The NFU of England and Wales will be looking for a new leader come February. The current President, Meurig Raymond, has indicated that he will not seek re-election when his current two-year term ends next year. He has stated that, with Brexit negotiations likely to run on for some years, and his desire not to continue in office beyond 2020, he is stepping down now to allow someone else to take up the post who can provide continuity. Mr Raymond was voted as the successor to Peter Kendal as President in 2014, and was re-elected in 2016.
One of the country’s biggest farming operations is to cease day-to-day farming. Farmcare, which used to be Co-op Farms before it was sold to the Welcome Trust in 2014, will no longer be involved in ‘operational farming’. The company occupies around 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) at 11 locations across Britain from Aberdeen to Kent. From September 2018, the farming of the land will be undertaken through joint-venture arrangements. The Farmcare fruit business will be sold-off as a going concern.
Scotland’s Tenant Farming Commissioner is inviting Landlords and Tenants to take part in a survey to find out their views and experiences of the conduct of agents acting on their behalf on agricultural matters. The Tenant Farming Commissioner must complete the review and make recommendations to Ministers by March 2018 as part of his commitments under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016. Research Resource, a social and economic research agency based in Glasgow has been commissioned by the Scottish Land Commission to undertake telephone interviews.
The latest figures on wild bird populations show no overall increase in numbers. In particular, the farmland bird index is disappointingly flat – despite all the efforts of the industry in terms of environmental management over the last few years. The bird numbers are important as the Government tends to use them as a ‘proxy’ for the health of the environment and biodiversity more generally. Farmland bird numbers have declined by over half since the early 1970s. Even over the last five years, the survey has recorded a 9% reduction. The figures can be found at – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/wild-bird-populations-in-the-uk