having considered it is the most important process in your

He said a ‘buddy system’, which is commonplace among foresters and involves lone workers checking in

Mr Elidyr added that he knew of

A slurry gas monitor, which can cost less than £200, was advised, although should not be completely relied upon.

Edited by Alex Black – 07880 490 486 – alex.black@agriconnect.com

For more business content, go to farmersguardian.com/farm-business-news-hub

● ‘Concerning’ trend of land leaving the sector

By Rachael Brown

AVERAGE annual rent for full agricultural tenancy agreements (FAT) in 2023/2024 increased by 5% compared to 2022/2023, according to the latest farm rent data published by Defra.

But the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) highlighted a bigger concern was a worrying ‘drop-off’ in the number of tenant holdings and the area within the tenanted sector.

Cereal farms saw the largest percentage rise, increasing by 7%.

But it was reported that after adjusting for inflation, there was a ‘real terms decrease of 1% at all farm level’.

TFA chief executive George Dunn said he was ‘surprised’ to see a ‘general uptick in the levels of rent’, given the challenging economic environment many farms faced through 2023 into 2024.

Relatively small

“In most cases, the increases are relatively small and could be lost within the error intervals,” he said.

“In the main, I think it would be sensible to conclude that rents have been in relative stasis between 2023 and 2024.

“However, with the continuing difficulties of weather, market and policy difficulties, the clear direction of travel going forward should be for rents to fall.”

Mr Dunn added that the TFA expected the publication of next year’s report covering the period to Febru-

Harbro enters partnership with agri-food investment firm

FEED specialist Harbro has partnered with Convent Capital, an investment firm specialising in the agri-food sector, to grow its presence in the UK agriculture supply market and secure longterm growth.

Chris Baxter, chief executive of Harbro, said the partnership would help ‘unlock new growth areas and ensure the long-term future of the Harbro brand and business’.

Harbro will continue to be managed by the existing executive and management teams, ensuring consistency and continuity for customers and employees.

Rise in rents while tenanted area drops

ary this year to show evidence of that reduction.

The report found there were about 83,000 tenancy agreements in total in England in 2023/2024, down 5% year-on-year, with 2.5% less land within the sector as a whole.

Mr Dunn said: “This does seem to indicate a continuing trend for land to be leaving the sector for alternative

uses such as tree planting, rewilding, solar energy and other non-agricultural uses.

“Care needs to be taken to ensure that we retain capacity within the let sector of agriculture and this is a matter for which the Government should take particular note in the context of its forthcoming land-use framework,” he added.

This does seem to indicate a continuing trend for land to be leaving the sector for alternative uses

GEORGE DUNN

New UK pig co-operative launched

A NEW UK pig co-operative has been launched to provide long-term sustainability for producers in the face of increased rationalisation in the sector.

The United Pig Cooperative (UPC), a merger between Scottish Pig Producers (SPP), Scotlean Pigs and Thames Valley Cambac (TVC), launched on Friday, January 24.

Andy McGowan, managing director at SPP, said the strategic move would enhance ‘market effectiveness, operational efficiency and member support’ to ensure a ‘sustainable future for independent producers across the UK’.

The farmer-led co-operative aims to be the leading provider of support services to independent farmers in the UK pig supply chain, with offices in Yorkshire and Oxfordshire.

By leveraging the strengths of each long-standing organisation, the group will increase market effectiveness by improving scheduling outcomes and greater flexibility in logistics, according to Mr McGowan.

The group will have nine producer directors representing all UK production regions to ‘streamline operations, boost productivity and reduce costs with savings’ for its members.

Mr McGowan said UPC repre-

sented a bold step forward for the UK pig farming industry, ensuring that independent farms could thrive in an increasingly integrated market.

Resource sharing

He added resource sharing will allow for investment in knowledge sharing, innovation and sustainability initiatives to better meet member and customer needs.

Phil Woodall, general manager at TVC, and Mr McGowan will be the co-general managers of the group initially, with recruitment for a single long-term general manager starting later this year.

The Tenant Farmers Association is looking for rents to fall amid increasing difficulties for farmers.

Elise Seibold, of SBF GB&I, said the blackcurrant industry was looking to invest in new technology.

Blackcurrant growers flag bad weather as top concern

● Call for flexible Government support

By Alex Black

POOR weather and climate change is an increasing concern for Ribena growers, with 93% flagging it as a major challenge, up from 74% last year.

According to the latest Ribena blackcurrant growers’ survey, more than three-quarters (78%) of growers were expecting extreme weather to have the greatest impact on their businesses in the next five-10 years.

More than 90% of all British- grown blackcurrants are used to make Ribena.

High inflation remains a significant concern for many growers, but less so than last year, with those struggling with labour shortages also down on 2023.

But this has not fed through into confidence about growth as only a third believe they will grow their business in the coming years.

It comes as Ribena producer Suntory Beverage and Food GB and Ireland (SBF GB&I) brought together MPs with local blackcurrant growers at a reception in Parliament.

Elise Seibold, chief operating officer of SBF GB&I, said the survey was an invaluable tool to understand the challenges and opportunities growers faced.

One machine, multiple uses

Designed as a true multi-tasker with a combination of levelling boards, heavy duty spring tines, seeder unit and option of towing a roller, the 6m Grass-Combi is capable of rejuvenating grassland but also acting as a cover crop establishment tool.

• Sprung shattaboards

• Hydraulically adjustable spring tines

• Fitted with Cat II linkage hooks and clevis hitch

• Folds to within 2.5m for transport

She said: “Working closely with MPs and policy-makers enables us to invest in innovative technologies and practices that enhance the farms we work with while safeguarding the environment we all live and work in.”

Despite the challenges, the survey revealed the blackcurrant sector was committed to investing in new technologies and sustainable practices.

Investing

Nearly two-thirds of growers were investing in advanced data management systems, while more than half were adopting automation and robotics. Half of the growers were implementing smart irrigation and fertilisation systems.

More than four in 10 growers were investing in renewable energy.

When it came to Government support, more than nine in 10 growers wanted more flexible funding options for research and development, while eight in 10 wanted more support in identifying and evaluating new technology which could be useful to them.

Nearly two-thirds of growers called for reforms to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and other funding streams to make them more accessible.

While last year’s survey showed half were planning on SFI applications, only a third were currently receiving it.

Multi purpose field roller

Hydraulic folding rollers for effective consolidation across the full working width. Add harrow tines, a levelling bar and seeder to create a multi-purpose, effective machine.

• SAT system - follows contours for even consolidation

• Water ballasted - increase weight to around 1 ton/m

• Chamfered roller ends - prevents damage on headland turns

• 610mm & 710mm diameter rolls

• Working width 2.9m - 8.2m

FG Ask the Expert

With an increasing focus on diversification options, Farmers Guardian put readers’ questions directly to industry experts.

Your diversification questions answered

QI would love to explore agroforestry options which can increase food security and reduce environmental impact. What are the most promising strategies?

A There has been growing discussion around agroforestry over the past couple of years and payments to support it are now available through the Sustainable Farming Incentive. Until late 2024, when the Government announced the temporary closure of Capital Grants, some additional agroforestry options were on offer under the Capital Grants scheme.

Several organisations are promoting greater integration of trees into farming systems – both at the edge of fields and in-field – so there are

lots of useful resources online. These explain the different approaches to agroforestry, the potential benefits, and offer advice on tree species choice and density.

QI am a tenant farmer – what do I need to think about and how do I deal with my landlord if I want to diversify?

AStart by reading your tenancy agreement. It is likely to say that you will need written consent from your landlord for any change of use or alterations to existing buildings, but it is worth checking the exact terms. Be mindful of the term left on your agreement and if your diversification plans can be part of a wider discussion around a longer term.

Tenants are advised to approach their landlord – or landlord’s agent – at the earliest practical opportunity to open discussions about a potential project.

Make sure you are well-prepared for this conversation, as your landlord is likely to want to see a business plan and a strategy for the project. Some landlords can be very supportive and might be willing to invest in the holding by contributing towards the cost of a new building, for example.

However, before going into any meeting, it is important to have thought about what you might be willing to offer the landlord in return for permission, as some will seek an increased rent or equivalent for their consent.

It can be helpful to get the support of a land agent when entering into these discussions, as they will have experience in negotiating the terms of any arrangements.

QI s there any Government funding available for diversification projects?

AGrant funding for diversification projects is now much thinner on the ground than it used to be. Defra is channelling most of its funding into nature-friendly farming initiatives and schemes to help boost farm productivity.

However, it is worth checking local authority websites as they sometimes have funding available for projects that boost the local economy.

The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) scheme, available to farmers in National Parks and other

protected landscapes, has been offering grants for projects which increase opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage. However, the FiPL programme is scheduled to close in March 2025, and in most areas the funding is likely to have already been allocated.

While Government funding, or any type of external funding for that matter, can be helpful when financing a project, be mindful that your autonomy can be impacted, and you can have less ability to develop a scheme or project as you see fit.

NEXT MONTH’S FG ASK THE EXPERT

NEXTmonth,thetopicwillbe improvingsoilhealth.Ifyou haveaquestion,email fgeditorial@farmersguardian.com

■ Visit farmersguardian.com/ asktheexpert for more information

Tenant farmers are advised to approach their landlord at the earliest practical opportunity about potential projects.

MARK HENTY

Senior associate director at Strutt and Parker

ANNIE HUTTON

Assistant land agent in land management at Strutt and Parker

May 24 LIFFE

futures closed on Tuesday (January 29) at £187.95/ tonne, down £2.75/t on the week.

UK STERLING WEAKNESS UNDERPINS GRAIN PRICES

CURRENCY markets are another important factor influencing commodity markets.

A weaker GBP/EUR (pound weakening against the euro) makes grain imports from the eurozone more expensive, which can push updomesticgrainpricesintheUK.

ConcernsovertheUKeconomy

facingstagflationandweaker economicgrowthweakenedtheGBP inJanuaryandhelpedsupportgrain prices.However,concernshave easedduetomorepositivecomments fromthePrimeMinisterontrading relationsbetweentheUKandUS.

All eyes will be on the Bank of England ahead of its next meeting on February 6 and whether the Prime Minister’s comments will be enough to lower rates for the first time in 2025.

Traders are currently expecting a 25 basis point rate cut, which would see rates drop to 4.5% –cautious amid the weak economic outlook.

Aside from interest rates, whether the UK gets dragged into US tariff changes will also have a bearing on currency and domestic grain prices in the coming months.

LIFFE WHEAT FUTURES

GLOBAL AN EVENTFUL WEEK FOR THE GRAINS MARKET

HOWisitthatasemi-conductorchip companyintheUScanhavesuchan influenceonworldgrainvalues?Butit didlastweek,albeitbriefly.TheNvidia chip/AI/DeepSeekstoryarrivedrather quickly,promptingasouringof sentimentincapitalmarkets,with commoditymarketsnotimmune. AftertakingaUSD$590billion(£475 billion)marketcapitalisationhitina singleday(anewrecorddailyloss),it isnotsurprisingthatfrightenedglobal

Down on the Farm

Don’t leave fertiliser decisions on the long finger

The timing and rate of the first nitrogen (N) application in the spring always sparks debate. Nonetheless, many farmers with dwindling forage stocks will be looking forward to putting stock out to grass this spring as soon as they can. But what can we do to increase the availability of grass this spring on grass farms.

The same principles apply whether its grass for grazing or silage. We know that applying a N source (as slurry or fertiliser) when soil conditions and temperatures are at 5-6oC and rising and with a favourable weather forecast will increase the supply of grass over the subsequent 6 weeks compared to holding off until later in the spring.

investors of the speculative persuasion decided to reduce their exposure to commodities at the same time, including grains. This was most noticeable either side of weekend trading.

DonaldTrumphasnotyetlaid outhisplansforhistariffregimefor ag-commodities,butwefeelitisonlya matteroftimeuntilhedoes.Lasttime inofficehestrong-armedChinainto buyingtensofbillionsofdollarsofUS agri-commodities.Anditcomplied.

South America is in the spotlight, with a lack of meaningful rainfall in Argentina contrasting with overly wet conditions in Brazil, where the soyabean harvest is now gathering pace.

Russia’swheatcropisbeingclosely monitoredasitwillsoonemergefrom dormancy.Thecroplookspoor.Crop sizematterstoglobalwheatvalues intonewcrop–thingscouldeasily getworrisomehere.

N has the effect of stimulating growth earlier than it would otherwise be. The response to this early N will be greatest for more productive ryegrass swards. The exact timing of this initial application will vary across the UK, but we would recommend 50 – 75 kg of YaraVera Amidas per ha (20 –30 kg N/ha) for this first N application this spring for grazing.

For silage, slurry is a valuable source of nutrients for 1st cut silage and often tanks have to emptied in January, but if applications can be delayed till the soil temperatures (5-6oC) and soil conditions are favourable for machinery then slurry nitrogen will be more efficiently utilised. The majority of the nutrient value in slurry, comes from its P & K content, so this should dictate where slurry is used on the farm.

Rupert Somerscales, Agri-Analytics UK

wheat

with Philip Cosgrave Agronomist, Yara UK Ltd.

James Bolesworth, CRM Agri

● Farm groups say the law marks a ‘dark day’

By Alex Black

FARMERS in South Africa have raised alarm bells after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a controversial Expropriation Bill on January 23.

The law, which replaces the predemocratic Expropriation Act of 1975, allows the country’s government to seize land in the name of ‘public interest’.

This includes not just public services, but ‘the nation’s commitment to land reform, and to reforms to bring about equitable access to all South Africa’s natural resources’.

Transvaal Agricultural Union South Africa (TLU SA) has called on ruling politicians to consider the dangerous implications of the law and repeal it immediately.

Aligns

In a statement the President said the Bill, which has undergone a five-year process of public consultation and parliamentary deliberation, aligns legislation on expropriation with the country’s constitution.

Section 25 of the South African

South African farmers fear agricultural land could be seized under the new law.

Expropriation Bill signed in South Africa

constitution recognises expropriation as an essential mechanism for the state to acquire someone’s property for a public purpose or in the public interest, subject to just and

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equitable compensation being paid.

Expropriation may not be exercised unless the expropriating authority ‘has without success attempted to reach an agreement with the owner or holder of a right in property for the acquisition thereof on reasonable terms and the authority is obliged to enter negotiations with the owner’. It must attempt to reach an agreement before resorting to expropriation.

Bennie van Zyl, manager of TLU SA, told African Farming it was a ‘dark day in South Africa’.

“This is not just an agricultural issue – it affects every citizen’s right to

property and the future of our country,” he said.

“South Africa deserves better than policies that compromise the foundation of our economy and food production. The [South African] Government presents this law as a means to achieve transformation and that it is in the public interest, but in reality it will have far-reaching, negative consequences for food security, investor confidence and economic stability.” He added references to ‘just and equitable compensation’, as well as ‘public interest’, were open to subjective interpretation, allowing for abuse.

Australian lamb sector optimistic

PRODUCER confidence in the Australian sheep sector has surged in the past year, with a majority of farmers expressing a positive outlook when surveyed in October 2024, compared to just 18% a year earlier.

According to the latest Sheep Producer Intentions Survey by Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation, the sentiment was largely driven by better prices for lamb and mutton, as well as improving seasonal conditions in key regions.

However, Tom Spencer, trainee agricultural analyst at AHDB, highlighted issues such as the cessation of live sheep exports, tough market conditions and dry seasonal weather, which continue to weigh on confidence.

“Lamb flock dynamics are also undergoing change, with prime lambs overtaking Merinos within the 27 million lambs reported on hand by producers. Prime lambs now account

for 38% of the national flock, while Merinos have fallen to 35%,” he said. The overall lamb supply for 2025 was projected to decrease slightly.

New Zealand

There was a mixed picture in New Zealand, with North Island farmers planning to increase first quarter processing by 2.4% compared to the same period last year, buoyed by favourable pasture conditions and strong early-season prices.

In contrast, South Island processing is expected to decline sharply by 22%, driven by fewer trading hoggets and slow grass growth. However, South Island numbers were expected to recover later in the season.

Farmgate prices are significantly higher than last year, reflecting tight early-season supply and a strategic shift by exporters towards higher-value markets in Europe and North America, away from a dominant reliance on China.

Farm Profile

Edited by Angela Calvert – 07768 796 492 – angela.calvert@agriconnect.com

Tenant farmers Bob Felton and Liz Wallis are committed custodians of a Sussex farm with ancient woodland, rolling hills and a 17th century farmhouse. Rebecca Dutton reports.

Combining conservation with productivity helps farm thrive

Bob Felton and Liz Wallis are passionate about the countryside and farming in a nature-friendly way. They have held the tenancy at Twyford Farm, which is on the doorstep of Ashdown Forest in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, for more than 10 years – and they have just renewed their tenancy for another 10 years.

The 89-hectare (220-acre) farm is a mix of pasture and ancient woodland with two lakes. It was gifted to the Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) in 2013 by the late Alison Mountain, who reared ponies on the land.

Liz and Bob have also recently expanded, taking on a 10-year tenancy of the CRT’s Cleavers pasture and woodland in nearby East Sussex, which they previously had on a grazing licence. The Cleavers land will make a significant difference to how they work, allowing more space for grazing.

Liz says: “The more acres you have, the less overgrazing you get, which indicates regenerative practices. It is nice to be able to have mixed grazing because sheep and cattle graze differently.”

Bob says: “The biggest challenge at Cleavers is fencing. When we first took it on, we spent a lot of money on temporary fencing, but now we have the tenancy I can apply for a fencing grant and graze more cattle there, which will ease pressure at Twyford. The idea is to put some wetlands down the bottom where

Farm facts

■ 89hectares(220acres)tenanted farmownedbytheCountryside RegenerationTrust

■ Amixofpastureandancient woodlandwithtwolakes

■ IntheHighWealdAreaof OutstandingNaturalBeauty

■ Part of the Higher Level Stewardship scheme

the stream runs to create a more diverse habitat.”

They also plan to put in herbal leys and some silviculture to give cattle shade. Bob acknowledges Twyford Farm itself is a poor piece of ground from an agricultural productivity point of view.

When they first took on the tenancy they needed to make the farm

viable, so they put it into a Higher Level Stewardship scheme.

Liz says: “This went hand-inhand with the CRT’s ethos. We have got wildflower meadows and graze traditional breeds. Instead of using fertilisers, we give the sheep a clover-rich feed, and this is cyclical as their droppings help continue to seed clover.”

holiday let allow us the privilege of farming,” says Bob.

Kerriann McLackland, CRT head of estates, says: “Bob and Liz have worked really hard to maintain and enhance the nature-friendly farming at Twyford, alongside developing their holiday business.

■ 12pedigreeBeefShorthorncows

■ 75storecattle

■ 200 ewes, which are a mix of Charollais, Poll Dorsets, Llanwenog and Cheviot crosses

■ The farmhouse has a bed and breakfast and there is also a holidaylet cottage

■ Thecouplealsohaveatenancyfor Cleavers,whichis23ha(56acres)of pastureand3ha(7acres)ofwoodland

The scheme still has a year to run and two years left in the woodland, but Bob is also applying for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Farming in Protected Landscapes schemes.

Holiday business

The couple have set up part of the farmhouse as a bed and breakfast with three luxury guest rooms, and they also have a self-catering holiday cottage called Bellflower Cottage, which was refurbished by the CRT.

“The bed and breakfast and the

“By granting them a new 10-year tenancy, the CRT is enabling them to continue this brilliant work with the secure knowledge they have a sufficient length of time to see a return and plan for the future.

“Adding Cleavers into the tenancy provides essential land for production of fodder. By housing the cattle, Bob and Liz can have enough livestock to be financially sustainable without damaging the conservation grasslands at Twyford during the wettest months of the year.”

Bob says: “Our 10-year plan is to continue with the grassland and

PICTURES: MARTIN APPS

Liz Wallis and Bob Felton.

Farm Profile Sussex

meadows, putting in more mixed herbal leys so we have got a broader spectrum of grazing. We are going to keep more breeding cows because they give a more varied grazing pattern so we get a better wildlife habitat.”

They have also obtained more ground for the sheep to graze, which is on land adjacent to Cleavers, and this has taken pressure off the farm.

Livestock

The couple, who met through farming friends more than 30 years ago, have a lifetime’s experience in livestock farming.

lambs at livestock markets thanks to plans to put in herbal leys at Cleavers. Previously, they sold the lambs as stores, as Twyford did not have the productive land to do this.

A lot of Twyford Farm is forest, which is beautiful but – as Bob says – you do not get much fattened on forest.

The couple are proud to support rare breeds and have a small flock of Rare Breeds Survival Trust amber-listed Llanwenog ewes, which are bred commercially.

Liz says: “We prefer their meat if we are going to eat one ourselves. They are the tastiest, but if you take them to market, people do not like them because they are lightweight.

Liz says: “We have 200 ewes, 50 of which are an early lambing flock, including pure-bred Charollais, which produce rams or breeding stock, and Poll Dorsets. These are two breeds that lamb out of season and produce lamb for the Easter trade.”

