Latest news with #TomBradshaw
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
UK farmers warn against including lower-welfare chicken in Gulf trade deal
An imminent trade deal with Gulf states including Saudi Arabia could have a destructive impact for UK farmers, industry figures have warned, suggesting that any deal to import chicken would involve far lower welfare standards in the Gulf than British farmers must adhere to. The £1.6bn deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – is expected to be signed soon, though the conclusion may be delayed until after Eid al-Adha in early June. Industry figures said the deal could include uncapped access for chickens if the imports met hygiene standards, which is critical because of the agrifoods deal the UK hopes to seal with the EU in the coming months. But those standards do not cover welfare, sparking alarm among farmers who have recently had to meet new, higher standards under British law. The National Farmers' Union president, Tom Bradshaw, said if such a deal was done it would 'mark a clear betrayal of the government's own promises to uphold our high animal welfare, environmental and food safety standards, standards which are globally renowned and driven by consumer demand. 'For example, British poultry farmers are continuing to improve welfare standards by lowering the number of birds per flock. They must not be undercut by imports produced in ways that would be illegal here. I'm not sure how many times we have to repeat it – we must not sign any deal that undermines UK farming. The public won't accept it, and neither will British farmers.' Bradshaw said the prime minister, Keir Starmer, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and the environment secretary, Steve Reed, all committed to protecting farmers from being undercut by low standards and low welfare in trade deals. 'So we expect the government to stand its ground and ensure that poultry products produced in ways that fail to meet our own production standards remain excluded from market access concessions within this deal,' he said. The UK has previously promised the deal would not compromise environmental, public health, animal welfare and food standards. UK farming is governed by relatively strict animal welfare laws, which differ significantly from GCC countries, including housing density, slaughter methods and living conditions. Farmers have minimum standards to reach in terms of space for birds to live in, and there is mandatory pre-slaughter stunning in most cases. In the six Gulf countries involved in the deal, poultry must be slaughtered according to halal principles, though stunning is sometimes used. Poultry are often raised in intensive indoor systems, especially given the harsh heat. The UK has some of the strictest standards for chicken space in the world. Poultry farmers must give their flock a minimum of 750 cm squared of space per bird, and 600 cm squared must be usable. This is stricter than EU standards, which require the same space per bird but do not specify the amount that must be usable. Chickens are also required to be given enriched areas, with things they can peck such as hay, string or mineral blocks, and perches to sit on. The Gulf states give less than half the space per bird than in the UK, at 300cm squared, and there is no limit on the number of birds raised in one house. Chickens in the Gulf are raised to halal standards and are subjected to non-stunned slaughter. This is legal, but less common, in the UK. The deal, which has been led by the trade minister Douglas Alexander, is likely to be particularly beneficial for the car industry and financial services, though estimates suggest a free trade agreement would be worth less than 1% of GDP by 2035. Trade with the six-member bloc is worth about £59bn a year, according to UK government estimates, as the UK's seventh-largest export market, with a trade deal expected to increase trade by about 16%. The deal has caused alarm among human rights groups about the lack of provisions for improving rights in the region.
