Categories:
Rural RapSEVENOAKS DISTRICT COUNCIL UNVEILS LOCAL PLAN
A council has announced its housing plans for the next 15 years, including thousands of potential homes on greenbelt land and a new rugby stadium..
The proposals include possible development on green belt land across the district and a whole new village of 2,500 homes.
VILLAGERS IN YALDING, NEAR MAIDSTONE SHOCKED AS DEAD PHEASANTS LEFT STREWN IN STREET AND ON CARS
Residents of Yalding, near Maidstone, on their morning walks yesterday saw multiple carcasses of the game bird.
TESCO UK BOSS TO STEP DOWN NEXT YEAR
The boss of Tesco’s UK business is to step down next year, with a former Aldi executive set to replace him in the role.
The UK’s largest supermarket group said UK chief executive Jason Tarry “has decided to leave” the business in March 2024.
King Charles III England Coast Path – Kent section opens
A section of the King Charles III Coast Path has officially opened in Kent.
The 25-mile (40km) stretch will take walkers from Ramsgate to Whitstable along the longest continuous stretch of coastal chalk in Britain.
It forms part of a 2,700 mile (4,345km) coast path around England due to be completed by the end of 2024.
CLA welcomes delay to proposed abolition of Section 21 evictions
The CLA has welcomed the Government’s decision to delay the proposed abolition of no-fault Section 21 evictions, in another win for the organisation and its lobbying efforts.
The Renters Reform Bill, promised in the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto, was debated in the Commons on Monday.
Tim Bonner: Labour turns its back on ‘Right to Roam’ campaigners
There are few issues that generate more illogicality than a ‘Right to Roam’. There are 140,000 miles of footpaths and other rights of way in England and Wales and an additional three million acres of open access land, most of which is unused, yet campaigners claim there is a need for all land to be subject to a Right to Roam.
Further action to cut methane emissions from livestock
Defra has this week (26 October) committed to working with industry to deliver further action to reduce methane emissions in livestock through the use of methane-suppressing feed products in England.
Farmers and growers to be given continued access to crucial plant protection products
British farmers and growers will continue to have access to important pesticides to support resilient and profitable food production and cut input costs, the government has announced this week.
Following feedback from farmers and industry, these plans will ensure farmers and growers can continue to buy and use seeds treated with EU-approved pesticides, and more cost-effective pesticides identical to those authorised in Great Britain can continue being imported.
£2.5 million on offer in latest round of countryside stewardship Facilitation Fund
The eighth round of the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund has opened for applications this week, the government has announced (23 October 2023).
The £2.5 million fund encourages collaboration between groups of farmers, foresters and other land managers to improve local environmental outcomes such as enhancing wildflower and grassland or protecting meadows and woodlands.
Topfruit growers urged to check insurance
Improved crop means insured sums should be re-evaluated by growers, according to Acres Insurance Brokers.
Growers have been urged to review farm insurance policies amid a much-improved crop for topfruit this season, alongside an expected increase in value.
HSE to inspect 440 farms as part of workplace safety campaign
Farmers are being reminded of looming safety inspections as part of a national initiative to drive down the number of on-farm fatalities and injuries.
Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will visit farms across England, Scotland and Wales to check for compliance with long standing legal requirements.
NFU asks councils to support local farmers ‘as much as possible’
Local authorities must take more steps to support local farm businesses by pledging to source British food as much as possible, the NFU has urged.
Such a move would help councils work towards a more sustainable future, boost the local economy and support farmers, the union said.
Low-welfare Polish egg imports into UK rises by 2,000%
The number of low-welfare eggs entering the UK from Poland rose by more than 2,000% between 2021 to August 2023, figures show.
Nearly 2,000 consignments of eggs from Poland entered the UK during the period, while 279 consignments came from Italy, a 300% increase.
Fertiliser market to recover despite Israel-Hamas war, Rabobank says
The global fertiliser market is set to recover despite potential disruptions due to the Israel-Hamas war, according Rabobank.
The outlook for the global fertiliser market is positive in the coming years, with some challenges and potential risks to be monitored, the banking firm’s report says.
Farmers’ income from diversification enterprises rises to 13%
British farmers’ income from diversification enterprises has risen to 13% of turnover in 2023, new research from NFU Mutual reveals.
The 1% rise from 2022’s survey shows a continuing trend of farmers diversifying outside traditional agricultural activities to secure extra income as the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) support is phased out.
#BuyMyTurkey: Public encouraged to buy turkey directly from the farm
The public are being encouraged to buy turkey directly from the farm this year as it would in turn help farmers after a challenging year with high costs and low prices.
The NFU’s #BuyMyTurkey campaign is back again for 2023, urging shoppers to buy their Christmas turkey direct from the farm where it was produced.
Brits ‘want ban on individually wrapped produce’
Three-fifths of Brits are in favour of banning individually wrapped fruit and vegetables, according to a survey.
Sustainable packaging firm W.F.Denny surveyed over 1,000 people, with 60 per cent claiming they supported banning individually wrapped fresh produce.
Grant funding boost for Kent hort firms
Growing Kent & Medway has awarded a share of over £1.6 million to 13 businesses to fund projects that will sustainably transform the horticultural and plant-based food and drink supply chain.
Funded through two separate grants, the projects were selected based on their innovative ideas to tackle some of the big sustainability challenges facing the food and drink industry.
Kent County Showground, Detling
9.00am-5pm daily.
Free to attend and full programme of events and speakers over two days including keynote speech given by Minette Batters, President of the NFU.
Tickets to dinner (1 Nov, 6.30pm-midnight) with champagne reception and networking now for sale, contact info@nationalfruitshow.org.uk
Come and celebrate the 90th year of the show and support the industry as it looks forward to a bright future.
For full details, to enter fruit or cider or to register attendance click here.
This year’s CLA Rural Business Conference ‘Competing visions: the future of land’ will help those who own or manage rural land to make sense of the vital role of land in an increasingly political and polarising landscape.
Taking place at the QEII Centre in central London, our flagship event will allow landowners and land managers to explore the complex relationship between themselves, consumers, corporations, governments, environmentalists and political campaigners.