Author Archive
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Livestock and poultry research grants awarded
A couple of new research projects have been awarded funding to tackle some of the world's most devastating livestock and poultry viruses. Two projects funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) aim to provide new solutions to combating foot-and-mouth disease and poultry viruses. Over £5.6 million has been allocated to transform the way foot-and-mouth disease will be controlled in the future and over £6.2 million to develop rapid responses to emerging poultry viruses The grants ...
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Unite calls for action over Agricultural Wages Board
Britain's biggest trade union is furious with the Government for trying to scrap the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) with just four weeks of consultation. According to Unite, without the AWB to negotiate pay and fair housing, agricultural wages will fall to the lowest legal wage possible, as bad employers see this as the opportunity to cut pay and raise housing costs. Unite is therefore calling on minister to extend the consultation on the future of the AWB ...
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Small business decision-makers gripped by fear
A fear of failure is hitting British entrepreneurs with 57% of senior decision makers in SMEs admitting that they’ve put off making important decisions during the last twelve months, in case they make the wrong call. New research from Barclays suggests that a tough economy is causing "business paralysis", with over half of those questioned stating that the economic environment has affected their approach to making decisions. However, it’s not just economic uncertainty fuelling the fear (58%), ...
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Small firms unaware of major changes to PAYE
A quarter of small firms are not aware that major changes on payroll reporting to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are coming into force in just six months time. According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) a snap poll of 1,700 small firms found that only 16% were fully aware of the "Real Time Information" (RTI) programme they will need to use from 2013, as Universal Credit goes live. Shockingly, a quarter of respondents had never ...
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Pilot badger culls postponed
Defra has agreed to postpone pilot badger culls in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire until Summer 2013. The move follows a request from the National Farmers Union following new survey results which revealed higher than expected badger numbers in the two areas. The criteria for the two pilots include the need to remove a minimum of 70% of the local badger population, as scientific evidence suggests this is the level required to reduce bovine TB. According to Environment ...
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SMEs still gloomy over economic recovery
The majority (60%) of Britain's small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are not confident that the economy will improve over the next year. According to the latest quarterly SME Risk Index from insurer, Zurich, anxiety at the current state of the economy is highest amongst SMEs in the construction industry (93%), closely followed by manufacturing businesses (88%) and retailers (85%). More than half of SMEs questioned feel that the current business environment is more risky than this time ...
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NFU launches “Flag It” labelling campaign
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has launched a "Flag It" campaign alongside new research indicating that 83% of Britons think the labelling of milk in cheese and butter should be clearer. The research also reveals that several retailers have been failing to adhere to the Defra code, by not properly labelling the origin of some cheese and dairy products that have been imported into the UK. The campaign will make use of pictures sent in by the ...
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Lemma Europe policyholders reassured by FSCS
UK customers of Lemma Europe Insurance Company, which has been declared in default, may receive assistance from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The FSCS says it is working closely with the firm's provisional liquidator in Gibraltar, Grant Thornton, to protect up to 7,000 UK policyholders who may be affected by the collapse. The insurer sold a variety of policies that could qualify for FSCS protection including: bloodstock; livestock; general public liability; UK employer's liability; general property; ...
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English farmland prices steady
The value of English farmland has held up remarkably well, despite one of the worst growing seasons in memory. According to Knight Frank's Farmland Index, the average value of farmland dropped by a little over 1% to £6,220/acre in the third quarter of 2012. Prices remain very close to their record highs and are expected to start rising again soon, driven by strong demand and an ongoing shortage of good land for sale. Where there is strong demand, English farmland ...
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Rural property values outperforming urban
Rural house prices have slightly outperformed those in urban areas since 2007, according to latest research from Halifax. In the past five years, the average price of a countryside home has fallen by 20% compared to 22% in urban areas. Over the past year, the value of the average country home has risen 2% compared with 1% for an urban dwelling, and at £201,191 the typical rural property is now worth 17% more than its urban equivalent ...
