All from last 24 hours VARIETY SELECTIONGuide to which OSR varieties to drill in summer 2026A good selection of new and existing winter oilseed rape varieties is being matched by renewed enthusiasm for growing the crop, with better yields, reduced pest pressure and stronger prices… PIGS5 steps to achieve good pig farm biosecurityGiven the ever-present threat of notifiable disease African swine fever, Young National Pig Association members have made a range of pledges to help improve biosecurity on pig farms. Everyone has… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTTips on pre-mowing grazing paddocks with poor residualsPaddocks with poor residuals after the first two grazing rounds can be reset now by pre-mowing before the grass plant gets into its reproductive phase. Wet ground conditions, over allocation… NEWSWelsh farmer charged £20k for SSSI damageA farming company in west Wales has been charged nearly £20,000 after a court convicted it of harming a protected wildlife site by repeatedly violating environmental regulations over eight years.… MUCKSPREADERSBergmann offers new tyre option to minimise spreader widthWider row-crop tyres with a bigger rubber-to-soil contact patch have been squeezed on to Bergmann low-bed manure spreaders for growers and contractors who need a narrow overall width configuration. Alliance… OPINIONOpinion: Government consultations can be a smokescreenTaking part in government consultations is, I imagine, a bit like consulting your teenager on a reasonable bedtime. The teen thinks midnight is “fine”, but you have other ideas. So… DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICESGlobal demand for dairy set to grow as supplies slowAdvisers from across the European dairy sector forecast that global dairy demand will increase in the coming years. Speakers at the Dairy Industry Newsletter conference in London on 7 May… MARKETS AND TRENDSBritish Wool expect farmers to be paid £1/kg for 2026 clipAs shearing gets under way across the UK, wool prices are at the strongest they have been for some time with prices 70% higher than last year. British Wool has… CRIMETwo arrests after stolen tractor driven into houseA tractor stolen from a farm in Yarm, North Yorkshire, was allegedly driven into a house in Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday morning, prompting a major police investigation.… NEWSOrganic sector growth highlights policy divide across UKOrganic farmland in the UK reached its highest level in more than a decade in 2025, driven largely by a sharp rise in land conversion in Scotland, according to new… CRIMELincolnshire farmer jailed for stealing sheep from martsA Lincolnshire farmer has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after being convicted of stealing hundreds of sheep from livestock markets across England over a seven-year period. Peter Parker, 60, of… HEALTH AND SAFETYSix farm deaths in six weeks raise alarm over safetyFarm safety campaigners have renewed calls for greater awareness of workplace risks after two more fatal incidents involving agricultural workers were reported by the Health and Safety Executive. Jill Hewitt,… AIR AND WATERNI Water scheme rewards farmers who reduce water pollutionFarmers operating in the Seagahan catchment in County Armagh are being offered funding to help protect drinking water supplies, retain valuable soil and nutrients, and improve farm sustainability over the…
