The National Sheep Association is once again reminding the UK Government to consider the broader potential ramifications of new trade deals, as talks with New Zealand and Australia begin.

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker explains: “Trade deals are always going to be complex by nature, with each presenting different challenges and opportunities. With the addition of Australia, New Zealand and the CPTPP today, the UK is now undertaking six major new trade deals running alongside each other. Having come from a position of not negotiating our own deals for many years, the UK is undertaking a big challenge, particularly when our future trading relationship with the EU is so uncertain.”

NSA is concerned about several factors with the new trade deals that are underway. Mr Stocker adds: “Every country that we negotiate with is unique, and for the farming industry, sheep farming in particular, deals with New Zealand and Australia create unique challenges. This is due to sheep farming, and the export of sheepmeat, being such large parts of their industry. We are talking here about the three largest sheepmeat exporting nations in the world, with the UK being additionally unique by having such a large population and consumer market.

“You can be sure that sheepmeat would only travel in one direction, in part because of population numbers, but also because our high production standards mean we can be undercut even though the product is travelling across the globe. It is not uncommon for nations to protect their agriculture industries for sound strategic reasons and this is exactly what we will expect from the UK Government.

“NSA been clear with our Government from day one, when seeking free trade agreements, the UK must not be willing to sacrifice our farming industry or undermine our values and standards for the sake of a deal that might benefit other British industries.

“The UK currently has a fine balance with lamb and mutton exports, imports, and domestic consumption. There is very real concern that increasing Tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for either New Zealand or Australia will damage this balance and make no common sense at all. We would have that concern in normal times but now, with future trade with the EU being uncertain, getting these deals wrong would have catastrophic effects for our industry and for the environments and communities that benefit from it. “We have heard Government commit to not compromising the UK market and our production standards time and time again, yet they won’t commit to it in legislation and as such it just leaves you feeling very nervous.”

NSA is again calling for the Government to commit to ensuring equivalence in any trade deals in legislation before these talks get underway. Mr Stocker adds: “Australia and New Zealand are experienced negotiating nations with plenty at stake, our Government must stick to its indicated red lines and stand by its domestic industries.”

The dairy response fund has opened for applications from eligible dairy farmers in England in need of support following the coronavirus outbreak.

To be eligible for support from the fund, farmers in England need to demonstrate that they have suffered a reduction in the average price paid for their milk of 25% or more in April 2020 when compared with February 2020.

Qualifying farmers are entitled to up to £10,000 each to cover 70% of their losses across April and May incurred as a result of a drop in price, following a reduced demand for milk with the closure of restaurants, bars, and cafes in recent months.

This financial support will help farmers maintain production capacity and sustain their business without impacts on animal welfare.

Farmers will be able to apply for a single payment from the fund, which will be paid out from 6th July. Applications can be submitted directly to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

The deadline for applications will be 14th August.

New to the Recommended List in 2019, KWS Firefly is the UK’s highest yielding Group 3 milling wheat at 102% of controls.

It is a brilliant addition to the true biscuit sector, delivering on all fronts including yield, grain quality and agronomics. With the crop marketing challenges which lay ahead, KWS Firefly holds broad market appeal and is approved for export with uks classification.

With over 70% of Group 3 plantings in the AHDB Eastern region, KWS Firefly, either as a first or second wheat, is a first-choice variety for growers looking to capture a number of premium markets in this area.

A cross of Cougar and KWS Rowan, KWS Firefly has a 2% yield advantage across the UK, as well as the highest HFN of the Group 3s and OWBM resistance. With the best lodging scores (twin 8s) and an excellent Septoria tritici score of 7.0, it is a strong package that will also appeal to those in the West.

For growers looking for a variety for sowing mid to the end of September, KWS Firefly is a good option. Those still sowing at this time will benefit from KWS Firefly’s plant type, high tillering, short and very stiff straw, coupled with early maturity.

Fully approved by nabim as Group 3, KWS Firefly delivers a strong grain package with the correct balance of resistance and is extensibility required by biscuit manufactures. Coupled with its fantastic grain quality and uks recommendation, it will also be a key variety for exporting regions and those growing for the feed sector too.

In short, KWS Firefly has one of the most complete packages on the Recommended List with a valuable combination of yield, good agronomics and quality grain.

KWS FIREFLY is available on Cereals 360!

