The continued rise of large fly-tipping incidents across England affects two thirds of farmers, with the clean-up cost per incident averaging at £1,000 per landowner, the National Rural Crime Network has revealed.
Countryside communities have long been the target for offenders dumping their rubbish in isolated locations, with an eight per cent increase in fly-tipping crimes since 2018, and an estimated annual cost of £150m to the UK economy.
However, Viv Vivers, of Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers, warned the figures did not reflect the full scale of the problem for farmers and landowners, as most cases on private land go unreported. “Fly-tipping is a scourge on the farming community and their plight is not reflected in these figures as they exclude the majority of private-land incidents,” said Ms Vivers. “Councils spend millions every year on clean-up costs but private land-owners, such as farmers, are suffering in silence with little or no assistance or recourse. The burden of dumped rubbish falling squarely with farmers as they are liable for clearing it up at their own expense, or face prosecution. Moving the mess on to public land will not solve the issue, but exacerbate it, which farmers need to be mindful of.”
The CLA’s Yorkshire rural advisor, Libby Bateman, said: “Our members are all too tired of not only cleaning up other people’s rubbish but paying for the privilege of doing so.” She also commented that a more co-ordinated approach was needed. “The introduction of fees at many rubbish tips and recycling centres has meant we’re now seeing the rise of organised criminal fly-tipping. It is repeated and growing in scale and it is vital that rural police forces recognise the changing nature of this crime and respond accordingly.”
This month, a group of Welsh farmers won private prosecution against the fly-tippers who dumped piles of rubbish on land, where their sheep graze. Members of the Coity Wallia Commoners’ Association faced clearing the mess themselves, but instead employed a group of lawyers to look through the debris and track down the true culprits – who paid to clear it up.
The group are urging others to take private legal action to cover the cost of clean-ups, which in turn would help to prevent mass fly-tipping. “The message is out there so people know that if they carry out this action of fly-tipping they will not get away with it and they can be penalised for their actions in this way,” said Aled Owen, from legal firm Harrison Clark Rickerbys. The local council said the authorities were not allowed to use public money to clear fly-tipping from privately run land, but they would provide as much support as possible to help identify offenders and ensure that further action can be taken.
NFU’s 6 suggestions for protecting your land from fly-tipping :
1) Restricting access to your land by installing gates or physical barriers (strategically placed earth bunds, tree trunks, boulders etc.) to prevent access to the land, ideally in keeping with the natural environment. Make sure that when erecting any form of barrier you are not permanently blocking a public right of way.
2) Make sure gates are closed and, if possible, locked when not in use.
3) Improving visibility so that fly-tippers are not hidden from view. Fly-tippers prefer to commit their crimes out of sight.
4) Install or improve lighting if possible.
5) Consider placing appropriate deterrent signage and CCTV cameras.
6) Swiftly clear any waste that is dumped to remove any encouragement for others to add to it.
Source : NFU online
British manufacturer JCB is set to cut working hours for thousands of its staff due to predicted supply issues caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The move will mean a 34-hour week for around 4,000 UK production employees until further notice, starting on Monday 17th February. There has also been an immediate suspension of all overtime.
Chief operating officer Mark Turner said: “The disruption to the component supply chain in the UK comes at a time when demand for JCB products is very strong, so while this course of action is very unfortunate, it is absolutely necessary to protect the business and our skill base.
“Production in the UK has so far been unaffected by the situation in China. However, more than 25 per cent of JCB’s suppliers in China remain closed and those that have reopened are working at reduced capacity and are struggling to make shipments. It is therefore clear that the inbound supply of certain components from Chinese partners will be disrupted in the coming weeks as they seek to replenish their stocks. This inevitably means we will not have the required amount of parts needed to build our forecast number of machines in the short term.”
Mr Turner said the measures will ensure that, while the company will produce fewer machines that anticipated, it will do so with the same number of employees, whose skills are necessary to fulfil customers’ orders when the situation returns to normal.
“We are keeping the situation under review and we anticipate a surge in production levels once this period of supply disruption has passed,” he added.
JCB has discussed the measures with the GMB union and says it will pay employees for a 39-hour week. They will bank the hours and work them back later in the year.
There have now been more than 60,000 cases of coronavirus, or Covid-19, and over 1,300 deaths – mainly in China where the outbreak originated.
A rural insurance specialist is warning farmers not to underestimate the dangers of quad bike use, as Health and Safety Executive figures reveal 26 all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related deaths since 2010.
Matt McWhirter of Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers (FMIB) is urging farmers to avoid “subconscious thinking” and to take extra care to ensure their safe use – or risk serious legal and financial repercussions.
