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Category Archives: agriculture
Farmland Tax Breaks revealed
Today the charity I work for, People Need Nature, publishes its latest report, investigating the tax system and how it affects farmland. “Where there’s muck there’s brass: revealing the billions hidden in farmland tax shelters” lays out the many, varied, … Continue reading
We are what we Eat
The old adage “We are what we eat” is only partly true, at best. We eat vegetables but we are not vegetables. Similarly, those of us who eat meat are, in a real sense, meat – but we are not … Continue reading
Health and Harmony? Government consultation on future of agriculture reveals no new detail
Last week was a momentous one in the life of farmers and anyone who take an interest in our food. The National Farmers Union (NFU) took the historic step of appointing a woman to be its President – it’s … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, Agriculture policy, Brexit, Common Agricultural Policy, NFU
Tagged Brexit, Common Agriculture Policy, Minette Batters, NFU, No Tern Unstoned
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Where now for UK Agriculture?
The UK’s decision to leave the European Union has created a huge set of risks and threats, but also some opportunities. One opportunity is to change the course of farming policy and practice. For 40 years the UK was subject … Continue reading
First day of #ORFC18
Around 800 people descended on Oxford Town Hall yesterday morning to attend the 9th Oxford Real Farming Conference. This is my third time attending the event, but it feels just as exciting and in many ways just as groundbreaking as…
Will farm subsidies be slashed after Brexit? Guest Blog by Guy Shrubsole, campaigner at Friends of the Earth,
“After we Vote Leave”, said the official Leave campaign’s farming leaflet, “we can protect farmers’ subsidies – and even increase them”. Eighteen months on from the Brexit referendum, that promise is looking decidedly shaky. The Government has pledged … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, Brexit, guest blogs
Tagged Brexit, farm support, Guest Blog, guy shrubsole
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LEGOs, Landscapes and Catchments – guest blog by @UKSustain farm campaigner @VickiHird
I am delighted to post another guest blog from Sustain’s Campaign Co-ordinator for Food and Farming Policy, Vicki Hird. The rich debate about how we deliver new farming and land management support after we leave the CAP is … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, Brexit, farm subsidies, guest blogs, Uncategorized
Tagged Agriculture, Agriculture policy, Brexit, farming, Sustain, Vicki Hird
8 Comments
Guest Blog: Agri-environment – a need for detailed scrutiny, by Steve Peel
As the process of changing from an European agriculture policy into a UK one starts, I’m delighted to publish a guest blog by former Natural England grassland specialist Steve Peel. Steve looks at how … Continue reading
Why Taxpayers need a “housemate agreement with Farmers: Guest Blog by Vicki Hird.
The dreaded ‘red tape’ and interference in farm decisions under the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is why many UK farmers voted ‘leave’. But I aim to justify the uncomfortable but … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, Brexit, guest blogs, Vicki Hird
Tagged Agriculture, Brexit, guest blogs, Sustain, Vicki Hird
14 Comments
The First New Agriculture Act in 70 years creates an opportunity for farming, food and nature
The UK is to have its first new major Agriculture Act since 1947. There have been minor Agriculture Acts which made amendments to the 47 Act (eg in 1970) and in 1986, but by then agriculture was governed by rules … Continue reading
a new nature blog 