Meet the exciting experience that provides a virtual crop tour across all of KWS’ key varieties of barley, hybrid rye, oilseed rape and wheat!

Learn as you listen to KWS experts talking through their key crop portfolio covering yield, agronomy, end markets and disease resistance whilst watching the crop in the field.

Cereals 360 is accessible wherever, whenever, from the comfort of your own home across computers, or out in the field on tablets and mobile.

Visit www.cereals360.com today!

Ben Burgess are pleased to announce the company opened a temporary site for Ben Burgess Oakham on 15th June 2020. The site is at Woodside Farm, Empingham, LE15 8QD.

Plans for a purpose-built branch have been submitted and they look forward to moving forward with building as soon as possible. In the meantime, their Oakham team, supported by the Ellington and Coates branches, will be able to provide sales, service and parts support immediately.

Ben B Turner, Director leading the Oakham project, says, “Since John Deere announced our expansion, we have been working hard to secure a presence in our new area as soon as possible. Although a temporary location, we feel having a base allows us to provide the excellent customer service expected and we are making very good progress in welcoming new members to our Oakham team.”

Robert Burdock, Oakham Branch Manager, commented, “From 15th June we will be offering full product support and will operate a parts collection point in line with Covid-19 restrictions. We have highly trained technicians and FarmSight specialists available to provide remote connected support and visit if required. Our sales team are available for all purchasing and demonstration requests too.

“We have made a very positive start in building our business from Oakham and our new site is an excellent step in showing our commitment to the local farming community.”

A purpose-built Ben Burgess Oakham is due to open in 2021 and will be the company’s seventh branch.

Get in touch:
Telephone: 01572 492492
Email: oakham@benburgess.co.uk

Suffolk farmer and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty has warned of dire consequences for British agriculture and the health of the nation, if the government does not stand by its promise to prevent food imports that would be illegal to produce here.

In a column for the Daily Mail, he says importing such food in order to secure a trade deal with the US ‘makes a mockery of everything British farmers have been trying to do for the past 20 years.’

His comments follow calls from various organisations, public figures and consumers, to amend the Agriculture Bill – now at the committee stage at the House of Lords – to prevent lower quality food imports from countries such as the US.

More, cheaper, faster

Jimmy describes his experience visiting a farm in California where he saw a feedlot containing tens of thousands of cattle without a single blade of grass to stand on or eat –compared to his 60-strong beef herd which go to the slaughterhouse with a passport enabling the consumer to trace it back to him.

Noting that in Britain we have one of the safest food systems in the world, he warns that we are ‘in danger of giving it up’ if we allow lower standard imports in order to secure trade deals.

‘American mass farming is different from ours,’ he writes. ‘Industry leaders produce food the way Henry Ford made cars or Coca-Cola makes Coke. They offer more, cheaper, and faster.

‘If this meat and grain comes to Britain unchecked, our farmers will have two options: lower their standards in an attempt to compete, or go bust because they won’t.

‘This will destroy farms that have existed for generations – and farming is not the kind of industry you can turn on and off. Once that deal is signed, there will be no going back.’

Health consequences

Many have argued that British consumers will be able to vote with their feet and choose British products over cheap imports, but Jimmy fears that a trade deal favouring the US will end detailed food labelling, meaning consumers could end up shopping blind.

And the consequences won’t just be economic…

On a past trip to Mexico, Jimmy says he saw a three-year-old boy having all of his teeth removed at a dental surgery, as a result of eating food full of high-fructose corn syrup from the US. While Mexico was once one of the healthiest nations in the world, a three-way trade deal with Canada and the US had devastating consequences for the country’s agriculture, causing a spike in leg amputations due to uncontrollable diabetes.

In the UK, we can currently be assured of quality and safety, even when choosing cheaper products, but if we allow imports of products such as chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef, it will be lower income households who suffer most.

‘Not anti-trade’

Jimmy clarifies that he is not anti-trade, nor is he anti-American trade, but if a trade deal is made, imported products must match our high standards – as indeed, British farmers are already required to do when exporting to the US. While he says he has met ‘wonderful farmers’ in the US who are ‘dedicated to quality produce’, there are systems there ‘that simply wouldn’t match the way we do things’.

Furthermore, if we lower our own production standards to compete, the EU will reject our produce, he notes.

Jimmy describes British farms as ‘the beating heart of our local communities’ and ‘a cornerstone of our civilisation’.

