Thursday 22nd April marks Earth Day, a decades old global initiative to celebrate and protect our planet. Each year, the Earth Day movement sets a theme as a way to start conversations, inspire people and encourage positive changes for our planet. The chosen theme for this year is ‘Restore Our Earth’. We have been advocates…
Micro farms are popping up across the country at an unprecedented rate. Many are located in urban or suburban areas that lack open acreage but these farmers would argue that operating a profitable farm doesn’t necessarily require a huge amount of land. How Does It Work? Micro farms are typically under 5 acres in size…
Recent changes to permitted development rights (PDRs) mean that farmers will be allowed to increase the size of buildings on their land and convert more buildings to housing. PDRs allow particular building works and changes to be completed without the need to apply for full planning permission. Announced by Dominic Raab, Housing Minister, last month,…
A robot wolf designed to protect farms has proved hugely successful in Japan. So much so that it is going into mass production next month. The aptly named “Super Monster Wolf” was designed to keep wild boar away from chestnut and rice crops in Japan. The 65cm-long and 50cm-tall robotic wolf was deployed in trials…
According to research commissioned by fast-food giant McDonald’s, almost half of UK farmers are prioritising animal welfare over other investments. Retailers and consumers are increasingly demanding high-welfare food and becoming more interested about where their food comes from and the farming practices used to produce it. The survey, carried out by the National Farm Research…
Around 700,000 eggs containing an insecticide called fipronil made their way into the UK food chain. While these eggs were not sold directly to consumers, they were used to make things like sandwich fillers and salads. So, what is fipronil? You may be aware that fipronil is a toxic insecticide, often used by vets in…