News in brief

Landowners can once again apply to be part of a Countryside Stewardship scheme. The application window opened on 9 February for a number of options including Higher Tier, Mid Tier, Wildlife Offers and the new-look Woodland Creation and Maintenance grant.

Higher Tier applicants and those seeking New Capital Grants must submit their proposals to the RPA by 30 April, while Mid Tier and Wildlife Offers have until a deadline of 30 July. The woodland creation and woodland maintenance offers have been merged to form the Woodland Creation and Maintenance grant. 

Agreements are scheduled to be offered between September and December for most schemes, although many previous applicants are still waiting to hear whether they have been accepted. 

Bolstered by the UK’s newfound independence from EU regulations, the government launched a consultation on gene editing. Its use is tightly restricted under EU law, but the UK is now potentially free to explore the technology’s potential, with possibilities including developing crops that are more resistant to extreme weather and disease. Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Environment Secretary George Eustice said the technology speeds up the natural breeding process that farmers have been doing for centuries.

The consultation will run until 17 March. 

After a trade deal was agreed at the eleventh hour on Christmas Eve, there were hopes that 2021 would proceed smoothly in terms of UK-EU relations. Unfortunately customs red-tape led to reports of thousands of tonnes of meat being left to rot, delays, complicated paperwork and unforeseen costs leading to orders being cancelled. The seed potato industry was up in arms over the export ban on some 30,000 tonnes worth £13.5m too – at the time of writing, DEFRA is working to resolve the issue.

Despite EU red tape and Covid restrictions, farmers weren’t lucky enough to receive a reprieve from the usual challenges January presents, namely extreme weather conditions. High levels of rainfall and heavy snow created problems on land that was already highly saturated following higher than average levels of rainfall in December. The NFU launched a new report at the end of January calling for urgent action to bring the UK’s water infrastructure up to date in order for the industry to better cope with such intense weather events. 

The government announced that no new badger culling licenses will be issued after 2022. Instead the drive to eradicate bovine TB will shift its focus to limiting livestock movements and vaccination, with a vaccine expected by 2025.

A consultation on the contentious issue will also consider additional steps such as increasing the uptake of farm biosecurity measures and improving the testing of cattle. DEFRA said: “Bovine TB is a slow-moving and insidious disease that causes devastation for farmers. Our badger control policy has helped to turn the tide on this disease but no one wants to continue the cull of badgers for a moment longer than necessary.”

As this Rural View reaches you, farmers are set to vote on the future of the AHDB Horticulture levy. Ballots have been sent to vegetable growers ahead of a 10 February deadline with a simple decision to make - should the horticulture levy continue or be abandoned? Critics have said levy body is outdated but the AHDB points to vital research and development work which leads to progression and innovation in the sector.