‘During times of strife, whether it was the Second World War or now the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers are on the frontline, feeding the nation. They are key workers, like the NHS or the military. We must respect and protect them,’ he adds.

Concluding, Jimmy said the government must keep its promise to British farmers, not to allow them to be undercut by cheap imports.

‘If those promises are broken, it would be no less than a betrayal of our family farms, our nation’s health and hard-won consumer trust in the ‘open book’ farming which means that what we see in the field is what we get on our plates.

‘It would be a tragedy to lose it.’

A petition calling on the government to send the Agriculture Bill back to the House of Commons for amendment, has now passed one million signatures. Sign it here: https://www.campaigns.nfuonline.com/page/56262/petition/1

A petition urging the government not to allow cheap, low-quality imports to undermine British farmers has now reached over one million signatures in just over two weeks.

The NFU, which launched the petition, has said future trade deals should prevent imports of food that would be illegal to produce here.

A proposed amendment to the Agriculture Bill, which would have protected British farmers from such imports, was recently voted down in parliament by a margin of 51 votes. The Ag Bill has since passed to the House of Lords for reading.

As well as reaching an impressive milestone for the petition, around 78,000 people around the country have also written to their MP, urging them to support the introduction of a Trade, Food and Farming Standards Commission. This would review trade policy and develop solutions to ensure all imports are held to UK standards.

The NFU says the success of its campaign is the clearest indication yet that the British public do not want to purchase food that falls below the high standards to which British farmers adhere.

NFU president Minette Batters said: “It has been overwhelming to see this volume of support.  The fact that more than one million people have signed a petition urging the government to put into law rules that prevent food being imported to the UK which is produced in ways that would be illegal here is a clear signal of how passionate the British public feel about this issue.

“It is now clear that it is simply not credible for the government to continue to just pay lip service to this issue, when there is such public support for action. They must now give guarantees to the British people that they have listened to their concerns and will make firm commitments to address them.

“Trade policy is complicated, but what the public are telling us is quite simple. They care deeply about their food, where it comes from and how it is produced.

“They do not want to see chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef on their supermarket shelves and nor do they want to see food imported which has been produced in lower welfare or environmental systems than is legally allowed in this country.  Farmers, animal welfare groups, environmentalists and now the public have made their voices clear.”

She stressed the importance of access to safe, traceable, affordable and nutritious food, produced to the highest standards, concluding: “We must not throw that away in the pursuit of free trade.”

Helping to build the foundations of your future crops success Sowing for Peak Performance (SPP) is KWS’s fundamental breeding objective that underpins all cereal genetic development now and into the future. It’s based on the premise that 80% of your crop’s potential is locked in by the seed you buy and sow. Whilst of course, you can fine-tune this with the correct Nitrogen levels, using fungicides wisely to protect it from disease and paying attention to basic management principles, once you’ve made your variety choice your production potential is largely set.

So, to get the best performance on your farm, it is critical that when you choose your variety, you are using a wealth of data to tailor your choice, for both your farm and individual field situation.

Tailored choices are important now and will become increasingly so in the future. In the years ahead we will be entering unchartered waters when it comes to crop production, and many of the accepted principles and practices we take for granted now, will come under increasing scrutiny:

• Much of the chemistry we have come to rely on is slowly being lost to revocation, and what remains is under pressure.
• Our use of essential Nitrogen (N) is also under threat due to growing environmental concerns. The reduction of carbon footprint in crop production will remain a challenge.
• There are worries over loss of N from the system in terms of leaching and its release into the atmosphere.
• Global warming is changing our climate with more extreme weather events predicted and widening variability in growing conditions, often within the same season. Meanwhile, all of this is happening against the backdrop of a global population growing towards 9.0bn in the next 25 years.

It’s time for action!

The way we have produced crops in the past, is not the way we will in the future. What has got us to this point in our agricultural evolution, will not get us to where we need to be without substantial changes.

At KWS, we have always been passionate about genetics and the vital role seed plays in the production equation. We’re proud of what we have achieved to date, and recognise the key role our genetics can play in responding to the demands of the future.

Working with businesses across the agri-supply chain, we’ve identified key requirements that growers should consider if they are to keep their business profitable and environmentally sustainable in the years ahead. Each of these carries a commitment from KWS to ensure our genetics address these needs as far as possible.