Bob adds: “The rest of the flock are Cheviot crosses. Eventually, we would like to market more ourselves. At the moment, the sheep trade has been so good that if you sold someone a lamb in a box you would have to charge £250, which people are reluctant to pay.”

Another challenge for plans to sell direct is the national reduction in local abattoirs, as it is getting increasingly difficult to get livestock processed.

Liz says: “There are huge queues for slaughtering – you must book a date far in advance. Our nearest abattoir is now a 45-minute drive away. There used to be one at Heathfield, which was about 25 minutes away, and it was perfect as the butcher who did the cutting was only five minutes further on, but it is much harder now.”

They now aim to sell more finished

“They are reasonably commercial as they have a high lambing percentage, but [they] do not grow bigger than a handbag. But if we put a Charollais ram on them, it is very good lamb.”

They also have two hybrid pigs, which produce bacon and sausages for guests at the bed and breakfast.

“People really like home produce,” says Liz.

“It is an added extra for the bed and breakfast. We started rearing pigs during Covid-19. We just buy weaners; we do not breed them.”

Beef Shorthorn

Bob’s pride and joy are his 12 pedigree Beef Shorthorn cows. The first one, Duchess Lynette, was a birthday present from Liz about four years ago. He now has three generations with daughter Twyford Duchess and its daughter Duchess Violet.

He says: “The males go for beef and the females we keep to expand the herd. I would like to get up to 30 cows.”

Part of the 17th century farmhouse is run as a bed and breakfast.

The couple have 75 store cattle.

Poll Dorsets are part of the early lambing flock.

A coppicing programme is run on Twyford Farm, to let in more light and stimulate growth in the ancient woodland.

It is [about] being able to replenish the natural resources without using too much artificial input, and to keep regenerating the resources

BOB FELTON

The couple have 75 store cattle –Aberdeen-Angus cross, Hereford cross and Sussex cross – which graze at nearby Buxted Park, also in the stewardship scheme.

For Bob and Liz, it is about farming in a nature-friendly way, but also being relatively commercial.

Bob says: “We have always done it that way. It is being able to replenish the natural resources without using too much artificial input, and to keep regenerating the resources that you have inherited.

“We are trying to do the conservation with a reasonable level of productivity as well as some output.”

Liz and Bob’s passion for Twyford Farm stems from its wildlife and nature, and they have put so much back into regenerating their surroundings. They run a coppicing programme in the ancient woodland to let in more light and stimulate growth. Birches have been cut

down to allow oaks, hornbeams and beeches to grow, and volunteers –who regularly visit the farm – create dead hedges.

Liz says: “We removed 17ha of invasive rhododendron ponticum and we have opened out a lot of waterways and pathways in the forest. We have changed and improved the habitat by taking out birch.”

Woodland management

To help manage the woodland, Liz and Bob work to control deer and squirrels.

“That is part of my stewardship responsibilities,” says Bob.

“We calculated there are 5,500 deer in the forest.

“One deer eats as much grass as 1.5 sheep, so that is another reason we do not produce many sheep here.

“A drone survey for Ashdown Forest found a herd of 90 right next to Cleavers. They knock fences

down. The population has exploded because it has not been controlled.”

But thanks to their hard work, Twyford Farm and its woodland is rich in biodiversity.

Last summer, 54 species of bird were recorded, including rare lesser spotted woodpeckers, goldcrest and spotted flycatcher.

“We are really pleased. Part of my stewardship scheme was to build bird boxes, and we have put up 54,” says Bob, who has also made squirrel-proof bird feeders.

“We feed 300-400kg of bird food a year.”

The volunteers took part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count, and although they did not find many due to the weather, they did spot meadow brown, ringlet and gatekeeper.

Twyford is also home to the ivyleaved bellflower, and has recorded a

huge increase in the number of milkmaids and bird’s-foot-trefoil flowers.

Twyford Farm is a retreat for Natureways Therapy, which offers workshops to inspire a sense of well-being and belonging to the natural world.

The group meets at Twyford every Monday, taking part in a therapy group and helping with conservation.

“They have been in our water garden, trimming holly back and digging out a silted-up pond, which they take great pride in,” says Liz.

“In the afternoon, they sit in the water garden and light a fire.

“It is about being outside and just sitting in nature. The water garden is something we have wanted to restore ever since we have been here, and we are delighted to have increased our educational access to include therapy classes,” she adds.

Volunteers regularly visit the farm and create dead hedges.

A Cheviot Mule ewe with lambs.

Edited by Jane Thynne – 07882 219 917 – jane.thynne@agriconnect.com

For more arable content, go to farmersguardian.com/arable-news-hub

An update on developments in UK yellow and brown rust disease populations was provided at the annual UKCPVS stakeholder meeting in Cambridge. Teresa Rush reports.

Yellow rust testing indicates no variety resistance changes

● Samples originated from 17 UK counties

A TOTAL of 68 winter wheat yellow rust samples were submitted to the United Kingdom Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS) for testing in 2024.

Samples originated from 17 counties across the UK and 25 different varieties.

Commenting on the results, NIAB plant pathologist Huw Davis said: “We did not see any major variety breakdowns, which is great.”

He added 17 of the AHDB Recommended List (RL) varieties and eight RL candidate varieties were resistant to yellow rust at the seedling stage.

Testing

“We found that 14 of the RL and 15 of the candidate varieties were susceptible to up to 16 out of 25 isolates selected at testing.

“All the RL varieties with a rating of 8 or 9 performed really well at seedling stage based on their ratings,” added Mr Davis.

Young plant ratings are generated from UKCPVS seedling data. Any variety susceptible to one

Key messages from the seedling stage trials

Yellow rust

■ Fungalpopulationsremaindiverse butnomajorvarietybreakdowns

■ HalfofRecommendedListand candidatevarietiesareresistant

■ NovirulencefoundforYr5,Yr8, Yr10andYr15

■ Highestpercentageofvirulence detectedforKWSZyatt

Brown rust

■ All varieties with one exception are susceptible

■ RGT Goldfinch (9) resistant to all 10 tested isolates at seedling stage

■ Virulence for Lr24 12% in 2022, 40% in 2023, and 10% in 2024

Source: UKCPVS

yellow rust isolate in UKCPVS tests is described as susceptible – ‘s’ – or if no isolates overcome the resistance they are described as resistant – ‘r’.

The mild, wet winter of 2023/24 was conducive for yellow rust development, said Mr Davis.

“Varieties susceptible to multiple

There were 17 AHDB Recommended List varieties resistant to yellow rust at the seedling stage.

isolates are likely to be liable to problems in the field at the young plant stage and should be a priority for monitoring,” he added.

Brown rust results reflect high disease pressure

BROWN rust sample numbers were up in 2024 compared to the previous season, with 65 samples received from 10 counties and 31 varieties. In 2023, 15 samples were received from 10 varieties in seven counties.

Commenting on the 2024 season, NIAB plant pathologist Huw Davis said: “We had quite an early [brown rust] epidemic, starting in March/ April and then we had a really high amount [of disease] in July.”

The most sampled variety was Crusoe, followed by Champion. The highest number of samples (29) was received from Lincolnshire, with 16 received from Norfolk and 11 from Cambridgeshire.

A total of 10 brown rust isolates

were tested on the full set of Recommended List (RL) and candidate varieties.

“All RL and most candidate varieties were susceptible to at least three out of the 10 isolates tested,” said Mr Davis.

Resistant

Only 2025-26 RL newcomer RGT Goldfinch (AHDB RL rating 9) was found to be resistant to all 10 isolates, while candidate variety Diamond was resistant to nine out of the 10 isolates.

SY Cheer, KWS Zyatt, Graham, KWS Solitaire, KWS Beste and Rufus were susceptible to 100% of isolates. RGT Skyfall (8) was susceptible to four isolates.

All Recommended List and most candidate varieties were susceptible to at least three out of the 10 isolates tested

HUW DAVIS

NEW SPRING-SOWN TRIALS HELPING TO VALIDATE YOUNG PLANT YELLOW RUST RATINGS

RESULTS from a pilot study looking at sowing winter wheat in spring to test young plant resistance to yellow rust have provided a useful validation of AHDB Recommended List (RL) disease ratings.

Resistance to yellow rust can operate differently depending on the growth stage of the plant.

AHDB lead crop protection scientist Dr Sacha White said: “You can get young plant or seedling resistance, and then you can also get adult plant resistance, which usually kicks in around GS55.”

What this means in practice is that a variety that is resistant at the adult stage might be susceptible at the young plant stage. Historically, the RL has provided information on adult plant resistance.

However, knowing whether a plant is susceptible or resistant at the young plant stage is important, because growers and agronomists must make decisions about spraying for yellow rust during this stage.

Growth room

The 2023-24 RL contained information on young plant resistance to yellow rust for the first time, with varieties classified as susceptible or resistant based initially on results from the United Kingdom Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey’s (UKCPVS) growth room (controlled environment) experiments.

But because the isolates used in growth room experiments are a subset of the wider population of

How to submit a leaf sample to UKCPVS for testing

THE United Kingdom Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS) uses pathogen samples (isolates) taken from diseased cereal leaf samples to check which varieties they can infect.

The tests can help detect new races of wheat and barley pathogens capable of causing disease on previously resistant cereal varieties.

The success of UKCPVS depends on infected cereal leaf samples received from the field.

To submit a sample:

■ Place leaf samples directly in a paper envelope – do not use polythene bags

■ Send sample along with a sampling sheet – the more info the better – to ‘FREEPOST UKCPVS’

MORE INFORMATION

For a copy of the sampling sheet and more details go to: niab.com/ research/agricultural-crop-research/ research-projects/uk-cerealpathogen-virulence-survey

Wheat and barley powdery mildew

■ There were no reports or unusual sightings to indicate any major changes in the wheat mildew population

■ Some susceptibility was seen in spring barley mlo varieties in Scotland in 2023, but no samples were received in 2024

isolates that might be present in the field, the performance of a variety which is classified as susceptible in the growth room might vary in the field.

For this reason, growth room experiment results are validated using data collected pre-GS55 from RL trials. If a variety has more than 5% disease, it is classified as susceptible.

In 2024, AHDB piloted a new way of validating the growth room experiments. This involved sowing winter wheat varieties in spring, so plants would be at the young plant stage when yellow rust pressure was at its highest in the field.

There were three trials – two in Cambridgeshire and one in Midlothian. Drilling dates across the trials ranged from May 10 to May 14, with disease assessments conducted between June 13 and July 4, depending on the trial.

Results from the spring-sown trials showed good correlation with those from the UKCPVS growth room experiments, said Dr White.

“Generally, where something was classified as resistant, it was getting a low level of disease. But there were exceptions, [with three] varieties found to have more than 5% disease in the field whereas they were shown to be resistant in the growth room experiments.

“This information is then assessed by our seed ratings team and also in consultation with the breeders, and then the reclassifications are made,” added Dr White.

“All the varieties retained their classification between last year [2024-25 RL] and this year [2025-26 RL], the one exception being LG Astronomer, which was classified as resistant last year, but downgraded to being susceptible at the young plant stage this year.”

>5%

If a variety has more than 5% disease in trial results, it is classified as susceptible.

The highest number of brown rust samples received was from Lincolnshire.

● Kent case not a reason to reject regenerative ag

FIRST launched in the UK in 1974, use of the cost-effective broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate has grown steadily since and today’s cropping systems rely heavily on it for economic weed control.

This reliance has led to a first case of resistance, leading weed experts and independent agronomists to encourage a reappraisal of weed management strategies to protect its efficacy in the long term.

Some months ago, the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC) Conference organisers planned a discussion session on the future of glyphosate and, at the time, the main thrust was expected to be the regulatory threat when its current GB registration expires later this year.

Fast-forward to January 10 this year, and the Weed Resistance Action Group announced that a population of Italian ryegrass in Kent had been confirmed completely resistant to glyphosate applied at a high rate of up to 1,440g active substance per hectare.

The discovery highlights the very real threat of losing glyphosate to either evolutionary pressure in weed populations and/or the possibility of greater regulatory restriction on its use (see panel, below).

Modelling its impact

David Comont, plant ecologist at Rothamsted Research, said threats to glyphosate use led to a study assessing the impact of its loss from UK cropping systems.

Carried out by Rothamsted researcher Helen Metcalfe, the project modelled a simple cereal and oilseed rotation across 10 growing seasons, estimating weed abundance, crop yields, total food production and profitability.

The model included glyphosate pre-drilling, as well as the pre- and post- emergence herbicides available in each crop.

The identification of glyphosate resistance and its implications for the sector were key talking points at the Association of Independent Crop Consultants annual technical conference. Farmers Guardian reports.

Glyphosate resistance: A turning point for weed management?

It was then possible to run thousands of simulations with different weed communities and in different weather scenarios to get a ‘businessas-usual’ baseline. The model was then rerun without glyphosate to quantify the impact, and also with a range of cultural practices to evaluate their usefulness in mitigating its loss.

These included increasing the frequency of grass leys and spring crop-

Evidencing responsible use of glyphosate

ALL the buzz surrounding glyphosate has been about resistance in recent days, but there is still a question mark over its future as we approach the end of its current UK approval.

While concerns were raised following the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s findings that glyphosate was ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’, researchers and regulators around the world have deemed it to be very safe and late in 2023, the EU system approved its use for another decade.

However, with expensive

litigations still rumbling in the US, and plenty of media interest in the subject, Bayer corporate engagement leader Mark Buckingham said the substance’s future was not assured.

Evidencing responsible use to MPs and with the general public on social media to counter misinformation by activists will also be important ahead of any public consultation.

He added: “We need to talk about it here in Britain; we need to be sure that when that regulatory review comes, we have got the word out the best we can.”

Resistance management strategies are always most effective when we start to impose them early

DAVID COMONT

ping in the rotation, delaying drilling of winter crops and finally, substituting ploughing for glyphosate use.

Poorer control

The only scenario that achieved total weed control was when glyphosate was included. The one other practice that stood out in helping reduce

overall weed burden in the absence of glyphosate was ploughing.

In some years, the simulations showed very large weed outbreaks threatening crop viability and, aside from glyphosate use, the only scenarios which prevented them were where the plough was used.

The simulations’ projected yields were generally lower where glyphosate was not used, although this varied considerably between crops, largely driven by availability of pre- and post-emergence herbicide options.

Overall food production and profitability across the 10-year rotation without glyphosate decreased, but not by as much as expected.

Dr Comont added: “We are still producing food and we are still making a profit in these systems where we have a higher abundance of weeds, but quite clearly nothing is performing better than the ‘business as usual’ system.”

The study also scrutinised the trade-offs of deploying alternative practices instead of glyphosate, with increased frequency of grass

John Cussans stressed the need for a balance between catastrophising and dismissing a confirmed case.

AICC technical conference glyphosate session – key points

■ Concern about use in regenerative systems due to increased selection pressure

■ Monitoring performance is critical, particularly in reduced or zero tillage systems

■ Farms should adopt a range of weed control methods and avoid over-reliance on glyphosate

■ The future of glyphosate remains–proactivecommunication about responsible use is needed

leys providing competition for weeds and with correct management depleting seedbanks.

However, there was an obvious dip in food production and profitability where a proportion of cash crops were taken out of the rotation.

The effectiveness of delayed drilling fell without glyphosate to create a stale seedbed, and when combined with the increased risk of potential crop failures in a poor autumn, it becomes a much less attractive weed control measure.

Spring crops in the absence of glyphosate still help reduce the number of pernicious weeds and they also provide an environmental benefit by allowing over-winter stubbles or cover crops to provide food and habitat for farmland birds.

Trade-off

However, increased pesticide leaching and ecotoxicity profiles of some of the herbicides commonly used in spring crops were an unsavoury trade-off.

Finally, ploughing was clearly beneficial for weed control in a glyphosatefree scenario, burying weed seeds, reducing their viability over time and physically destroying weed seedlings.

“But of course, we know there are trade-offs with using these types of tillage practices, which disrupt soil structure, soil biodiversity and change the greenhouse gas fluxes from the soil.

“All these strategies can be important for weed control, but there are a range of positive and negative consequences that need to be borne in mind,” Dr Comont added.

So, what messages should farmers and agronomists take from the Rothamsted work?

egies are always most effective and financially viable when we start to impose them early before we see any issues in the field,” he added.

Many questions are being asked about the role of regenerative systems, which look to disturb as little soil as possible before and at drilling, in the development of resistance to glyphosate.

The selection pressure on glyphosate has been dramatically increased on a landscape scale as systems have moved to less tillage, with multiple applications used to destroy cover crops and clean up weeds pre-drilling.

Regenerative naysayers may see the discovery of resistance as a ‘I told you so’ moment, but Dr Comont said it was important to avoid any polarisation of the debate around glyphosate and its role in sustainable cropping systems.

Whether through regulation or resistance, the AICC Conference needed to tackle glyphosate’s potential future absence.

He added that meeting in the middle was the way forward, whereby some cultivation is added to a system, reducing the total reliance on glyphosate for total weed control.

John Cussans, weed science principal consultant at ADAS, agreed and added that the resistance case in Kent was not necessarily a reason to reject regenerative agriculture. However, due to the high-risk pattern of use where little or no cultivation is used, an almost obsessive level of vigilance is required for monitoring glyphosate performance.

Mechanical weeding

Where Italian ryegrass proliferates, Mr Cussans advised mechanical weeding at some level.

He said: “The question we want people to ask themselves is: What is the minimum level of cultivation

needed for their system to be sustainable? Does it include more cultivation, even ploughing, not in every single crop, but in some?”

He was also keen to stress that there needed to be a balance between catastrophising and dismissing the confirmed glyphosate resistance as a one-off problem.

On mainland Europe, the first case of glyphosate resistance in Italian ryegrass was discovered in 2006 and there are still only three confirmed resistant populations today.

Mr Cussans said: “If you look to that as an indication of where this will go, we do not expect a massive increase and it being widespread and common.

“Nevertheless, that is not a reason for complacency and we must have a high level of focus on [resistance] management.”

INDEPENDENT AGRONOMISTS ON GLYPHOSATE RESISTANCE

SEAN SPARLING, SAS AGRONOMY/AICC, LINCOLNSHIRE

■ After 50 years of use, Sean Sparling said sub-optimal application of glyphosate is a key cause of resistance and users must sharpen up practices to protect the effective life of what he described as ‘the most important tool in the box’.

The very low cost and almost bulletproof reliability of

glyphosate has arguably fostered a blase attitude, he said, with sprays applied when conditions were not right for other plant protection inputs.

Mr Sparling said: “The simplest possible message I could give farmers now is to treat glyphosate like you would a flag leaf fungicide spray [in winter wheat]. It might not be costing you as much, but it probably gives you a greater benefit.

by factors other than resistance and it will prompt greater vigilance and use of monitoring services, like the one set up by ADAS and Bayer for spring 2025.

Mr Wheeler said the resistance case does cause concern when considering glyphosate’s role in low- or no-till systems.

It was primarily motivated by the potential for legislative loss, but is equally applicable to reduced efficacy from herbicide resistance in key species such as Italian ryegrass.

Dr Comont said the modelling emphasises the urgent need for a diverse range of strategies in a future with or without glyphosate following the discovery in Kent.

“Resistance management strat-

“If resistance evolves and glyphosate is lost because it is not treated with respect, you might not have a flag leaf to treat anyway.”

LUKE WHEELER, SENIOR AGRONOMIST AT INDIGRO/ AICC, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

■ Seed testing by researchers over recent years has found variable glyphosate performance between populations of a handful of grassweed species, Luke Wheeler said. Until now it could be explained

However, he added that even in plough-based systems with tough grass-weed populations, growers rely heavily on glyphosate ahead of drilling winter or spring crops.

“Yes, it is certainly more of a worry for regen systems, but it is a concern for everyone and is something we need to face up to together,” he said.

“We can manage the issue by following the Weed Resistance Action Group guidelines and a key message is to use good glyphosate products responsibly at the right rate, the right time and in the right conditions.”

Edited by Angela Calvert – 07768 796 492

more sales content, go to

Woodies flock to £6,700 high

l Beltex sell to £3,000 for shearling gimmer

BADGER Face Texels topped the online sale of pedigree sheep from Stuart Wood’s Woodies flock, Skene, when selling to £6,700 for Woodies Earwig, a shearling gimmer by an imported sire.

It sold carrying a single to Woodies All Muscle to Messrs Roberts, Shrewsbury.

Next, at £2,700, was its dam, a Duhonw-bred ewe by Sunnybank Attack out of Whatmore Beeswax and in-lamb with twins to Ardstewart Fireball which had been bought as a ewe lamb from the Duhonw flock for a breed record of 11,000gns.

Suckler cows in demand at dispersal sale

THE dispersal of the commercial suckler herd on behalf of Apley Estate near Shifnal, Shropshire, saw 156 in-calf cows average £1,913.52, two cows and calves average £2,325 and four stock bulls averaged £3,800.