Rhyl Journal
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Rhyl Journal
Farming budget ‘must be protected as drought looms'
The call comes as the latest Met Office data show swathes of the country have had a record number of days with little or no rain so far this year. Analysis by the PA news agency found central England, north-east England, north-west England and north Wales, and Northern Ireland, have all had a record number of days with less than 0.1mm of rain since January 1, in records dating back to 1931. In national records stretching further back, the UK is experiencing the driest spring in more than a century, which has put crops and habitats under pressure and prompted warnings to millions of households they may face water restrictions this summer. In the face of the dry weather, the heads of major farming organisations and conservation charities have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to protect the farming budget – which is the biggest spend for nature as well as supporting farmers – in the spending review. Without investment to make agriculture and landscapes resilient to the extremes that climate change is bringing and to protect the environment, food security and legal targets to restore nature will be at risk, they warn. Farming payments in England have switched from EU-era subsidies to funding for 'public goods' such as healthy soil, wildflowers, clean water and hedgerows, and last autumn the Government heralded a 'record' £5 billion over two years for sustainable farming. But the biggest plank of the new approach, the sustainable farming incentive (SFI), was abruptly closed to applications in March after the money was all spent, with a reformed scheme not set to reopen until early next year. And with budgets across departments under pressure in the spending review, there are concerns the nature-friendly farming budget will not be maintained in the squeeze. Speaking side-by-side from a countryside conference, National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw and RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight warned the Government would not hit legislated targets to reverse declines in nature by 2030 without the funding. Ms Speight said: 'More than 70% of the UK is farmed, and if we're going to stand a chance of hitting these nature recovery targets and actually reversing the situation we've got now, then absolutely, farmers are crucial to that.' She added: 'We're facing into these drought conditions, and farmers, livestock farmers, arable farmers, are really struggling in terms of being able to plan ahead and looking at what climate change is already bringing to us. 'It's got to be about resilience, and it's the kind of activities that this money funds that will build that resilience into the food system, as well as build resilience into our natural world. 'The challenges we all know we're facing in terms of climate, in terms of nature, and then in terms of sustainable food production, are very, very real now, very, very stark. 'And this budget is the budget that enables those things to be delivered.' Mr Bradshaw said a large number of farmers needed to be involved in the environmental schemes to deliver on the Government's ambitions for nature, as well as support farming businesses that are under huge pressure, and the heritage and culture of rural communities of which farmers are a key part. 'Without a large enough budget, the budget will either be cut too thinly and it won't be able to have the impact that it needs to, or it'll end up being targeted in specific landscapes and therefore it won't be a scheme which is open to all, and won't be able to deliver across a broad area of the country,' he warned. 'The driest spring on record is obviously a good precursor to why we need to invest now to safeguard for the future, and the resilience of our food system is something that everyone benefits from,' he added. They are being joined in their call to protect the farming budget for agriculture and the environment by the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Green Alliance and Wildlife And Countryside Link. Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network said: 'Nature is the foundation of food production – as this drought makes painfully clear. 'If we want farms to stay profitable and food to stay on shelves, we must tackle the climate and nature crises head-on. 'Investing in nature-friendly farming is essential economic policy,' he warned. The nature-friendly farming budget pays for measures including those that protect and improve soil, such as cover crops, making it more resilient to extremes of wet weather and drought which have hit the UK in recent years, enabling farmers to sow their crops and see them grow better. Reducing inputs such as pesticides, and supporting natural pest predators and pollinators through wildflower-strips, hedgerows and beetle banks in fields also reduces costs for farmers and supports wildlife. The latest daily Met Office rainfall figures show central England has had 74 days with less than 0.1mm of rain between January 1 and May 19, north-east England has had 71 days, north-west England and north Wales have had 64 days, and Northern Ireland has had 54 days with no or little rain. South=east England has had 76 days with no or little rain, the most since 1949, south-west England and south Wales has had 61 days, the most since 1953, and Scotland has had 35 days with less than 0.1mm of rain, the most since 1974.
