This Week In Farming: Beef scandal, brake safety and litter

Hello and welcome to another edition of This Week in Farming.

Here are the five biggest topics from the past seven days that you won’t want to have missed, and a reminder to keep a lookout for this week’s FW podcast.

Moodunnit?

If you’ve missed our exclusive story on a supermarket being investigated for labelling imported beef as British then you probably haven’t checked the news lately – it’s been everywhere (including The Sun, which used the above headline).

FW deputy editor Abi Kay broke the news alongside a bigger analysis piece on food safety in the decade since the horsemeat scandal broke.

In my editorial this week I reassert the case that market transparency in all sectors, and for farming’s inputs, is a public good that benefits farmers and consumers.

Farmers Weekly Question Time: Scotland edition

Farmers packed into SRUC’s Oatridge campus last week to hear a lively debate between union leaders, civil servants and food producers that tackled everything from the impact of Nicola Sturgeon’s departure to how to attract young people into agriculture.

Catch the highlights and listen to the whole event at your leisure on our special podcast.

Of course, there are plenty of similarities as well as differences between farmers on each side of the border. But did you know that there’s one lamb castration method only licensed for use in Scottish flocks?

Check out this latest in-depth analysis on the future of castration and tailing methods amid a drive to continue to improve sheep welfare standards.

Milling wheat thresholds

Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but 13% has long been the threshold above which a wheat milling premium is unlocked.

At present, that stands at £60/t over feed wheat, but it costs a lot to get there too – so could it ever get lower?

That’s the question expert freelance arable journalist Mike Abram sets out to answer in one of our Arable Insight articles this week. He also takes a close look at how well the latest information on the Sustainable Farming Incentive is working for English arable growers.

Wacky and wonderful

Some of your workshop inventions make perfect sense. Others have left machinery editor Oli Mark scratching his head in amazement.

Check out Rob Brice’s quirky digger Q-Fit adapter and jib and many more.

Might it also soon be time to start preparing kit for harvest? Here’s the latest information on how to make sure your trailer brakes are safe and fit for purpose.

Right to groan

Columnist Will Evans has been out with the drill this week, but unfortunately it wasn’t just a sprayed off cover crop he saw when he pulled into the field.

His fury at the deluge of litter around his field margins will strike a chord with many amid a resurgence of interest in the right to roam debate after Labour pledged to increase the public’s access to the countryside if the party wins the next election.

Also having her say in FW this week was Hannah Reddaway, who used International Women’s Day to encourage more women into the still male-dominated world of farming.

“If you are a woman, know that there is a place for you within farming, and the best way to support and encourage others is to get stuck in and be visible within the industry, to show other women (and men) what we are capable of.” Well said.

Listen to the FW Podcast

Don’t forget the latest edition of the Farmers Weekly podcast with Johann Tasker and Hugh Broom too, including another chance to win a few quid with our Commodity Cashback competition. 

Listen here or bring us with you in the cab by downloading it from your usual podcast platform.