Willows Vet Group have launched a VetTech service to support with essential tasks to improve animal health, welfare and productivity on-farm.
Matt Haslam, farm director at the practice, explains that the VetTech team are working closely with farmers and their routine vet to undertake some of the little tasks that are often forgotten on farm, and also gather information to help build a wider picture of the health of the farm.
“I’ve seen VetTech services make a really valuable difference on farm. Undertaking the tasks that often get delayed or forgotten drives health and welfare.
“For example, our VetTechs will be scheduled in to disbud calves at the correct age, with the utmost skill and care, meaning that any negative impact on health and growth rates is minimised.”
By collecting reliable data, the VetTech team can also support the farmer and their routine vet in making management decisions on farm.
“Data collection really helps the vet and farm team build up a reliable picture of what is going on. This could be about colostrum administration, how the milking cows are transitioning or providing mobility scoring data.”
Matt explains that as part of VetPartners, Willows Vet Group team have been able to draw on the expertise and experience from other practices with VetTechs within the group, which has supported with the launch of the service.
“VetTechs from other practices have supported with upskilling our team, to ensure we can offer the best possible service for our farm clients,” he says.
“We’re offering a free trial of the service, to give farmers a first-hand opportunity to see how the VetTech team can support and contribute to their farm business.”
Get in touch with Matt to find out more, or to request a free trial of the service: matthaslam@willowsvetgroup.co.uk or 07502994708
Cereals LIVE – the online version of the arable event – has been a resounding success, attracting over 10,000 visitors from all over the world.
Having postponed the physical event due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the organisers decided to deliver as much content as possible online to support the industry during lockdown. The result was a two-day online event on 10th-11th June featuring a comprehensive seminar programme packed with top speakers, video demonstrations of machinery and new kit, crop plot tours and interactive chat with exhibitors.
“We have been overwhelmed at the reaction from the farming industry,” said event director Alli McEntyre. “Everyone has been really keen to get involved – and the response to the live webinars far exceeded our expectation. We had more than 9,000 live viewers, with the top session drawing over 800 attendees and every session producing some excellent questions from the audience.”
NFU president Minette Batters and Defra minister Victoria Prentis went head-to-head on the topic of food security and imports, with the NFU’s recent petition on maintaining high food standards having received nearly 900,000 signatories in just two weeks. “We’ve seen 72,000 emails going from members of the public to MPs – it just shows how strongly people feel; we’ve got to get this right,” said Ms Batters.
Mrs Prentis insisted that the Government was committed to high standards in agriculture and food safety. “In all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on high environmental protection, animal welfare protection or food standards,” she said.
Other seminar topics included adapting to and mitigating climate change, precision farming technology, routes into farming, and the arable market outlook. In total there were 18 live webinars which averaged an audience of 487 each, plus two webinars available on demand.
“It was nice to see a really global reach, with 15% of the attendees joining from outside of the UK – from a total of 78 different countries,” said Ms McEntyre.
Visitors were also able to view plenty of machinery in action in the Syngenta Sprays & Sprayers Arena – where the Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year presentation took place. Scooping the top spot was Matt Fuller, who works at Heathcote Farms, Toddington, Bedfordshire. Making the presentation was NFU vice president Tom Bradshaw: “There’s going to be ever more scrutiny on the way we use plant protection products,” he said. “It’s absolutely critical that we can demonstrate professionalism right throughout the industry.”
The event offered a valuable opportunity for visitors to collect BASIS and NRoSO points, as well as a plethora of technical advice from exhibitors and through the NIAB virtual event hub. There were even virtual crop walks and video from crop plots at the original Cambridgeshire site.
Closing the event on each day was a virtual beer tent, where visitors could relax with friends, request live music from the resident DJ and pledge money to the charity partner RABI.
“Nothing can quite replace seeing friends, machinery and crops in person, but going online has enabled us to deliver a wide range of content and to reach a totally new audience,” said Ms McEntyre. “I’d like to thank all of our exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and visitors for contributing to such a successful event, and look forward to meeting you face-to-face next year.”