An eight-year-old black Limousin cross cow sold for £3,200. A sevenyear-old red Limousin cow was next at £2,900, an eight-year-old British Blue cross cow achieved £2,700, four-year-old Simmentals sold to £2,620, and Charolais to £2,480. Aberdeen- Angus cows topped at £2,200, while Hereford cows peaked at £2,150.

In-calf cows

Overall, 66 in-calf cows sold for more than £2,000.

The stock bulls peaked at £4,400 for the 2020-born Tanat Valley Picasso, while a home-bred 2019-born British Blue cross achieved £3,800. Auctioneers: Halls.

The buyer was Messrs Morrison, Girvan.

Beltex sold to £3,000 for Woodies Jet Lag, a shearling gimmer by Borderesk Finders Keepers out of Woodies Groovy Chicken, in-lamb with twins to Mellor Vale King Kong, which went to Boden and Davies, Stockport.

Woodies Jessy Peeps, a shearling gimmer by the same sire out of

Woodies Earwig, a Badger Face Texel gimmer, from Stuart Wood, which sold for £6,700 to Messrs Roberts, Shrewsbury.

Buckles Babybel carrying twins to Woodies Kick Boxer made £2,000 to Messrs Murray, Canobie.

Ewe

A Sams bred ewe by Sams Donatello carrying twins to Saltire Blue Ferocious led the Blue Texels at £1,900. It sold to Messrs Millar, Lockerbie, who also paid £1,700 for Saltire Blue Faith, a ewe by Caryl’s Blue

Captain carrying twins to Matt’s Quarry View Hank.

Dutch Texels topped at 900gns for a ewe by Thacka Cruyff, inlamb with a single to Woodies Dark Destroyer which went to Messrs McDowell, Leicester.

AVERAGES

Badger Face Texels – 10 ewes, £1,115; 3 shearling gimmers, £3,400; 9 implanted pregnancies, £728; 9 ewe hoggs, £1,361; Beltex - 6 ewes, £1,125; 6 shearling gimmers, £1,525; 7 implanted pregnancies, £1,071; 7 ewe hoggs, £891; Blue Texels - 5 ewes, £1,225; 5 shearling gimmers, £700; 2 implanted pregnancies, £1,300; 7 ewe hoggs, £769; MV-accredited recipient ewe hoggs £240/head; Dutch Texels - 5 ewes, £710; 2 implants, £775; 1 unregistered, £750; 6 ewe hoggs, £558.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.

Texel leads at Lanark Limelights

THERE was a 100% clearance at the Lanark Limelights online sale of Bluefaced Leicester, Beltex and Texel females which topped at 3,000gns.

The sale leader was a Texel gimmer by Cherrylea Fireball out of a Plasucha Charmer daughter from S. McNeilly, Ballyclare. It sold, due with triplets early March to the home-bred sire Drumadowney Hugo to K. Gallen, Lismulladuff.

Topping the Bluefaced Leicester section at 2,900gns was J. Wight and Sons, Midlock, with an in-lamb gimmer carrying twins by Steel T3. The daughter of Hewgill R2 sold to W.P. Sutcliffe, Cragg Hill, North Yorkshire.

Bluefaced Leicester

Messrs Wight also topped the Bluefaced Leicester ewe hoggs at 1,800gns with a daughter of Midlock S50 which is a full sister to

£40,000 Midlock Commander. The buyer was H. Forbes, Perth. Texel embryos by Holtridge Golden Arrow from Mike Turner’s Okehall flock, Leek, topped at 900gns three times.

AVERAGES

31 head overall, £1,030.02; 5 Texel

A Texel gimmer from S. McNeilly, Ballyclare, which sold for 3,000gns to K. Gallen, Lismulladuff.

gimmers, £1,680; 3 Texel ewe hoggs, £581; 8 Texel embryos, £833.44; 2 Beltex aged ewes, £283.50; 3 Beltex gimmers, £315; 2 Bluefaced Leicester aged ewes, £1,155; 4 Bluefaced Leicester gimmers, £1,693.13; 4 Bluefaced Leicester ewe hoggs, £1,131.38.

Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington.

Flying calf trade at Winter Blues show at Bentham

THE sale of 118 calves at Bentham included the Winter Blues show judged by Richard Umpleby, Killinghall, who gave the champion rosette to Trevor Hodgson, Dent, with his bull which he went on to buy for £695.

The best of the 29 British Blue bulls were all £600 plus, topping at £700

for John Lawson, Barnfield, with a bull just too old for the show.

The 23 British Blue heifers topped at £680 for a six-month-old weanling from Martin Park, Ellel, with two calves from Steven Wright, Roeburndale, making £600 and £560.

Dave Harrison sold a Charolais bull

at £610. Aberdeen-Angus sold to £705 for bulls from Messrs Park, with the strongest of the milk calves all in the £500s.

Heifers sold to £500, with the best £370-£425 and the babies either side of £300.

Dairy bulls topped at £680 for a

Fleckvieh from Steve and Craig Hodgson, Tottlebank. Montbelliardes sold to £365 and £355 for G.M. and A.M. Wilson, Cartmel, while the black and white bulls sold to £210 for Andrew and Ruth Dawson, Quernmore.

Auctioneers: Richard Turner and Son.

Bluefaced Leicester sets new female record

● Rough Fells sell to 900gns high at J36

SETTING a new Bluefaced Leicester female centre record of 12,000gns at the Diamond Delights show and sale of pedigree sheep at J36 was a ewe hogg by B041 Hewgill from John Lord’s Hewgill flock, North Stainmore. It sold to Robbie Hallam, High Birkwith.

The pre-sale show champion was the winning gimmer hogg by S001 Skeughdale from W.M. Hutchinson and Sons, Redgate, which went on to make 6,000gns to Ian Craig, Eastgate. The second prize gimmer hogg from Robin Booth, Smearsett, made 5,200gns to the judge, Adam Lawson, Hundith.

J. Wight and Sons, Midlock, took both first and second in the gimmer shearling class, with the reserve champion making 2,800gns to W. and P. Walton, Low Kinmont.

The winning ewe from J.C. and E. Pedley, Sedbergh, made 1,100gns to David Harker, Overthwaite.

Rough Fells

The sale of in-lamb ewes and hoggs on behalf of the Rough Fell Sheep Breeders’ Association peaked at 900gns for a shearling by a Catholes sire carrying twins to Ellergill Gladiator from M.P. and A. Capstick, High Lane. It headed home with J.E. Harding, Caernarfon.

Next, at 850gns, was a shearling by High Cark Fred and in-lamb to

High Roans Firework from T.L.B. and J. Knowles, High Borrow Bridge, which sold to E.J. and L.E. Williams, High Peak.

In-lamb ewes peaked at 450gns for P. and S. Hoggarth, Birk Haw, and gimmer hoggs reached 300gns for S. and A. Bland, Cotegill.

Bluefaced Leicester ewe hogg, from John Lord, North Stainmore, which sold for 12,000gns to Robbie Hallam, High Birkwith.

Store cattle top £2,500 at Lancaster

THE sale of store cattle at Lancaster topped at £2,500 four times, with 40 cattle breaking the £2,000 barrier.

First at £2,500 was a pen of three dairy-bred British Blue cross bullocks from J. Lamb, Glasson. Then, K. and D.E. Woodhouse, Ellel, sold a British Blue cross at the same price, an Aberdeen-Angus cross bullock at £2,480 and a pair of Aberdeen-Angus crosses to £2,420.

Also at £2,420 was a Limousin bullock from P.M. and S.T. Entwistle, Abbeystead, who sold others to £2,380.

Bullocks

Black and white bullocks saw a pen of four from T.H. Wensley and Son, Kirkham, reach £1,620, with bullocks averaging £1,824.50 overall.

Heifers sold to £2,180/head for a trio of Aberdeen-Angus crosses from Messrs Woodhouse.

Rough Fell shearling, from M.P. and A. Capstick, High Lane, which sold for 900gns to J.E. Harding, Caernarfon.

Dutch Spotted sheep topped at 900gns for an in-lamb shearling from Messrs Morton, Penrith, who also sold another two at 800gns/ head, with Messrs Steen, Coxhill, also making 800gns.

Shearlings

Texel shearlings sold to 600gns for James Sanderson, Halton. Charollais topped at 500gns for an in-lamb shearling from R.J. and J. Towers, Ingleton.

Charmoise sold to 550gns, then

At £2,000 was a Limousin from Pilling Hall, Pilling, and £1,980 was achieved four times by T.J. Robinson, Milnthorpe, R. Capstick, Ingleton, and a pair from A. and M.I. Robinson, Orton.

Charolais heifers sold to £1,960 for a pen of four from M.J. Waller, Lupton, with heifers averaging £1,725.81 overall.

Auctioneers: North West Auctions.

500gns three times for M. Mactaggart, Greendale.

Dutch Spotted hoggs topped at 550gns twice for Messrs Dixon, Grayrigg Foot. Cheviot in-lamb ewes sold to 400gns for K.O. Stones, Nun Cote.

Commercial in-lamb ewes topped at £235 for two-crop ewes scanned with twins from A.K. Robinson, Clapham, with three-crop ewes from this home at £218.

Auctioneers: North West Auctions.

AT Pateley Bridge’s show and sale, store cattle were judged by Nick Dalby, Darley, who gave the championship to a Limousin heifer from J.W. Stockdale and Son, Burnsall, which later sold for £2,300, the top price of the day, to Messrs Tindale, Durham. Top price steers were two Limousins at £2,240/head from M. Ryder and Sons, Haverah Park.

Winning steer

The winning steer was a British Blue from A. Newbould and Son, Dallowgill, which sold for £2,200, with the second prize winner from E. and

A.M. Simpson, Heathfield, at the same money.

The second prize-winning heifer from J.A.S. Church, Lofthouse, sold for £2,240.

In the over-30-month section, top price cow per head at £1,872.65 was a Limousin from J.H. and J.A. Graham and Sons, Lofthouse. Top price cow per kilo at 339.5p was a Limousin from J. and C. Swales, Ripley.

AVERAGES

Steers, £1,709.19; heifers, £1,572. Auctioneers: Barnard Castle and Teesdale Farmers Auction Mart Co.

Market Drayton dairies

AT Market Drayton’s dairy sale, Shutt and Mansell, Flashbrook, topped both sections for the second week running. Its fresh heifers sold at £3,400 and £3,280, with a second calver at £3,320 and a third calver at £3,000.

Heavy milking young cows were in demand, with others at £3,150 and £2,820 for second calvers from J.E. Milner, Stoke-on-Trent. Wilkinson Brothers, Northwich, sold a fourth calver at £2,580, Grosvenor Farms, Chester, sold second calvers

to £3,400

at £2,520 and £2,400, and J. Lomax and Son, Baldwins Gate, sold a fourth calver at £2,400.

Stock bull

In-calf heifers sold to £2,000 and heifer calves to £220. A 22-month-old Hereford stock bull made £2,020.

AVERAGES

14 fresh cows, £2,364; 32 fresh heifers, £2,010.

Auctioneers: Gwilym Richards with Market Drayton Market.

PICTURES: WAYNE HUTCHINSON

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GENUINE DISPERSAL SALE

STANFORD

PARK BEEF SHORTHORNS

(incorporating draft sale from the Longfield Herd)

136 HEAD

56 Pedigree Cows In Calf or with Calves

10 Pedigree In Calf Heifers

16 Pedigree Bulling Heifers

30 Pedigree Maiden Heifers (2024)

3 Pedigree Stock Bulls

20 Pedigree Bull Calves (2024) Embryos & Semen

Together with Tractors, Telehandlers, Pick Up, Machinery & Cattle

Equipment

(Separate Catalogue – See Machinery Advert)

SATURDAY 8th FEBRUARY

Machinery at 10.00am, Cattle at 11.30am

STANFORD PARK FARM, PARK LANE, STANFORD IN THE VALE, FARINGDON, OXON, SN7 8PF

Catalogues for both sections Tel: 01905 769770

Farm Manager Simon Bradley Farmer Tel: 07739 035667

For any enquiries contact

Dafydd Davies - 07506 083590 | dafydd@farmersmarts.co.uk

Dylan Davies - 07979 156650 | dylan@farmersmarts.co.uk

5th of February 2025 Timed Internet Auction of

- Online Catalogue availablefarmersmarts.auctionmarts.com

- Bidding to start on Monday 3rd of February 2025

- Bidding closes 5th of February 2025

PRODUCE AUCTION.

Approx 5,000 Tonnes on Farms and Estates in the Central Midland Counties.

To include a comprehensive selection of HAY, STRAW, HAYLAGE & SILAGE in all sizes, easily accessible to towns in the midlands including: Atherstone, Bicester, Coventry, Henley-in-Arden, Husbands Bosworth, Lutterworth, Market Harborough, Northampton, Nuneaton, Rugby, Rugeley, Southam, Solihull, Towcester and Warwick.

Together with:

400 Tonnes Maize Silage at Henley-in-Arden (Dry Matter: 256, D Value: 60, ME: 9.9, Protein: 95, Starch: 354), 400 Tonnes Maize Silage at Church Lawford, Rugby (Dry Matter: 298, D Value: 66, ME: 10.8, Protein: 68, Starch: 326), 100 Tonnes Maize Silage at Marston, Sutton Coldfield (Dry Matter: 41.86, D Value: 73.62, Protein: 7.92, Starch: 38.54).

Also included: Hay, Straw & Fodder Beet for delivery. TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION ON Tuesday 11th February 2025 at 2.30pm.

Lutterworth Rugby Football Club, Ashby Lane, Bitteswell, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 4LW (3 Miles from Junction 20 of the M1 Motorway)

What3words: ///facelift.testing.prevented

MART Tel: 01524 63308 J36 RURAL AUCTION CENTRE Tel: 015395 66200 Every Monday: 10am PRIME HOGGS & CAST SHEEP

Every Friday: 10:15am 150 CAST / OTM CATTLE 10:15am 100 REARING CALVES & WEANLINGS 11:15am 300 STORE CATTLE

Every Tuesday: 1pm PRIME HOGGS & CAST SHEEP –Thursday 6th February 10:15am WEANLINGS & STIRKS 10:30am CAST/OTM 11:15am STORE CATTLE 11:30am REARING CALVES

To inc: the 5th annual production sale of 25 Sim Luing bulling heifers on behalf of Low Moor Howe Farm Ltd. (High Health Status)

To inc: Flock reduction on behalf of RI Dixon, Low Newton Followed by 3000 STORE HOGGS

FGBuyandSell.com

Monday 3rd February

SALE OF CALVES Sale 10.30am

Entries & Enquiries to Kyle PRIME, CAST & FEEDING CATTLE

Sale 11.30am (TB exempt section available) MONTHLY SHOW & SALE OF PRIME HOGGS Sale 12.30pm followed by CAST EWES, RAMS & GOATS

DAIRY CATTLE

Fortnightly Show & Sale of 38 IN MILK & IN CALF DAIRY CATTLE

Comprising 12 fresh calved heifers & 2

6 March/April calving heifers in calf to named Angus from P & J Bolland & A & J Clay Sale 12noon

Wednesday 5th February

100 YOUNG BULLS Sale 10.00am followed by 30 BEEF FEEDING COWS, 375 STORE BULLOCKS & HEIFERS & 5 BREEDING CATTLE

Saturday 8th February

SKIPTON MACHINERY SALE

MACHINERY LINES, VEHICLES, TRACTORS & PLANT EQUIPMENT, RECLAMATION & SALVAGE, STONE, TIMBER & BUILDERS SECTION

Inc Special Section of LAMBING TIME EQUIPMENT

Also consignment of sheep handling & feeding equipment from 1 farm

Visit ccm website for list of entries

Delivery is Strictly Thursday 6th February Entries for advertising by Monday 3rd February

STIRKS, WEANED & SUCKLED CALVES, BREEDING & CULL GOATS & SHEEP

Inc Special Section for In Kid Goats (Entries close Monday 3rd February)

Wednesday 12th February

Sale of STORE HOGGS & BREEDING SHEEP

(Entries close Monday 3rd February)

Wednesday 19th February

CRAVEN CHAMPIONS

Annual Show & Sale of Store Cattle with Show Potential Alongside Fortnightly STORE CATTLE SALE

HAWES, NORTH YORKSHIRE, DL8 3NP

01969 667207

www.hawesmart.co.uk

Tuesday 4th February 10am

2000 Prime Lambs

400 Cast Ewes & Rams

Tuesday 11th February

Show & Sale of Pens of 5 Swaledale Prime Hoggs Show at 9am, Sale at 10am

Tuesday 18th February

Young Handlers Show & Sale of Prime Hoggs Kindly Sponsored by M Hare, Lane End Farm Shop, Tong Show at 8:30am, Sale at 10am

Tuesday 25th February

Spring Sale of Machinery & Implements

Saturday 8th March

Spring Show & Sale of Store Cattle, Beef Breeding Cattle & Cull Cows

Catalogue Closes Tuesday 25th February Ian Atkinson 07957 256337 Kenton Foster 07711 469280.

x CLITHEROE AUCTION MART

Tuesday 4th February 12.30pm - Prime Hoggs & Cull Ewes

Thursday 6th February

CATTLE +

STIRKS

& SALE SHOW & SALE OF RARE & TRADITIONAL INLAMB EWES

12.30pm

Sale of Young Bulls, Store Heifers & Steers. Rearing calves 12 noon Included Genuine Small Herd of 12 Limousin Cows Run with Limousin Bull, 2 Limousin Stirks 6 months & Pedigree Limousin Bull, also 20 Heifers 12-18 months for a From 1 farm.

Saturday 8th February 11am Breed Society Sale consisting of Derbyshire Gritstone, Whitefaced Woodlands, North Country Cheviots, Lonks, Goats & Commercial In Lamb ewes, Entries accepted on the day

Thurs 20th – Sat 22nd February - Intake of Items from Tues 4th FebThurs 13th Feb.

BORDERWAY MART, CARLISLE

Tel: 01228 406200

Special spring sale of STRONG STORE CATTLE

Wednesday 5th February – 10.00am YOUNG CALVES – 10.00am

WEANERS & YOUNG BULLS – 12.00noon

Including Feb-BULL-ary show and sale of bulls

BORDERWAY MONTHLY DAIRY DAY

Thursday 6th February 2025 - 10.30am please follow us on facebook to view animals prior to the sale

Comprising: 187 freshly calved cows/heifers - 10 dry cows - 50 In-calf heifers - 20 bulling heifers

Breeds represented include Holstein Friesian, British Friesian, Jersey & Ayrshire

FRESHLY CALVED ANIMALS we have an outstanding consignment of freshly calved cows and heifers all producing large volumes of milk from many of the region’s top dairy farms LARGE CONSIGNMENTS Other consignments of freshly calved animals include DYKEHEAD (20) KIRTLEBANK (11) GUILLYHILL (10)

QUEENSCAIRN SALE 30 super young cows and heifers all recently calved sell from this top herd. The cows are all sired by the BEST BRITISH FRIESIAN sires in the breed and are bred from high production Holstein dams many with production records over 11000kgs. This is an organic herd with a high herd health status.

JERSEY SALE The well known Ingleston Jersey herd owned by the Rome family from Dumfries are selling 18 Jerseys. Comprising 12 freshly calved cows & heifers & 6 In Calf heifers due soon to sexed Joiner. The freshly calved cows are all producing large volumes of milk and are sired by Rockwell. The herd averages 6700kgs at 6.1% bf 4.5%p

DRY COWS 10 dry cows sell due in March & April IN CALF HEIFERS a special consignment of 20 In Calf heifers are forward from the McColm family from Stranraer all due in March.

Please Order Your Catalogue Today or connect with someone from the sale staff

SALE OF POULTRY & WATERFOWL

Saturday 8th February – 10.00am

Sale of 846 lots of poultry, waterfowl and 28 caged birds.

Also 114 lots of hatching eggs and 77 lots of poultry equipment Catalogues can be viewed online

PEDIGREE LIMOUSIN CATTLE

Show – Friday 14th February – 11.00am

Sale Saturday 15th February – 10.30am 15 females followed by 169 bulls

Show and sale of PEDIGREE HOLSTEIN CATTLE

Thursday 20th February

Entries close Wednesday 5th February

ONLINE SALES

SALE OF MACHINERY, IMPLEMENTS

& HEAVY PLANT items

Sale bidding starts 10.00am Wednesday 5th February

Finishing from 10.00am Thursday 6th January

To include dispersal from Far Town

H W NETHERTON BULL SALE

Bidding opens 3pm Thursday 6th February

finishing from 3pm Saturday 8th February

Comprising 30 summer born Aberdeen Angus bulls

KIRKBY STEPHEN MART

Tel: 01768 371385

410 STORE CATTLE

50-60 Cast/feeding cows & OTM cattle

Also Special spring sale of

20 BEEF BREEDING CATTLE

Monday 3rd February

Judging 8.45am Sale 9.30am

LAZONBY MART

Tel: 01768 898313

850 IN-LAMB SWALEDALE SHEEP

Saturday 8th February – 10.30am

Stock Dispersal of the KURBURN inlamb Swaledale flock.

