All articles by Sam Fortescue – Page 6
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Farmers struggling to adapt to subsidy loss
Even England's most efficient beef and lamb farmers are making big losses, new figures from EBLEX show. Only the top third of intensive beef finishers make any sort of profit. And suckler producers, vital in producing calves finished for...
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Abattoirs air big beef on price-fixing claim
Abattoirs have denied allegations by the National Beef Association that they are engaged in cattle price manipulation. The NBA said some farmers were "allowing themselves to be conned by a handful of influential abattoirs into thinking...
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Chips to get pricier as potato volume drops
Chip prices could rise after Christmas as supplies of top quality frying potatoes become scarce, according to the British Potato Council. The long, hot summer and low rainfall stressed out the plants, cutting yields and increasing disease...
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Most British livestock farmers unprofitable
If you picked a random UK sheep or beef farm, the chances are it would be making a loss, EBLEX says. The end of direct farming subsidies and the true cost of farm labour make most livestock producers unprofitable, according to figures to...
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Sainsbury's plans fruit and veg roadshows
Store managers and consumers need more education about fresh produce, Sainsbury's says. The retailer claims it sells more fresh produce per customer than competitors, and is launching initiatives to keep it that way. Staff in the...
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First Milk set sights on premium cheese
First Milk has set its sights on building a premium own label cheese business out of the factories it has bought from Dairy Crest. First Milk chief exec Peter Humphreys said there were great opportunities to be found in building up...
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Tesco backing S&A in ongoing worker row
Tesco and Sainbury's are standing by soft fruit grower S&A as it clashes again with unions. The Herefordshire strawberry growing co-op came under the spotlight earlier in the year after the TGWU received complaints from 200 migrant...
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Obesity: maybe fatty animals are to blame
Obesity isn't just a problem for humans, according to a British academic. Thanks to modern farming, animals are too fat, and as well as leading to obesity in humans, this is also contributing to a growing incidence of mental ill health,...
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NFU fires latest salvo in the milk price war
The National Farmers' Union last week kicked off its latest attempt to highlight low milk prices. It has challenged dairy farmers to stand up and be counted by submitting an invoice to the NFU for the difference between farmgate milk...
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It's no longer just a Cameo appearance
Cameo, a trademarked bi-coloured dessert branded apple, beat 145 entries to win top prize at the National Fruit Show. Its rise to prominence underlines how the English apple season, while still based on Cox, is embracing varieties with an...
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Net about to close on the North Sea pirates
Pirate fishing is the biggest threat to commercial fish stocks in the North Sea, Barents Sea and the north east Atlantic, and is undermining responsible fishing management plans. Speaking at the Norwegian Embassy's responsible fishing...
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Ocean Spray exploits cranberry's diversity
Ocean Spray is looking to further extend its reach beyond drinks and move into new areas, which could include vitamin supplements and oral care products, as part of a drive to exploit the health benefits of cranberries. The co-operative...
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Levy gives his energy to Eat in Colour launch
The Eat in Colour initiative to boost fresh produce sales is finally set to launch - more than a year after the concept was floated. It has been given new impetus by the appointment this week of Anthony Levy as chairman. The Fresh...
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Mayan Gold potato is like 'history on a plate'
A potato billed as the first entirely new variety to arrive in the UK for 400 years has been launched by UK grower Greenvale. It is a very close relative of the spud first brought to England during the reign of Elizabeth I, which is...
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OMSCo reined in by boom and bust fears
Britain's biggest organic milk supplier will be closing the door to new producers as early as January, it says. Richard Hampton, chief executive of the OMSCo co-operative, said that there was a risk of returning to the cycle of boom and...
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West Country scheme to make beef more tender
One of the West Country's major beef suppliers is working with farmers to produce beef that is more tender. The Better Beef Scheme has just put the first of the meat on Tesco shelves after being launched last year. It is expected to begin...
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English apples set for bumper sales season
It is shaping up to be a bumper year for British apples, as supermarkets report the fruit is flying off the shelves. Asda claimed it was the first of the multiples to offer English apples from this year's harvest by getting Cox's on the...
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First Milk delivers on Dairy Crest purchase
First Milk has bought Dairy Crest's own-label cheese business for nearly £62m. Analysts broadly supported the move but farmers fear it will force them to accept a lower milk price and are considering alternatives. Under the terms...
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Immigration controls will harm horticulture
Growers in the UK may face serious labour problems if the government slaps restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants. The two countries have just been told that they can join the EU on 1 January next year. But serious conditions...
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QSM pork message gets a loving feeling
'Love QSM Pork' is the new slogan being used to take the Quality Standard Mark to the next stage of its marketing campaign. It moves on from efforts to simply promote use of the QSM mark alongside the strapline 'just 4% fat'. The...