This Week in Farming: Red Tractor latest, tackling TB and new Claydon

Welcome to another edition of This Week in Farming, your regular round-up of the biggest topics that Farmers Weekly has covered in the past seven days.

But first, I have a new favourite quote: some say it is the job of journalists to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”.

So, if you know of anyone who needs afflicting or comforting, then write to Andrew.meredith@markallengroup.com in haste.

Now, on with the show.

Red Tractor latest

Red Tractor’s business model is simple. The assurance body makes farmers pay to be certified and then gives all the benefit of that to the supermarkets, delighting retailers as it saves them paying for it themselves.

This week, we learned exactly what they’d mostly be taking out of farmers’ pockets if the Greener Farm Commitment was implemented: an additional £325,000 a year.

They’ve already spent £295,000 to develop it up to this point. Read deputy editor Abi Kay’s full story now and stay tuned for more updates after Christmas.

Sugar contract update

Here’s another row rumbling on: the negotiations between British Sugar, the only customer for sugar beet in the UK, and NFU Sugar, the official body representing growers of said crop.

They are now well past the deadline by which they were meant to reach agreement on the contract price for next year’s crop, due to be planted in the spring.

Now British Sugar has restarted attempts to sign up growers before agreement has been reached. The last time that happened, it provoked a blast of farmer fury.

Read the latest update here and stay tuned for more from both sides in the coming week.

Tackling TB

A cheering statistic: bovine TB is at a 15-year low in England. But thousands of new outbreaks are still occurring in high-risk areas. What more can be done?

That’s the question freelance livestock journalist Rhian Price delves into after attending the National TB conference last week.

Vaccination may not be a silver bullet, but it will be a very useful addition to the toolbox when it arrives. Here’s the latest on that, and what locally managed projects in England and Wales are also doing to help.

Claydon Evolution drill: The verdict

Contemplating a new drill for next season? If Claydon is part of your considerations, then the latest in our Driver’s View series should be a useful read.

Farmer and contractor Thomas Langley said he’d never pondered a buying decision as much as this one, eventually whittling it down to two strip-till options, the Claydon Evolution or a Mzuri.

Find out here why he chose the yellow machine and, as we look ahead to Lamma next month, why not reflect on the biggest kit launches of 2023, many of which will be making their UK debut at Birmingham’s NEC.

Who’s up and who’s down?

On the up this week is retailer Morrisons, which should earn plaudits for being the first major supermarket to add a “Buy British” button to its website so that shoppers can choose home-grown products more easily.

Well done to them, and well done to MP Luke Evans for spearheading this campaign.

Feeling down this week is Leicestershire farmer Keith Challen, who, like many growers, is feeling gloomy about how the farm is looking following the recent relentless rain.

All the best Keith, hope things look better soon.

Listen to the FW Podcast

Don’t forget the latest edition of the Farmers Weekly podcast with Johann Tasker and Hugh Broom in his penultimate episode.

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