Latest farming opinions OPINIONOpinion: Big, integrated beef units have a role in the UKWe’re roughly a year on from record-high beef prices in the UK, but has anything really changed? The fat price has softened marginally, and stores are still hellishly expensive. Meanwhile,… OPINIONOpinion: Lab-grown meat may provide opportunities for farmersCultivated meat – sometimes called lab-grown or cultured meat – is moving from research into reality. It involves taking a small sample of animal cells, feeding them with a nutrient-rich… OPINIONOpinion: Trump's war has huge implications for nitrogen usageI think we can agree that the golf club owner’s recent foray into Middle Eastern politics is stuck forlornly in the rough. The man is so unpredictable that it would… OPINIONEditor's View: Time for the arable sector to sound the alarmAs I have written in this column before, farming is in many ways remarkably good at not changing too quickly despite the pressures that often weigh on it. This is… OPINIONOpinion: I might as well throw the farm calculator in the binHow are you feeling about Tony being forced to give up his Angus suckler herd on The Archers? They aren’t profitable so Helen wants them gone. Tony is miserable about… OPINIONOpinion: Food security should be more than just a soundbiteFood security is national security. How many times have we heard that phrase bandied about over the past few months. Have any politicians actually done anything other than repeat the… OPINIONEditor's View: No need for UK farmers to lead fuel protestsI’m sure the outbreak of significant fuel protests in Ireland has prompted many people to ask if – and when – tractor-led direct action should be taking place on this… OPINIONOpinion: Big ag uses its power to exploit farmersMost of us are familiar with Del Boy’s “no money back, no guarantee” mantra, but don’t you feel like that’s where we’re at? The march of capitalism in farming over… OPINIONOpinion: Free farrowing pigs can be best commercial optionThere is a lot of talk in the industry about “flexible farrowing” – systems that allow temporary confinement of pregnant and birthing sows – with those in favour seeing it… OPINIONOpinion: All my organic preconceptions have been overturnedIt’s been four years since I first inflicted my opinions on the august readership of Farmers Weekly. Until now, I have resisted the urge to bang on about organic farming… OPINIONEditor's View: Up horn, down corn likely outcome in EU dealWe may be less than two months from the government’s most consequential bundle of decisions relating to agriculture for this parliament. The way Westminster’s negotiations with the EU pan out… OPINIONOpinion: Was stepping off insurance treadmill right for Bella?It has been nearly a decade since we had the grim job of calling the vet and asking him to put down an old dog. And bearing in mind that… OPINIONOpinion: Green Party will try to end farming as we know itThe exercise may not have had quite the effect my junior school teacher intended – on me at least. A general election was in the offing and she decided a… OPINIONOpinion: New planning powers may solve farming's ammonia problemAmmonia is a significant source of air pollution in the UK and can have an impact on protected sites. With agriculture representing 87% of total emissions, it is understandable that… OPINIONEditor's View: Maddening Trump tips UK farmers into the redIsn’t it maddening that US decisions that have been taken in the Oval Office, and those that are yet to be taken, will dictate whether a slice of UK farmers… OPINIONOpinion: Lack of opportunity for young farmers blights ScotlandLand and Freedom was the battle cry of the early 1900’s Mexican revolutionary Emilliano Zapata. Still a symbol for Mexico’s farmers today, his words also ring true for UK farming,… OPINIONOpinion: Biostimulants held back by inadequate regulationFor UK wheat producers, weather variability has overtaken traditional agronomy challenges as the biggest threat to crop performance, ahead of disease or weed control. On top of weather challenges, the… OPINIONOpinion: Mental health issues need empathy not appeasementThe second you say “mental health” in farming, some people switch off. They don’t do it because they don’t care. Often it’s the opposite. They care too much, don’t know… OPINIONEditor's View: Too much of our food is still in wrong placeWe are not angry enough about the amount of food that is wasted between field and fork. That was my overriding emotion after leaving a briefing this week put on… More articles