Key figures
- 10,812 attendees over the two days
- 67,166 page views
- 78 countries
- 9,260 webinar viewers
- 813 top webinar attendance
- 568 questions asked in webinars
- 114,100 impressions on Twitter over two days (@CerealsEvent)
Farmers are being urged to submit claims for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2020 as the deadline is looming.
The government announced in April that it wold extend the deadline from 15th May to 15th June in light of disruptions caused by Covid-19.
Speaking at Cereals LIVE, farming minister Victoria Prentis said: “I understand how important the payments for these schemes are to you all so I would urge you to get your applications claims into the Rural Payments Agency before the window closes on 15th June.
“Any new applicants for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme have to be in by the 31st July in order to be processed. We’ve also extended deadline to the end of July for submitting claims to the Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme.”
NFU BPS adviser Richard Wordsworth is advising farmers to get the application in ahead of the deadline and give yourself time to check the details are correct:
“I would urge you to get your BPS claim submitted as soon as possible if you have not done so to date. This will benefit both you and other claimants as the simple fact is it gives the RPA more time to process your claim this year ahead of the payment window opening in December.”
To help support farmers in the lead up to the 15th June deadline, the RPA helpline (03000 200 301) will be open on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th June from 8.30am-2pm.
For further information on:
BPS scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bps-2020
Countryside Stewardship: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/countryside-stewardship
Environmental Stewardship: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/environmental-stewardship-guidance-and-forms-for-existing-agreement-holders
Matt Fuller has been named this year’s winner of the Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year (FSOOTY) award at the Cereals LIVE virtual event.
After leaving university four years ago, Matt began work at Heathcote Farms in Bedfordshire, where he is now the main sprayer operator.
He operates a 4,000-litre Bateman RB35 with 32m wide VG boom – one of the first in the UK to be equipped with the Capstan Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), which became the subject of his BASIS project.
First-time FSOOTY applicant Matt commented: “We saw the main benefits in investing in PWM is the improved accuracy from individual nozzle control, as well as the turn compensation to maintain consistent application rates.
“I’ve only been spraying for five years, but in that time I have seen big changes. I feel it’s so important to keep up to date with training – anything that increases my knowledge is worthwhile.”
Judges were impressed by how quickly Matt has progressed in his relatively short career, as well as his interest in his work and efforts to increase his knowledge.
Scott Cockburn, business manager and application specialist for FSOOTY organiser Syngenta, explained: “This year, judging the contestants by Zoom interviews and questioning, we have been hugely impressed by their knowledge and passion the job entails. Delving into the details, has revealed their professional approach to every application.
“Syngenta recognises that the skills of the sprayer operator are paramount in achieving the full potential from all our crop protection products. Matt has proved a worthy winner by demonstrating that best practice can deliver efficient, cost effective and, above all, safe crop spraying.”
Matt’s top tip was to use an old milk crate to hold 1-litre cans, so the lids can be unscrewed and kept ready for filling without the cans falling over.
As he announced the winner, NFU vice president Tom Bradshaw said: “We know that there’s going to be ever-more scrutiny on the way we use the plant protection products that are available to us.
“And it’s absolutely critical that we can demonstrate professionalism right the way through our industry. We know that the products are absolutely vital in delivering affordable food for society. It is also critical that we look after the environment at the same time.”
Mr Cockburn noted that the FSOOTY awards ceremony has only been cancelled once in its history – in 2001 due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak. In this most unusual year, finalists had to rise to the challenge of the final judging process remotely, via video conferencing.
Runners up this year were: Peter Dennis of Sentry, R Stenberg Farms in Kent; Luke Haynes from Montreal Estate in Kent; Steven Keal of Thelveton Farms in Diss; Michael Knight of A J Middleton in Kettering; and Tristan Newens of Windmill Down Farm in Hampshire.
Syngenta’s Harry Fordham said previous contestants for the award have noted that even if they didn’t win, the opportunity to share knowledge has been “invaluable”, as he encouraged people to enter and nominate others next year.
As we face a global pandemic that is unprecedented in most of our lifetimes, there has been much in the press about utilising the ‘blitz spirit’ to get us through these challenging times. And it appears that one thing is certainly comparable to war time – farm shops are reporting a dramatic increase in business as many consumers switch to buying local.
