Latest news with #NFU
Telegraph
20 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘Big four' supermarkets accused of failing to back British farmers
Supermarkets have been accused of failing to back British farmers after trade deals triggered a surge in imports of meat from Australia and New Zealand. Livestock farmers said the 'big four' retailers are putting them at a disadvantage by selling imported beef and lamb alongside British produce at a time when the domestic agriculture industry is struggling. David Barton, a Cotswolds-based beef farmer and chairman of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) livestock board, said: 'It is disappointing, because what we're looking for as an industry is to grow production. We need confidence, and when supermarkets start messing around like this, it really doesn't fill us with confidence.' Most of the major supermarkets have made commitments to selling British beef and supporting domestic farmers. However, customers and farmers alike have noticed that meat from much further afield has begun appearing more frequently on shelves. Examples include a New Zealand-sourced Wagyu burger in Sainsbury's, Australian and New Zealand beef products in Morrisons, and a Uruguayan steak sold in Asda. After spotting a steak listing its sourcing as 'Australian or British', the Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron posted on X: 'This is appalling from Morrisons. They seek kudos for their UK sourcing but then sneakily do this, undermining British farmers and undermining their own integrity and brand.' Tesco also sells 300g lamb leg steaks that are 'produced in the UK or New Zealand'. A person familiar with the situation said the supermarket had not changed its sourcing policy. The outcry comes in the wake of British trade deals signed with Australia and New Zealand after Brexit, which have led to a surge in imports of meat from the two countries. Imports of fresh, chilled and frozen beef from Australia and New Zealand soared in 2024 after the trade deals came into effect. Meanwhile, imports of lamb from the two countries – which already supplied a significant proportion of the UK market – rose by 87pc and 26pc, respectively, last year. Neil Shand, the chief executive of the National Beef Association (NBA), said: 'We are not self sufficient on beef, so we have to accept imported beef into the UK every year to a degree. And as our self sufficiency drops and our food security weakens, we're having to accept more. 'What I don't like is when retailers put it on a shelf at a far reduced price from ours. If you price something at a cheaper price, you'll drive growth in that area, and it will have an even deeper impact on British production.' Supermarkets are currently embroiled in a price war as they battle to defend their market share at a time when living costs are putting pressure on consumers. British farmers are grappling with a cattle shortage that has pushed the price of beef to record highs this year. Sarah Godwin, a dairy and egg farmer, said: 'Partly cost has led supermarkets to look in other directions, but I think they were always being encouraged to do so now with these trade deals.' Mr Barton said: 'If we don't give the UK producer the confidence to continue to produce and produce more, the situation just gets worse and worse. To have a secure supply chain, it's better to start at home and make sure you look after that.' Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: 'Given the pressure on British farmers at the moment, retailers are paying more for their produce. 'However, retailers are also facing additional costs and are working incredibly hard to limit price increases for consumers where many are struggling to afford the essentials.' Jake Pickering, of Waitrose, said it was 'sad to see other supermarkets shift away from home grown beef' and that it had 'no intention of following suit'. Discount retailer Lidl reaffirmed a commitment to British beef this week, saying it would not import or switch sourcing to any suppliers outside of the country. An Asda spokesman said: 'We always look to offer customers a wide choice of products to suit all budgets. These steaks were provided by a branded partner and were available in our stores for a limited time only. All of Asda's own brand fresh beef continues to be sourced from farms in the UK and Republic of Ireland.' A Morrisons spokesman said: 'Morrisons remains 100pc British on all our meat counters. In our aisles - alongside our New Zealand lamb - we are introducing trials of some imported meat from trusted suppliers to help us offer outstanding value through the seasons and through any supply fluctuations.' A Sainsbury's spokesman said: 'We offer two summer premium Wagyu products from New Zealand, which make up just 0.1pc of our total beef range. 'We have an unwavering, long-term commitment to British farming and this has zero impact on our approach or existing partnerships. The country of origin is also clearly labelled to ensure our customers can make informed choices when they shop with us.' While imports from Australia and New Zealand have risen, most supermarkets have ruled out allowing American beef to be sold in Britain amid concerns over standards, despite Sir Keir Starmer agreeing a trade deal with the US earlier this year.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Beaver activists claim they are 'doing God's work'
Under cover of darkness, a nocturnal creature emerges from a crate and takes its first tentative steps into a new life in the wild."It is just essentially God's work. We're undoing the damage of hundreds of years ago and bringing back these extraordinary animals," claimed Ben, who spoke to the BBC on the condition of is part of an underground network where members risk arrest, jail and hefty fines by carrying out covert and unlicensed releases of is an offence to release beavers into the wild without a licence and a spokesperson for the National Farmers Union (NFU) said it was "irresponsible" and "really worrying". There is now a legal route in the UK for the species to be reintroduced. Despite this and the risks of acting without licences, activists whose names have been changed were unrepentant and said they were taking action themselves because the legal option was "too bureaucratic"."It feels like they're back in their proper place," Ben the nocturnal creatures at the heart of their cause, the group he belongs to operates under the cover of said secrecy was key in everything from where other parts of the network got the