Sunday 27 May 2012
Finance
Arable farmers across the West and Central Midlands have been given a boost ahead of harvest after the 27,000 tonne grain store at Stratford-upon-Avon operated by Arable Crop Storage (ACS) had its application to merge with a store in Cambridgeshire approved by the UK Financial Services Authority. Following a review of the business in 2010 the bo...
Unilever has committed to work with sustainable agriculture charity LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) and ADM to increase its use of LEAF Marque certified oilseed rape. The partnership will contribute to Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan which requires all of its oilseed rape to be sustainably sourced by 2020. LEAF, ADM and Unile...
The Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) Independent Agricultural Appeals Panels will continue to operate, Farming Minister Jim Paice announced today, after a review found they were a valued service for the farming industry. The body makes recommendations to Ministers on appeals against the RPA’s decisions on Common Agricultural Policy paym...
Following the latest round of changes to the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Feed-In-Tariff (FiTs) there is time to still consider PV as a viable, sustainable and affordable renewable technology at both domestic and commercial levels. The next change in FiTs for PV comes on the 30th June 2012, and while this is a tight timescale, the two historic delay...
The Boards of Arla Foods amba and Milk Link have announced the proposed merger of the two dairy co-operatives. The proposal will result in the full merger of Milk Link, the UK’s leading dairy farmer co-operative and Arla Foods amba, one of the largest European dairy co-operatives. The merger will bring together two growth orientated f...
The Tenant Farmers Association has stressed the importance of ensuring that farm tenants are not disadvantaged through reallocation of payment entitlements in the Common Agricultural Policy Reform process. "It has long been a concern that vital support payments to agricultural producers can become capitalised into land values and land rent...
Forestry Commission Scotland has today announced changes to Rural Priorities grant funding that aims to boost more planting of productive forests. The move comes as overall planting rates continue to increase towards the target figure of 9,000ha per year through private planting. The majority of planting activity (currently 75%) has been und...
Farmers who are Members of the AtlasFram Group, a UK purchasing and grain marketing co-operative, can now benefit from two new oilseed rape marketing contracts as part of the Group’s alliance with ADM Direct. The first offers AtlasFram Members an additional £15 per tonne premium over and above normal quality premiums for standard double-ze...
WHEAT - USDA report corn plantings 87% complete, 71% last week and 66% average. Spring wheat plantings 94% complete, 84% last week and 64% average. - UK wheat exports slowed in March to 125,000mt, bringing the season-to-date figure to 2.11mln t. - Kazakhstan cuts rail costs to boost exports - should allow the country to export an addit...
Agricultural accountants are urging farmers and rural businesses to take advantage of a second round of grant funding to boost their businesses. Defra is now inviting applications for grants of up to £25,000 to enable businesses to buy new machinery and develop green projects. The grants total £40 million and mark the opening of the second r...
Rural businesses in the South West are providing an example to the rest of the country by showing how it’s possible to innovate and grow, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said today ahead of a visit to the region. Mrs Spelman’s visit is part of a series of Rural Roadshows taking place all around the country by ministers in her...
A leading rural land and estate agent has joined into a partnership with Farm Valuation Services Scotland (FVSS). Bell Ingram has announced the arrangement which comes in response to a sustained buoyancy in the farming sector. "The farming sector has been indicating considerable demand for this type of specialist service for some time so we...
AB Vista has announces a new distribution partner in Italy for Vistacell. From April, Mazzoleni Prodotti Zootecnici will be the sole distributor of this popular live yeast product for use with a wide range of animal species to the Italian market. Based in Cologno al Serio, Bergamo, Mazzoleni Prodotti Zootecnici has worked with feed additives an...
Defra has joined Waste & Resources Action Programme to try reduce costs and the environmental impact of the UK soft drinks sector. The project will look at impacts in all parts of the industry and suppliers, to identify areas where action is most needed. Defra has identified the soft drinks sector as a key industry partner in this project. G...
Fears about recession and a range of proposed tax measures to be introduced from October 2012, and into 2013, including the removal of the zero-rating of VAT on alterations to listed buildings and a cap on tax relief for trading losses, are contributing to uncertainty for rural business, farmers and landowners. "A significant number of rur...
Leading anaerobic digestion company Biogen UK has been fined £5,000 by Bedford Magistrates’ Court for polluting one mile of a Bedfordshire stream. The Environment Agency said the pollution was avoidable and it should have been notified sooner so that the incident could have been better managed. A large quantity of digestate from an an...
Fertiliser blenders and distributors J&H Bunn are set to open new corporate headquarters in Norwich’s Broadland Business Park. "This move will offer us more space to grow our business, and add resources and talent to support that growth," said Richard Sunderland, managing director of J&H Bunn Ltd. "It allows us to consolida...
WWF is urging investors to do more to promote sustainable palm oil, backed by findings from a new survey released during a high-level meeting of investors and producers in Singapore. WWF’s first-of-its-kind Palm Oil Investor Review 2012 surveyed 35 key palm oil sector investors to assess how they are managing the challenges associated wit...
UK businesses are becoming increasingly better at making timely payments according to research released by AAT. Compared to figures from 2011, estate agents and taxicab firms are improving their performance when it comes to making payments, but all still fail to meet the agreed terms. The survey highlights the national average for late paymen...
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