One farm in Suffolk has returned to ‘post-war’ methods of animal rearing, and since the Covid-19 pandemic, business is booming. Farmers Guide caught up with them to find out more.
Suffolk farmers Katie Mitcham-Henry and Mike Phillips are passionate about using traditional husbandry methods to rear their rare native breeds, which include English Longhorn cattle and Oxford Sandy and Black pigs. Such slow-rearing breeds were selected, not just because of their superior flavour, but also the conservation benefits they offer.
While ordinarily, a commercial pig could get to weight in 16-20 weeks, for Heath Farm Suffolk’s pigs, it takes around 30 weeks. “Our animals go to slaughter when they’re ready, we don’t push for time, they’re ready when they’re ready,” Katie explains.
Herds are 100 per cent grass-fed and medications are used only when needed, most commonly in breeding animals after difficult births. “Because we have low stocking densities and all our animals are free range, we don’t have that problem of, if one sow gets pneumonia it will spread through the whole shed. We keep closed flocks and herds so our animals build up their own natural immunity,” she adds.
“I don’t think we have ever given a meat animal any form of antibiotic and we don’t do vaccinations either, but we’ve never had a disease problem.”
Heath Farm Suffolk, which spans around 100 acres, provides a true ‘farm to fork’ experience, as Katie and Mike complete the entire process themselves – from rearing the animals, to taking them to slaughter, butchering and selling produce in the farm shop. For them, conservation, education and using the entire animal to avoid waste, are key to their vision.
Katie says: “Food, sadly, has become a throwaway commodity. Food is the only commodity in the UK where people don’t pay the true value of what it’s worth. You go to the hairdresser’s, you pay £100; people buy say half a lamb for £70 – that’s half a year’s work.
“We are rearing animals how our fathers reared them, using slow rearing breeds… We know that for every single one of our animals, the whole animal is used.
“We know food waste in this country is through the roof. People go to the supermarket and buy three packs for £10 and if it goes out of date, because it’s a throwaway commodity, they throw it in the bin.”
As the farm sells everything it rears in the farm shop, Katie says they are in control of where their meat goes, and can rear according to demand. Using all of the animal means they do not need to rear large numbers of animals, she adds.
Katie makes all of the ready meals sold in the shop, including steak and kidney puddings and liver and bacon casseroles, to ensure the entire animal is used. Leftover vegetables are also made into sauces and chutneys.
On paper, the farm is carbon neutral, but in reality, Katie says, it is carbon negative.
Heath Farm makes its own winter feed and this is the first year that pregnant cows were brought inside to calve, owing to the exceptionally wet winter. All breeding stock live their entire lives outside on grass and haylage, and ex-breeding stock are given a free-range retirement on the farm.
Building up the farm
Katie and Mike have built up their farm over the years without any financial help, from just 12 acres when Mike started, to around 100 acres today.
“We get no subsidies, no grants no loans, we have done it ourselves,” Katie says. “Even though we’ve always been full time on the farm, we have had other jobs to pay our feed bills. We can turn around at the end of the day and say all those livestock in the field, we own. The bank is not going to turn up and take our farm away. “
Before Heath Farm, Katie was a highly successful professional chef but came back to run her family’s arable farm in Suffolk when her father was left paralysed by a car crash. She and Mike went into business together after finding they had a shared vision.
Backing British farming
Commenting on criticisms often levelled at farmers in the media, Katie says farmers do their work “for the love of it”, not for profit, and that given the choice “wouldn’t farmers like to be able to rear less animals with a higher welfare, working with the environment, rather than having to force mass production to meet demand for cheap food?”
She also points out: “If we had to give up our 100 acres because we weren’t supported, I’d say 80 per cent of our land would be turned into housing. So for me, if people supported British farming then hopefully we will be preserving land. The more our business grows and develops, the more green land we can retain.”
Katie believes that the pandemic has prompted more people to source locally, and the farm shop has seen a five-fold increase in business.
“Everyone puts a value on cigarettes, alcohol, hairdressing, but when it comes to something that’s meant to sustain you, keep you healthy – obviously what you put in your body determines how your body will work – I think we’ve somehow lost over time actually valuing where food comes from because it’s become a throwaway commodity.