“Repetitious activities can breed complacency, diminish cognitive awareness and reduce our perceptions of risk,” he said.
“Complacency is farm safety’s worst enemy and is a particular concern in relation to ATVs which, because of their versatility and ease of use, will often be deployed on a daily basis for a variety of farming-related tasks.
“While use of ATVs will invariably take place without incident, hundreds of accidents occur every year. Our brains are good at switching to autopilot, but the short, narrow wheelbase of ATVs can make them susceptible to rolling and calls for a focussed mind at all times.
“It is a legal requirement for employers to provide adequate training for employees who use ATVs. This should extend to family members, including children over the age of 13, who anecdotal evidence suggests are regular ATV users and who are all too frequently forgotten about when it comes to health and safety compliance.”
No child under 13 is legally permitted to drive an ATV for work. They are also prohibited to ride as passengers.
“Farmers should make sure that their ATVs are fully insured under their agricultural vehicle policies, that they are appropriately covered and, if unsure, they should check with their insurance adviser,” McWhirter said.
“It must be remembered, however, that illegal breaches of health and safety legislation, and incidents that have compromised safety, can lead to insurance cover being void. What’s more, such incidents can result in prosecution and severe fines.”
Only last year a farming partnership in Devon was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a 9-year-old boy – a passenger on an ATV being driven by a 13-year-old – suffered a serious leg injury. The partnership was fined £28,333 and ordered to pay costs of £5,254.
Quad bike dangers also extend to their use for road transport.
“If purchased for road use, it is essential to check with the manufacturer that the vehicle is roadworthy, that it is registered with the DVLA and that you hold a minimum of third-party insurance,” said McWhirter.
Although wearing a helmet while riding a quad bike is not a legal requirement in England, Scotland and Wales, it is highly recommended and the Health and Safety Executive has pointed out that head injuries are the most common cause of fatalities related to quad bike accidents.
McWhirter added: “Most quad bikes are simply not designed to be used on the roads and do not conform to regulations. For ATVs that are designed for road use, it is important that drivers are adequately trained, are covered by the appropriate insurance and hold the correct licence.”
John Deere dealers Ben Burgess and Farol are set to expand their businesses into the East Midlands during 2020.
Both businesses are now actively recruiting staff and acquiring new state of the art premises to facilitate the expansion. Ben Burgess is planning to open a new outlet in central Rutland to cover that county and surrounding areas. In addition, Farol is looking to establish a new outlet in Newark, focusing on servicing customers in the surrounding parts of Nottinghamshire, west Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.
“I am very pleased to announce this expansion by two well established, high performing dealerships,” says John Deere Limited division sales manager Joedy Ibbotson. “Both businesses have built their success on an ethos of first class, proactive customer service and support, and are committed to investing in their future growth.
“In the interim period before their new premises are officially opened, both dealers are well positioned to cover the new marketing areas from their existing outlets. Both have also invested heavily in staff and systems to meet customers’ increasing demand for advanced, precision ag technology, and we are confident that they will continue to provide the highest possible standards of customer service as they grow their respective businesses still further with John Deere.”
With its headquarters in Norwich and an additional five outlets in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, Ben Burgess has held the John Deere franchise for over 55 years. It opened its newest outlet on the A14 at Ellington in Cambridgeshire in May 2019.
Based at its head office in Milton Common, Oxfordshire, Farol has five more outlets in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Berkshire and East Sussex.
Farol initially took on the John Deere agricultural machinery franchise in 2004, covering central & southern England.
CLAAS has opened the extension to its central Parts Logistics Centre in Hamm. After a planning and construction period lasting over two years the new high-bay warehouse has now been commissioned according to schedule.
“We have extended our storage capacity because our product range is steadily growing and with it the number of the various spare parts,” says Head of Logistics Dietmar Düsing.
The decision to extend the logistics centre alongside the A2 autobahn with a new high-bay warehouse was made in summer 2018. “The new building covers an area of approx. 11,700 sq. m and is nearly 30m heigh to accommodate a fully automatic high rack system, which now provides enough space for around 58,000 pallets,” says project manager Sven Wagner, describing the dimensions of the extension. More than 360 lorry loads of concrete were delivered for the floor. The steel structure used 1,800 tons of steel and more than 400,000 bolts were required.
The conveyor technology used, consisting of an electric overhead track, is also new. Pallets and lattice boxes are placed in the warehouse by nine retrieval machines. The overhead track carries the pallets to four workstations at which a total of up to 320 parts per hour can be picked, doubling the previous capacity.