On behalf of Messrs C Purdham.

Including 670 ewes from shearlings to aged scanned 170% to including 150 inlamb to Pedigree Swaledale ram also 140 Swaledale hoggs Enzo, Brovoxin system, Scab dipped.

LOCKERBIE MART

Tel: 01576 202332

Show and sale of

131 NORTH COUNTRY CHEVIOT INLAMB FEMALES

Saturday 8th February

Show 10.00m Sale 11.00am

MIDDLETON MART

Tel: 01833 640281

Special prize show and sale of STORE & BREEDING CATTLE

Tuesday 11th February

(Young handlers summering competition sale) Entries close 10am Monday 3rd February

SATURDAY 15TH MARCH

Livestock entries and Trade Stand applications close Friday 6th February

borderwaydairyexpo.uk

Penrith Auction Mart 01768 864700

Wednesday 5th February

8am- Cast Ewes and Rams followed at 10.30am Prime Hoggs (Hogg Ballot at 10.30am)

Monday 10th February

Sale of Store Cattle and Feeding Bulls of all classes

Entries close noon Monday 3rd February

Monday 10th February

Fortnightly Sale of Store Hoggs

Entries close noon Monday 3rd February

Friday 14th February

Sale of in lamb Breeding Sheep and Geld Gimmer Hoggs

Entries close noon Friday 7th February

Friday 7th February

Small Tools 9.00am

Large Machinery 9.30am

Collective Sale of over 1500 lots of Tractors, Plant, Implements, Livestock Equipment & Small Tools Tractors and Vehicles – Ford 7610 2WD; John Deere 6930 (2010); John Deere 6430 4WD (2009/10,800hrs); John Deere 6330 (2012/10,300hrs); John Deere 6330 4WD (2009/3,880hrs); John Deere 6140R (2013); John Deere 2650 4WD; John Deere 6330 Premium (2007/6800hrs); MF3065 plus loader; Massey Tractor 4wd & Loader Compact; New Holland T7-200 Tractor (2023); New Holland 6635 4WD c/w Quickie Loader Hi/Low Splitter; Kubota M125GX III tractor (67 reg./4,200hrs); Kubota 9960 4wd 2 spools; Deutz Fahr M620 Agrotron (58 reg./10,595hrs); Deutz Agrotron 150; Massey Ferguson 6190; Case JXO105 + MX loader; Case International 956 (F reg./9,700hrs); Case JX60 (2005/5000hrs); Chilton MX255 power loader with brackets; Zetor 7441 4wd c.w Quick Loader; Solis 26HST 4WD Compact Tractor (2024/68hrs) on industrial tyres; Kioti CK2810 HST 4WD Compact Tractor (2021/631hrs) on Turf Tyres; McCormick MC115 (2008); Kawasaki KLF 300; Honda Foreman 520 (2019); Honda Foreman 400 4WD (2004); Honda Foreman 400 4WD (1998); CF Moto 450 (69 reg.); Suzuki King Quad; Suzuki 500 XP ATV; Kubota RTV900 4WD; Kubota RTV 1100 4WD; Honda TRX 500 FM6; Honda TRX 520 Electroshift transmission; Honda TRX 420 FMI Manual Shift transmission; Kawasaki Mule 3010 Full Cab with doors, Diesel; John Deere 5100R Plus Loader; MF 5445 Plus Loader; Ford 7610 2WD Tractor; Case MX Loader Tractor; Massey Ferguson 35 Tractor Deutz Fahr Tractor; New Holland T7030 Tractor Plant – Manitou MLT 634-120 telehandler; Doosan DX85R-3 c/w 600mm Tracks & 900mm Bucket Hyd Hitch; JCB403 with pallet forks and bucket; JCB loadall; JCB Teletruck; JCB 531-70 Super, 8195 hrs; JCB 5265 Telescopic; JCB Super Digger; JCB 802 Digger (1500hrs); JD 6320 c/w JD Loader; John Deere 3220 Telescopic; Massey Ferguson 860 4WD Digger (68 reg.); Takeuchi TB135 Digger (c/w 3 buckets & grab); Hyundai Robex 25Z-9A Digger; CAT 301.6 Digger (2022)

Further entries including Implements and Livestock Equipment can be viewed on line. Follow us on Facebook to see catalogue updates on the week commencing the sale

CLAIMING DATE

Saturday 8th March 2025

On Farm Sale on behalf of Messrs J Ellwood & Partners, Howrigg, Blencarn, Penrith

This sale will offer a selection of Clean Genuine Tractors and Machinery plus further lots of Livestock Equipment and Small Tools

Full inventory to follow in due course including pictures and videos

WEEKLY SALES

PRIME SHEEP

Every Thursday at Thrapston

STORE & BREEDING SHEEP & CATTLE, CALVES, PIGS & GOATS

Every Saturday at Thrapston

Thrapston Livestock Market

Saturday 1st February – 9.30am

Smallholders Sale

To include: Poultry, Goats, Pigs & Sundries

All Poultry must be pre-booked prior to the Sale. No late entries will be accepted.

Saturday 8th February – 12 noon

500 Lots of Pet Food & Sundries

Saturday 22nd February – 1pm

A Collective Sale of 700+ Lots of Horse Tack & Sundries

To include entries of Horses & Ponies

Thrapston Collective Machinery Sale

Friday 28th February

Thrapston Collective Machinery Sale

Entries close Tuesday 18th February

To include: Tractors, Vehicles, Trailers, Machinery, Miscellaneous, Online Bidding will be available for the Vehicles & Machinery

For further information contact:

Alastair Brown: 07885 804450 Jake Wagstaff: 07487 526803 01832 732241 or visit the website for weekly listings of sale entries

Arms Auction Mart Claughton On Brock, Preston PR3 0PH 01995 640280 www.garstangmart.co.uk Auctioneer: Tom Greenow 07572 249983

Tuesday 4th February, 2025

9.00 a.m 1000 Prime Hoggs & Cast Sheep

10.30 a.m. Sale of 100 Store Cattle

11.30 a.m. 60/80 Rearing Calves, Weanlings & Stirks

Wednesday 5th February, 2025

10.30 a.m. Sale of Cast Cows & OTM Cattle Friday 21st February, 2025 - 11.00 a.m.

Dispersal Sale of 75 in-milk cows and heifers from R & A Batterbee, Goosnargh

To be removed for convenience of sale to Brock Auction

Saturday 15th March, 2025

“Best of British”

Sale of Ped Native Bred Cattle

Entries for Catalogue close Wed 19th Feb

Saturday 22nd March, 2025

On Farm Dispersal Sale of Machinery & Implements

On Behalf of R Jones, Sandvilla

Saturday 12th April, 2025

Spring Machinery Sale

When you’re looking for an easy-care breed that delivers consistently high-quality beef from a low input, sustainable system…

And gives you access to one of the best paying beef schemes in the country…

Beef Shorthorn Delivers

SHOW, SUN 2 FEB 12NOON

SALE, MON 3 FEB FROM 11AM

SALE

STANFORD PARK, OXFORDSHIRE, SAT 8 FEB

FGBuyandSell.com

...Yorkshire’s Friendly Mart

SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY

SALE OF STORE CATTLE, SHEEP & PIGS

6 Chx Str/Hfr, 16mth, R Iredale & Son

9 Limx Hfrs 12-18mth, Smith Bros

6 Limx Hfrs, 22/24mth, CR Bell

4 Lim Hfrs, 9mths, J & L Cardwell

10 Bld Hfr 12/18mth, R&L Green

4 Lim Hfr, 15mth R Hughes & Son

3 Bld Bulls 6/10mths, PL Farms

5 Limx Bulls 10-12mth, M Wilkinson

4 Lim Bull 8-12mth, DW Richardson

Breeding & Store Sheep inc

Contact Office for Details

MART OFFICE: 01757 703347

Store & Breeding Pigs Pigs 9am Sheep 9.45am Cattle 10.45am

GISBURN AUCTION MARTS Auctioneers, Valuers, Agents

Jack Pickup 07710708326 Eleanor O’Neill 07706347505 Eli Tattersall 07955288800

9.30am WEEKLY CAST SHEEP & PRIME HOGGS

869+

catalogue online Saturday 1st February

Sheep scanning service will be available onsite. Sell in cast section or in lamb. Please bring cash to pay scanner direct 10:30am 3 MV ACCREDITED SHEEP, 22 GOATS, 10 OUTFITS OF SHEEP & LAMBS, 230 IN LAMB SHEEP followed by 589 GIMMER & STORE HOGGS

Tuesday 4th February 10am - MACHINERY SALE

ALL entries to the yard Monday 3rd 8am to 2pm STRICTLY. Catalogue online Monday pm for commission bids. Sale live in yard. To include: Honda quad, Ifor Williams dp120 cattle trailer, Cattle crush, creep feeder, fencing equipment, sheep hurdles, ATV trailer, Sheep snacker and many more – Yard clearances welcomed

Thursday 6th February

10:30am PRIME CATTLE & CAST CATTLE

10:30am REARING CALVES

Saturday 1st February at 11am

ANNUAL MULTI BREED SALE OF 128 INDIVIDUAL BREEDING SHEEP 22 Dalesbred, 6 Swaledale, 29 Blue Faced Leicester, 61 Herdwick & 10 Dutch Spotted

Tuesday 4th February

10.30am 40-50 Feeding & Cast Cows & OTM Cattle Followed by 2 BB x Hfrs with Calves at Foot Followed by 150 STORE CATTLE

Wednesday 5th February

10.30am Fortnightly Sale of Dairy Cattle 11am 100-150 Rearing Calves

WEDNESDAY 5TH FEBRUARY

RICHARD HAIGH: 07768 594535 www.selbymart.co.uk

Dedicated slaughter market PRIME CATTLE, SHEEP & PIGS PIGS 9am SHEEP 9.45am CATTLE 10.30am

*Selby is in the Blue Tongue Restricted Zone*

Contact Office for Details MART OFFICE: 01757 703347

RICHARD HAIGH 07768 594535 www.selbymart.co.uk

11:00am MASSEY FEEDS & LELY LONGTOWN SHOW & SALE OF DAIRY - entries to Eleanor please

Saturday 8th February

9:30am WEEKLY CAST SHEEP & PRIME HOGGS

10:00am FORTNIGHLY BREEDING & STORE CATTLE - entries to the office by Tue 4th Feb, 12noon

Thursday 13th February

10:30am REARING CALVES

10:45am PRIME CATTLE & CAST CATTLE

11:00am WEEKLY DAIRY - entries to Eleanor

12:30pm STIRKS -Entries to the office Tue 11th, 12noon

2.30pm 2500 Cast Ewes & 3000-4000 Prime Hoggs SUPER TWO CHALLENGE Prizes for Best Pair of Prime Hoggs

Tuesday 11th February

Fortnightly Sale of Store Hoggs

Special Entry of 200 In Lamb Cheviot Ewes due April

Tuesday 18th February

Monthly Sale of STIRKS, STORE CATTLE & FEEDING BULLS

Wednesday 19th February

OPENING SALE OF SHEEP WITH LAMBS AT FOOT Early entries requested for advertising

RTS

Turner & Son

(Due to a

in

PICK UP, MACHINERY IMPLEMENTS, CATTLE EQUIPMENT

Together with the dispersal of STANFORD PARK PEDIGREE BEEF SHORTHORNS

(140 head, Embryos & Semen) (Separate Catalogue – See Livestock Advert)

Briefly comprising: MF5480, 5612, 35: MERLO

ISUZU Pick Up: SHELBOURNE 19 Feeder Wagon: TEAGLE Tomahawk Bale Shredder: ALSTRONG Grassland Aerator: EINBOCK Grass Harrows: Flat Roll: 18’ & 24’ Bale Trailers: Fodder Trailers: Manure Grabs: Shear Grab: Bale Grab: Chain Harrows: Bale Spike: Silage Pusher: Cage Lift: Fuel Bowser: PORTEQUIP Calf Creeps / Hopper: Square & Ring Feeders: Troughs: Barrier Feeders: Foot Baths: Yard & Field Gates: Electric Fence Equipment: Dehorning Crate: Calf Disbudder: Cattle Clippers: Silage Covers / Gravel Bags: 6 x 600kg Fertilizer SATURDAY 8th FEBRUARY

Machinery at 10.00am, Cattle at 11.30am STANFORD PARK FARM, PARK LANE, STANFORD IN THE VALE, FARINGDON, OXON, SN7 8PF

Catalogues for both sections Tel: 01905 769770

ONLINE TIMED AUCTION

On Instructions from A T Bone & Sons Ltd At Clements Farm, Brickendon Lane, Hertfordshire SG13 8NS

Starts Thursday 13th February 2025 at 7am

Closes on Tuesday 18th February 2025 from 12Noon

Viewing from 10am until 4pm on Wednesday 12th & Thursday 13th February 2025

Including: Tractors: 2No John Deere 6130R 50kph Autopowr (17, 19), John Deere 4066R 4wd (22), John Deere 4270 E-Hydro (10), New Holland TC27D 4wd (02), New Holland TC45D 4wd; Vehicles: Ford Transit (18), Isuzu N75-190 Easy Euro 7.5t beaver tail (19), Nuttall electric SPM-W-1030 1t pallet truck; Trailers: 2No Stewart GX20CM 20t dump (15), Stewart GX15 FTZ 15t 27ft flat bed with hiab (05); Cultivation Equipment: Mumby Multi-Star Seeder SM1400, Blec Turfmaker 1.8m, Maschio 1.7m power harrow, Blecavator BV145 1.45m rotavator; Sports & Recreation Implements: Cherrington 4500 XL beach cleaner, Blec T8 Powerbox stone rake, Raycam core harvester (04), 3No Redexim Verti-Drain 7626 aerators (1No 94, 2No 09), Blec GB1500 Ground breaker 1.5m, Rexdexim Verti-Core 1700 aerator, Koro Field Topmaker 2000 heavy duty fraise mower (13), AFT 45 trencher (13); Misc: 2No Doosan R1090F compressors (08) Hiona Goldlift 14.70 S Spider Lift (15) etc.

george.watchorn@brown-co.com | 07919 015675 jon.clampin@brown-co.com | 07717 512498

SCAN CODE TO VIEW OUR AUCTION CALENDAR

Brand new website

Who We Are

Regenified was established in 2022 by trailblazers in regenerative agriculture. Our founders, Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams, are recognised leaders in this vital movement, dedicated to transforming mainstream farming practices. You may have seen their journey featured in films such as Kiss the Ground, Common Ground, Carbon Cowboys, and Roots So Deep.

At Regenified, our mission is to safeguard the integrity of regenerative agriculture, ensuring it is much more than a fleeting trend. We honour and reward farmers committed to adopting ecosystem-restoring practices, as well as brands setting the standard for transparency and regenerative sourcing. Our aim is to transition global supply chains to regenerative agriculture by offering the most trusted standards and verification services. Our standards are approved by some of the largest grocery chains worldwide, and we actively verify large tracts of farmland producing a diverse range of crops, proteins, and produce.

We have two opportunities to join our passionate and ambitious team:

Lead Verifier / Agronomist

Our Lead Verifier will serve as a mentor and educator to Field Verifiers, imparting knowledge about regenerative principles, practices and protocols. Key responsibilities include:

• Providing ongoing training, guidance and feedback to enhance the expertise and capabilities of verification teams.

• Conducting comprehensive on-site farm assessments, collecting soil, water and plant samples, and evaluating farming practices.

• Preparing detailed reports outlining compliance and areas for improvement.

• Providing guidance to farmers on adopting and maintaining regenerative practices.

• Managing data with accuracy and integrity using digital tools.

About You:

You’ll hold a degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Environmental Science, or a related field plus a minimum of 3 years experience in agricultural fieldwork, with a focus on sustainable or re-generative practices. You will have experience managing teams and providing training. You will have excellent observational, analytical, and reporting skills and a willingness to travel extensively.

What We Offer

Field Verifier / Agronomist

Field Verifiers play a vital role in ensuring farms meet Regenified’s rigorous standards for regenerative agriculture. Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting comprehensive on-site farm assessments, collecting soil, water and plant samples, and evaluating farming practices.

• Preparing detailed reports outlining compliance and areas for improvement.

• Providing guidance to farmers on adopting and maintaining regenerative practices.

• Managing data with accuracy and integrity using digital tools.

About You:

You’ll hold a degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Environmental Science, or a related field plus a minimum of 3 years experience in agricultural fieldwork, with a focus on sustainable or regenerative practices. You will have excellent observational, analytical, and reporting skills and a willingness to travel extensively.

• Competitive salary and benefits package. • The opportunity to work with a passionate team driving positive change in agriculture.

• Continuous professional development and training opportunities. • A chance to make a meaningful impact on the future of farming and the environment.

At Regenified, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We actively promote equality, ensuring everyone feels valued and supported. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you require any disability related adaptations during the recruitment process, please let us know - we’re here to help.

Dairy Herdsperson

The Opportunity: The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is looking for a Dairy Herdsperson to work within the University of Edinburgh’s teaching and commercial dairy farm. Duties will be to carry out all day-to-day routines associated with the running of a large 240 cow, high yielding dairy herd and associated young-stock.

This post is open ended (permanent) and full-time (35 hours per week) plus 6 hours contractual overtime per week.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• You will be responsible for the day-to-day cleaning, milking, welfare and husbandry of the dairy herd.

• Experience of Calf and Heifer rearing

• You must be committed to animal welfare and have sound skills in animal handling and animal care / welfare.

• Other duties such as basic tractor/telehandler driving, feeding, bedding, fencing and maintenance will provide variety to the role

• You must have good working knowledge and recent experience of dairy cows including recognition of ill health and common problems.

• The ability to work in a physically demanding environment is essential.

• Ability to work regularly over weekends and holidays as part of a rota and from time to time work extra hours in evenings as required by the farm manager.

Employer: University of Edinburgh

Location: City of Edinburgh

Closing date: 4 Feb 2025

Sector: Dairy, Farm Work, Livestock

Contract Type: Permanent

Role: Farm Worker, Herdsperson

For more information or to apply, head to JobsInAgriculture.com

Looking for male farming companion, preferably with hair, I am female and young 74. Likes animals and the outside. Kent Area.

Enquire to: PO BOX 1050 Farmers Guardian, Unit 4 Fulwood Park, Caxton Road, Fulwood, Preston, England, PR2 9NZ

LET’S INTRODUCE

YOU Are you missing the welcome of a someone to come home to? Are you struggling with coming in from the dark to an empty house with no-one to share a meal with? ‘Friends1st’ – the introduction agency for Christians - has successfully introduced many farmers to their soul mate. We can do it for you too. Call our friendly team on 0121 405 0941 today to find out how to get started. Or for information view www.friends1st.co.uk. We are a national service for Christians offering a very successful personal service.

WATER WELL DRILLING

• Borehole Drilling

• Treatment & Filtration

• Water testing 01625 878411 www.blairdrilling.co.uk

Everglades Nurseries Ltd

Orders for Insertion of advertisements in Farmers Guardian are accepted subject to the following conditions:

1. Advertisement copy shall be legal, decent, honest and truthful, and shall comply with the British Code of Advertising Practise and all other codes under the general supervision of the Advertising Standards Authority: and shall comply with the requirements of current legislation.

2. While every endeavour will be made to meet the wishes of advertisers, the publisher does not guarantee insertion of any particular advertisement.

3. In the event of any error, misprint or omission in the printing of an advertisement or part of an advertisement the publisher will either reinsert the advertisement or relevant part of the advertisement as the case may be, or make a reasonable adjustment to the cost. No reinsertion, or adjustment will be made where the error, misprint or omission does not materially detract from the advertisement. In no circumstances shall the total liability of the publisher for any error, misprint or omission exceed

We take a farmer-centric approach to media. Our job is to help farmers run their farms more efficiently and make better purchasing decisions FG

J.P WHITTER (WATER WELL ENGINEERS)

LTD

• BOREHOLE DRILLING FOR DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL PURPOSES

• WORK CARRIED OUT TO A VERY HIGH STANDARD

• WATER SYSTEMS INSTALLED

• BOREHOLE PUMPING INSTALLATIONS

• 24HR BREAKDOWN SERVICE

Rabbit Guards 0.28p Canes 0.12p

Trees, Hedging, Various Sizes Available. A standard delivery charge may be added.

Quotes given for Countryside Stewardship Scheme. BN11 or BN7

Mix Native Packs from £2.91 or £5.31 per metre

Including rabbit guards/canes All Prices Exclude VAT. Prices are subject to change.

a) The amount of a full refund of any price paid to the publisher for the advertisement in connection with which liability arose. OR

b) The cost of a further corrective advertisement of a type and standard reasonably comparable to that in connection with which liability arose.

4. The publisher reserves the right to withdraw, amend or alter any advertisement it considers necessary.

5. Cancellations or advertisements are accepted providing they comply with the cancellation deadlines which are published at regular intervals.

