Forestry Commission trade unions pledge to fight job cuts “tooth and nail”
Trade unions representing Forestry Commission employees in England have pledged to fight job cuts of 29 percent of the workforce – over 300 jobs – in England’s forests. The unions have pledged to fight “tooth and nail” against the cuts, which are being announced today (Thursday, 3 February) in a series of staff briefings for […]
Williams calls for increased checks for endangered species imports
Roger Williams, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, used todays Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Oral Question Session to urge the Department to increase controls and checks on the import of live animals and endangered species. Roger Williams said: It is important that there are sufficient staff, Customs Officers and sniffer dogs at the UKs air […]
Fear Supermarket price war will harm farmers
East of England accountancy firm Moore Thompson has expressed fears that a new round of cost-cutting by supermarkets could lead to a further squeeze on margins for the nations farmers. Last month saw a mixed bag of results for the nations retailers as the governments austerity programme and severe winter weather took its toll. However, […]
Farmers urged to act now
Farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) across the South West are being urged to act now to ensure that they have sufficient slurry storage to comply with the NVZ regulations which will be enforced from 1 January 2012. Livestock farmers within a NVZ will be required to have five months storage and pigs require six […]
FSA plans could close majority of Welsh abottoirs, says FUW
The majority of small and medium-sized slaughterhouses in Wales could close if their operators are forced to pay for bureaucratic and costly meat hygiene inspections, the Farmers’ Union of Wales fears. The union has consulted its 12 county branches on the Food Standards Agencys (FSA) move towards the full cost recovery of meat hygiene controls […]
NFU disbelief at Unites outrageous agriculture wage claim
The NFU has expressed its disbelief after the union Unite submitted a pay claim to Defra calling for a substantial counter-inflationary pay rise and a public holiday to commemorate Workers Memorial Day Unite has said it will present more detailed information behind the claim in May and the negotiations will be held in June. The […]
Government must intervene if FSA pursues industry for inspection charges
The NFU has completed its formal response to the Food Standard Agencys consultation on full cost recovery for official controls in meat plants which could see the lion share of 32 million in costs being shouldered by livestock farmers. Reiterating its complete opposition to the FSA proposals, the NFU has said a full review of […]
British people should decide on GM crops
During a debate in the European Parliaments Agriculture Committee on a directive on the cultivation of GM crops in EU member states (1.2.11), UKIP MEP, Stuart Agnew has intervened to demand that the British people be given the right to decide whether GM crops can be grown in the UK. Mr Agnew said: It is […]
Innovative Assurance Approaches for the Fresh Produce Industry
NSF-CMi explains how the complex demands of managing compliance and quality assurance throughout international supply chains can be mastered through expert information systems into a business improvement process. At Fruit Logistica 2011 NSF-CMi will be showcasing the latest developments in its market-leading assurance system, Intelligent Assurance. This new concept takes assurance into the post-certification era […]
