The specialist arable crops business, Premium Crops, has been sold to the grain trader Cefetra, subject to due diligence. Premium Crops specialises in alternative combinable crops such as linseed, HEAR oilseed rape, millet, naked oats, and red wheat. It had been part of the US-based Technology Crops International since 2014. Cefetra states that the acquisition of […]
After two years in the making, Morrisons has unveiled plans for its online grocery shopping service with aim of winning back some sales it has lost to other retailers. From January the service will be available in Warwickshire, a month later it will be set up in Yorkshire with the service reaching London by the […]
Both the EU-Spec SPP and APP experienced big losses in the week ending June 8th. The SPP fell by 1.2p per kg for the week to 210.2p per kg. The size of the fall was unexpected; since the turn of the year the price hasn’t swung more than 1p per kg either way. Some of […]
The Planning rules for agriculture in England have been relaxed. This will make it easier to convert redundant farm buildings into dwellings, or for alternative uses. It will also allow larger new farm buildings to be erected without full Planning Permission being required. The changes come following a consultation last summer (see https://abcbooks.co.uk/planning-rules-relaxation/ for details). […]
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, spoke at the NFU Conference on the 20th February – the first Prime Minister to attend the event for 16 years. Mr Sunak used the occasion to set out a number of policy initatives as detailed below. Grants and Schemes It was reiterated by the Prime Minister that the £2.4bn […]
A further round of the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation fund is now open for applications and will close on 15th January 2024. The Fund supports groups of farmers and landowners in England to come together to share knowledge, coordinate action, support environmental priorities and join agri-environment schemes. This is achieved by funding a facilitator to organise […]
The latest edition of the Farm Management Pocketbook (aka ‘the John Nix book’) has just been published. The famous guide to farming business information has been updated for 2024. More details and how to order can be found at – https://theandersonscentre.co.uk/shop/john-nix-pocketbook-54/.
The Government has issued a wide-ranging consultation on relaxing the Planning rules in England. This mainly refers to Permitted Development Rights and has the overall aim of increasing the supply of housing. In terms of farming and rural areas the main points are as follows; Extending Class Q: this is the right to develop farm […]
From the 1st April non-domestic premises being let out must comply with energy efficiency standards. This applies to England and Wales where all properties must be rated grade E or better. Those that are rated F or G are deemed to be ‘substandard’ and it will be illegal to let them until improvements are made. […]
On 27th February, the UK Government and EU Commission reached an agreement on the implementation of the Northern Ireland (NI) Protocol – the ‘Windsor Framework’. The deal emerged after months of, often arduous, negotiations and is heralded as a major breakthrough by both the UK and EU negotiators. It is hoped that this framework will […]