Tag Archives: business

Farmers launch new traceability scheme

A new food traceability system developed by Gloucestershire farmers with widespread support from across the food industry will go live later this month on 19 February.

The promoters claim that Happerley Passports empowers farmers to control provenance at the point of production and consumers to instantly unlock the whole provenance story of their food with one unique traceability code. Every UK primary food producer will be invited to create a free Producer Passport and profile and invite all intermediaries and retailers whom they trade with into a visible supply chain to create one network.

Producers are then able to generate a unique traceability code online for every food batch leaving their holding. The codes are validated through the food chain by participating intermediaries and retailers.

Co-founders, farmers Matthew Rymer and Clifford Freeman, originally conceived the concept to provide the full story of the provenance behind each cut of Pedigree Gloucester Beef they sold., but following two years of development, including a significant investment in software and a collaboration agreement with The University of Aberdeen, they claim the system can be used by the whole food industry.

Photo Credit: Happerley Passports – Clifford Freeman

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European Commission welcomes Indian apple market

The EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, has welcomed the announcement on the improved access to the Indian market for EU apple exports.

He said, “Improved access to the Indian market represents another positive step in finding alternative markets for EU producers, in light of the ongoing difficult market situation. Our efforts to break down any barriers to our agricultural exports and to open markets to our producers are ongoing, as part of the diplomatic offensive we are leading in 2016.”

While all access points were closed to apples imports since September 2015 with the exception of one port, as of the week ending 22 January, European producers can now get their apples into the Indian market through major sea ports and airports while the importation of apples is also allowed through India’s land borders.

The EU says that the Indian market has huge potential. While EU exports of apples to India amounted to only around 7,000 tonnes in 2014, provisional figures for 2015 show an increase to around 11,000 tonnes and India has the potential to absorb a higher share of EU exports given its moderate domestic apple production of around 1.5 million tonnes.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Waitrose under fire for supplier payments

According to newspaper reports, Waitrose is simplifying its terms of payment to speed up the time it takes to pay smaller suppliers after an internal review indicated that, following a change to Tesco’s payment terms, the upmarket supermarket was taking longer than its rivals to pay some suppliers.

An anonymous supplier to both Tesco and Waitrose told The Times, “I used to be on 60 days [payment duration]with Tesco, but now I am on 14 days. I am on 45 days with Waitrose and it nearly kills me sometimes.”

Waitrose director of commercial operations is leading the payment review and has said that the review process could run for many months.

Delayed and rebated payments are one of the most common issues raised with the Groceries Code Adjudicator and it is believed that accounting for rebates and supplier payments was at the heart of Tesco’s accounting scandal which broke last year.

The post Waitrose under fire for supplier payments appeared first on Hort News on 22 January 2016.

Farming Recovery Fund extended to all parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire

Further to Environment Secretary Liz Truss’s announcement about compensation for farmers affected by Storm Eva flooding in Yorkshire and Lancashire on 31 December, Defra has now announced that the Farming Recovery Fund has been extended to all parts of both Lancashire and Yorkshire.

The Farming Recovery Fund, originally launched to help farmers hit by Storm Desmond in Cumbria, Northumberland and parts of Lancashire, will now be extended to farmers in all the areas affected by storms over Christmas and Boxing Day. The Farming Recovery Fund also covers farmers in Durham hit by Storm Desmond or Storm Eva.

Farmers suffering from uninsurable losses can apply for Farming Recovery Fund grants of up to £20,000 via the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to help restore soils, rebuild tracks and repair flood channels.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said, “We remain committed to providing practical support to those farmers affected. That is why I am pleased to announce we will be extending the Farming Recovery Fund to help cover short-term uninsured recovery costs such as, repairing damaged soils, tracks and flood channels.

The deadline for applications has now been extended from 18 March 2016 to 1 April 2016 to allow farmers in the newly affected areas time to apply.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Dutch fruit and veg trade breaks records

According to reports the Dutch produce industry has a record breaking 2015.

The value of imports increased by 7 per cent to €5.1 billion, while the value of production rose by 13 per cent to €3.4 billion, compared to the previous year. However Dutch exports of fruit and vegetables and domestic consumers bought 3 per cent less fresh vegetables and a 0.5 per cent less fresh fruit over the period. Some of this decline was due to poor availability of vegetables for international markets due to weather conditions in the spring and summer, although this also had the effect of raising prices.

The country also had a good year in terms of exports, despite the ongoing Russian embargo. China, Vietnam, Panama and Brazil were among several countries to open their borders to Dutch products and industry sources said that Dutch onions were exported to 120 countries in 2015.

Photo Credit: Richard Crowhurst

This post first appeared in HortNews.

Call to reduce farm rents

Tenant Farmers Association’s chairman, Stephen Wyrill, has said that farm rents need to be reduced this year.

“With little prospect of improvement in farming fortunes into the immediate future, it will be necessary, once again, for the farming community to tighten its belt and it is only right that landlords should share that burden too,” said Mr Wyrill.