“With this investment we are preparing the CLAAS Parts Logistics Center for further growth of the CLAAS Group. Not only will the expansion create additional warehouse space, it will also allow us to restructure warehouse processes from the bottom up. All of this is done with a focus on fulfilling the high standards of our customers with regard to our spare parts service,” explains Dietmar Düsing, Head of Logistics and Member of the Management Board at CLAAS Service and Parts GmbH.
CLAAS employs around 500 people at the Parts Logistics Centre in Hamm together with its logistics partner Stute Logistics (AG & Co.) KG. The investment in the new high-bay warehouse cost over 20 million euros.
Field-scale, heavy land trials at Agrii’s Stow Longa technology centre last season revealed spring barley yield and gross margin differences of almost 3t/ha and well over £350/ha.
According to the company, the fact that these differences came from variations in cultivation approach and sowing date alone shows the sheer scale of gains possible from the best all-round agronomy; especially so with soils coming out of the winter as challenged as they are this year.
Senior trials officer, Justin Burton reflected: “The winter of 2018/19 was nowhere near as wet as the present season. Yet, we recorded average yield and gross margin advantages of 1.2t/ha and £160/ha for the best ground conditions compared to soils that were too tight.
“Averaged across the conditions, delaying sowing by a month until late March further gave us an extra 1.9t/ha at harvest and a £230/ha margin advantage. What’s more, we achieved far better black-grass control in both cases too.
“This underlines the critical importance of drilling spring barley into the best possible heavy land conditions,” he stressed. “Its short growing season and limited ability to compensate for a poor start makes it vital to get the crop away rapidly and reliably. Warm-enough soil and a decent seedbed make all the difference here. So, more than anything else this season, patience will be essential.
“Spring barley is more flexible than most people think. After all, in the very wet spring of 2018 we were able to bring in over 6t/ha from a crop we couldn’t get in at Stow Longa until the very end of April.”
As well as waiting until the ground is really fit for sowing, Mr Burton said shallow, top down working will be equally important on heavy land this spring; mainly because the very last thing anyone needs to do is bring up wet soil and grassweeds from below.
“Concentrate on the top few centimetres to get the ground fit for the best germination and early rooting,” he advised. “Remedial action may well be needed lower down, but leave this until the autumn. Apart from anything else, metal at depth won’t do any good with many soils as wet as they’re likely to remain this spring. And getting rid of too much moisture is something we’ll live to regret if we get another really dry late spring or summer.”
With the possible exception of RGT Planet which seems to prefer sowing at 400 seeds/m2, seed rates of around 350 seeds/m2 should be the target in most cases, according to Agrii research.
Specialist manganese and zinc seed dressings are likely to be particularly valuable here; four years of trials showing yield typical responses of up to 15 per cent, against the two per cent required to cover the costs of treatment.
“In our experience, first class early crop nutrition will be key this season to secure the best establishment, rooting and tillering,” Mr Burton said. “Not surprisingly, with relatively high offtakes last harvest and more upper soil losses in the wet autumn and early winter, our early N-Min testing is showing generally low levels of soil nitrogen. This is probably also the case for sulphur and potash. And phosphate availability won’t be anything special given the conditions, either.
“Our research typically shows a 1t/ha yield advantage from more of the nitrogen applied early and 0.75t/ha from using fresh phosphate in a protected form rather than just ordinary TSP in the seedbed. So, we recommend applying 60 kg/ha of the crop’s 120-150 kg/ha of N in the seedbed and the rest by GS14-21. This should be balanced with 40-50 kg/ha of SO3 and, wherever possible, phosphate with the protection of P-Reserve.
“Balanced micro-nutrition is also essential, based on routine tissue analysis and modern yield and growth stage guidelines which vary significantly from traditional traffic light recommendations,” he added.
While Agrii trials have shown valuable yield benefits to T0 applications in seasons with a high yield potential, where conditions are drier or drilling is very late, a straightforward T1 and T2 fungicide programme is considered appropriate.
Applying a low temperature PGR before GS14 is highly recommended, though, having been found to deliver a 10 per cent increase in ears/m2 for a very worthwhile 0.25t/ha yield gain.It may seem ridiculously early, but the anti-gibberellin effect of the right PGR at the three-leaf stage really helps crop rooting and tillering to maximise productive ear numbers, in Mr Burton’s experience. It has to go on at this time, though, he warned, otherwise all it will do is shorten the crop.
“With forward prices as they are, spring barley offers excellent margin-earning opportunities this season,” Mr Burton concluded. “After all, a decent performance brings our costs of production at Stow Longa in at around £50-60/t, including cultivations.
