farming

The Environment Agency is working to reduce pollution from agriculture across Wessex. It is working with more than 10 partners, including the National Farmer’s Union and the Country Land and Business Association, to reduce the impact of farms in the region upon rivers, lakes, ditches and groundwater. The group aims to avoid the negative side […]

New rules to tackle diffuse water pollution from agriculture in England have been announced. Defra expects the new legislation, which requires good farming practice, to come into effect on 2nd April 2018. The rules include conducting soil tests at least every five years, planning use of manures and fertilisers and assessing whether there is a […]

Severn Trent is reopening its environmental grants scheme for farmers. The move by the water company will give farm owners in the Midlands another opportunity to apply for funding to help them to protect local watercourses from pollution. The grant will provide money to help farmers make management and infrastructure improvements, reducing the risk of […]

A £40 million grant scheme has been launched to boost sustainability and productivity among UK farmers and food processors. Announced by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, the initiative aims to boost investment in innovative new technology and equipment such as robotics to help livestock, dairy, arable and horticultural farmers to reduce cost or improve product quality. […]

New funding of £1.7 million will allow groups of farmers and organisations to bid for cash to spend on large scale environmental projects in their area. The Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund aims to encourage landowners to co-operate with their neighbours and achieve environmental benefits they couldn’t reach on their own. Now in its third round, the […]

More than half of British farmers place little or no importance on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when making decisions. That’s according to new statistics released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which track a series of environmental indicators in the agriculture industry year-on-year. The information charts the industry’s progress towards its […]

The Greenhouse Gas Action Plan (GHGAP) for Agriculture has made progress but there is still more to do. That’s according to a new report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which oversees the industry-led scheme for reducing agricultural emissions in the UK. The department estimates it has achieved a reduction of one million tonnes […]

Scientists aim to reduce the 90 million tonnes of methane cows produce by burping and farting each year by developing a new type of grass. They say the “super grass” will be digested more efficiently by cattle so will produce less gas but more milk. The £1.6 million project, which is expected to be ready […]

Farmers can earn more money and be more productive by planting energy crops. An Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) study of three farms demonstrated that by planting crops for biofuel, profits can be increased whilst providing green fuels and without impacting food production. The farmers chose to grow energy crops to make better use of underused or poor quality […]

Denmark plans to give farmers grants to set aside their land so its soil holds more carbon dioxide. A pot of 165 million crowns or krone (£17m) is earmarked for the project in 2015, its government announced today, with a little more than half of this coming from Danish coffers and the rest from the […]