6. Advertisement orders are issued by an advertising agency as a principal and must be on the agencies official form (when copy insutructions not constituting an official order are issued they must be clearly marked at the head “Copy Instructions – not an order”.

7. Advertising Agency commission will only be granted to those Agencies who are currently recognised by the Newspaper Society at the time of placing an advertisement order and copy. The rate of commission is determined by the publisher.

Nursery Fresh For Planting Success TOP QUALITY TREES & HEDGING PLANTS

Cold stored for freshness Also rabbit guards, canes, stakes and ties.

• FREE QUOTATIONS AND SITE VISITS THE POTTERIES GARAGE SMALLBROOK LANE, LEIGH, WIGAN, LANCS, WN7 5PZ. TEL: 01942 871900. FAX: 01942 896843. Out of office: 01942 893660 Visit our Website www.waterwellengineers.co.uk Email: sally@waterwellengineers.co.uk

QUICKTHORN

Call now for professional advice

Growing Since 1973

Woodgrow Horticulture Ltd BURTON ROAD, FINDERN DERBY DE65 6BE Tel: (01332) 517600 mail@woodgrow.com

PURECLAD Hygienic

Class 1 Fire Rated PVC wall linings and ceiling systems. Milking parlours, dairies, food prep areas. All trims, colours, different thicknesses available. Fitting service. Trade enq welcome. Tel: 01282 779472 or 07710 934133.

METERS,FEEDERS clusters, pulsators, jetters, pumps ACRs and robot spares 01260 226261 (T)

DELAVAL BLUE Diamond 32/32 fast exit, 2010 MM25s transponders etc 01260 226261 (T)

8. When credit is allowed payment is due within 7 days. Monthly accounts are due in full each month. “We reserve the right to charge additional costs and interest for non payment within our credit terms”.

9. Only standard abbreviations are permitted by the publisher. List available on request.

10. Classified display advertisements must be at least 3cms in depth for every column wide, and the minimum size of any advertisement is 2 lines.

11. Every endeavour will be made in order to forward replies to box numbers to the advertisers, as soon as possible after receipt by the publisher, but the publisher accepts no liability in respect of any loss, or damage alleged to have arisen through delay in forwarding or omitting to forward such replies, however caused. Circulars and the like should not be distributed through publisher’s box number facility.

12. The placing of an order for the insertion of an advertisement, is an acceptance of these conditions and any other conditions stated on any type of order form by an agency or advertisers are not applicable if they conflict with any of the above.

New & Used Bulk Milk Tanks

Second hand tanks currently available: Mueller 8000ltr & 9000 ltr

Fabdec 4000ltr & 6000ltr

Packo RMIB 3800ltr & RMIB 6000 ltr

New Heat

www.ddcooling.co.uk

West Refrigeration Ltd

AND REFURBISHED MILK TANKS

The only UK company that solely specialises in On Farm Cooling Equipment & Heat Recovery Systems Nationwide. For further details please call S. W Refrigeration

01392 210344 or Paul on 07974 140949

DAIRY FILLING LINE

For filling bottles 500 ml, one litre and two Litres. Nine valves, three heads, cap elevator, inkjet printer, label applicator.

Includes conveyers and dolly table. Open to Offers

Tel:07977 270311 Somerset (P)

MARTLANDS

the game

Established over 100 years

ROBINSON MITCHELL LTD

Daily collections of all types of fallen stock throughout the North of England.

Tel: 01524 261144 or 01524 263022 or 01274 833196

• Daily collections of all classes of cattle direct to our own local UK abattoir - No middle man involved.

• On-farm emergency slaughter catered for, supported with a valid veterinary certificate.

• Same day response guaranteed by fully licensed slaughter men.

• All weekends and bank holidays covered.

• Out of hours, round the clock service, promised at no extra cost to all our customers.

• Private cutting service available with our in-house skilled butchers.

• Highly competitive cutting prices.

• Payment 30 days from collection with detailed BACS remittance, including weight, grade and PPK.

• Out of hours emergency number - Mobile: 07860 636605

V-Mac Silos

FGBuyandSell.com

Premium Products

Inc. Rolled Barley, Maize Gluten, Hi Pro Soya, Malt

Sugarbeet Pellets, Oatfeed Pellets & Syrup Suitable for Cattle and Sheep

Premium Starter 18% Bags 750KG £240 delivered

Premium Grower 16% Bags 750KG £230 delivered

Premium Finisher 14% Bags 750KG £225 delivered Bespoke Rations available to your requirements

More information: Ashley J Latham • Livestock Supplies Ltd Office: 01829 260 328 • Ashley: 07831 887 531 • Will: 07769 974 476 • Email: ashley@livestocksupplies.co.uk

More information: Ashley J Latham • Livestock Supplies Ltd Office: 01829 260 328 • Ashley: 07831 887 531 • Will: 07769 974 476 • Email: ashley@livestocksupplies.co.uk BEESTON GATE FARM, BEESTON, NR. TARPORLEY, CHESHIRE CW6 9NN www.livestocksupplies.co.uk Skim

BEESTON GATE FARM, BEESTON, NR. TARPORLEY, CHESHIRE CW6 9NN www.livestocksupplies.co.uk

OR (01625) 522249

We know farming. Farmers Guardian brands are embedded in the agricultural community and have a position of authority and trust

Cement

Buy your farms fibre cement roofing sheets direct from BRIARWOOD!

We have been trusted by farmers over Great Britain for generations because of our high-quality fibre cement sheets.

All sheets and fittings are available in 7 di erent colours and can be delivered direct to your farm within 5 working days (with o oad included).

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS

Although every advertisement is carefully checked,occasionally mistakes do occur.We therefore ask advertisers to assist by checking their advertisements carefully and advise us immediately should an error occur. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE INCORRECT insertion and that no re-publication will be granted in the case of typographical or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. While every endeavour will be made to meet the wishes of the advertisers, the publisher does not guarantee insertion of any particular advert.

Tel:01580212141

Mob:07710480259

Email:info@timberspecs.com

Mobilehomes,holidaychalets,loghomes.

CHESTNUT FENCING

STAKES, mixed halves & quarters. 10/ 12cm tops. National delivery available. Mob: 079852 98221 colin@cwpfencing.co.uk Nationwide (T)

Property Landscape Common land: What you need to know

Charlotte Hubbard on working common land

Common land holds a unique place in Britain’s landscape –steeped in history and protected by complex legal frameworks.

For farmers and landowners these protections can seem restrictive, but with the right approach it is possible to balance your objectives with the obligations and opportunities that common land presents.

Contrary to popular belief, common land is not public land. It is privately owned, but subject to historic rights such as pasturage (grazing livestock on the land); pannage (allowing pigs to feed in wooded areas); estover (collecting timber products such as whole trees or firewood); turbary (harvesting turf or peat for fuel); piscary (fishing in ponds, lakes, rivers, or streams); rights in the soil (extracting minerals or soil); and animals ferae naturae (capturing wild animals).

Protected

Most common land is protected under the Commons Act 2006, with additional protections through the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act 2000), granting public access for recreation to many commons.

Section 193 of the Law of Property Act 1925 also provides public rights such as horse riding.

Some areas are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest or National Landscapes, adding another layer of protection.

The legal framework around common land ensures its character is preserved, public access is safeguarded and the rights of commoners are respected.

These factors can significantly impact works on commons.

When dealing with common land, understanding the following is essential.

■ Section 38 applications: Any works restricting public access or altering land use, such as fencing or

track construction, require consent from the Planning Inspectorate.

Proposals are assessed for their impact on public access, common rights and the environment. Unauthorised works may result in enforcement actions.

■ Section 16 applications: For de-registration or exchanging common land, these applications typically require equivalent replacement land, with evidence of public benefit and minimal disruption to common rights or the environment.

Navigating common land regulations can be challenging but manageable with the right expertise.

■ Understand the legal framework: Familiarise yourself with the Commons Act 2006, CROW Act 2000 and any designations affecting your land.

■ Engage early with stakeholders: Building relationships with local communities and stakeholders can foster goodwill and ease negotiations.

■ Seek professional guidance: Specialists can provide tailored advice and simplify the process.

Common land embodies both heritage and opportunity. By respecting its legal protections and collaborating with stakeholders, you can achieve sustainable works which honour the land’s unique character.

Charlotte Hubbard is commons and land management adviser at H&H Land and Estates. Email carlisle@hhlandestates.co.uk, or call 01228 406 260.

Charlotte Hubbard

Finance: Terms & Conditions

Farmers Guardian, Fginsight.com and fgbuyandsell.com (hereinafter referred to as ‘Farmers Guardian) may contain advertisements, links to other Internet websites or online and mobile services provided by independent third parties, including websites and telephone contacts of our advertisers and sponsors (what we call “Third Party Sites”), either directly or indirectly.

It is your decision whether you purchase or use any third party products or services made available on or via Third Party Sites and you should read below carefully. Our Privacy Policy does not apply to Third Party Sites. In no circumstances do we accept responsibility for your use of Third Party Sites or in respect of any Third Party products. By Third Party Sites we mean websites, online or mobile services provided by third parties, including websites of advertisers and sponsors that may appear in Farmers Guardian. By Third Party Products we mean products or services provided by third parties.

Farmers Guardian contains advertising and sponsorship. Advertisers and sponsors are responsible for ensuring that material submitted for inclusion on Farmers Guardian complies with international and national law. Farmers Guardian (nor its websites) is not responsible for any error or inaccuracy in advertising or sponsorship material.

Any agreements, transactions or other arrangements made between you and any third party named in, on (or linked to from) in Farmers Guardian and its websites are at your own responsibility and entered into at your own risk.

Farmers Guardian promises to develop and operate with reasonable skill and care and will use reasonable efforts to promptly remedy any faults of which it is aware.

Farmers Guardian does not provide any other promises or warranties about its products and services. Farmers Guardian is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. This means that Farmers Guardian does not make any promises in respect of Farmers Guardian or the services and functions available on or through Farmers Guardian, Fginsight.com and fgbuyandsell.com or of the quality, completeness or accuracy of the information published on or linked to from Farmers Guardian, Fginsight.com and fgbuyandsell.com other than as expressly stated above.

The above disclaimers apply equally to your use of Farmers Guardian, Fginsight.com and fgbuyandsell.com without limiting the above; Farmers Guardian and its websites are not liable for matters beyond its reasonable control. Farmers Guardian does not control third party communications networks (including your internet service provider), the internet, acts of god or the acts of third parties.

Farmers Guardian liability will not be limited in the case of death or personal injury directly caused by Farmers Guardian negligence in those countries where it is unlawful for Farmers Guardian to seek to exclude such liability.

Any individual, who is in doubt about entering into a loan agreement, should seek professional advice or consult an authorised person who can assist in relation to entering into a credit agreement. Before acting on any information you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to these matters, any relevant offer document and in particular, you should seek independent financial advice.

All loans, loan participations and financial products or instrument transactions involve risks, which include (among others) the risk of adverse or unanticipated market, financial or political developments and, in international transactions, currency risk. Lending against nontraditional physical collateral exposes investors to specific risks such as the potential for fraud, theft, damage and illiquidity.

FORAGE AND FEEDING

Magnon 8 370 Forage Wagon - 36m³

Ex-demo, dual air / hyd brakes, 710/50 R26.5 Tyres, 4 floor chains with 2 speed drive, auto load system, ISOBUS 5’’ terminal and pickup guide roller. Year: 2023, Warranty terms - 6 months.

• ‘Exact cut’ – 44 double sided knives (35mm chop)

• Passive steering axle with auto lock in reverse

• 2.25m ‘Flex-Load Camless Pickup’

Zelon 290 Forage Wagon - 28m³

Retail £135,810

Price: £100,280+ carriage £600

Dual air / hyd brakes, 4 floor chains with 2 speed drive, electric silage pump connection upgrade, hydraulic drawbar suspension upgrade. Year: 2023, Warranty terms - full.

• ‘Exact-cut’ 37 double-sided knives (39mm chop)

• ISOBUS connectivity – with a 5” terminal

• Auto load system

Verti-Mix 1801

Retail £90,108

Price £69,740+ carriage £600

Double Auger Mixer - 18cm³

Single axle model with front right door with 880mm discharge conveyor, front left door, operation via direct connection to the tractor, 360mm extension (not shown in pic), weight cells, road lights. Year: 2023, Warranty terms - full. Retail £53,102

• 4 weigh cells with PTM HL50 Programmable weighing

• Single axle with hydraulic brakes

• Operation via direct connection to the tractor

Verti-Mix 2401 XC Double Auger Mixer - 24m³

Single axle model with 2 speed gearbox, 2 speed electic control, 2 function electrics plus conveyor speed control, 360mm extension (not shown in pic), road lights. Year: 2024, Warranty terms - full.

• 6 weigh cells with PTM HL50 Programmable weighing

• Single axle with hydraulic brakes

• Operation via electric controls

Retail £58,580

Price £42,810+ carriage £400

Verti-Mix 3451 XC Triple Auger Mixer - 34.5m³

Cross conveyor mixer with 360mm extension (not shown in pic), additional rear right hand door, additional rear left hand door, 2 speed powershift gearbox, front and rear auger magnets, road lights. Year: 2024, Warranty terms - full.

• 8 weigh cells with PTM HL50 Programmable weighing

• Tandem axle with rear passive steering

• Stepped augers with 20mm HD auger upgrade

Retail £112,850

Price £79,550+ carriage £600

5th - 6th March 2025 NAEC

Low Carbon Agriculture 2025

The business event for forward thinking farmers, landowners and industry experts

A Perfect Prelude to the Low Carbon Agriculture Show 2025 Reganuary:

With Reganuary inspiring people to rethink their food choices this January, it’s the ideal time to focus on the upcoming Low Carbon Agriculture Show 2025. Taking place on 5-6 March 2025 at NAEC Stoneleigh, the show is the UK’s only event dedicated to sustainable farming and carbon reduction practices.

While Veganuary encourages millions to embrace plant-based eating, Reganuary offers a different perspective: sourcing food from regenerative farming methods that not only reduce environmental impact but can actively enhance ecosystems. This ethos aligns closely with the goals of the Low Carbon Agriculture Show, which provides farmers and landowners with the tools, technologies, and insights to make agriculture more sustainable, efficient, and environmentally conscious.

What is Reganuary?

Coined by Glen Burrows, co-founder of the Ethical Butcher, Reganuary challenges consumers to prioritise foods produced using regenerative farming practices. Unlike Veganuary, this movement encourages eating seasonal and sustainably sourced foods, whether plant-based or animalderived, that contribute to improving the environment. Reganuary is about thinking critically about the impact of your food choices. It shifts the focus from a binary plant-vs-animal debate to supporting farming practices that regenerate the land and enhance ecosystems.

This mindset is central to the Low Carbon Agriculture Show 2025, which unites farmers, innovators, and industry leaders to explore low carbon agricultural systems, clean energy, low-emission vehicles, and cuttingedge farm technology.

Low Carbon Agriculture Show 2025 Highlights

The show offers a comprehensive platform for those eager to embrace sustainability and reduce their carbon footprint:

1 Environmental Business

Transitioning from the EU’s CAP regulations to a UK system that rewards sustainable farming, this sector provides insights into policy changes and strategies for enhancing environmental performance.

2 Clean Energy

Explore renewable energy solutions like solar, wind, and bioenergy that are reshaping rural energy generation and boosting energy security.

3 Low Emission Vehicles

As the transport sector transitions in response to the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles, discover the latest lowemission vehicles designed for farmers.

4 Farm Technology Innovation

Gain hands-on insights into pioneering technologies, from AI-driven solutions to precision farming tools, all designed to improve efficiency and sustainability on the farm.

Why Reganuary and Low Carbon Agriculture Go Hand-in-Hand

Both Reganuary and the Low Carbon Agriculture Show focus on the bigger picture, rethinking how we produce, source, and consume food to address global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. For consumers, Reganuary offers a way to make more thoughtful food choices. For farmers and landowners, the Low Carbon Agriculture Show provides the expertise and tools needed to implement regenerative practices on a wider scale.

Reganuary and the Low Carbon Agriculture Show share the same mission: to inspire meaningful change in how we approach farming and food production. Our show offers practical solutions for achieving sustainability goals while improving farm profitability and efficiency.

Secure Your Place Today!

Join the movement driving the future of sustainable farming and energy solutions. Book your free ticket by scanning the QR code below.

Machinery

Edited by Toby Whatley

– 07583 054 831 – toby.whatley@agriconnect.com For more machinery content, go to farmersguardian.com/machinery-news-hub

Grappling with challenges of skilled labour shortages globally, John Deere sets a course for further developments in autonomous agricultural machinery with five new machines launched in Las Vegas. James Huyton reports.

Autonomous and electric expansion for John Deere

● Changes to flagship 9RX also showcased

JOHN Deere has long sought to be at the forefront of machinery technological development and autonomy across a number of key industries including agriculture, grounds care and construction, with the latter a significantly less developed marketplace for the manufacturer within Europe.

Hailed as the most powerful tech event in the world, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas plays host to some of the world’s biggest technological launches.

John Deere first revealed its autonomous technology at CES with its driverless 8R and 2410 TruSet Chisel plough in 2022, and this January, the manufacturer returned to showcase its second generation of autonomy. Improvements in computer vision, artificial intelligence and camera systems are all claimed to

Additional sensors are claimed to allow the latest units to navigate between dense orchard canopies.

Incorporating Lidar sensors, the autonomous 5130ML is focused on the needs of top, soft and bush fruit growers.

aid the new range of machines’ ability to navigate the environment.

Speaking at the event, Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer at John Deere, said: “Our agriculture, construction, and commercial landscaping customers all have work that must get done at certain times of the day and year, yet there is not enough available and skilled labour to do the work.

“Autonomy can help address this challenge. That is why we are extending our technology stack to enable more machines to operate safely and autonomously in unique and complex environments. This will not only benefit our customers, but all of us who rely on them to provide the food, fuel, fibre, infrastructure and landscaping care that we depend on every day.”

Among other autonomous developments, John Deere showcased changes to the brand’s flagship 9RX. 360-degree view

The 9RX incorporates the manufacturer’s second generation autonomy kit, featuring clusters of 16 individual cameras allowing for a claimed 360-degree view of the field. John Deere also claims the system calculates depth more accurately at larger distances, allowing the tractor to pull more equipment and improve drive efficiency.

The autonomous 5ML orchard tractor incorporates the latest autonomy kit with added Lidar sensors claimed to address spraying into dense canopies found in orchards.

John Deere also presented the all-electric E-Power prototype – an autonomy-ready, zero-emissions tractor – aimed at speciality crop production, dairy and livestock sectors. John Deere claims the tractor will deliver a continuous 130 horse-

We are extending our technology stack to enable more machines to operate safely and autonomously in unique and complex environments

JAHMY HINDMAN

power output, providing instant power and torque to meet demanding tasks.

Alongside three autonomous tractors, John Deere also showcased an autonomous battery electric mower for commercial landscaping and the brand’s autonomous articulated dump truck.

The manufacturer plans to pre-install autonomy kits on new machines and have retrofittable kits for certain existing machines.

Systems will be managed through John Deere’s cloud-based Operations Center. Remote operation claims to be possible through the mobile app, allowing the machine to be started once placed in the appropriate spot.

Users will also be able to have live video access, images and data with the ability to adjust various factors such as speed. In the event of any job quality anomalies or machine health issues, users will be

notified remotely so they can make necessary adjustments.

This is the second time John Deere has launched autonomous vehicles at CES, and stands to highlight the company’s ambition to progress as a technology brand, placing itself and its new products alongside some of the largest and most advanced tech businesses worldwide. The positioning at CES may also reflect the brand’s desire to attract new talent from the software and new tech development sectors.

Launched at this year’s CES event, the 9RX

830 operates with the manufacturer’s second-generation autonomy kit.

Deere’s E-Power prototype is 100% battery electric and has been developed for speciality crop production, dairy and livestock sectors. Inset: The autonomous 8R, launched in 2022 with units only offered to the US market.

PICTURES: SCOTT

EDY

Alongside cosmetic external upgrades and new lighting, the major changes to the new D-Max are found in the off-road system, which delivers a remarkable performance in difficult conditions. Toby Whatley reports.

First drive: Isuzu’s new D-Max

The combination of leafsprings, bar axles, a ladder chassis and front-biased weight distribution has traditionally made the pickup good, but not excellent, off road. Upgrading to improved tyres provides a claimed 15-20% greater grip and, for most users, this and some careful route planning can keep most drivers out of serious trouble.

Aiming to address this and provide a pickup with genuine off-road capabilities, the driveline and control software updates introduced by Isuzu

in its latest D-Max pickups, in the form of its Rough Terrain Mode, changes how the driveline power is managed through the four-wheel drive system and, when operated in low box, the system will also activate the rear diff lock if required.

The existing 2WD and 4WD rotary dial, providing shift-on-the-fly engagement remains, but as the additional mode works in conjunction to maximise the available grip, it does, in practice, deliver a remarkable off-road performance, even with conventional road tyres fitted

and no additional rear payload for driveline weight.