animals - "we really don't need to know" - to the clandestine releases."You don't want to be caught with a box of beavers in the boot so you have to be quite quick," Ben said."You open the door, do it and drive away. They are instantly much happier in the water." However, the NFU said concerns over unlicensed releases included flooding, tree-gnawing and damage to land and countryside advisor Poppy Sherborne said illegal releases were "irresponsible"."They are really worrying because there has been no process put in place to check that release should be happening," she said. "There's no support for farmers who could be impacted by that release if it's not happened in the right way."She said the "rigorous" legal process should be challenged over his actions, Ben said: "I'm unfamiliar with species of animals or species of wildlife, plants or animal that would be badly affected by the presence of beavers... they can reduce risk of flooding, mitigate the damage that a drought can bring. They can help to clean up water."What's not to like about this?" Det Insp Mark Harrison, of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which supports wildlife crime enforcement across the UK, said he loved nature and visiting rewilding locations but "it has to be done properly".He said although there had been prosecutions for illegal species release in England, none had applied to beavers."The reason for that is because we've got no evidence," he said, describing the covert nature of releases and the fact beavers could be on site for long periods before they were spotted."You commit an offence so there could be consequences for you but you've also got to think about the impact on the animal so there could be welfare issues," he said."You could be reintroducing other diseases and parasites."Marie, who is also part of the network, said being part of beaver releases was "one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed".Asked about the difficulties beavers could cause for farmers and landowners, she added: "I can understand why it is scary to some people... but there are so many ways that you can maintain control. "If the landowner wants to protect particular trees, you can make sure that beavers don't fell an individual tree."You can control the water level even and I think beavers can actually bring benefits to farmland too." Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain 400 years ago for their meat, furry water-resistant pelts and a substance they secrete called castoreum - used in food, medicine and a long time, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 regulated the release of "non-native" species, including allowed for licensed releases of beavers - imported from countries including Germany and Norway - into enclosures, of which there are 52 in England, according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).But in 2013, video evidence emerged of a wild beaver with young on the River Otter, near Ottery St Mary, public pressure, the population became central to the River Otter Beaver Trial, which resulted in the 15 families being given licensed descendants are among upwards of 600 beavers currently roaming free in England, according to Natural England; the majority through unlicensed releases or Beaver Trust's figure is higher; its "educated estimate" is that there are 1,000 wild beavers in England, mostly in the South West, with a total of 3,500 in England, Wales and Scotland. In 2022, Eurasian beavers were recognised as a protected species in England, making it illegal to capture, kill, injure or disturb February 2025, a licensing scheme overseen by Natural England was introduced - without which it is still illegal to introduce or move beavers. Natural England is now considering about 50 expressions of will have to demonstrate clear benefits and where risks can be "avoided, mitigated or managed". Cornwall Wildlife Trust applied to release beavers on a site near Helman Tor as part of a planned £800,000 10-year project. During the two-year preparation of its application, a pair turned up at the site in what the trust believes was an unlicensed release."We have seen this site be absolutely transformed," beaver officer Lauren Jasper said."They've created a couple of dams. In doing so, this is holding back water and it's slowing the flow and it's created this amazing wetland area that's now brimming with wildlife."The trust said its project work would include providing advice on learning to co-exist with the species again and added it did not support unlicensed release. Other rewilding efforts - both legal and illegal - causing debate include sea eagles, lynx, wolves, elk, and even some species of butterfly, while sightings of wild boar on Dartmoor sparked farmer and conservationist Derek Gow said he believed they had been released by illegal rewilders. "I wouldn't imagine very many people are involved in doing this but the effect they've had, especially when it comes to beavers, has been profound," he Gow, who is working to rewild 150 acres of his own land near Launceston, said he had also legally reintroduced species including beavers, dormice, 25,000 water voles and glow-worms. He said biodiversity in England was at "rock bottom" and the licensing system was fraught with "complex and medieval rules" and an obligation to "pay for the next 10 years"."What they are trying to do is shut the stable door long after the horse, the horse's grandmother and the horses' relatives have crossed the mountain range to emerge free on the other side," he said unlicensed releases could "reduce the likelihood of success of beaver reintroductions".It said detailed and comprehensive licensing applications were important to "achieve a measured pace of reintroduction and prioritise areas where beavers can thrive without causing significant conflicts with people, agriculture and infrastructure". But rewilder Ben, who said the licensing process was a step in the right direction, said he thought there "may well be a requirement" to continue releasing the anmals illegally. "We are in a national emergency of climate and biodiversity loss," he said, adding rewilding beavers was being treated as "yet another bureaucratic exercise"."It's not good enough for beavers, and it's not good enough for the people of this country," he Insp Harrison said "coexistence" was needed and a lot of wildlife crime issues were "because we don't know how to live with these animals anymore". He said: "It brings about a lot of conflict and usually it's human-human conflict because of an animal."
