Menu

All articles about Farm policy

Find out about UK and EU government agricultural policy and what it means for farmers. Be the first to hear the news on Defra’s plans for farm payments and subsidies post Brexit, and environmental schemes and funding. Hear how the NFU, AHDB and farm industry leaders’ lobby the government to help shape farm policy.

Advice and tips

MACHINERY

Q&A: Using CCTV - what farmers need to know

Farmers are increasingly turning to CCTV to protect their farm from thefts. New technology has made it easier than ever to set up camera surveillance, but the rules around data…

See all

Case studies

DIVERSIFICATION

Field to plate - diversification on Japanese farms

Japan’s food culture is built on strong regional associations and loyalties, alongside superb quality and freshness.  However, accelerating rural depopulation, falling farm incomes, concerns over food security and a crippling…

BUSINESS

Farming without subsidy - New Zealand's experience

UK farmers must seize the opportunity of Brexit to ramp up productivity and become more competitive, industry leaders have been told. Former New Zealand agriculture minister Sir Lockwood Smith suggested…

ENVIRONMENT

Wild bird project – a blueprint for future farm support?

Farmers in the South West have helped to save a rare farmland bird in a 25-year collaboration with the RSPB.  Farmers and the RSPB don’t always see eye to eye,…

NEWS

‘Defra blunder crippled my farm business’

Devon beef and dairy producer Winston Reed has seen the administrators called in at Cleave Farm, Templeton, near Tiverton – despite winning a four-year battle with Defra, which saw the…

See all

Insights

FARM POLICY

New Welsh farm support scheme majors on tree planting

Farmers in Wales will need to have at least 10% of their land planted with trees if they want a baseline payment from the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). Details…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

British farmers advised to grasp export opportunities

Boris Johnson’s government is negotiating new free trade agreements (FTA) at pace with major agri-producing countries, so there has never been a more important time for our farmers to grow…

FARM POLICY

Britain braced for food crisis as rising costs hammer farmers

Feed, fertiliser, fuel and labour costs have all risen dramatically in the past 12 months, squeezing margins from profit into loss. With some sectors forced to rein in inputs this…

FARM POLICY

What to expect from Defra's pesticides action plan

A revised national action plan for pesticides must allow farmers continued access to effective tools to protect crops from pests, weeds and diseases so they can produce safe and affordable…

See all

News

BOVINE TB

Welsh government to form bovine TB technical advisory group

The Welsh government has announced plans to create a new technical advisory group (TAG) to advise ministers on the science to tackle bovine TB in cattle herds in Wales. Welsh…

OPINION

Analysis: What could Johnson’s departure mean for farmers?

Boris Johnson is yesterday’s man. All eyes now are on who will put themselves forward to be the next Conservative Party leader and prime minister. Mr Johnson currently seems determined…

ENVIRONMENT

Dutch farmer protests against emissions cuts spread across EU

Dutch farmer protests over government policies and rising “agflation” destroying their businesses have spread to more European countries. The farmers are protesting about rising costs and government restrictions put on…

NEWS

Milk production falls as labour crisis deepens

A chronic shortage of dairy farmworkers has hit milk production and pushed more than one in 10 farmers to the brink of quitting, a survey has revealed. The research was…

See all

Opinion

FARM POLICY

Eustice: I’ll ensure money coming out of BPS goes to farmers

George Eustice is the secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Here he sets out his arguments why the new Environmental Land Management scheme is…

NEWS

Eustice: Creative solutions needed to cut dependence on AN

George Eustice is the secretary of state at Defra. Here he sets out his arguments for why more imaginative thinking is needed to reduce farming's dependence on inorganic fertiliser. My…

FARM POLICY

Liz Truss: US Trade deal will benefit UK farmers

Liz Truss, Secretary of State for International Trade, explains why she believes US trade talks will benefit UK farmers, despite concerns from the farming industry about being undercut by imported…

FARM POLICY

FW Opinion: Villiers - long on rhetoric, short on detail

Theresa Villiers may lack the charisma of her predecessor, Michael Gove – that much was made clear from the Defra secretary's lacklustre delivery at this week’s Oxford Farming Conference –…

See all

Video

FARM POLICY

Video: Tractor protesters target Swindon MPs’ offices

Fed-up farmers staged a tractor protest in Wiltshire against government policies that they fear will ruin their livelihoods. Campaign group Save British Farming (SBF) held the rally, which started at…

FARM POLICY

Video: Farmer demands clarity on autumn muckspreading ban

A Surrey farmer is demanding clarity from the Environment Agency (EA) on behalf of all farmers over its effective ban on most manure applications to arable land in the autumn.…

BREXIT

Video: Tractors hit London’s streets for food standards demo

Frustrated farmers travelled from as far as Yorkshire and Somerset to take part in a demonstration in London over threats to food standards. A convoy of about 20 tractors, Land…

LIVESTOCK

Video: Dairy farmer says government must act now on fodder

A Welsh dairy farmer is urging the government to step in to help prevent a looming fodder crisis this autumn. Hefyn Wilson, who farms 85 Holstein and 15 Jersey cows…

See all

Webinar

BREXIT

What is the future of farming post Covid and post Brexit?

The long-term success of British farming depends on the sector becoming more internationally competitive, says renowned economist Sean Rickard. Post Brexit, the government will be doing trade deals with countries…

See all