Leader Live
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Leader Live
Farming budget ‘must be protected as drought looms'
The call comes as the latest Met Office data show swathes of the country have had a record number of days with little or no rain so far this year. Analysis by the PA news agency found central England, north-east England, north-west England and north Wales, and Northern Ireland, have all had a record number of days with less than 0.1mm of rain since January 1, in records dating back to 1931. In national records stretching further back, the UK is experiencing the driest spring in more than a century, which has put crops and habitats under pressure and prompted warnings to millions of households they may face water restrictions this summer. In the face of the dry weather, the heads of major farming organisations and conservation charities have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to protect the farming budget – which is the biggest spend for nature as well as supporting farmers – in the spending review. Without investment to make agriculture and landscapes resilient to the extremes that climate change is bringing and to protect the environment, food security and legal targets to restore nature will be at risk, they warn. Farming payments in England have switched from EU-era subsidies to funding for 'public goods' such as healthy soil, wildflowers, clean water and hedgerows, and last autumn the Government heralded a 'record' £5 billion over two years for sustainable farming. But the biggest plank of the new approach, the sustainable farming incentive (SFI), was abruptly closed to applications in March after the money was all spent, with a reformed scheme not set to reopen until early next year. And with budgets across departments under pressure in the spending review, there are concerns the nature-friendly farming budget will not be maintained in the squeeze. Speaking side-by-side from a countryside conference, National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw and RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight warned the Government would not hit legislated targets to reverse declines in nature by 2030 without the funding. Ms Speight said: 'More than 70% of the UK is farmed, and if we're going to stand a chance of hitting these nature recovery targets and actually reversing the situation we've got now, then absolutely, farmers are crucial to that.' She added: 'We're facing into these drought conditions, and farmers, livestock farmers, arable farmers, are really struggling in terms of being able to plan ahead and looking at what climate change is already bringing to us. 'It's got to be about resilience, and it's the kind of activities that this money funds that will build that resilience into the food system, as well as build resilience into our natural world. 'The challenges we all know we're facing in terms of climate, in terms of nature, and then in terms of sustainable food production, are very, very real now, very, very stark. 'And this budget is the budget that enables those things to be delivered.' Mr Bradshaw said a large number of farmers needed to be involved in the environmental schemes to deliver on the Government's ambitions for nature, as well as support farming businesses that are under huge pressure, and the heritage and culture of rural communities of which farmers are a key part. 'Without a large enough budget, the budget will either be cut too thinly and it won't be able to have the impact that it needs to, or it'll end up being targeted in specific landscapes and therefore it won't be a scheme which is open to all, and won't be able to deliver across a broad area of the country,' he warned. 'The driest spring on record is obviously a good precursor to why we need to invest now to safeguard for the future, and the resilience of our food system is something that everyone benefits from,' he added. They are being joined in their call to protect the farming budget for agriculture and the environment by the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Green Alliance and Wildlife And Countryside Link. Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network said: 'Nature is the foundation of food production – as this drought makes painfully clear. 'If we want farms to stay profitable and food to stay on shelves, we must tackle the climate and nature crises head-on. 'Investing in nature-friendly farming is essential economic policy,' he warned. The nature-friendly farming budget pays for measures including those that protect and improve soil, such as cover crops, making it more resilient to extremes of wet weather and drought which have hit the UK in recent years, enabling farmers to sow their crops and see them grow better. Reducing inputs such as pesticides, and supporting natural pest predators and pollinators through wildflower-strips, hedgerows and beetle banks in fields also reduces costs for farmers and supports wildlife. The latest daily Met Office rainfall figures show central England has had 74 days with less than 0.1mm of rain between January 1 and May 19, north-east England has had 71 days, north-west England and north Wales have had 64 days, and Northern Ireland has had 54 days with no or little rain. South=east England has had 76 days with no or little rain, the most since 1949, south-west England and south Wales has had 61 days, the most since 1953, and Scotland has had 35 days with less than 0.1mm of rain, the most since 1974.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MPs call for year-long delay to farm inheritance tax
