This Week in Farming: TB vaccine, Chinese pickup and IHT
© Tim Scrivener Welcome back to another edition of This Week in Farming, your one-stop shop for the best Farmers Weekly content from the past seven days.
First, here are your markets (opens as PDF). Beef has edged up as Christmas buying seems to have begun in earnest, and the spread between feed and milling wheat has widened by £4/t.
Now, on with the show.
About the author
Inheritance tax latest
Plans are afoot for a renewed round of protests and campaigning after last week’s negative news on inheritance tax, with some organisers warning of a “winter of discontent”.
In my editorial this week, I lament farming minister Dame Angela Eagle’s intervention and console myself with a brief romp through history.
We also have another technical feature with advice on something a lot of families and businesses have been studying in light of this – lifetime gifting.
Farmers leading environmental delivery
We’ve a slew of content this week showing farmers leading the way when it comes to contributing to achieving positive outcomes for the environment, and making it work with food production.
Up first, a group of Cumbrian farmers have battled through red tape to finally get permission to dredge the river Winster.
Alongside protecting farmland from flooding, they have reintroduced grey partridge, built bird boxes with the Scouts and trialled an innovative type of buffer strip.
We also have a piece on growers working with the McVitie’s owner Pladis to grow grain while also earning £70-£80/ha on average for delivering actions linked to environmental improvements.
Finally, the Livestock team have an article on a slurry treatment that has been found to increase ammonia retention by 43%, lowering odour and emissions.
Poer to the people
Another week, another pickup manufacturer pitching their wares to the UK market and this time its the turn of Chinese firm GWM, which handed the machinery team the keys to the Poer300.
This is the brand’s second attempt at proffering such a vehicle on these shores after the cheap, and not so cheerful, Great Wall Steed (2012-16) failed to make its mark.
In other machinery news this week, the team have written up the latest moves in the dealer network, particularly those brought on by the Rea Valley Tractors fallout.
We have also produced the annual Ultimate Guide to buying a big square baler, a round baler, and for those lucky few in the market, a combine harvester.
Bovine TB vaccine update
Efforts to eradicate bovine TB took a major step forward this week as the Animal and Plant Health Agency announced the launch of Phase 3 field trials for a cattle vaccine and its companion skin test.
Backpage columnist Will Evans is one farmer among many who is currently battling the disease on his holding, making him busier and more stressed.
But this week, he has paid tribute to the indomitable strength of Mrs Evans – even if her bedside manner leaves something to be desired.
Who’s up and who’s down?
Feeling glum this week are the Howells family, after their farm near Port Talbot was left in an awful state after idiots staged an illegal rave on their land, damaging property and injuring livestock.
On the up this week are dairy exports, which climbed by almost 20% this year in value terms, hitting £1.46bn. Just a shame it hasn’t been enough to stop price drops of recent weeks.
Listen to the FW Podcast
Don’t forget to tune in to the Farmers Weekly Podcast, with Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom.
This week, the team discuss a brewing spat between Welsh dairy farmers and their milk buyer, a new partnership between industry and government in Scotland, and what urban youngsters know about farming (more than you think).
You’ll find it anywhere you listen to podcasts, or listen free on the FW website.