To demonstrate the pickup’s new capabilities, a particularly wet and sticky retired Leicestershire sand quarry provided a suitable proving ground, with both manual and automatic versions of the vehicle comfortably travelling around the site with very few issues.

Driver

From the perspective of the driver, once low box and the new mode was engaged, all drive characteristics are

managed by the car, with the driver required to press the pedals and steer. Even on particularly saturated wet grass, the vehicle performed well, with notably very little wheel slip or spinning.

Isuzu says the 2024 sales figures for D-Max extended to more than 6,500 units, with a 57/43% split in between automatic and manual transmission variations.

The range continues to cover four models of Utility, DL20, DL40 and the top spec V-Cross.

Potentially reflective of a con-

Major changes to the interior include new multimedia systems and improved switchgear.

The new D-Max features a redesigned grill, new LED lights and more driver assistance features.

performance.

TAXATION CHANGES FROM APRIL 2025

UNDER HMRC’s updated legislation announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, doublecab pickups will no longer be classified as commercial vehicles for benefit in kind (BIK) and capital allowance purposes.

Instead, they will be treated as cars, leading to increased tax liabilities as the calculated values will be based on the vehicle CO2 emissions and potentially the existing luxury car tax annual supplement applied for five years to vehicles which cost more than £40,000 when new.

New legislation

Under the new legislation, Isuzu says that the status of single and extended cab vehicles will not change and will still be eligible

tinued desire by practical users for work-focused vehicles, 30% of 2024 sales were seen in the lower-spec Utility variants.

External changes across the range include a redesign to the radiator grill, rear tailgate and new rear lights and full Bi-LED headlights for higher spec DL40 and V-Cross models.

Dealer fit high beam and driving light options have been expanded to include a full-width LED light bar integrated into the roof rails, plus further grill lights and beacons for users escorting combines or harvesters.

Internals

Existing users will notice a wider variety of changes to the internals and standard driver aids with a larger 9in display with integrated wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

A well-received function now offered in many vehicles, the use of the wireless system with the addition of a wireless charging pad in the centre console removes the need for connection cables which get dirty and lost down seats. It also provides users with access to effective mapping and traffic updates, plus multimedia integration.

Unlike other suppliers, Isuzu has also chosen to fit the phone integrated touchscreen in its entry-level Utility

as commercial vehicles, with the same BIK and capital allowance provisions as is currently offered.

Users looking to purchase a new double cab variant and retain the existing commercial benefits must have ordered vehicles before April 1, 2025, to retain the commercial entitlement, but in order to qualify for plant and machinery capital allowances, the unit must be delivered before October 1, 2025.

In light of the new changes, any users looking to purchase new vehicles to utilise the commercial benefits should take advice from a tax accountant to ensure any intended purchase will qualify as a commercial vehicle to ensure that the purchase qualifies for as much tax relief as possible.

vehicles too – in the guise of a smaller 8in unit, which replaces the dated system seen in previous versions.

Air conditioning is now also standard across all models, with optional climate control. V-Cross variants are provided with dual-zone climate control as standard.

The range of standard fitment driver aids has been increased with a redesigned forward stereo camera system with a claimed 120 degrees of vision and an increased range to 150 metres, improved automatic emergency braking, more responsive lane departure prevention and the inclusion of adaptive cruise control which monitors the speed of the vehicle in front and automatically adjusts

2025 COMMERCIAL ON THE ROAD PRICE

the vehicle speed to maintain a safe stopping distance.

Through the camera system, road, speed sign and pedestrian recognition has been added in addition to an automatic speed limiter to slow the vehicle when entering a lower speed limit.

Reflecting the integration of improved multimedia updates in the Utility-spec version, the complete suite of driver assist systems is offered as standard across all models and variants.

Changes to the driver assistance and new additional airbags has given the new models a five-star NCAP crash test safety rating.

The same engine and transmission has been retained from the previous D-Max range, with a 1.9-litre, four-cylinder 160hp diesel with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. Towing capacity remains at 3.5 tonnes for all fourwheel drive versions.

An additional Rough Terrain Mode manages the 4WD system and provides the vehicle with remarkable off-road

Changes to the rear tailgate and rear lights are included.

All new models use the same 160hp four-cylinder diesel engine.

Machinery

● CNH in second place across its two

brands

RECENTLY released figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) for UK tractor registrations revealed John Deere has remained the top manufacturer for UK buyers with 4,040 machines registered, holding 30.28% of the market.

Following in second place was CNH with 3,680 machines (27.58%) registered, split across its New Holland (2,481 units) and Case IH (1,199 units) brands.

This is the third successive year John Deere has held the title, after losing it to CNH in 2020.

Prior to that, John Deere had been in the top spot for the previous 16 years.

John Deere’s market share dropped by 0.14% compared to 2022, with CNH picking up an additional 1.54% and reducing Deere’s sales lead in units from 570 in 2022 to 360 in 2023.

Largest gain

Sales of New Holland tractors increased by 359 units, which was the largest gain seen by any brand or manufacturer.

John Deere increased unit sales by a more modest 80 units compared to 2022.

Registrations overall for 2023 totalled 13,343 machines, an increase of 326 units compared to the previous year.

Kubota saw a reduction in registered machines in 2023, with 120 fewer tractors (836 units) compared to 2022 (956 units).

Valtra and Case IH also saw reductions in units, with the Finnish brand registering 99 fewer machines in 2023, representing a 0.87% market share reduction, and Case IH reducing registrations by

John Deere’s market share fell by 0.14%, but it was still the most popular brand of tractor in the UK.

The 2023 figures for UK tractor sales by brand show some changes to those from 2022, with strong market growth from New Holland. Toby Whatley reports.

Deere still UK’s most popular tractor brand

69 units. Fendt saw the second largest growth in registrations of any brand, by 113 units, and was the

2023 TRACTOR REGISTRATIONS SHARE

JohnDeere

(30.28%4,040units)

CNH–NewHolland (18.59%2,481units)

Agco–MasseyFerguson (10.52%1,404units)

CNH–CaseIH (8.99%1,199units)

Agco–Fendt (7.18%958units)

Kubota (6.27%836units)

Others (5.64%752units)

Agco–Valtra (4.29%572units)

Claas (3.54%473units)

JCB (2.2%293units)

SameDeutz-Fahr (1.27%170units)

ArgoGroup (0.96%128units)

only Agco brand to increase its market share in 2023 – by 0.69% Overall, Agco saw an aggregate increase of 39 units across its three brands of Fendt, Massey and Valtra, but a decrease in market share of 0.25%.

Stephen Howarth, chief economist at the AEA, highlighted that when comparing 2022 to 2023 figures, the 2022 data was still showing influences of the widespread disruption to global supply chains and transportation after the pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine, which will have impacted on how many machines, and the respective model sizes, individual manufacturers were able to deliver in 2022.

It is important to recognise the figures relate to machines registered with the DVLA which may not have been specifically sold to end users.

These figures will include dem-

onstration and pre-registration stock held in dealer yards.

The data covers all tractors, including those under 50hp, which incorporate horticultural and amenity machines, and differs from the AEA monthly power and region registration reports which only cover machines above 50hp.

Requirement

The inclusion of smaller, compact and amenity machines can also influence the overall figures, since the road-registration of some of these machines is in part dependant on the brand and distributor and may not be a standard requirement of its end user, unlike larger, higher-powered models.

As always, the data has been released after a 12-month delay due to competition law restrictions. Which brand was successful in retaining the top position in 2024 will be seen in early 2026.

LAMMA

Industry innovation is critical for future success, and the LAMMA Awards set out to celebrate the best product developments from the sector. James Huyton reports.

Knight Farm Machinery lands prestigious innovation award

● Winning system a ‘step forward in spot spraying’

THE LAMMA Awards cover a wide range of categories from livestock, to arable, to digital technology and beyond.

Gold award winners from each of the nine categories are then put forward for the overall Ivel Innovation of the Year Award, supported by the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE). Brian Knight, owner of Knight Farm Machinery, was presented the award at the show by chief executive of IAgrE Charlie Nicklin and Mathew Smart of Rural Asset Finance (the award sponsor).

Knight’s Smart Inject system was initially awarded gold for the Future Innovation with Environmental Benefit Award, and later the overall Innovation of the Year Award. The technology is a significant step change in the way spot-sprayed chemicals are delivered to the sprayer nozzle.

Spot spraying will provide financial and environmental benefits to growers going forward, with some manufacturers claiming 75% reductions in chemical usage in certain crops. But unlike traditional broadacre applications that are quantified on field area, spot spraying presents an unknown target population, making tank mix estimations a challenge.

Unlike many of the competing systems on the market, which spot spray

using the main spray lines and tank mix, Smart Inject delivers the dilute chemical down a separate line and injects it directly through the standard PWM valve.

The system allows the sprayer operator to apply a broadacre fungicide application while injecting a secondary chemical, such as wild oat herbicide, directly to individual nozzles. As the secondary spot spray chemical is delivered via a mounted closed transfer system and diluted via a

secondary water tank, the spot spray application is self-contained and the system only uses what it requires.

It is not only retrofittable to Knight products but to almost all new and existing sprayers, so the system’s market accessibility could bring spot spraying to the mass market.

Mr Nicklin, head judge for the award, said: “Knight stood out as a timely product; over recent years, we are all more aware of the environment and climate change and – like it or not – the impact agriculture is having.

Impressed by the innovative, retrofittable solution, the judges said: “The Smart Inject Body provides a step forward in spot spraying. In an age of sustainable solutions, the Smart Inject Body looks to tackle chemical usage in the agricultural industry.

Benefit

“Not only will this benefit the environment with reduced chemical usage, but also aid the preservation of threatened actives, and potentially provide a financial benefit to the farmer.”

After winning the award, Mr Knight said: “It is a real privilege to win this accolade on two successive occasions.

“The award shows British manufacturers can still innovate within the industry. We are really pleased with the awards and the publicity it has generated for our business.

“It is really important that British manufacturers continue to develop new products and innovations and enter them into the LAMMA Awards to keep the whole thing going.”

“Innovations in our sector need to have a positive effect on the environment. Ag chemicals come in for a lot of stick, so anything we can do to reduce their use, improve their efficiency and save the farmer money gets a big tick. The fact the product is also retrofittable onto other sprayers is also a real plus.”

Mr Nicklin urged other companies with a new product, system or feature they had developed to enter the competition.

He added: “It is a straightforward process to enter the awards, and of course if you win you can take advantage of the publicity. It also shows the public and customers that you are a forward-thinking, innovative company constantly looking at new ways to improve your products.

“The IAgrE is a professional membership organisation for both new entrants and experienced engineers, so winning an award endorsed by us can help raise awareness and generate interest in the product or company, and highlights the importance of the agricultural engineering profession. ”

Knight Farm Machinery receiving the Ivel Innovation of the Year Award. Left to right: Clare Slane, Cliff Buck, Charlie Nicklin, Brian Knight, Mathew Smart, John Wooding and Paul Harrison.

The Knight Smart Inject system.

Livestock

Edited by Katie Jones – 07786 856 439 – katie.jones@agriconnect.com

Cumbrian dairy farmer and Farmers Guardian columnist James Robinson gives an update on the bovine TB situation on his farm and discusses his frustrations at how he is being hampered in getting to the root cause of the outbreak.

James Robinson’s Cumbrian farm has seen 40% of its dairy herd sent to slaughter due to bTB reactors.

‘Give us the choice to at

least

stand and fight’

Two Fridays a week apart, clutching the bits of paper in my hands, nervously waiting for what was coming my way.

The first Friday was when I was giving a closing plenary speech to represent the farming community on stage in front of hundreds of people at the joyous celebration which is the Oxford Real Farming Conference.

That was uplifting, the second Friday most certainly was not.

The pieces of paper this time contained the previous Tuesday’s skin measurements, taken to give Kirsty, our vet, the initial base from which the reaction to the tuberculin which was being injected into the necks of every animal more than 42 days of age.

Strickley, our farm, had been bovine TB-free for all the time we have

been here, possibly since my greatgreat-grandparents arrived in 1875, but most definitely since the skin testing was introduced in the 1930s.

That all changed on November 1, 2023, when we had the first of what would become a series of shortinterval test failures.

Nightmare

In total we have now lost 45 cows to the nightmare of bTB and I do not use the word nightmare lightly.

The 45 cows lost have come from skin test reactors, gamma blood tests, Enferplex tests and a ‘risk rating’ to determine the cows most likely to fail, which was calculated from previous skin tests.

All those cows gone represented 40% of our entire milking herd and yet we have yet to have the disease confirmed by the Animal and Plant

In total we have now lost 45 cows to the nightmare of bTB and I do not use the word nightmare lightly JAMES ROBINSON

Health Agency (APHA).

Yes, we have had compensation, but only on those taken to the skin and gamma tests.

The animals slaughtered after

the Enferplex failures and risk rating, were done so with zero compensation, apart from the fat price they went for.

There is a crazy situation around the Enferplex testing.

The APHA does not recognise it as an official test and so does not pay the farmer statutory compensation.

The agency does, however, put a restriction on your holding which states that the farm will not become bTB-free until those positive Enferplex animals have been slaughtered.

So, on one hand it does not recognise it and on the other hand, it does believe the results.

The only reason I can think of for using blatant double standards like that is that it does not want to undermine the farmer’s perception about the legitimacy of its own

PICTURE: GAIL CADDY

Mr Robinson says whole herd gamma testing, rather than the Enferplex test, should have been used to try to isolate the cause of his animals’ skin test reactors.

‘outside of policy’.

A whole herd gamma done correctly would give us a chance to root out those animals which are potentially infectious

JAMES ROBINSON

APHA testing, especially the muchlauded skin tests.

We are told by the APHA and everyone else involved in the control of bTB, that the chances of getting a false positive to a skin test is 5,000:1, and yet we have now slaughtered 40% of our pedigree Dairy Shorthorn cows and have had no visible lesions detected at postmortem, nothing cultured and no positives from the PCR test either. And as a result, the agency will not confirm that we even have bTB here at Strickley.

So, what is happening? We do not know, our own farm vets do not know, and neither does the APHA. In all the meetings we have had with ‘the Ministry’, we have offered our whole herd up for a gamma blood test, we wanted to find the underlying cause of the problem as soon as we could.

Our vets obviously wanted the same too and yet when we have put our case over to the APHA it has consistently pushed us back due to the fact we have not had bTB confirmed and therefore would be

The crazy thing is, if we were in a high-risk area, a whole herd gamma would have been done 12 months ago.

All we have had tested is seven inconclusive reactors, which were funded by ourselves (three passed and four failed on the high sensitivity test), and then three inconclusive reactors in July funded by the APHA.

Insisted

It is worth mentioning that the APHA insisted the three to be done on a low sensitivity test, which detects the exact same thing as the skin test. Unsurprisingly, they passed the gamma.

It is almost like the APHA tries its hardest not to find evidence of what is causing our breakdown.

A whole herd gamma done correctly would give us a chance to root out those animals which are poten-

tially infectious, but not showing a reaction to the skin testing, therefore shortening the duration of our breakdown, and reducing the risk of spread locally.

We may have still lost the same number of animals in total, but at least we would feel like we were battling the disease with two hands and all the armoury.

As it stands now, we feel like we are slowly sliding down to a point when in a couple of years we will have no milk cows left.

Give us the choice to at least stand and fight, because we have lost too many great cows with histories going back more than 100 years.

We have seen beautiful old cows, who have served us so well, that have shared our lives and farm, be shoved up the ramp of a wagon and transported to slaughter.

No lesions, cultures, or tests

to prove that they even needed to be killed.

As I said before, we have had no confirmed bTB according to the APHA policy. Ridiculous, is it not?

You cannot choose which animals are going to have that lump on the bottom injection site.

The best tempered heifers, the flashy show cows, the daft old cow which plodded home alongside you on the way back home for milking throughout summer, all perfectly healthy cows that are all potential reactors.

Statutory compensation does not value any of that and we feel like we are almost powerless to protect them from the policy.

The APHA and the policy-makers need to give farmers, their cows and the hard-working vets every chance and every tool to bring the disease under control.

Same thing

Over the past 15 months we have been told by the APHA to keep doing the same thing over and over again, so how can we, or the agency, expect different results?

BTB and the current policy set out to control and eradicate it is unsustainable, not just for herd numbers, but also for farmers themselves.

Over the past 15 months, it has worn me down, it has mentally eaten me away in a way that nothing else has ever done before.

I hope that by the time you are reading this FG article on Friday, I am again clutching a piece of paper, this time with news telling me that the APHA has come up with a plan of action that will help bring an end to the situation here at Strickley.

Mr Robinson fears the farm will have no milk cows left, unless the bTB testing issue is resolved properly.

PICTURE: GAIL CADDY

This year’s British Cattle Breeding Conference in Telford saw speakers giving their view

Choosing the right animal for your system is crucial

● Native breeds on rise as higher fat welcomed

FOCUSING on fat and selecting cows which gain condition while suckling a calf is the key to a sustainable and profitable beef system. That was the message from Robert Gilchrist, Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society chief executive officer.

He said the industry’s move towards breeding leaner cattle, starting in the 1950s, had led to unintended consequences, including higher finishing costs, increased cow costs due to higher feed requirements, reduced fertility and inconsistent meat eating quality.

“Nothing is less sustainable than producing a product that no-one wants to eat,” he added.

“Fortunately, the danger of over selection for lean was recognised in the mid-2010s and fatter animals were moved to sit on the right-hand side of the estimated breeding values grid.

Native breeds

“We are now seeing a return to native breeds as farmers see the benefits of genetics which support higher intramuscular and back fat, lower finishing costs, less reliance on concentrate feeds and a lower age at first calving.

“If cows carry more fat going into winter they will be able to mobilise those reserves, reducing costs.

“We need resilient, adaptable animals suited to out-wintering and con-

GENETICgainsarehappeningfaster thaneverbefore,saidMarcoWinters, headofanimalgeneticsforAHDB, meaningcowsoftodayhavelittle resemblancetothoseofthepast.

Withgeneticselectioncomes inbreedingandMrWinterssaidthat, historically,dairyfarmershadbeen advisedtoaimforlessthan6.25% inbreeding,butheaddedthiswasof littlerelevancetodayandcouldseverely limitgeneticgains.

Hesaid:“Producersshouldkeepan eyeoninbreedingwithintheirherds,but iftheystrivetomaintaintheiraverageat 6.25%orbelow,theycouldseriously compromisetheirgeneticgainand thereforetheirfutureherdefficiency.”

AstudybyAHDBdemonstratesthatif

“We need resilient adaptable animals suited to outwintering and conservation grazing,” said Robert Gilchrist.

servation grazing which also brings environmental benefits.

“It is about choosing the right animal for your system and for most beef producers, selecting genetics which naturally offer higher fat, will align with sustainability and profitability goals.”

Jamie Leslie and family run a 90cow Aberdeen-Angus suckler herd on

Shetland alongside a 900-ewe commercial ewe flock.

A leader follower grazing system is in place with the cattle used to reset pasture behind ewes and lambs all summer and then out-wintered on deferred grazing.

Mr Leslie said breeding for fat was key to the success of the herd.

“Our cows must be able to thrive by

Making safe and effective breeding decisions

the6.25%thresholdwasenforced,in mostcases,evenwiththebestmatings, theProfitableLifetimeIndex(£PLI)ofthe offspringwouldbelowerthanthatofthe dam.Inotherwords,genetic improvementwouldgobackwards.

Onlymatingsoftheverylowest£PLI dams,thesegenerallybeinginherds whichhavenotengagedwithgenetic improvement,couldresultingenetic gainsinthenextgenerationwhile keepingwithinthethreshold.

MrWinterssaid:“Inreality,keeping withinthe6.25%thresholdwouldmean manyproducerscouldnotbreedfrom theirbestgenetics.Inthecommercial dairypopulation,wherefarmersare selectingforimprovementsintraitssuch asfertility,lamenessandcellcounts,

theyareactivelycounteringtheeffects ofinbreedingdepression.”

Onaverage,UKproducershave drivenanincreaseinPLIof£52perhead peryear,whichfaroutweighsthe accompanyinginbreedinglossesin termsofperformanceandprofitability.

“Studiesfromaroundtheworld, includingbyAHDB,havedemonstrated thathistoricinbreedingcouldbe conferringbenefitsasrepeatedpositive selectionovermanygenerationshas helpedpurgeundesirabletraits.

“Inbreedingshoulddefinitelybea considerationbytoday’sbreeders whoseparticularfocusshouldbeon reducingitsrateofincreaseintheir ownherds.

“Thismeansusingyourteamofbulls

grazing grass for nine months of the year. By selecting for cows that easily put on condition in our system, we can use that energy reserve later in the season, when grass quality is low, to reduce our costs,” he added.

