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A “shattering blow” has been dealt to farmers with the sudden pausing for new applications for environmental payments, according to the National Farmers’ Union. The NFU says it was given just 30 minutes notice by the government that applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) were to close on Tuesday. The post-Brexit scheme, launched in 2022, pays farmers and land managers to take up practices that improve productivity and protect the environment and climate (Sky News). The Telegraph also reported on the issue, highlighting that the SFI will be revised after the spending review in June, with a cap on how much money farmers could receive. Tom Bradshaw, the head of the National Farmers’ Union, said the move was “another betrayal”, following the Government’s decision to impose inheritance tax on farmers in last year’s Budget (The Telegraph).

The Co-op, meanwhile, has become the latest UK supermarket chain to adopt more humane ways of farming and killing prawns after an outcry from welfare campaigners over cruel methods in the industry. The retailer said on Tuesday it was introducing electrical stunning for all of its farmed prawns by 2027, instead of dropping them into ice slurry, which campaigners say can lead to a slow death by suffocation. It has also ended the controversial practice of “eyestalk ablation”, a process in which female prawns’ eyes are crushed in order to stimulate egg production (Financial Times).

Unilever is hiring an army of influencers to help sell its products as its new chief executive claimed customers are “suspicious” about traditional advertising. The Marmite and mayonnaise maker has announced plans to spend heavily on social media stars in the coming years, in the hope of winning over shoppers on sites such as TikTok. Fernando Fernandez, who took the helm earlier this month after the surprise exit of Hein Schumacher, said he wanted “at least one influencer” promoting Unilever’s brands in each area of every country (The Telegraph).