This Week in Farming: Farm safety, weed wars and IHT latest

Welcome back to another edition of This Week in Farming, your regular round-up of the best Farmers Weekly content from the past seven days.

First, here are the markets (opens as PDF) – and the new-season fat lamb market is well and truly into its seasonal slump, with prices falling some 40p/kg on the week.

And one more reminder that we’ve added arable input prices to our market data roster.

Now, on with the show.

IHT update

It’s been another week of farmers posing uncomfortable inheritance tax (IHT) questions to environment secretary Steve Reed and him answering in a less-than-satisfactory manner.

Meanwhile, fresh IHT warnings continue to emerge about the investment-stifling impact the proposed changes will have on the wider economy, with family businesses of all types affected due to the limits imposed on business property relief.

Opposition MPs lined up in a Westminster Hall debate to once again condemn the government’s tax decision, but Treasury minister James Murray – the architect of the reforms – was once again on hand to bat away their concerns.

Meanwhile, we bring you the latest advice on how to plan for the changes, with experts warning farmers with off-farm assets to think particularly carefully as they won’t fall into the scope of the remaining reliefs.

Disease threat

In other sober news, a fresh analysis from the National Audit Office of the nation’s preparedness for a major disease animal outbreak – or the lack of it – made for sobering reading this week.

Endemic diseases, such as bovine TB, and outbreaks of avian flu and bluetongue disease have sapped the ability of Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Authority to prepare for a serious disease outbreak, such as foot-and-mouth.

In my editorial this week, I penned the speech I wish Steve Reed would give on this topic – to come clean about what works and what doesn’t and make the fight against disease outbreaks one of his top priorities.

The news came as farmers in Wales waited to hear if they will be joining the English bluetongue zone – with major disruption to this autumn’s breeding sales likely if not.

Safety first

We all pay lip service to farm safety, but the statistics on farm deaths and injuries tell a story of the sector not living up to its ambitions, with one farmer killed at work every fortnight on average in the UK.

That’s why Farmers Weekly has this week launched Farm Safety Stars, a campaign to empower children who live on farms and in the rural community to become farm safety ambassadors.

There’ll be a fun new worksheet (opens as PDF) for little farmers to fill out every week for the next few months.

This is a partnership with the Irish farm safety charity AgriKids, and news reporter Albie Matthews spoke with founder Alma Jordan to find out more about why she got involved in farm safety campaigning.

Weed control

Many arable farmers will remember our story from earlier in the year about the emergence of glyphosate-resistant Italian ryegrass in the UK.

Deputy arable editor Emma Gillbard returns to the topic this week with an in-depth look at how to avoid encouraging resistance on your land.

We’ve also published a separate article on the latest advice for tackling brome, and as ever our Crop Watch agronomists have the latest regional advice on keeping crops healthy.

Who’s up and who’s down?

Drivers hoping that the new hybrid Hilux would serve up deep cuts to their fuel bill will be left disappointed by this test of the latest Toyota flatbed, with reviewer James Andrew finding the modifications marginal at best.

Feeling more cheerful this week will be a good number of dairy farmers, as the latest end-of-month milk price updates reveal the market is holding firm despite higher-than-average outputs.

Listen to the podcast

Don’t forget to tune in to the Farmers Weekly podcast, with Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. 

You’ll find it anywhere you listen to podcasts, or free to listen to on the FW website.