English farmers at risk, CAP coalition warns government

Rural planning specialists warn of dramatic changes European scrutiny of fungicides and pesticides could change the British farming landscape according to a team of rural planning specialists. The Fa... English farmers at risk, CAP coalition warns government The largest ever coalition of British farming organisations has today warned the Government that English farmers could be treated unfairly under new C... Hidden viral gene revealed in GMOs Claims that GM technology is 'predictable and safe' has been shaken by the discovery of viral gene sequences in many GM crops according GM Freeze. ... Tacon appointed as new supermarket adjudicator Former Co-operative farms managing director Christine Tacon has been appointed by the government to head the first Groceries Code Adjudicator. The ... Global organic land area expands threefold Despite a slight decline between 2009 and 2010, since 1999 the global land area farmed organically has expanded more than threefold to 37 million hect... Organic eggs 'still declining' Recent statistics indicate that demand for organic eggs is still declining. Figures compiled by Kantar Worldpanel for the 52 week period up to Oct... What does 2013 hold for free range producers? Britain's biggest free range egg producer has warned that the free range egg sector needs to keep control of bird numbers to prevent supplies of eggs ... Eggs could improve health of unborn babies Mothers could improve the health of their unborn babies by eating eggs during pregnancy, according to new scientific research. A research team in t... UK dependent on imported soya 'until we have GM' Last Friday UK May futures closed at £227.50, Monday £225.70, Tuesday £224, Wednesday £223, Thursday £217.75. Wow! A £10/t drop over the week! That is... Paterson backs UK GM crops Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has given his support to genetically modified (GM) food production in the UK. Paterson said GM crops, which ar... Supermarket adjudicator granted powers to fine retailers Powers to fine retailers who unfairly treat their suppliers will be given to the new supermarket adjudicator, the government announced today. The ... Ugly veg rule change means more produce on sale Over three hundred thousand tonnes of British produce, enough to fill 2,500 Boeing 747-400 freight planes, is estimated to have reached supermarket sh... EU identifies 'serious defects' in French GM rat study The European Union's food safety watchdog has identified 'serious defects' in the research undertaken by French scientists who said rats fed on a GM d... Bacon launches with double award success A brand new Cornish bacon is launched this week having secured two food industry awards. The ‘Cornish Sweetheart’ streaky bacon, developed by the K... Unions take CAP fight to European Parliament Farming groups are stepping up their fight to ensure the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) allows farmers to compete on a level playing field across th... Sustainable farming experts call for change Bold changes are needed to the way food is produced is we are able to continue feeding the world, according to experts at LEAF (Linking Environment an... EU approval of Roundup 'based on bad science' says study The EU approval of glyphosate, the main ingredient of the herbicide Roundup, is based on bad science, according to a new peer-reviewed study. The s... Sustainable palm oil to be used by 2015 By the end of 2015 all palm oil used in central Government food and catering services will come from environmentally friendly sources, Environment Min... European changes to biofuel policies are 'ill-conceived', says NFU The NFU is calling on the EU to forge joined-up policies that support both the production of food and renewable fuel after the European Commission pro... Supermarket watchdog must have power to fine, say activists Activists today will stage a demonstration to highlight the need for the government to ensure the new supermarket watchdog being introduced has the po... Vegetable oil stocks reach 38 year low Demand for vegetable oils for food and biofuel use is expected to increase by an additional 23 million tonnes by 2016; however supply is expected to s... Tomato growers gambling with £40m investment British tomato growers are gambling with an investment of £40million a year in producing crops before they receive any return, according to the Tomato... Tesco makes switch as supermarket label campaign launched A new campaign encouraging people to take photos of poor food labels or merchandising and upload them to Facebook has been launched today. The NFU... US maize and soya prices show decline As we have whinged previously, it would appear that sometimes the USDA tells the truth, and sometimes…..well, sometimes it fudges the issue. So last w... Hundreds march to Brussels calling for farming reforms Protestors from the UK have joined the largest ever rally in Brussels calling for radical farming reform. The activists say the global food system... Calls