“With what’s been happening lately with Covid, people are starting to source locally and want better food – and it actually doesn’t cost much different.”
Customers shopping at Heath Farm during the pandemic can park in a nearby meadow, handwashing facilities must be used before entering the shop and only one person is allowed in at a time. Different sections of the shop also help to allow for social distancing when paying.
Children are given educational packs and Katie says she tries to educate new customers on what their farm does, and the value of British food, when they come into the shop.
Heath Farm are not alone in seeing a spike in customers since the pandemic. After panic buying left many supermarkets with empty shelves back in March, many turned to their local farm to get supplies. Even now, delivery slots are hard to come by and many prefer the stress-free shopping experience provided by a rural shop, to socially-distanced queues and one-way systems in the supermarket.
Let’s hope that when the pandemic is over, consumers remember the value of British food, and the local farm shops that supplied them with healthy nutritious food during a global crisis.
ADAMA has today announced the launch of a new ferric phosphate-based professional molluscicide aimed specifically at controlling slug populations in UK growing conditions.
Gusto IRON is a 3% ferric phosphate molluscicide for use in cereals, oilseed rape, potatoes and a wide range of horticultural crops. The new slug pellets offer several key advantages over other ferric-based molluscicides, in particular excellent palatability and extended durability during wet weather.
“ADAMA’s new ferric phosphate slug pellets have been developed using the same Desidro technology that made our outgoing Gusto 3 metaldehyde pellets the market-leader,” explains Melanie Wardle, Molluscicide Product Manager for ADAMA.
The Desidro manufacturing system uses a two-stage drying technique which microwaves the wet-processed pellets to dry them from the inside before using a convection heater to gently dry the exterior. This ensures an ideal balance between persistence and palatability, with ADAMA’s pellets proving hard enough to ensure good weather resistance, but also remaining palatable to slugs even when first applied.
The Desidro process also ensures excellent ballistic characteristics and minimal pellet shattering for an accurate spreading pattern and baiting point density, even when applying across wide working widths.
“According to the AHDB, slug damage costs UK farmers an estimated £100m per year,” Ms. Wardle continues. “Unfortunately, despite the recent dry conditions, the excessively wet start to the year is predicted to have intensified the challenge by significantly boosting slug populations. On top of this, the impending loss of metaldehyde means that, until new active ingredients are developed and approved for professional use, ferric phosphate will be the only molluscicide active ingredient available to UK growers.”
Chemicals Registration Division (CRD) registration for Gusto IRON was officially received on 21st May 2020, with the first shipment of pellets expected to be available via UK distributors in July.
“ADAMA’s technical and regulatory teams worked tirelessly to ensure Gusto IRON was available ahead of the new cropping season so that UK growers have access to a molluscicide they know will provide long-lasting and effective levels of protection even in wet conditions, thereby allowing them to apply the right pellet at the right time and at the right dose,” Ms. Wardle continues.
Gusto IRON is supplied in 20kg bags. The maximum inclusion rate per dose is 7kg/ha. The maximum total dose is 28kg/ha/year. VIEW PRODUCT HERE.
Novel molluscicide in development
ADAMA has also started to develop a second new molluscicide which uses a novel active ingredient. This molluscicide will also use the Desidro process to produce palatable, long-lasting slug pellets. No further details are available at present, but more information will be made available as soon as possible.
BASIS members joining this year’s Cereals LIVE event, taking place digitally on 10th and 11th June, can still collect the BASIS points they would ordinarily pick up at the show.
Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, explains that the organisation has been working hard to continue to support members keep up-to-date with the latest developments and industry issues, despite the current situation.
“A huge number of BASIS points are earned at Cereals each year, and we don’t want our members to miss out on the opportunity to advance their knowledge,” he says.
“So, we’re offering up to six BASIS CPD points per day, for completing a series of webinars and the online Knowledge Trail that the Cereals organisers are developing.
“There’s a fantastic line up of thought-provoking webinars on offer during the two days, including everything from climate change and ELMS, to sustainable crop health, soils and skills for the future.”
Stephen explains that each webinar will end with a short questionnaire before participants are required to input their membership number (starting with 20…) to be allocated with one BASIS CPD point per session.