Farm inheritance tax changes should be delayed by a year and alternative schemes that will not harm small family businesses need to be properly considered, a committee of MPs has warned. Government plans to tax inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m at a rate of 20% – half the usual rate – saw protests across the UK after they were announced in the Autumn Budget. In a report released on Friday, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee said the changes were made without "adequate consultation, impact assessment or affordability assessment". The government said its inheritance tax reforms were "vital" and its commitment to farmers was "steadfast". Efra's report said the tax reforms "threaten to affect the most vulnerable" but delaying the implementation of the policy until April 2027 would give those farmers more time to seek "appropriate professional advice". National Farmers' Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw said a delay "doesn't take the terrible pressure off older farmers". He said the policy remained "fundamentally unfit, destructive, badly constructed and must be changed". The government says the changes will only affect the wealthiest 500 farms each year, but the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) estimate that up to 70,000 farms could be affected overall. The committee also warned that the government's sudden closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) environmental payments scheme "affected trust in the government" and left many farmers "at risk of becoming unviable". When the SFI scheme, which more than 50,000 farm businesses are signed up to, was closed in March, the NFU described it as another "shattering blow" to farmers. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has since announced it will allow SFI applications that were in progress within two months of its closure. But the committee said that lessons should be learned and that "a restoration of trust is urgently required". Efra committee chairman Alistair Carmichael said the confidence and wellbeing of farmers had been affected negatively. "The government, however, seems to be dismissing farmers' concerns and ignoring the strength of feeling evidenced in the months of protests that saw tractors converge on Westminster and up and down the country," he added. The CLA, which represents 28,000 farmers and rural businesses, urged the government to rethink its "current disastrous policy" on inheritance tax. It said the government should consider an alternative "clawback" scheme, under which 100% agricultural and business property reliefs would remain but inheritance tax would be applied to assets if sold within a certain period of time post-death, payable out of the proceeds of the sale. CLA president Victoria Vyvyan said the "clawback" proposal would limit the damage to family businesses while targeting "those who have bought land to shelter wealth for short-term gain". "The government has dug itself into a deep hole by targeting family farms and businesses, and must now pause, listen and consult," she said. But a government spokesman said that under its changes three quarters of estates would continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter would "pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay". He added that payments could be spread over 10 years, interest-free. Details of a new SFI scheme will be announced after the upcoming spending review. Green scheme closure a 'shattering blow' to farms, says union Farm inheritance tax protesters target Reed conference speech Tractor protest as minister pledges farmers 'new deal'
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Farm inheritance tax: MPs call for year-long delay to proposals
Farm inheritance tax changes should be delayed by a year and alternative schemes that will not harm small family businesses need to be properly considered, a committee of MPs has plans to tax inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m at a rate of 20% – half the usual rate – saw protests across the UK after they were announced in the Autumn a report released on Friday, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee said the changes were made without "adequate consultation, impact assessment or affordability assessment".The government said its inheritance tax reforms were "vital" and its commitment to farmers was "steadfast". Efra's report said the tax reforms "threaten to affect the most vulnerable" but delaying the implementation of the policy until April 2027 would give those farmers more time to seek "appropriate professional advice".National Farmers' Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw said a delay "doesn't take the terrible pressure off older farmers".He said the policy remained "fundamentally unfit, destructive, badly constructed and must be changed".The government says the changes will only affect the wealthiest 500 farms each year, but the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) estimate that up to 70,000 farms could be affected committee also warned that the government's sudden closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) environmental payments scheme "affected trust in the government" and left many farmers "at risk of becoming unviable". When the SFI scheme, which more than 50,000 farm businesses are signed up to, was closed in March, the NFU described it as another "shattering blow" to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has since announced it will allow SFI applications that were in progress within two months of its the committee said that lessons should be learned and that "a restoration of trust is urgently required". Efra committee chairman Alistair Carmichael said the confidence and wellbeing of farmers had been affected negatively. "The government, however, seems to be dismissing farmers' concerns and ignoring the strength of feeling evidenced in the months of protests that saw tractors converge on Westminster and up and down the country," he CLA, which represents 28,000 farmers and rural businesses, urged the government to rethink its "current disastrous policy" on inheritance said the government should consider an alternative "clawback" scheme, under which 100% agricultural and business property reliefs would remain but inheritance tax would be applied to assets if sold within a certain period of time post-death, payable out of the proceeds of the president Victoria Vyvyan said the "clawback" proposal would limit the damage to family businesses while targeting "those who have bought land to shelter wealth for short-term gain"."The government has dug itself into a deep hole by targeting family farms and businesses, and must now pause, listen and consult," she a government spokesman said that under its changes three quarters of estates would continue to pay no inheritance tax at all, while the remaining quarter would "pay half the inheritance tax that most people pay".He added that payments could be spread over 10 years, of a new SFI scheme will be announced after the upcoming spending review.