to scrap EU biofuel plans 'short sighted' Calls to scrap the biofuels element of the Renewable Energy Directive have been described as "staggeringly short shighted" by the National Farmers' Un... European court confirms right to cultivate GM crops A decision by the European Court of Justice has clarified the legal requirements concerning the cultivation of GM crops within the European Union memb... Organic category remains resilient September has been called the organic month by the Soil Association as despite the recession, research has shown there is a positive future for the or... Growers should 'choose oilseed rape with care' A new requirement on glucosinolate levels, set by European oilseed crushers, takes full effect for the 2013 crop and growers should pay careful attent... Quality 'will win battle for US olive oil' The United States olive oil market – the worlds third-largest for consumption – is poised to become a battleground between historic European producers... International agreement opens biofuel market for arable farmers Arable farmers will gain critical access to biofuel export markets after the Red Tractor and Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) schemes gained commercial re... Global fish production reaches all-time high Total global fish production, including both wild capture fish and aquaculture, reached an all-time high of 154 million tons in 2011, and aquaculture ... Cameron accused of failing to address causes of food crisis David Cameron has been accused by campaigners of 'failing to address the causes of the global food crisis' by suggesting that hunger can be solved by ... Defra outlines future of pesticides with draft plan The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs have issued a draft plan outlining the future of pesticide use in the UK. The action plan for... Dairy coalition vows to keep up pressure on retailers Pressure will be kept on retailers who don't pay dairy farmers a fair price, members of the dairy coalition announced today. The coalition includes... Proposed changes to stocktaking rules welcomed The Accounting Council have decided to make "fair value" for biological assets optional rather than mandatory as the minutes of their July meeting hav... Farmers agree dairy deal at Royal Welsh Leaders of the dairy coalition have said they are putting "100 percent effort" into targeting retailers and major milk buyers to ensure dairy farmers ... EU paves way for GM meat and milk European Union officials are paving the way to bring genetically modified (GM) animals to the European market. European authorities have developed ... ICM in carrots leads to successful Sclerotinia control Recent showery weather has encouraged the continuing activity of sclerotia, according to the BASF and ADAS sponsored monitoring system for carrot grow... Local food networks are 'under-recognised', says report Despite the importance to the high streets and landscapes, local food markets are 'under-recognised' and poorly supported, a new report says. The ... Asda, Morrisons, Iceland ’worst offenders’ for healthy eating A report launched today names Asda, Morrisons and Iceland as the "worst offenders" for undermining parents’ efforts to feed their chil... Fair play in grocery supply chain needed EU-wide A new report has backed up calls for an effective adjudicator to police the UK Groceries Supply Chain Code of Practice. It concludes that the inte... New organic regulation ’will give producers confidence’ The NFU has successfully lobbied for a new EU regulation on organic feed that will give producers confidence in the sector. The new regulation all... Natural and Organic Products reports successful show The sixteenth edition of Europe’s leading annual trade show for the natural products, health food and organic sectors has been hailed a huge suc... Complexity of soil debated at Vegetable Conference A speaker from expert vegetable grower Produce World has given insight into new developments in soil management at a conference organised by Waitrose ... Scottish Food Advisory Committee appoints new members Lord Rooker, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, today announced the appointment of three new members of the independent Scottish Food Advisory Commit... Price not key factor in organic decline Falling organic food sales in the UK reflect a growing recognition among British shoppers that benefits for the environment, healthy eating and animal... Organic produce shows growth in Q4 Overall fresh produce retail prices were higher this quarter compared to Q4 2010, spurring dollar growth, but declining volume sales for some commodit... Local partnership aids success for organic farmers A leading player in the UK organic food sector has overcome the headache of finding skilled staff with the help of Midlands-based Network Recruitment ... New report highlights importance of local food National charity CPRE publishes a new report into the economic and social value of local food to Ledbury just days before a crunch council meeting to ...