For further information, please visit www.basis-reg.co.uk or contact help@basis-reg.co.uk.
The National Sheep Association has said it is disappointed to see that Covid-19 has had a serious impact on wool prices in the UK.
While February to May is usually the busiest selling period of the year, the global market for cross bred wool has been shut since February and remains closed. As a result British Wool says there is circa 9 million kgs of unsold stock, out of a total 2019-20 clip of 27 million kgs.
The average price paid to wool producers for the 2019/20 clip will be 32p/kg, compared to 60p/kg in 2018, the cooperative says.
Some mountain wools will achieve 15p/kg and some finer white wools more than 70p/kg.
By way of comparison, British Wool says this year’s payment is in line with those paid in the late 2000s at the time of the financial crisis.
Balances will be paid as normal upon receipt of this season’s wool. If the 2019/20 unsold stock is sold at a higher price than British Wool’s assumed value, a further payment will be made later this year, depending on the economic outlook at the time.
British Wool said in a statement: ‘The hard fact is that the global cross bred wool market will be extremely challenging for the foreseeable future…
‘We are asking producers to support us through this very difficult season by bringing their wool into us so that we can preserve the volume use of British wool downstream, further develop our new British wool rich product ranges and emerge from the Covid-19 slump ready to exploit a strengthening market.
‘Without the consolidation of wool into commercial volumes through British Wool and our continuing to market it more and more effectively, the prospect will be for lower prices indefinitely.’
Commenting, NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: “It’s not fully clear how the reduced value of the remainder of the 2019/20 clip will affect the overall value of a farmers wool delivered last year, but it would be easy to assume total fleece values might be down by 50 per cent.
“Cash flows will be affected, and many farmers will be faced with a bill from their shearing contractors but with no income to offset that. Although there are plenty of sheep farmers who do get real value from their wool most will at least expect it to cover shearing and wool handling costs. A fall of 50 per cent of total value would, for most, mean total income not clearing costs.”
Mr Stocker said the NSA is “disappointed” that British Wool has reportedly been unable to access the government’s Covid-19 support schemes.
British food, farming and animal welfare standards are among the best in the world, and we are right to be proud of them. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the importance of healthy local food has perhaps not been so appreciated since the Second World War – and while our lives may be unrecognisable since the pandemic, our farmers are still out, working hard to feed the nation in spite of numerous challenges.
For many, local farmers and farm shops have been a lifeline when the supermarket shelves were bare. And yet, despite these efforts, farmers could be facing another challenge as the government recently voted against measures to protect the industry from lower standard imports – a move which has prompted dismay, not only among farmers but animal welfare organisations, environmentalists, vets, MPs and even TV chef Jamie Oliver.
In the current crisis, Brexit seems an almost distant memory but the wheels are still turning, and the Agriculture Bill has now passed to the House of Lords. While the government has often promised to prevent imports of food that would be illegal to produce here, this has not yet been enshrined in law and a recent debate in the House of Commons saw Neil Parish MP table an amendment that would have prevented such imports. Despite much cross-party support, it was voted down by a margin of 51 votes.
There has been a great deal of concern that future trade deals – for example with the US – could see products including chlorinated chicken, hormone-injected beef and eggs from battery caged hens, making their way onto our supermarket shelves. As these products are far cheaper to produce, they could undercut British farmers who have to adhere to much higher standards.
So, what does this mean for agriculture, and should we be worried?
How do we compare?
Having spent decades working hard to improve food safety, animal welfare and antibiotic use, whilst lowering our impact on the environment, it is no surprise that the prospect of cheaper, lower quality imports are a source of huge concern.
Battery cages were banned in the UK in 2012, sow stalls in 1999 and growth hormones for beef across the EU in 1989. Antibiotic sales for livestock were cut by an impressive 53 per cent between 2014 and 2018 and only cold air and water can be used to wash chicken carcases.
Meanwhile in the US, there are no federal laws on animal welfare, sow stalls are legal in major pig producing states and growth hormones are widely used in beef production. Pathogen-reduction treatments such as chlorine dioxide are used to wash carcases for around 25-30 per cent of US poultry production at the lower end. BST hormones, which increase milk production in dairy cows, are also banned in the UK but remain legal in the US. The use of ractopamine (which promotes lean meat growth), again is still allowed in US pig production, but banned in the UK. This is without mentioning the stringent rules on space and enrichment, for example, that British farmers adhere to. US arable farmers also have access to numerous pesticides that UK farmers are not allowed to use.