5 key requirements for profitable and sustainable UK crops and how SPP can help now and in the future:

1. To achieve effective crop management with reduced windows of opportunity
   1. Climate change has become a reality for many growers over the last few years with growing conditions not just varying dramatically between the years but also within the same season itself.
   2. KWS actively select for high resilience so that they can help on-farm, spreading workloads at critical periods and buying you time. Note that varieties outside your different market segments may be used to widen spray windows and harvest timings.

2. To achieve optimum crop health without a high level of agronomic interventions
   1. Striving to breed varieties with high levels of resistance to the most damaging diseases has been a key KWS aim for many years and our current portfolio is strong proof of this with some of the highest scores for untreated yields, resistance to Septoria, Mildew and Rusts on the RL.
   2. But if growing a less resistant type for a specific market requirement, adapt your management practices to boost disease resistance e.g. later drilling of wheats will increase Septoria resistance scores. Different market segments may be used to widen spray windows and harvest timings

3. To reduce amount of all inputs used and associated costs
   1. It’s not just about cutting fungicide spend; choosing the right variety will allow you to save more on labour, diesel and machinery wear and tear, and ultimately replacement.

4. To get greater productivity from soils long-term
   1. Less travel means less potential damage to soils and less time and money spent trying to correct the compaction problems associated with multiple wheelings and carrying out operations in unsuitable conditions.
   2. From considering how varieties can perform in direct drilled situations through to those that are stiff strawed, variety selection can be tailored to your farm.

5. To maximise production/profitability from available resources
   1. Getting the most production from the resources you have available to you is the key to being sustainable.
   2. KWS provide a range of high yielding varieties with an assortment of specific agronomic traits. Select your variety based on your soil type, growing conditions, locality to market and maximise your yields.

So how can SPP help me today?

Every farm is unique, and each farm business has different goals – which makes variety choice, highly personalised. However, by using KWS’s SPP ethos, growers can be assured that proactive variety choice will fix circa 80% of your crop performance and pay off in cost and time savings at sowing, during the growing season and through to harvest, for both now and the future.

Savings in:

• Time management
• Extra machine costs (e.g. subsoiler)
• Fungicides
• Herbicides
• Insecticides
• Additional costs (e.g. drying)

Benefits to you:

• Better plant health
• Improved soil quality
• Reduced carbon footprint
• Increased output = extra tonnes
• Higher chance of better quality to attain premiums on offer

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

John Deere has added two new X-Series combine harvester models to its 2021 harvesting line-up to help large-scale farmers harvest more tonnes per hour and more hectares per day, specifically in tough, high yielding, wet conditions. The new X9 1000 and X9 1100 combines represent the next level of John Deere harvesting performance and are now the flagship machines in John Deere’s range of harvesting solutions.

The X9 1100 can harvest wheat at an impressive 100 tonnes per hour at less than one per cent grain loss. “As conditions change, the X9 combine can make automatic adjustments for the operator so it consistently operates at peak levels,” says John Deere product marketing manager Jonathan Edwards.

The X-Series combines feature the widest feederhouse on the market, which is the foundation for the X9’s performance. Coupled with a new dual rotary separator and the industry’s largest cleaning shoe, these work together to improve crop flow and increase harvesting capacity.

“The crop transitions from the feederhouse and is fed very evenly by the chevron-design feed accelerator towards the heart of the new combine – the X-Series Dual Separator (XDS). With the largest active threshing and separation areas John Deere has ever offered, crop in the XDS is handled through nine revolutions, resulting in low losses and increased harvesting capacity,” says Edwards.

The 3.51m long XDS rotors have taken the proven modular concept from the S-Series combines, with dedicated sections for threshing and separation. Alongside the traditional threshing elements, the separation area utilises a finger design to tease the last grains from the crop mat, so enhancing performance in conditions that are less than ideal.

The X9 is designed to excel in northern, high moisture, tough separation conditions where this machine has been tested extensively and has been proven to achieve over 100 tonnes/hr at a one per cent loss level.

The 7m² Dyna-Flo XL cleaning shoe has 36 per cent more cleaning area and, thanks to a brand new fan system, delivers 45 per cent more cleaning capacity than the S-Series. This enables the highest grain quality on the market and once more underlines that these new combines are clearly positioned above any previous combine offering, addressing the needs of the largest and most demanding customers across Europe.