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Britain's biggest bioethanol producer could close after UK-US trade deal
Britian's biggest bioethanol producer could cease manufacturing in less than three months as more than a billion tonnes of cheap US imports are set to flood the market. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's recently agreed trade deal with the US opens the door to tariff-free imports of 1.4billion litres of ethanol from across the pond. It has sparked fears domestic suppliers will be unable to compete, and British wheat farmers will be left without a vital source of demand. Biofuels manufacturer Ensus warned earlier this week it faces imminent closure as a result of the deal. And industry giant Associated British Foods told investors on Thursday it will cease all manufacturing by 13 September at its Vivergo plant in Hull if the Government does not find a solution urgently. Bioethanol is a form of renewable energy produced from agricultural feedstocks. It is primarily used as a fuel blend in petrol in the UK. The domestic industry can buy up to two million tonnes of wheat each year, according to the National Farmers Union, or around 8 per cent of the total harvest. The NFU recently warned the loss of this market 'would deliver a huge blow to our members… due to the impact on the wheat price in the event that UK farmers are forced to once again look to export markets'. 'It is also important to note that other industries and sectors such as the NHS also rely on the carbon dioxide produced in ethanol production,' it added. Associated British Foods, which also owns Primark, had previously warned the UK's treatment of overseas imports is hurting the 'commercial viability' of Vivergo. Vivergo, the UK's biggest bioethanol supplier, employs more than 160 skilled workers. The Ensus plant near Redcar, North Yorkshire employs around 100. ABF said on Thursday 'the situation has been made significantly worse by' the UK-US trade deal, and the Government has so far failed to deliver a solution that would enable Vivergo to 'operate on a profitable and sustainable basis'. It added: 'Recognising the strategic importance of a domestic ethanol supply, the Government has now committed to formal negotiations to reach a sustainable solution. 'Given the outcome of the negotiations is uncertain, Vivergo is simultaneously beginning consultation with employees to effect an orderly wind-down, with wheat purchases having ceased from 11 June.' ABF wants the Government to provide both 'short-term funding' of Vivergo's losses and a longer-term solution, without which it intends to close the business. Ensus UK chairman Grant Pearson said earlier this week: 'We are at the 11th hour and the Government urgently needs to find a solution to a crisis of its own making. 'We need a solution which will not only save these skilled jobs on Teesside, but also prevent a catastrophic knock on effect in other vital sectors of the economy. 'The closure of Ensus - a profitable, growth generating business - would be a disaster for the UK's ability to develop a green industrial base as we are part of the solution to decarbonising the UK's chemical industry and producing important products for the future such as sustainable aviation fuel.'