The National Beef Association’s CEO Neil Shand has said the organisation is most troubled by the lack of provision in the Bill for food security and standards. “Food security – or the lack of it – has been harshly exposed in the current pandemic, and we are gravely concerned that there has been no food security study carried out by the Government prior to the introduction of the new Agriculture Bill.
“UK food standards, especially in regard to welfare and traceability of beef, are world class. Our rigorous system ensures that British beef is sourced from farms which have a responsibility both to the welfare of the animal, and to the documentation and recording of medication administered to that animal. Imported cheaper beef may not have the same governance of welfare and transparency, and clear labelling is imperative to ensure the consumer is aware of the choice they are making.”
Backing British farmers
Discussions over the Ag Bill have seen everyone from animal welfare and environmental groups to MPs, farming groups and vets speaking out in support of British farmers, and urging the government to reconsider its stance. The recent debate in the Commons saw a number of cross-party MPs give impassioned speeches backing British farmers.
Neil Parish MP, who tabled the amendment, said: “Let us not be frightened of putting clauses into the Bill that protect us, with the great environmental and welfare standards that we want the whole Bill to have, and that farmers want to have…
“I want great trade deals. I am not a little Englander who will defend our agriculture against all imports—quite the reverse. I think competition is good, but on a level playing field that allows us to produce great food and allows our consumers to have great food, and makes sure that we deliver good agriculture and environment for the future.”
MP for North Dorset Simon Hoare, who opened the debate, said we should “shun” cheap, poor quality imports and instead be “a beacon for excellence and high standards”. Similarly, Luke Pollard MP added: “What kind of country do we want to be—one where farm standards are a pawn in a trade deal with our values traded for market access, or a nation that says Britain is a force for good in the world and upholds our high standards for food grown locally and food imported alike? At a time of climate crisis, we must choose to rebuild a better, greener, more sustainable and fairer Britain than we had before.”
Deidre Brock, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, spoke with similar anger at the prospect of lower standard imports: “Save our farmers, save our cooking and save our families… Do not dump rubbish in our kitchens and on our plates. Let us have standards on imported food that are as high as the standards on food produced on these islands. I noted the Minister’s commitment in her speech to maintaining those standards, but I cannot understand why it is not on the face of the Bill.”
Some MPs, however, argued that accepting the amendment would make it difficult for the UK to make trade deals with other countries, while others said the Trade Bill was a more appropriate place for such a clause.
Many organisations outside of farming have voiced their concerns about the impact of lower standards foods on British farmers, including the RSPCA, RSPB, the Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust. The British Veterinary Association was among the veterinary organisations to stand up for farmers: “We stand with the farming community in questioning how the government now intends to honour its manifesto commitment to maintain and enhance animal welfare standards.”
Many organisations are now urging the House of Lords to reject the un-amended Bill and send it back to the Commons.
Support for farmers also appears to be growing among consumers and supermarkets, with a recent trend for announcing measures backing British food. The Co-op recently upped its supply of steak by 40 per cent across its stores, while Morrisons reopened steak and seafood bars and offered its farmers a 5 per cent discount on shopping. M&S launched a six-week campaign to support British farmers and continued to guarantee a leading and fair price for milk.
Jamie Oliver also penned an open letter to the Prime Minister, published in the Mail on Sunday, where he warns:
‘We could be about to open the floodgates to a whole raft of low-quality food that would normally be illegal in the UK. Chlorinated chicken is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking about genetically modified food, stuffing animals full of hormones and antibiotics, banned pesticides that kill our bees, and an avalanche of foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
‘What’s more, we’ll be threatening the future of our farmers and food producers who, despite extraordinary challenges, have worked so hard to keep us fed throughout the Covid-19 crisis.’
What do consumers want?