“Overall, our research strongly suggests growers need to concentrate on getting seedbed conditions right and direct their spend more towards early nutrition rather than crop protection this spring. To secure the performance, it’s worth emphasising too that the crop needs to be harvested when its ready. Combining priorities simply must reflect the fact that winter wheat holds its grain far better than spring barley.”
Experts are warning potato growers and buyers not to apply Chlorpropham (CIPC) at 2020 store loading, as they will face a high risk of not being able to sell the crop.
CIPC was previously used on more than 90 per cent of the circa 3.5 million tonnes of potatoes stored in Britain, but its approval for use was withdrawn by the European Commission on 8th January.
A maximum ‘use-up’ period of nine months was set by the EU – meaning the last possible use-up date is the 8th October – but member states can choose their own date within that period. The UK has confirmed its official use-up date as the 8th October, which falls during the very early stages of potato store loading in a typical season.
Dr Mike Storey, chair of the Potato Industry CIPC Stewardship Group (PICSG), warned that some businesses are at risk of crops not passing inspection if they have not been monitoring technical messages.
He explained: “This will become an issue at the point at which the Maximum Residue Level (MRL) of CIPC allowable on potatoes for human consumption, which is currently 10 parts per million (ppm), drops to a new temporary MRL (tMRL). We think this will happen before the 2020 harvest comes out of store.
“We don’t yet know the tMRL rate, although AHDB has been part of a Europe-wide effort to submit data from commercial stores to inform this,” he added. “We know where we hope it will be, and it is at a level that will be achievable if you’re using stores that have previously used CIPC, as long as cleaning guidelines are followed – but if you apply CIPC to crop this year it will not pass an inspection.”
Some countries, including Belgium, have eliminated this risk by bringing the use-up date forward to June.
AHDB’s head of crop storage research Adrian Cunnington said he believes many growers are aware that 2019 was the last harvest that could be treated with CIPC. However, he added that they are still receiving “worrying reports” that some producers are not fully aware of the changes.
“Any grower who applies CIPC in autumn 2020 is at high risk of being unable to sell that crop,” Mr Cunningham added. “Our message is quite simple when it comes to CIPC at 2020 store loading – if you fog them, you can’t flog them.”
AHDB’s online storage hub has information on alternative products and it is also offering free one-to-one potato store visits through its new Storage Network.
UK spring barley may be facing a big harvest in 2020, if more of it is grown due to difficulties planting winter cereals, but there are opportunities for the crop. That was the message from a malting barley conference held in Newmarket, Suffolk, recently.
Organised by Syngenta, company variety specialist Samantha Brooke said the UK produces some of the best quality malting barley in the world, putting us in a strong position to sell not only into home markets but also for export.
“The availability of dual-purpose spring malting barley varieties, which are suitable for distilling and brewing, gives growers additional flexibility,” she added, “just at a time when distilling for whisky production and the amount of malted barley included in certain ales are both increasing.”
Jonathan Roberts, UK barley procurement manager for Boortmalt, which operates malting plants at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, at Knapton in Yorkshire and in Scotland, agreed that the distilling market is booming. During 2020, he predicted that purchases of the dual-purpose spring barley variety Laureate will continue to increase.
He said: “The distilling market isn’t slowing down, so the role of dual-purpose varieties is very important. Knapton supports the distilling market in Scotland. Bury St Edmunds is primarily for brewing and export. Being able to pull in Laureate and look at brewing and distilling offers us an opportunity and an opportunity for our growers.”
Sam Colman, Boortmalt key account manager, who sells malt to end users, said: “There is continued strong demand for British malt from both global and local brewers.”
Malt use had previously declined, he noted, but has now increased again, and the UK’s long history of producing quality malt gives us a good reputation on the world stage. As examples, he said Laureate malted in East Anglia goes to Japan for distilling, and several Boortmalt brewing customers have a blend that includes Laureate.
Highlighting the importance of protecting yield and quality to capitalise on spring barley opportunities, Syngenta business manager in the Eastern counties, Mike Welby, said managing disease and managing brackling of barley stems, so that ears remain intact, are both paramount.
“To manage brackling, trials have shown that in a dry year you don’t want to apply too much plant growth regulator,” said Mr Welby. “Trials have also shown that the SDHI-based fungicide, Elatus Era, applied at the T2 spray timing has been seen to reduce brackling.
“Elatus Era is a very good barley option and is fully approved for use in malting barley. It provides complete leaf protection, and it contains the azole fungicide, prothioconazole, which is well-recognised for use in barley.