“Despite the significant downturn in returns across all sectors we have seen very little response, so far, in terms of farm rents falling. On tenancies let under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 we have seen some reductions and many more standstills. However, I would have expected a larger number of reductions to have been in evidence in 2015. If current economic conditions within agriculture prevail then we must see many more reductions in 2016,” he added.

“For those taking land on Farm Business Tenancies, I continue to be concerned about what I can only describe as exorbitant levels of rent being offered at tender. However, I was very pleased to see the common sense advice coming from the Andersons Centre in its 2016 Outlook Report, which said that if rent was more than a third of output it was better to walk away than allow damage to the wider business. We need wide-scale action to get rents down,” he concluded.

Photo Credit: TFA

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Produce Investments buys another daffodil grower

Rowe Farming Limited, the Cornish-based daffodil and potato growing subsidiary of Greenvale parent company Produce Investments has purchased fellow Cornish daffodil grower Andrew Farming.

The deal includes 40 new commercial daffodil varieties and 90 smaller seedling varieties and will expand the company’s daffodil portfolio significantly. Under the agreement Kevin Andrew will join the Rowe Farming management team.

Rowe Farming managing director Rob Stacey commented, “This acquisition enables Rowe Farming to offer a wider range of products and services to our customers and in particular we see opportunities in dried bulbs and specialist cut flowers.

“The varieties we have acquired from the deal are extremely complimentary to our own and the combined expertise will enable Rowe Farming to better serve our customers. This acquisition represents a major investment in future daffodil flower and bulb production, underlying our continued commitment to the sector.”

Photo Credit: Richard Crowhurst

The post Produce Investments buys another daffodil grower appeared first on Hort News on 6 January 2016.

Agricultural income per worker falls

Real agricultural income in the European Union (EU) has fallen by 6.0% in 2015 compared with 2014, while agricultural labour input has dropped by 1.8% according to the latest estimated figures from the European Commission. As a result, real agricultural income per worker in the EU has decreased by 4.3% in 2015.

However, the picture is mixed with thirteen member states showing increases in income per worker while fifteen reported falls. For the UK income per agricultural worker fell 19.3% compared with the previous year, representing a 21.6% decline on 2010 figures. Germany was the worst performing country seeing incomes fall by 37.6%.

According to Eurostat, which compiled the figures from national data, the biggest falls in output value were for sugar beet, grain maize, milk, pigs and forage. In terms of crop production across the EU the value of fresh vegetables rose 12.1%, with fruit up 7.3% and wine up 2.5%.

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BBC reports ‘slavery’ on Lincolnshire farms

On Thursday (3 December) BBC Look North carried a report which it claimed had “lifted the lid” on “allegations of modern slavery in the fields of Lincolnshire.”

Reporter Linsey Smith said many eastern European migrants working in fields and packhouses in Lincolnshire felt “abused, exploited and worthless.” One unnamed woman who was prepared to appear on camera said her former supervisor regularly offered female workers money in exchange for sex. Ms Smith said she had interviewed ten migrants and had heard “countless” other anecdotes about poor treatment.

The programme said that the complaints referred to “several” different gangmasters, but it focused primarily on Boston-based Local Link Recruitment as an undercover reporter “experienced at first hand the high pressure environment.” Specific allegations included a lack of waterproof clothing, working at night, a lack of ‘safety gloves’, wage deductions for transport and that Rafal Czerwiak, who was filmed during the report, was acting as an un-licenced gangmaster.

In a statement Local Link Managing Director Iowna Lebiedowicz denied all of the allegations and stressed that Mr Czerwiak runs his own business, Viva Bonta Ltd, which provided transport for Local Link. In addition she stressed that, “All staff are provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) including high-visibility jackets, wellington boots, gloves and wet weather clothing and supervisors have spare equipment in their vehicles. Workers who want to wear their own PPE are welcome to do so; however, we are required to check that it is up to an acceptable standard for their own protection.”

On Look North, Boston & Skegness MP Matt Warman commented, “It’s shocking and depressing that it’s still going on. This is an issue I have raised with the Home Secretary.” He also referred to the Government’s consultation on the future of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

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New farming app aims to put farm in your pocket

A new mobile phone app aims to put “Your farm in your pocket,” according to Fieldmargin co-founder Rob Carter.

The idea for the system grew out of frustration at the number of different sources of notes and data being used around the farm, from agronomists to tractor drivers and others. Some was electronic and some was on scraps of paper. The new system allows information to be recorded in real time and accessed across the farm.

“For example an agronomist can use their phone to record and locate a note while crop walking and you can go and see exactly what they are talking about,” comments Rob.

“We’ve been developing Fieldmargin since 2013. Although Fieldmargin the Crop Recorder is complete and several farms use it as their sole crop recording software we still think that we can make it better,” he adds. The company is now looking for growers and farmers to help test the new mobile platform and develop potential features. For more information visit www.fieldmargin.com.

Photo Credit: fieldmargin

The post New farming app aims to put farm in your pocket appeared first on Hort News on 24 November 2015.