Talk of lower standard food imports begs the question, would consumers buy these products if they were available? Research carried out last year by ComRes, on behalf of the Guide of Agricultural Journalists, found that 84 per cent of the public who responded believed imports should match British standards. Around one in six (16 per cent) said they would buy food that they knew was produced to lower animal welfare standards, if it was cheaper. Meanwhile an RSPCA poll found that 67 per cent of people are concerned that cheap imports of lower welfare products could seriously undermine UK standards.
It may also be worth noting a change in some consumer habits in the current situation. If there are any positives to be found in the Covid-19 pandemic – and it can be hard to find a silver lining – it is that the value of local British food is more appreciated than ever. With the vegan movement gaining traction in recent years, and a decline in the understanding of where food comes from, it is fair to say that the farming industry was under-appreciated by many. Though it is saddening that it took a global pandemic for local food to be appreciated, many farm shops are now reporting booming sales. Consumers appear to be looking for an easier, safer solution to shopping for fresh food, as delivery or click and collect slots remain few and far between. Heath Farm in Suffolk says its sales have increased five-fold since the pandemic.
Lockdown has also offered valuable opportunities for children to learn more about where their food comes from, and many farms have used YouTube videos to offer a countryside classroom.
What does the future hold?
Although there has been a clear and welcome boost in support for British farmers, and despite assurances from the government that lower standard imports will not be allowed, there was clear disquiet among many MPs that this pledge has not been included in the Bill. It was evident in the debate that many MPs felt that verbal assurances are simply not enough. Our agricultural sector is something to be proud of and our standards are worth fighting for. As a society we all have a role to play in standing up for British farming and it appears that many sectors are backing British farmers.
To sign the petition calling on the government to send the Ag Bill back to the House of Commons for amendment, visit HERE.
As a specialist in professional arable farming, Lemken believes in knowledge, quality and innovation. Combined with a comprehensive customer service offering, farmers can choose from a wide range of high quality soil cultivation, drilling and crop care technology. Discussions around sustainable crop care as well as the constantly increasing regulatory requirements in the various markets have prompted the agricultural technology specialist to permanently discontinue its production of conventional field sprayers.
CEO Anthony van der Ley explains: “After over 10 years operating in this segment, we have not reached a market-relevant size. The legal requirements in each of our markets are increasing and becoming more and more disparate. This means that there is no single Lemken field spraying standard that can meet our quality standards and the variety of customer preferences, with which we could achieve a satisfactory production run. We are also seeing that, even from a consumer standpoint, the boundaries for chemical crop care products are becoming ever higher. Although we introduced several future-focused new models at the last Agritechnica, and our team is extremely motivated by the great reception, we are choosing this moment to break from our field spraying range in a responsible manner”.
As a family company, Lemken is taking this step to position itself strongly and independently for the future. This means that it intends to strengthen and expand its soil cultivation, drilling technology and crop care product areas in order to sustain its position as an innovative market leader. In doing so, “crop care” will be concentrated on sustainable crop care solutions (including the recently introduced fertiliser spreaders) in future. Lemken acquired the Dutch hoeing technology specialist Steketee two years ago for this reason. This creates the opportunity to combine mechanical weed control with precise, selective band spraying or spot spraying, thus contributing to environmentally sound solutions when compared to broadcast spraying. At the same time, the new process saves farmers time and money.
Van der Ley sees a trend to meet the increasing demand for mechanical weed control with intelligent controls. “Not only does Steketee offer a range of innovative hoeing technology, it also has the most intelligent camera technology on the market. We want to connect these machines to our digital solutions and make them adaptive. The environment is changing very fast right now. This is why farmers and contractors are now positioning themselves, whether they farm organically or conventionally, and are choosing the best model for them to be able to farm smartly and sustainably. It is a future theme for all of us, to ensure global food security despite environmental restrictions”.
The site in Haren (Emsland) where the field sprayers have been produced will be retained and in fact be expanded to assemble seed drills in the future. This step will enable future expansion to meet the steep rise in demand for these products and make space for future models planned in the seed drilling and precision seeding areas. It will also free up additional capacities at the main site in Alpen for the production of soil cultivation equipment. Farmers who own a Lemken field sprayer are guaranteed a continued supply of replacement parts as well as continued access to Lemken customer service. Customer orders will be accepted and fulfilled up until the end of the year.