During harvest, the highly fuel-efficient X-Series combines can run for up to 14 hours without refuelling and are powered by an all-new John Deere PowerTech 13.6-litre six-cylinder diesel engine delivering up to 700hp (515kW). As on the successful 9000 Series self-propelled forage harvesters, the X9 also features HarvestMotion, a robust belt-drive system which delivers 20 per cent lower fuel consumption and 30 per cent more torque, as well as lower engine rpm.

To ensure customers can spend maximum time harvesting, the X9’s 1250-litre fuel tank can be fully refuelled in under 2.5 minutes with the new Fast Fuel System, providing filling speeds of up to 550 litres/min.

Throughout development of the X-Series combines, John Deere has focused heavily on harvesting efficiency. Through groundbreaking developments in transmissions, crop handling, cleaning systems and the new Xcel straw chopper knives, harvesting power requirements have been reduced by 120hp (86kW), while at the same time delivering increased performance. As testimony to this concept, the X9 was awarded a DLG silver medal for its ‘large combine efficiency package’ at Agritechnica 2019.

The brand new ProDrive XL is a true seamless transmission featuring key benefits such as:

• 30 per cent more torque than the existing ProDrive for hillsides, as well as wet and muddy conditions;
• 40kph;
• engine speed management to 1700rpm to maximise efficiency on the road.

ProDrive XL uses an industry exclusive double pump technology system. It engages both pumps immediately on starting, to ensure maximum torque is available. As the forward speed increases and the torque demand decreases the second pump output is reduced, decreasing the power and fuel requirements. X-Series combines are available on wheels or tracks with a transport width below 3.5m.

The X9 also features a brand new cab offering the latest equipment and options including seat heating and ventilation, a seat massage function and an app-enabled radio. With three different cab specification levels, Select, Premium and Ultimate, there is something to suit every budget and taste.

With the ability to harvest longer than any machine on the market in conditions that are less than ideal, visibility at night has not been overlooked. With LED lighting as standard, night can be turned into day, while other features such as gull-wing LED lights on the Ultimate visibility package provide a nice finishing touch.

The X9 also has a full suite of on-board technology and depending on the packages chosen, it can be equipped with AutoMaintain, Active Terrain Adjustment and Active Yield.

JDLink is available free of charge on both models for two years. This enables machine-to-machine communication and makes it easy for the owner and operator to send field and agronomic data to and from the machine, as well as share machine performance information. With John Deere Connected Support, owners also get unmatched dealer service through Expert Alerts – an industry exclusive – where potential downtime is detected and resolved before it happens.

The X9 1000 grain tank holds 14,800 litres and the X9 1100 up to 16,200 litres of grain, with unloading rates of up to 186 litres/sec. Folding unloading augers with an adjustable spout are available for the X-Series in various lengths.

John Deere is so confident about the performance of this machine that it will be running the X-Series Challenge, where £25,000 (€25,000 in Ireland) is offered to anyone who can beat the X-Series combine in the field. This challenge is open to any production combine on the market today, with registration via the John Deere country websites.

John Deere dealers will start taking orders for the new X-Series combines later this summer.

NFU Mutual has launched a checklist to help farmers keep themselves, their families and workers safe through what could be one of the most challenging harvests since the Second World War.

“Harvest time can be one of the most dangerous periods of the farming year,” said Ian Jewitt, Managing Director of NFU Mutual Risk Management Services Ltd, which runs pre-harvest safety courses.

“Safety is critical during harvest. Figures published by the Health and Safety Executive show 39 people were killed as a result of farming and other agriculture-related activities last year. Overturning vehicles – or being struck by moving vehicles – caused most deaths.

“It’s a sobering fact that agriculture has the worst rate of worker fatal injury of the main industry sectors – it is eighteen times as high as the average rate across all industries.

“This year, the additional challenges of working with COVID-19 restrictions, inexperienced staff perhaps working on farms for the first time and recent very dry conditions have combined to present an even bigger challenge than normal for the nation’s farmers.

“A major concern this year is that the COVID-19 pandemic means that childcare and school arrangements for many farming families have been disrupted and younger and school age children could be on farms during the very busy harvest period. Tragically, two children were among last year’s farming death toll.

“Fire is another major threat during harvest – particularly during drought conditions.  NFU Mutual claims figures show that the cost of farm fires in the UK hit a four-year peak at £46.4m in 2018 – largely due to the year’s hot dry summer.”