A one-point drop in Body Condition Score (BCS) from weaning to a month pre-calving saves him 400kg dry matter of feed per cow which influences

Marco

togivethelowestinbreedingoutcomes, avoidingmatingsbetweenclosefamily membersandusingbreeding programmesandtheAHDBInbreeding Checkertoflagthebestandworst matings,”headded.

Winters

on what the herd of the future might look like. Angela Calvert and Katie Jones report.

Biobank

initiative aims to preserve genetics for the future

INachangingworld,livestockgenetics needtobeprotectedtosafeguardthe futureoftheindustryandforfood security,saidTullisMatson,director oftheUKLivestockBiobank.

“Whilebiobanksforplantsarewell established,untilnowlittlehasbeen

which cows he selects for and how they are managed.

Low costs

He said: “We aim for cows to have a BCS of at least 4 at weaning and averaged 4.3 last year. We want cows which produce a calf every year, while getting nicely fat, which keeps costs low.

donetoprotectanimalgenetics,which putsthesectoratrisk,particularlyin theeventofadisastersuchasa diseaseoutbreak,”saidMrMatson. Biobankingisthecollectionof biologicalandgeneticmaterialfor futureuse.

Hesaid:“Theaimistostore50 geneticlinesfromeachbreed.This couldbeessentialforfoodsecurity.” Creatinga‘genebank’involvestaking asmalltissuesamplefromlivestock.Mr Matsonsaidthesearethenfrozenand mayinthefuturebeturnedintoeggs

andsemenusingstemcelltechnology, althoughsuchproceduresarecurrently limitedtoresearchintheUK.

MrMatsonsaidtheUKbiobankhas frozensamplesfrom260speciesand hopesGovernmentbackingcouldhelp streamlinetheinfrastructureneeded.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR EARLY DISEASE DETECTION

BRISTOLUniversityispioneeringan innovativeartificialintelligence(AI) systemformonitoringcattlehealth andwelfarethroughadvanced cameratechnologies.

Speaking at the conference, Prof Andrew Dowsey said the AI system will be used to track individual animal behaviours and predict early signs of disease.

The project is a collaboration between the department of computer sciences at the University of Bristol and Bristol Veterinary School and uses the study site at the University’s John Oldacre Centre. Prof Dowsey said the site was representative of a typical north Somerset fully-housed farm with 200 head of cattle.

For the past five years, researchers at Bristol Veterinary School have used cameras to identify cattle by their unique coat patterns, but Prof Dowsey said the focus was now shifting to characterising behaviours, particularly social interactions, to understand how changes in behaviour might signal

“We need calves which thrive on the cow, winter cheaply with a daily liveweight gain [DLWG] of 0.5kg, but have the genetic potential to grow quickly when they get onto good grass

body pushes, as well as individual behaviours including grooming and proximity to others.

Videos

the early onset of illness before clinical symptoms appear.

He added: “There is technology on the market that already uses cameras, but these tend to be looking for clinical signs of disease. We want to use our system to detect sub-clinical disease and in particular we are focusing on two of the industry’s main challenges –mastitis and lameness.”

The research is looking at social interactions such as head sways and

in the spring, achieving a DLWG of more than 1.5kg.”

Mr Leslie said his cost of production for last year, excluding a rent equivalent cost for owned land, was £1,017 for

HIGH REPLACEMENT RATES ARE ‘LIMITING MILK OUTPUT POTENTIAL’

HIGH replacement rates are limiting dairy herds’ ability to reach output potential, and to solve this, farmers must deal with excess heifers, said Ben Williams, Leprino Foods sustainability manager UK and EU, and he added that Leprino saw huge potential to make improvements among its suppliers.

“When we look at retention rate, it sits stubbornly at around 36%, and heifers are at best yielding 72% [of adult yields].”

He said the target was for heifers to achieve 85% of mature cow milk yield in their first lactation, and at a milk price of 30ppl (based on historic prices), this lost opportunity cost £173 per cow per year.

“In Wales, we buy 20% of the

Prof Dowsey said: “By collecting months of video from 64 cameras covering our main barn at the John Oldacre Centre, we can train a model to identify behaviour changes indicative of early-stage mastitis and lameness and determine the optimal camera positions to translate the system to commercial herds.”

The system will be tested across a network of farms this year and, if successful, it could be commercially available within the next five years. Prof Dowsey added: “Our researchers will also collaborate with experts in social science to hold co-design workshops to design a system which is suitable for commercial settings, and also understand how this technology might affect the industry; both from a positive perspective and also look at any unintended consequences.”

a 600kg finished steer. This is based on a suckler cow cost of £645, plus £279 for taking the weaned calf to turnout, and £93 for keeping the calf from a year-old in March until October.

“That is the cost of genetics in poor environments.”

Many farmers justify high replacement rates by quoting high cull prices, but he said this was often a false economy.

“They think they are getting free genetic gain, but they do not see 200300 litres of milk on average walking out of their milk tank because they are stacking a less productive animal at the front end of their herd.”

genetic gain through the constraints of their system or lack of resources.

“We are producing Ferrari cows and placing them in a banger racing environment.”

And he said performance measures had to change, too.

Ben Williams

milk. That is £8.1 million worth of milk. If you scale that across the UK, that is £310m worth of milk that never hits the tank, yet processors want to buy it.

Squandered

He added the age of culling was system-specific, but pointed to research showing that four to six lactations were optimal. Even when heifers do survive longer, he said many farmers were squandering

“The way we measure performance is fundamentally broken. We do not use insightful metrics. We talk about the average age of first calving and average herd yield. We must start talking about the percentage of animals that deliver what we need.

“When we have a bad year in dairy, we build a shed. When we have a good year, we build two. We tend to scale inefficiency,” Mr Williams added.

Prof Andrew Dowsey

Supplying British Blue artificial insemination sires to a breeding company provides an important income stream for Chris and Sarah Partridge in Ipswich, and also influences the breeding policy and herd management. Wendy Short reports.

Breeding bulls for AI studs

Chris and Sarah Partridge have secured a niche market in the supply of British Blue artificial insemination (AI) sires to Cogent, with more than 40 bulls having featured in the company’s stud portfolio since 2013.

The Partridges run 40 ‘Kersey’ British Blue females at Bridges Farm near Ipswich. They are kept alongside a commercial herd of 50 Simmental and Aberdeen-Angus cross females, from which recipients are drawn for the pedigree embryo transfer programme.

Chris is the fifth generation on the farm and he and his wife manage the cattle, while the large arable rotation is overseen by his brother Rob Partridge.

One of the best British Blue bulls bred by the family to date is Kersey Linchpin, which went to stud with Cogent in 2018. By Twyning Ash Ukelele, it is out of a Kersey dam from a naturally calving line.

Chris says: “Linchpin has been widely used, producing 30,000plus doses of semen and with 20 of his sons also going to stud.

“He had one of the shortest gestation lengths within the breed at an average 277 days and was eventually returned to the farm to be used for natural service, so he has put his stamp on our own herd.”

Polled genetics

The main market for British Blue semen is for crossing with dairy cows, adds Chris.

“Dairy farmers are looking for several key traits. Good performance figures are a priority, of course, but they also like to breed a calf that is naturally polled and blue roan in colour. A short gestation period and calving ease are other important factors.

“Polled genetics save time and money for dairy farmers by cutting out the need for disbudding or dehorning, and the procedure is also

a potential welfare issue. We have utilised polled genetics for the Kersey herd the past five years, combining polled bloodlines with the aim of producing homozygous polled males and females.

“Polling is definitely the way forward, but we must be careful to ensure that no sacrifice is made on the other positive traits of the breed.”

Calf colour exerts a strong influence on AI beef bull selection for some dairy farmers, he adds.

“British Blues come in a range of colours, from black to white, and all shades in between. However, the beef cattle marketplace will often favour the classic mottling, or roaning, which is the result of a mating between a white British Blue bull and a black and white dairy cow.

“Our breeding programme has been geared towards having a herd of white cattle since we started supplying sires for Cogent. The few coloured heifers that are born are sold on to other producers.”

Farm facts

rape

■ The farm land comprises an underlying clay, with mainly medium loam soils and some sandy outcrops

■ The family’s ‘Kersey’ pedigree

is

The couple has also been selecting for a short gestation length for the past several years.

Chris says: “It is widely accepted that a short gestation period can improve profitability, by increasing the number of dairy cow days in milk. Many of the other continental breeds have an average gestation length of 285, but the British Blue is

Calving is mainly done in spring, with small groups in September and December.

■ Bridges Farm covers 344 hectares (850 acres) in total, with 304ha (750 acres) in the arable rotation of milling wheat, malting barley and oilseed

Suffolk sheep flock

one of the oldest in the country, dating back to 1927. There is also a small flock of Blue Texels

Chris and Sarah Partridge run Bridges Farm, near Ipswich.

known for its potential for a lower figure. Using our bull Linchpin with his 277-day gestation average, for example, could make a big difference to the milk cheque, especially when spread across a large herd.

“Linchpin’s son, CBL Polaris, has the shortest gestation length of progeny-tested bulls within the breed at an average 276 days.

“The comparatively short gestation of the British Blue has occurred by chance, I believe. Once the trait had been recognised, it has since been enhanced through selective breeding. The best sires can consistently achieve a short gestation length with no negative effect on calf size and quality. Despite being born nearly 10 days early when com-

pared with calves of average gestation lengths, they are viable and achieve satisfactory birthweights, while maintaining high vigour and good calf quality.”

Characteristics

The Partridges have a clear picture of the type of British Blue bull they are aiming to breed.

“Aside from the polling, short gestation length and white colour preference, the programme relies on the basics of good conformation that apply to any breed, particularly correct legs, feet and locomotion. All these elements have to be attained without losing the ease of fleshing for which the British Blue is renowned.

“The ability to calve naturally is

To make the most of these exciting changes, we need your email address! If you’re not sure we have it, visit www.farmersguardian.com/update-email to update your information today.

The farm’s breeding programme is geared towards white cattle.

Livestock

The growing opportunity to sell British Blue stud bulls has increased our demand for embryo recipients

CHRIS PARTRIDGE

also critical and it has been the goal since the herd was established in 1986. British Blue breeders in general have made a lot of progress in this area, and only two out of our 30 pedigree calvings in 2024 required a C-section.”

In recent years, the business has marketed 10-15 bulls a year to Cogent, following rigorous visual inspections, performance figure assessment and stringent health and fertility testing. Some surplus pedigree British Blue heifers go to other breeders, while a few dozen Simmental-sired commercial steers are finished and sold at the auction mart at Colchester, Essex.

Fresh embryos

The Partridges have found that they get better results from implanting fresh embryos, compared with frozen.

This policy dictates the calving pattern, which is mainly in spring, with some smaller groups calving in September and December

Using synchronisation for their recipients, the current embryo transfer success rate is just more than 50% and two or three of the best cows are flushed quarterly.

Both herds are fully closed to protect their high health status.

“We are members of the Biobest HiHealth Herdcare cattle health

scheme and the cattle are certified free of BVD, IBR and Johne’s disease,” says Chris.

“They are also screened for leptospirosis and neospora and the farm falls within a four-year bovine TB testing programme.

“The advent of the bluetongue BTV-3 virus has slightly changed the marketing policy.

“Breeding bulls used to leave the farm at 15-16 months, but due to the higher risk period in the sum-

mer months and the geographical spread of the disease, some were taken to the Cogent stud in Cheshire at a younger age in 2024, following testing. In the autumn, the entire herd was vaccinated for BTV-3 protection.”

Plentiful straw

British Blue sired calves can be born nearly 10 days earlier than other breeds’ average gestation lengths.

The grazing period runs from April until October/November on the farm, which utilises the 40 hectares (100 acres) of permanent pasture. The arable crops ensure a plentiful supply of straw for the housing.

Chris says: “New calvers receive straw, fodder beet and malt residuals, which are a by-product of the brewing industry, while the dry cows are given a simple diet of straw, malt residuals and minerals. Once the calves have been weaned at six to eight months, they go on to grass silage, plus a home-produced mix of wheat, barley, soya and minerals.”

The family previously ran a pedigree British Blue bull with the commercial herd and sold larger numbers of finished cattle.

“The growing opportunity to sell British Blue stud bulls has increased our demand for embryo recipients, because of the need to operate a closed herd,” says Chris.

“We will continue to expand the pedigree herd slightly and then use genomic data to select the best animals to enter the system.

“Our partnership with Cogent has given us a niche market for our cattle and it has certainly steered the direction of the pedigree breeding programme.”

Chris Partridge with homozygous polled Kersey Royale.

PICTURES: KEITH MINDHAM PHOTOGRAPHY

Working Dogs

Danny Gallagher took first place with Mick and second place with Tess in the North Westmorland Sheep Society nursery trial at Lazonby.

For winning results

English results

RYEDALE, Scorby, York (Judge, T. Bennett) Nursery (20 ran) 1, G. Blyth, Cloddiau Bet, 69T; 2, J. Atkinson, Scalpsie Riot, 65T; 3, S. Aconley, Hilston Rob, 64T; 4, R. Cole, Tilly, 63; 5, D. Bristow, Greenhow Tess, 62T; 6, S. Walton, Brackenholme Dolly, 58T; New handler, 1, L. Bray, Scalpsie Maid, 50T; 2, N. Bradley, Gwen, 34T. ROMNEY MARSH, Whitehall, Lynsted (J. Bastable) Nursery (28 ran) 1, G. Eusden, Mist, 78 OLF; 2, P. Griffiths, Duchy, 78; 3, K. Reed, Nan, 75; 4, K. Reed, Prince, 71; 5, M. Banham, Beacons Ben, 64; 6, E. Anstey, Spot, 59. Novice, 1, J. Anstey, Ben, 72, 2, K. Reed, Thistledown Greg, 69; 3, G. Gower, Ayesha,

66; 4, J. Roswell, Gail, 44. Rookie, 1, H. Long, Wren, 74. NORTH WESTMORLAND, Gartholds Farm, Lazonby (K. Keith) Nursery (41 ran) 1, D. Gallagher, Mick, 77; 2, D. Gallagher, Tess, 74; 3, R. Harrison, Nioge, 73; 4, S. Thompson, Bonny; 72 OLF; 5, K. Cropper, Sam, 72 OLFD; 6, J. Ashworth, Lass, 72. Novice, 1, N. Westgarth, Jim, 71; 2, E. Hill, Jess, 65; 3, V. Meadley, Gem, 59; 4, A. Temple, Hilltop Rita, 57. New handler, 1, R. Willan, Rebel; 2, Z. Edwards, Queen. WINDERMERE, Garsdale Road, Sedbergh (R. Hutchinson) Novice championship (9 ran) 1, P. Ellis, Tip, 80 out of 100; 2, A. Temple, Hilltop Rita, 79; 3, D. Purdham, Tilly, 71. Nursery championship (8 ran) 1, T. Huddleston, Betty, 78 of 100; 2, P. Rigby, Grace, 72; 3, T. Birkett, Spot, 69. Novice aggregate, D. Purdham, Tilly. Nursery aggregate, T. Birkett, Jim. New handler aggregate, A. Townson, Meg. Committee Cup, J. Burrow, Maddie. QUEBEC, Hamsteels Hall Farm, Quebec, County Durham (A. Ridley) Nursery (18 ran) 1, R. Hutchinson, Rob, 91; 2, A. Grant, Pip, 84 OLF; 3, R. Hutchinson, Maggie, 84; 4, R. Hutchinson, Jet, 83; 5, F. Whitfield, Roly, 75;

6, J. Howes, Bessy, 73. Novice, 1, S. Ledger, Tilly, 83; 2, J. Tourish, Tara, 52. New handler, K. Wilkinson, Ned, 76.

Northern Irish results

LIMAVADY, Ballymaclary Farm, Seacoast Road (L. Conn) 1, J. O’Kane, Fly 1, 91; 2, M. McAlister, Gem, 88; 3, P. McKillop, Tide, 88; 4, S. Conn, Chip, 87; 5, D. McNeil, Tommy, 86; 6, N. Callaghan, Gus, 83. LIMAVADY, Ballymaclary Farm, Seacoast Road (S. Conn) 1, L. Conn, Tess, 96; 2, A. Ward, Lassie, 88; 3, A. Porter, Nan, 82 OLF; 4, D. McNeill, Tommy, 82; 5, P. McKillop, Tide, 81; 6, R. Goligher, Tip, 80.

Scottish results

MIDDLETON, Midlothian (D. Wallace) Nursery, 1, B. Parker, Tedd, 71; 2, J. Foster, Cap, 68 OLF; 3, J. Robinson, Tay, 68; 4, C. French, Bon, 65; 5, D. Gilchrist, Mick, 61; 6, E. Foster, Glen, 43; 7, B. McSporran, Dot, 32. Novice, 1, A. Saul, 65 OLF; 2, C. French, 65; 2, E. Runciman, 60.

Trials diary

ENGLAND

February 1. RYEDALE, Nursery, novice and new handler, Meadow Bank Farm, Scorby, York, YO41 1NP, what3words: belonging.kite.spreading, 10am start, field entry, £2 per entry, contact D. Bristow, tel: 07944 883 718.

February 2. MID SHIRES, beginner, nursery and novice trials followed by championship, Framland Farm, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, LE13 1LB, 8.30am start, field entry, £5 per entry, contact, G. Burbidge, tel: 07950 738 732. SURREY, nursery and novice, Shabden Park Farm, High Road, Chipstead, Surrey, CR5 3SF, 10am start, field entry, £5 per entry, see south east winter series info on Facebook for full rules and conditions, contact E. Anstey, tel: 07778 677 955. February 8. BRANSDALE, beginners, nursery and novice, South House Farm, Bransdale, North Yorkshire, YO62 7JW, what3words:embarks.domain.describe, 10am start, field entry, £2 per entry, contact, P. Broughton, tel: 07773 144 915.

February 9. SURREY, nursery and novice, Shabden Park Farm, High Road, Chipstead, Surrey, CR5 3SF, 10am start, field entry, £5 per entry, max two dogs per handler per class, nursery dogs under three years old on January 1, 2025, and not to have won anything other than in nursery or non-driving classes, all entry requirements on Facebook, contact E. Anstey, tel: 07778 677 955.

SCOTLAND

February 1. SOUTH SHETLAND, Nursery and novice, The Glen, Dunrossness, Shetland, ZE2 9JB, 9am start, pre-entry, £10 per entry, novice runs to follow the nursery trial, contact D. Mainland, tel: 07748 582 031. TINGWALL, Nursery and novice, The Glen, Dunrossness, Shetland, ZE2 9JB, 12pm start, pre-entry, £10 per entry, contact D. Mainland, tel: 07748 582 031.

SKELD, Shetland (S. Fraser) Nursery (13 ran) 1, D. Murray, Bjorg, 90; 2, B. Smith, Viking Stig, 89; 3, J. Nicholson, Lou, 83; 4, R. Farquhar, Skip, 79; 5, R. Colclough, Marj, 76; 6, C. Williamson, Viking Dodie, 73. WEST BURRAFIRTH, Skeld, Shetland (S. Fraser) Nursery (13 ran) 1, B. Smith, Viking Stig, 91; 2, D. Murray, Bjorg, 85; 3, R. Colclough, Marj, 79; 4, R. Grains, Viking Skye, 77 OLF; 5, R. Farquhar, Skip, 77; 6, H. Davidson, Mirk, 74.

Market Prices Primestock

ENGLAND

SCOTLAND

Source: LAA/MartEye

Market Prices Store Cattle

ENGLAND

SCOTLAND

Figures show livestock numbers first, then average price per head.

2/980.0 3/1020.0 6/1460.0

Source: LAA/MartEye

Source: IAAS/ScotEID

Source: LAA/MartEye

LIVESTOCK AVERAGES MARKET COMMENT

CATTLEandpigproducerssaw increasesinpricesatmartsin EnglandandWalesthisweek, althoughsheeppricesdroppedback. Primecattlepriceswereabove330p/ kgonaveragewithsteersshowing thesharpestrise.

Heifershadincreasedby3.5p/kg to339.2p/kg,thehighestpriceinthe cattlerings,andsteerswereup8.5p/ kgto329.1p/kg.

Youngbullsgrowninvalueby4.9p/ kgto316.5p/kg,anddairy-siredcows hadclimbedto185.5p/kg,a4.1p/kg increase.

Oneofthefewpricedecreases thisweekwasforsheep,whichwere downby5.7p/kgdespitemaintaininga priceabove325p/kg.

Porkerswereupby31.2p/kgto 161p/kg,thelargestincreasefor alllivestockcategories,despite baconersbuckingthetrendtoreduce by4.4p/kg.

AsFarmersGuardianwentto pressonWednesday(January29), UKLIFFEwheatpricesforMay25 weretradingat£188.5/tonne,a£3.5/t decreaseontheweek.

Source: LAA/MartEye

Market Prices

DEADWEIGHT CATTLE

STORE SHEEP ENGLAND

DEADWEIGHT SHEEP

O/S deadweight prices for the week ending January 25, 2025.

Deadweight sheep prices are collected from a sample of GB abattoirs.