“Due to the loss of the multi-site fungicide chlorothalonil, a particular disease to be aware of this year will be Ramularia. Chlorothalonil can only be used up until 20 May 2020. However, a trial near Bury St Edmunds has shown a similar yield response from including an alternative multi-site fungicide, folpet,” he added.
Three UK farmers will be able to use a New Holland machine free of charge for a year, as part of a scheme to help forward-thinking farmers.
New Holland has partnered with the Prince’s Countryside Fund to launch the ‘Up to Speed’ scheme, which is open to British farmers who can justify how the loan of a machine will help their businesses develop.
This could include a newcomer to the industry who wants to kickstart their business, or an existing farmer who is looking to become more efficient, or develop/diversify their current business.
Three different New Holland machines are available for loan – a Boomer Compact tractor, a T6 or T7 tractor and a TH telehandler.
New Holland business director Pat Smith said: “We are very excited to be teaming up with The Prince’s Countryside Fund on this fantastic venture by giving three farmers in the UK a unique opportunity.
“We at New Holland are very proud to be the major British tractor manufacturer, we value our heritage here in Basildon, Essex, and we are dedicated to supporting British agriculture and British farmers. We think this could be an excellent leg up for the three lucky beneficiaries!”
JLS band member JB Gill, who is an ambassador for the Fund, added: “Over the past ten years the Fund has been championing British farms and encouraging their sustainability. This partnership with New Holland is a fantastic opportunity for farmers to make a real difference to their business.”
Applications close at midnight on 1st March 2020. Applicants must be 18 or over, UK citizens resident in the UK with a UK passport, and hold a British driving or tractor licence.
To apply, fill in an application form and upload a short supporting video explaining why you deserve the machine: https://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/partner-initiatives/up-to-speed-scheme
The latest report from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) calls for a ‘transformation’ in land use across the UK to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
A series of recommendations calls for more trees to be planted and the consumption of beef, lamb and dairy to be reduced by 20 per cent per person.
The CCC also encourages low-carbon farming practices, restoring peatlands, planting more energy crops and cutting food waste.
According to the report, land use including agriculture, forestry and peatland accounted for 12 per cent of total UK GHG emissions in 2017, though it recognised that emissions from UK beef is less than the global average. With the right support, the committee says farmers and land managers could reduce emissions by almost two-thirds.
On the whole, farming organisations have welcomed the report, which recognises that reducing emissions should not come at the cost of producing less food in the UK and increasing imports.
Responding, NFU president Minette Batters noted that plant-based foods are not necessarily more environmentally friendly, however.
“It all depends on where and how the ingredients have been produced, the environmental pressures involved in its production, the environmental management associated with that country’s agricultural system and the environmental resources available, as well as how far the product has travelled,” she said.
“Sixty-five per cent of British land is only suitable for grazing livestock and we have the right climate to produce high quality red meat and dairy. Therefore, it makes sense that, when talking about environmental impact, as the report suggests, the public continues to support British livestock production.”
She added that British farmers are “very much part of the solution”. She believes the UK can be more ambitious with cutting food waste, reducing it by 50 per cent throughout the supply chain, which would alleviate pressure to make dietary changes.
Similarly, the AIC supported the direction and intentions of the report, but said we should “turn the volume down on the general debate which pitches farming against climate change, and look at the value of UK farming and use in becoming more resilient to climate change and the opportunity for farmers to grow carbon.”
The trade association recognised that feeding crops and feeding animals is one of the largest contributing factors when it comes to farm GHG emissions. It said while the agri-supply industry has reduced emissions from products and use by 30 per cent in the past 30 years, there is significant scope and need to do more.
Meanwhile the Country, Land and Business Association (CLA) said it was particularly pleased that following its previous report, the CCC has significantly lowered its calls for a reduction in cattle and sheep numbers, from 46 per cent to 10 per cent. It also said it was pleased to see the committee had taken on board proposals to make tree planting an attractive option for land owners.
CLA president Mark Bridgeman said: “Many of our members are already taking steps to move towards low carbon farming practices and are keen to encourage the rapid adoption of new technologies and innovation.
“However, while it is important to examine how the regulatory baseline needs to change to support climate change, there needs to be a clear case for change and the wider needs of both farming and nature must be considered. An extension of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, for example, must be evidence based and take into account the varied nature of land management.”
Mr Bridgeman noted, however, that the report opted not to look at soil carbon storage, adding that it is “an important part of the wider picture and can’t be ignored when looking at climate change action in the land use sector”.