The increased scale of farm fires has prompted a call to farmers to check their fire prevention methods and evacuation procedures.

“To protect themselves and their workforces, we have compiled a safety checklist to help farmers plan a safe and smooth harvest. We also offer a pre-harvest training package for farmers to deliver to their employees, with discounts available to qualifying farming union members. To find out more, call 0800 132029.”

NFU Mutual Harvest Safety Checklist

Before harvest

• Put in place arrangements to enable social distancing, provision of PPE and regular hand washing to protect against COVID-19.
• Check your tractors, trailers, combines, balers and other harvest equipment, making sure they are safe, roadworthy and that you are up to date with maintenance schedules.
• Train your staff, especially new staff, to ensure they are aware of all safety hazards, emergency procedures and company and highway rules, especially in relation to harvest risks.
• Share detailed field and yard plans with staff and contractors, showing all risks and land features such as location of overhead powerlines, steep gradients, public rights of way, obscured field entrances, ditches etc.
• Remind staff to follow SAFE STOP before leaving cabs, ensuring parts have stopped before clearing blockages or carrying out maintenance, and to wear seat belts at all times, whether on highways or in fields / yards.

During harvest

• Regularly check that everyone complies with COVID-19 safety measures and other safety rules.
• Carry out daily vehicle/ machinery safety checks, regularly clean out dust and chaff from hot spots e.g. in combines and balers.
• Continue to remind staff to always practice SAFE STOP.
• In very dry conditions, keep a bowser filled with water on hand, and be prepared to create a fire break in the event of a crop fire.
• Remind staff to keep well-hydrated, take sufficient rest breaks and monitor for fatigue, stress and mental ill health symptoms. Look after and check in on lone workers.

In the yard 

• • Minimise non-essential visitors or contractors on site where possible and agree how you will manage social distancing etc. for those who need to be there.
  • Instruct drivers to keep to safe speeds in the yard and segregate pedestrians from vehicles where possible.
  • Keep children away from working areas.
  • Regularly clean dust from grain dryers and ensure that staff are fully trained and know what to do if a fire breaks out.
  • Make sure ladders and platforms are in good condition and a safe system of work is in operation for all work at height and other higher risk tasks (e.g. confined space entry).

NFU Mutual has also launched a free Coronavirus safety service to help farmers with information to protect themselves and farm workers from COVID-19. More information about safe working during the coronavirus outbreak and free online resources are available from NFU Mutual’s website: www.nfumutual.co.uk/business-service or to find out more about Harvest Safety courses call 0800 132029.

Information about farm safety and mental health is also available from the Farm Safety Foundation, founded and funded by NFU Mutual. Visit www.yellowwellies.org  or follow @yellowwelliesuk on Twitter to support the campaign.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP, calling for the Countryside Code to be taught in schools.

It comes following reports of worrying incidents taking place in rural areas as the country emerges from the Covid-19 crisis. These include fly-tipping, littering, trespassing, country lanes being blocked, gates being left open, dogs chasing livestock and a lack of social distancing.

There has been a spike in these types of actions occurring as more people have flocked to the countryside to enjoy the hot weather since lockdown rules were eased.

CLA President Mark Bridgeman said: “The countryside is a wonderful place and we want to see everybody enjoy it.  But we also want them to be safe, and respect the countryside as a place of work.

“A lack of education on how to treat the countryside has left a generation without a basic understanding of what is an acceptable and indeed necessary standard of behaviour in a rural, working environment which produces food for the nation. We all have a part of to play in improving that understanding, but help in the classroom would be a great start.

“With the recent problems arising, including the tragic death of another walker attacked by cattle, we strongly believe this is the right time to get the Countryside Code into classrooms.  There is an opportunity for lessons to be learned from the crisis.

“It is imperative we set standards and expectations, while promoting an ethos of respect for the countryside in schools up and down the country emphasising the impact it plays in children’s health, wellbeing and attainment.”

Furthermore, there have been reports of disposable barbecues in rural areas catching fire and destroying land and habitat. Reducing the risk of wildfires is key at this time of the year, and raising awareness is one way in which the risk can be reduced.

The Countryside Code, which applies to all parts of the countryside in England and Wales, aims to help everyone respect, protect and enjoy the outdoors.

To read the letter sent to Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP, click here