DEADWEIGHT PIGS

PIGS

WALES SCOTLAND

HAY AND STRAW

January27,2025

GOOSTREY: Every mon, hay, square bale, £90/tonne; round bale, £60 to £120/t; haylage, square bale, £64 to £90/t; round bale, £52 to £80/t; barley straw, square bale, £122 to £124/t; round bale, £130/t; wheat straw, square bale, £110 to £122/t; oat straw, square bale, £70 to £90/t.

CARLISLE: wheat straw, round bale, £35/bale; mini hesstons, £128/t; barley straw, round bale, £39/bale.

*Pigpricesarew/eJan18,2024.

Source: AHDB

Market Prices

UK DELIVERED PRICES – SUMMARY

UK DELIVERED OILSEED RAPE PRICES

FUTURES MARKETS (WHEAT)

*FaceValuemultipliers **Estimates. Notes: Welsh (expectedfinalclaimyear2029with20% reductionsinpaymentfrom2026). Scottish (2027is expectedfinalclaimyear)FlatRatevalues. Northern Irish historicbasedvalues.Transferswithoutlandsubject toVATiftransferorisVATregistered,subjecttolot size. 2024 CLAIM VALUES: Scottish R1£147.49(plus £75.89greening).R2£32.52(plus£12.86greening).R3 £9.43(plus£4.31greening). Welsh £117.14/hectare,with anadditionalredistributivepaymentonthefirst54haof £111.02/ha. Northern Irish historicclaimvalueindividual toeachholding,tobereducedby9%in2025.AllBPS claimvaluesfor2025tobeannounced. BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN: EngStatutoryCredit£42,000-£650,000. OffsiteMarket£20,000-£200,000/unitallocatedand deliveredtodevelopmentsiteplusVATandassociated fees,subjecttolotsizeandLPA.LastNationalSaleby tenderJanuary27,2025,nexttenderMarch3,2025. NUTRIENT NEUTRALITY: Long-termsalesalltypes agricmanexcludingspecialisthabitatcreation.Nitrates £2,000-£4,000/unit(max£112,000/ha)fora90+year termplusVATexcludingassociatedfees,subjecttolot size,catchment,soildrainageandrainfall;phosphates £60,000-£75,000/unit(max£127,500/ha)fora90+year termplusVATexcludingassociatedfees,subjecttolot size,catchment,soildrainageandrainfall. CARBON: WoodlandCarbon>£30/WCU>£20/PIU.September 2024WCGreverseauctionaverage£25. WATER: Englishabstractionlicenceslessthan£3-£15/cu.m plusVATexcludingassociatedfees,subjecttolotsize, catchmentandEnvironmentAgencylocalpolicy.

Source: Townsend Chartered Surveyors

CORN RETURNS EX-FARM PRICES

1.

2.

MILK PRICE LEAGUE TABLE

3.

DAIRY CATTLE PRICES

1.Thiscontractwillreceivea1.33pplguaranteedminimumpayment.2.Thiscontractwillreceivea0.50pplmemberpremiumpayment.2.Thiscontract willreceivea1.73pplTescocheesegrouppayment.3.Thiscontractwillreceivea1.00ppldirectpremiumpayment.4.Thiscontractwillreceivea0.54ppl avesustainabilitypayment.5.Thiscontractwillreceivea0.25pplactual13thpayment.Retailerpricesupplementsareincludedwhereapplicable. Supplementslistedareinadditiontolistedmilkprices.Milkpricesshownarethemonthlyandannualaveragepricethatwouldbepaidonacontract for12monthsgoingforwardifthepresentpricescheduleremainedthesame.Priceslistedaboveexcludecapitalretentions,administrationcharges, groupsubsandVATbutincludelevyandseasonalityadjustments.MilkcontractsareprovidedtoAHDBonavoluntarybasis.Allpricesshownare calculatedusingtheAHDBStandardLitre.ThisreflectstheaverageGBfarmandfromApril2024isbasedon1.5mlitres/year,4.20%butterfat,3.38% protein,160ksomaticcellcountand27kbactoscan.TherehasalsobeenaslightadjustmenttotheAHDBlevy,whichcameintoforceinApril2024.To calculatepricesspecifictoyourownmilkvisittheAHDBMilkPriceCalculator.PleasenotethatforBarbersthereisaguaranteethatshouldtheActual MilkPriceEquivalent(AMPE)-2pplmoveaheadoftheBarbers’priceJultoDec2024,Barberswillpaythisontheextralitresabovethebasevolume.

UK MONTHLY MILK PRODUCTION

Farming: The Backbone of B

This Farming Life has returned to our screens and the Thomson family are hoping it will showcase the realities of agriculture. Emily Ashworth finds out more.

Scots family share their farming story with the nation

When This Farming Life first hit screens back in 2016, it quickly became one of TV’s most-loved programmes. It made the likes of Scottish shepherdess Emma Gray and hill farmer Joyce Campbell known to all.

With a rawness and realness embedded in every episode, it shows farming for what it truly is: emotional, testing, relentless. But it also shows just how much passion the people in our industry have for what they do.

It is now back for its seventh series, and one Scottish family are telling the story of their farm over the last year –and what a year it has been.

Nick and Holly Thomson farm in Balmaclellan, Dumfries and Galloway, with Nick the fourth generation to farm there.

Farming 728 hectares (1,800 acres) across multiple owned and tenanted sites, for Nick this is all about handing the farm over, and viewers will see the dynamic between Nick and his father Derek unfold with the process of him taking on more responsibility.

Nick says: “There are some main themes, one being succession and the older generation. It seems as though we are going in different directions and do not respect each other’s opinions, but when you watch it back, in the end it all comes together.”

The couple have, in Nick’s words, had a ‘traumatic’ year, partly due to the weather, which will resonate across the industry.

They have also started to breed Easycare sheep which is a new venture

Keep up-to-date

■ Do not forget that you can find all the latest farming news and features from Scotland by visiting farmersguardian.com/Scotland

The show is about the good, the bad and the ugly – mental health too. All farmers go through it, and I was keen to show that

NICK THOMSON

for them – and they have baby number two on the way.

Life is busy and brings its pressures, but Nick hopes that sharing his journey will help others going through similar things.

He says: “We had the worst lambing ever – it rained every day during our peak lambing time. Then we lost some of our land. The cost of everything went up and we have been trying to diversify. The show is about the good, the bad and the ugly – mental health too. All farmers go through it, and I was keen to show that.”

But there is a lot to look forward to.

Nick has an entrepreneurial spirit, one which can be seen throughout the show, he says, confessing he has ‘a new idea every day’.

Alongside their beef and sheep enterprise, their new luxury accommodation diversification, Summer Hill Farm, is now up and running, allowing guests to stay in ‘the barn’ or ‘the byre’ and experience a taste of Scottish life.

This is something Nick enjoys.

“I love the sheep and the cows. I am quite entrepreneurial – it makes me cringe when I say that on the show, but the farm gives me opportunities to do

that. I would not get that in other industries,” he says.

“It really feels like we have done something.”

The last series of This Farming Life attracted more than three million viewers, and right now the industry is crying out for consumer connection in the aftermath of the Budget.

Having attended the farmer protest on November 19 in London, Nick feels the momentum has been lost slightly over Christmas and New Year, and that the programme is another chance to shout about the value of farmers.

He says: “We are not taken seriously. There is good land – land for growing food – being turned over for other uses. And the Government is pushing trees and renewables.

“I would like people to know how hard we work to produce that quality food – especially compared to what it would be like if farmers were not here.

“Please do not fight us; back us, because we are just trying to feed you.”

The show has also given him time to reflect on his farming life. After years of working alongside his father, building up his own podcast and running various farming enterprises, now is the time to perhaps simply enjoy all of it. There is that legacy too, following in his uncle’s, grandfather’s and father’s steps.

He says: “I feel like I have done all that chapter now – the building of the brand. I now want to enjoy what we have built and spend time with my family. I have maybe learned that what I was working towards is not as important as enjoying my family.

“Where we live is beautiful, and what a great place to bring children up: the kids running around; getting muddy; the animals. I look out at this view, and I would not change it for the world.”

Nick and Holly Thomson with their daughter Tilly.

In Your Field

Every week we follow the ups and downs of farmers around the UK

EMMA ROBINSON

Monmouthshire

Emma and her family farm in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, milking 100 pedigree Holsteins and selling raw milk from the farmgate. They also run 300 North Country Mules. Emma is Monmouthshire NFU chair and volunteers with the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.

Our NFU County Conference was well-attended. President Tom Bradshaw was our guest speaker, and there were many questions about the family farm tax. Our president said it was very important to keep the public on our side and thanked them for their support of farmers.

He also thanked the retailers which have raised concerns about Inheritance Tax (IHT) changes. They can see how devastating this will be for family farms and how this will then disrupt retailers in sourcing the high-quality, sustainable food that consumers want.

I worked with some of our NFU Cymru members to organise a show of unity against the family farm tax on January 25 in Abergavenny. We set up at the back of the Market Hall with a tractor offering Welsh milk samples from my dairy processor Cotteswold and eggs from Country Fresh Eggs.

Naomi Williams-Roberts, NFU student and young farmer ambassador at NFU Cymru, created an interactive model to show how many businesses farmers supported. We engaged with the public to get as many signatures as possible for support and also helped them scan the QR code on the NFU

‘Farmers are the same the world over – we are all joined by a love of the land’

Cymru banner. We were overwhelmed by the support – we had 160 postcards signed.

One comment stated: ‘Without farmers we will starve!’.

The public know what is happening and the impact it will have on the family farm and the next generation.

The agricultural trades and businesses we support are already suffering since the Budget announcement on IHT – job losses; depots closing; machinery dealerships with empty order books. Retraction is already happening despite the Chancellor wanting growth in the economy.

We advertised on social media offering vet/agricultural student placements for lambing and we had a fantastic response. It was very reassuring

Farmers Weather by Dr Simon Keeling

to know that these young people want a career in veterinary and agriculture. We need young people who are enthusiastic in our industry for it to thrive.

We used to have French students every year, but unfortunately this stopped due to Brexit. The French college had been coming to this part of Wales for over 30 years, and when my neighbour asked me if I would like to host a student, I snapped up the offer.

We supported them to complete a project in English and we organised social trips out. At the end of the placement, the farmers and students all went out for a meal. It gave us the opportunity to improve our French, which came into good use when we visited the region of Vovray-en-Bornes one summer. One of our students

The jet stream is back with a vengeance

LAST weekend’s Storm Eowyn was fuelled by the jet stream as it created winds of more than 200mph in the troposphere across the Atlantic, dragging in warm air from the tropics and mixing it with colder air from the North Pole.

The main development zone for low pressure as the jet stream sweeps them up is the right entrance and left exit regions, where the winds first increase and then decrease respectively.

That was the reason for Storm Eowyn’s low pressure area deepening so rapidly, and it just so happened that the left exit region

was over the British Isles. Often, after such a severe storm, a secondary area of low pressure develops, usually more benign, but continuing the unsettled weather.

Early on this week, a returning polar maritime airmass dominated, brought to us courtesy of this second area of low pressure. Typical of this airmass is heavy showers often merging to longer spells of rain, and that is exactly what we got. High pressure is now starting to build, and as this happens the jet stream is being pushed back north. At times it will clip north west Scotland and western Ireland,

bringing more rain here. However, for most of the British Isles, this change in position is going to bring about some drier weather.

Rainfall in January varied widely across the country, with the most notable drier-than-average areas being parts of northern England and Scotland, while in central, eastern and southern England totals were close to or above average.

The building pressure this weekend and into next week should allow for the ground to dry, and although we are advising that February could see some wet days, the emphasis is again on drier conditions.

took us on an amazing farm tour of the region. Most farmers there asked us why we left the EU.

We are still in contact with all of our students today. Farmers are the same the world over and all interested in enterprise and feasibility. We are all joined by a love of the land.

On-farm, we have been busy with the calves and have started feeding groups of ewes on the hill. There are still some lambs to sell. Soon I will start to organise the lambing shed with all the essentials.

I was successful in my grant application for wireless equipment, so I have been installing this on-farm. It can be quite ‘techy’, but I am determined not to be left behind in this digital world we are in.

For location specific forecasts visit farmersweather.co.uk and for video updates go to weatherweb.net or call the number below. Call Farmers WeatherLIVE

NEXT WEEK

Cumbria James Robinson

Yorkshire Helen Stanier

‘Skills are being lost and that needs to change’

ROGER NICHOLSON

South Yorkshire

Roger Nicholson farms with his family at the heavily diversified Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, which has sparked various Channel 5 series including Springtime on the Farm. Roger, 81, farms with his sons Dave and Robert and says he has no plans to retire just yet.

There’s an old African proverb that says ‘if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’. For many years, between the 1950s and the 1980s, I worked alone, and I don’t mind admitting that I sometimes found it hard. Every decision was mine, and with that came the responsibility if things went wrong. When I was a boy, farming was a more collaborative

exercise with more people involved, and decisions were made together. Throughout those years when I worked on my own, I was always looking towards a time when the whole family could be involved and work together. When that happened, things started to go in the right direction. It’s one of the many reasons I believe in the family farm – the shared responsibility; the ability to pass on knowledge from one generation to the next.

There are huge pressures associated with farming right now, and many farmers spend long hours working on their own. Meeting up at markets and shows helps to lighten that load, but these opportunities seem fewer.

I’m really pleased that my grandson Tom has returned from London to work with us on the farm. He studied law at King’s College and then worked as a researcher in the Houses of Parliament. He then gained experience working in the communications teams at Tesco and Marks & Spencer. He’s already made a big impact, bringing

Crossword 1282

new skills and a valuable new perspective to our farm shop business.

One of our employees, Amy, started here on work experience aged 15. She showed great promise and is now our health and safety officer. This year, she ran our Christmas experience and did a great job. It’s heart-warming to see the younger generation handed responsibility and excelling. Over the past 35 years, we have provided a first job for hundreds of young people, and it’s been a pleasure to follow their varied careers after they have left us. I imagine we are one of the most diversified farm businesses in the UK now, and that fact has saved us on occasions. It allowed us to make it through the foot-and-mouth outbreak

in 2001 and the devastating Covid-19 pandemic and emerge on the other side stronger. One of the privileges of working here is the ability to pass on knowledge to the next generation. That is happening less and less in modern day farming, and skills are being lost. That needs to change.

We diversified through necessity and have enjoyed the journey, but not every farm can. There are huge costs involved, and not every farm business is suitable.

It’s important that those who want to farm conventionally can continue to exist and become profitable. I want to emphasise our support for those farmers – their hard work and effort deserves a proper reward.

Sendinyourcorrectentriestobeinwithachanceofwinning£20worthof Love2shopvoucherseverymonth.Sendto:CrosswordNo.1282,Farmers Guardian,Unit4,FulwoodBusinessPark,CaxtonRoad,Fulwood,Preston,PR29NZ.

ACROSS

1 Mate’s up to date about latest trends in contract between individuals (11)

7 More abrupt diminutive old queen (7)

8 Credit card, it’s turning up in particular locality mostly (7)

10 Neat receptacle for odd scraps (4)

11 Middle courses in sea area around island (5)

12 Dear cabbage! (4)

15 Strong support for monarchy taking on new direction (7)

16 Safely store chopped up topside (7)

17 Things that attract causing me angst (7)

20 Evidently a hundred left before the appointed time (7)

22 Pin down crawler failing to start (4)

23 Puts up regardless with cloddish fellows (5)

24 Compulsory payment to state revenue insurance initially for cab ( 4)

27 Presume to drink and sit for photo (7)

28 No brief about outdoor blaze (7)

29 Deftly infer naughtily in a dissimilar way (11)

DOWN

1 In an imposing manner, present loudly without control ultimately (7)

2 Turning up, grass from Kilmarnock acts as informer (4)

3 Runs around before last of the regular play in small preschool (7)

4 Agent told a porky - gave an answer (7)

5 Pick up frisky hare (4)

6 Smears with black tar-residue areas between wickets (7)

7 Fixes taking in workers with talent principally in local communities (11)

9 Rural districts, strangely dry counties (11)

13 A legal right to retain property for person from foreign country (5)

14 Catches sight of secret agents (5)

18 Held the attention of essentially biggest drunk (7)

19 Hug small cat, not completely unknown one finally (7)

20 Telegram admitting dad’s competent (7)

21 Willingly understand meaning of ‘I love you’ for starters (7)

25 Game regularly left for another game? ( 4)

26 Hard mass in hair or wool - it isn’t we’re told (4)

Answers to crossword 1280: Across: 1 Above ground, 9 Retreat, 10 Because, 11 Gift horse, 12 Votes, 13 Ducat, 14 Emigrants, 16 Spreading, 18 Ticks, 20 Taker, 22 Influenza, 24 Rebecca, 25 Unarmed, 26 Butterflies. Down: 1 Artificer, 2 One shot, 3 Ester, 4 Rabbeting, 5 Uncover, 6 Doubt, 7 Frigid, 8 Beasts, 14 Eliminate, 15 Nicknames, 16 Satire, 17 Apricot, 18 Tsunami, 19 Shandy, 21 Kebab, 23 Fluff.

Farming Matters

‘Regen is not just a trend –it is a fundamental shift’

To me, regenerative farming means giving back more than we take – working with nature rather than against it. It’s about deindustrialisation in the truest sense, returning to basics while using modern technology to

We have, now more than ever, an opportunity to be a part of a growing movement that is pivotal in reshaping the future of food

enhance efficiency in a way that aligns with nature’s intent.

By stopping the fight with Mother Nature, we unlock the potential for both land and people to thrive, creating a food system that is abundant, resilient and regenerative.

When we first launched the Ethical Butcher in 2020, we wanted to address the growing concerns around food provenance, animal welfare and the environmental impacts of meat production.

We had a vision of transforming meat consumption by focusing on sustainability, taste and quality, while ensuring the process from ‘farm to fork’ benefited the planet.

Launched

As part of our determination to make a positive change, the Ethical Butcher launched the first #Regenuary campaign in 2020 to ‘be the change the industry needed’. It was founded as a response to the misleading narratives around #Veganuary, which often portrayed veganism as the only solution to environmental issues.

FG Farm Dog of the Month

The initiative encourages people to eat foods from regenerative farming practices, highlighting how ethically raised meat can help restore the planet, while challenging the conversation around cutting out meat from our diets altogether.

According to a report by Nutritics, 70% of Brits are now actively trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle and more than a third (34%) of UK pub- and restaurantgoers are prepared to spend more than usual in venues with strong sustainability credentials.

The report goes on to suggest that consumers in the 18-34 age group are nearly twice as likely to pay more for sustainability than those aged 55 plus.

The opportunities for farmers within this movement are immense. We are on the cusp of a cultural shift, similar to what we saw a few decades ago in the culinary world.

Back then, chefs emerged as the heroes of the kitchen, revolutionising British gastronomy. Icons such as Pierre Koffmann, Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White captured the public’s imagination by showing us the craft, passion and people behind our meals.

Today, a similar transformation is happening in agriculture.

Demand

Consumers increasingly demand to know not only where their food comes from, but also how it was produced and by whom.

This is not just a trend – it is a fundamental shift.

Farmers who embrace regenerative practices and produce with integrity have an extraordinary opportunity to become the heroes of our tables.

They can achieve recognition akin to the Michelin star in the restaurant world – a mark of excel-

FARSHAD KAZEMIAN

lence that justifies a premium price, rewards quality and celebrates craftsmanship.

As the awareness of environmental issues continues to make headlines and we demand more sustainable transparency, initiatives such as #Regenuary provide a powerful platform which will set out to inspire the next generation of growers, producers, consumers, business owners and Government leaders.

We have, now more than ever before, an opportunity to be a part of a growing movement which is pivotal in reshaping the future of food.

Throughout 2025 and beyond, we envision a food system that is more resilient, regenerative and transparent, where British farmers remain central to our food supply, our countryside flourishes, and regenerative farming continues to thrive across the UK.

5th - 6th March 2025

NAEC Stoneleigh

Learn from experts in Low Carbon practices

The only event solely focused on climate-friendly practices in farming, featuring a pioneering conference programme led by industry leaders

Natural Capital

How do you turn your land into profit? This session will explore how farmers and landowners can leverage their natural assets for financial gain in addition to understanding the risks and considerations when entering into nature-based arrangements, ensuring you’re fully equipped for success.

GHG Removal and Carbon Farming

What does the roadmap to net zero agriculture look like? This session will break down the value of carbon, how to effectively sequester and store carbon in your soil and provide a clear understanding of soil carbon certificates and carbon trading.

Future Food Security

Future food security faces challenges. Industry experts will provide insight into how we further boost domestic production and support our home-grown products, what future consumer habits and trends may look like and what this means for the farmer when future-proofing their business.

Climate Adaption

Climate change is reshaping agriculture. In this session, learn how to adapt to a changing climate including how to update and invest in your farm infrastructure, contingency plans for wet crops and what measures you can implement when faced with emerging animal diseases.

Check our website for the full conference programme.

Scan the QR code to claim your free ticket

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