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Heatwave latest hit to farmers struggling with increasingly extreme weather
The heatwave is piling more pressure on farmers who were already struggling to produce food in the face of the very dry conditions. Much of the country is sweltering in a heatwave, with temperatures set to climb above 30C in many places over the weekend and an 'amber' heat-health alert issued warning of 'significant' impacts for health services. For farmers, the heatwave threatens to worsen the outlook for food production already struggling off the back of a record-hot and the driest spring in decades that has left north west England and Yorkshire in drought and other regions in prolonged dry conditions. The hot, dry spring came after a record wet spell which left many farmers struggling to sow crops last autumn, and led to warnings earlier this month of potentially the worst harvest on record for major arable crops if conditions did not improve. Farmers say the heatwave, following the dry spring, is putting 'real pressure' on farms across the country, and warn it will affect not just this year's harvest, but food availability into next year. They are warning of the need for investment in more resilient water supplies to help them cope with the more unpredictable extremes that climate change is bringing. National Farmers' Union (NFU) vice-president Rachel Hallos said: 'As the Met Office forecasts a heatwave this weekend, it's yet another reminder of the increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather our farmers and growers are facing. 'After warnings of thunderstorms at the start of the month, this switch to hot, dry weather reinforces just how urgently we need long-term planning and investment in water resilience. 'Drought puts immense pressure on crops, livestock and grass growth and threatens the availability of homegrown fruit and veg. 'Investing in water infrastructure – from on-farm rainwater harvesting to more flexible abstraction rules – will help farmers manage these extremes, grow more fresh produce here in the UK and reduce reliance on imports from other water scarce countries.' Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), who farms in Cambridgeshire, said: 'The ongoing heatwave, following an already dry spring, is putting real pressure on farms across the country. 'Crops are struggling, harvests are coming earlier and lighter, and many farmers are seeing yields fall without any meaningful uplift in prices to offset the loss. 'What's worrying is that this doesn't just hit the current harvest – it will affect food availability into next year too.' He warned most farms do not have infrastructure to store water, and without rainfall they do not have reserves to draw on, and he called for long-term support for water storage and better planning across river catchments. He also said nature-friendly farming plays a 'vital role' in building resilience to weather extremes. 'Practices like improving soil health, using cover crops, and integrating habitats into fields are helping farmers stay productive while cutting back on inputs. 'More support would help farms go further – it's practical, makes business sense, and helps protect the land they rely on,' he said. Earlier this week, the Environment Agency warned England faces 'huge' water shortages of billions of litres a day by the middle of the century to provide for public water supplies as well as for areas such as food and energy production, without action to cut leaks, curb use and build new infrastructure.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Heatwave latest hit to farmers struggling with increasingly extreme weather
The heatwave is piling more pressure on farmers who were already struggling to produce food in the face of the very dry conditions. Much of the country is sweltering in a heatwave, with temperatures set to climb above 30C in many places over the weekend and an 'amber' heat-health alert issued warning of 'significant' impacts for health services. For farmers, the heatwave threatens to worsen the outlook for food production already struggling off the back of a record-hot and the driest spring in decades that has left north west England and Yorkshire in drought and other regions in prolonged dry conditions. The hot, dry spring came after a record wet spell which left many farmers struggling to sow crops last autumn, and led to warnings earlier this month of potentially the worst harvest on record for major arable crops if conditions did not improve. Farmers say the heatwave, following the dry spring, is putting 'real pressure' on farms across the country, and warn it will affect not just this year's harvest, but food availability into next year. They are warning of the need for investment in more resilient water supplies to help them cope with the more unpredictable extremes that climate change is bringing. National Farmers' Union (NFU) vice-president Rachel Hallos said: 'As the Met Office forecasts a heatwave this weekend, it's yet another reminder of the increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather our farmers and growers are facing. 'After warnings of thunderstorms at the start of the month, this switch to hot, dry weather reinforces just how urgently we need long-term planning and investment in water resilience. 'Drought puts immense pressure on crops, livestock and grass growth and threatens the availability of homegrown fruit and veg. 'Investing in water infrastructure – from on-farm rainwater harvesting to more flexible abstraction rules – will help farmers manage these extremes, grow more fresh produce here in the UK and reduce reliance on imports from other water scarce countries.' Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), who farms in Cambridgeshire, said: 'The ongoing heatwave, following an already dry spring, is putting real pressure on farms across the country. 'Crops are struggling, harvests are coming earlier and lighter, and many farmers are seeing yields fall without any meaningful uplift in prices to offset the loss. 'What's worrying is that this doesn't just hit the current harvest – it will affect food availability into next year too.' He warned most farms do not have infrastructure to store water, and without rainfall they do not have reserves to draw on, and he called for long-term support for water storage and better planning across river catchments. He also said nature-friendly farming plays a 'vital role' in building resilience to weather extremes. 'Practices like improving soil health, using cover crops, and integrating habitats into fields are helping farmers stay productive while cutting back on inputs. 'More support would help farms go further – it's practical, makes business sense, and helps protect the land they rely on,' he said. Earlier this week, the Environment Agency warned England faces 'huge' water shortages of billions of litres a day by the middle of the century to provide for public water supplies as well as for areas such as food and energy production, without action to cut leaks, curb use and build new infrastructure.
