- Korean firm wins MoD tankers deal
- Mother and daughter given Asbos
- 'Exceptionally' mild weather on way
- Teenager 'repeatedly raped by gang'
- Man quizzed over women's murders
- Cherie Blair makes phone hack claim
- Man accused of murdering vicar
- Peacocks saved, but 3,000 jobs go
- Sex attacker was under surveillance
- RBS set to unveil £400m bonus pot
- 'Anxious' teacher 'set self alight'
- 'Crush racism' in football: PM
- Protesters refused cathedral appeal
- Man accused of starting riots blaze
- PM urges 'thorough' fraud probe
- Fox urges Budget business tax cuts
- UK reporter dies in Syria onslaught
- Private firm to run police station
- Ex-bouncer guilty of Nikitta murder
- Third chance to get Olympic tickets
Sponsored by
Environment
Farmers on alert over livestock disease
Farmers are growing increasingly concerned by the spread of a damaging virus which has been identified in farm animals across the south of the country.
Farmers ‘to be given greater input into policy’
FARMERS are to be given vastly increased input into policy formation as part of a Government programme to cut red tape, with Ministers pledging to allow food producers to be “farmers, not form-fillers”.
Hooked on winning at the seaside
How to catch your fish and cook it. Competitor Stewart Calligan previews the annual European beach championship
‘Strike’ protest over sheep tagging system
TRADING Standards officers for at least two major livestock areas are refusing to help run the halfway-house system of computerised sheep movement recordings which Defra hoped to get off the ground while it tries to organise a national database for automatic tracking of all sheep individually.
Pollution from North America ‘destroying wheat’
MAN-MADE air pollution from North America causes Europe to lose 1.2 million tonnes of wheat a year, a new study has found.
Don’t miss energy bonanza from Britannia ruling waves say MPs
Britain could “rule the waves” with marine energy but the Government needs to be more supportive to prevent a golden opportunity “slipping through our fingers”, MPs say.
Sending out an SOS for more Yorkshire enterprise
A national conference will seek to inspire local people to breathe new life into their village communities. Chris Berry reports on what has been achieved so far.
Farm Of The Week: Trainer keeps producing the top dogs
PARKS Farm produces a few sheep and cattle and also, incidentally, a few racehorses. But most importantly, dogs.
Young farmers suffer as councils rake in millions
Council chiefs across the country have come under fire after it was revealed they have made hundreds of millions of pounds by selling off land traditionally reserved for new farmers.
1 commentCash plea to support animal welfare
GOVERNMENTS could and should spend some farm support money on subsidising better animal welfare, government advisers have said.
Give the young apprentices a hand
VOLUNTEERS are wanted to give work experience to youngsters in the hill farm apprentice scheme run by the Yorkshire Dales Farmer Network in association with Askham Bryan and Craven College.
The Blue Faced show winners
GIMMER hoggs from the Smearsett flock run by father and son David and Robin Booth, at Feizor, near Settle, were judged best entries in Skipton Mart’s annual show and sale of Blue Faced Leicester females – and sold for the best prices, at £800 each.
Fears for young as council farms are sold off
THEY were created in the aftermath of the Second World War to help produce more food, create more farmers and help stem the tide of people leaving the countryside for the towns and cities.
Observing meaning of billing and cooing
As Valentine’s Day approaches I have been thinking about whether animals experience the same emotions that we do. And, in particular, whether they feel love in the same way.
Flowers a cut above the rest
St Valentine’s Day next week offers the biggest one-day bonanza for those who would like you to say it with flowers. Last year the number purchased fell by nearly a third due to a general tightening of purse strings. Even so, 2.3 million bunches of flowers were sold and they remain the most popular gift for women.
East of country ‘more at risk’ in virus alert
CONCERNS are mounting about the latest animal disease threat to hit the UK after the first traces of Schmallenberg Virus were found in British cattle.
Wait goes on for Groceries Code supremo
Pressure is growing on the Government to bring forward a Bill to establish a Groceries Code Adjudicator to police Britain’s supermarket industry.
Farm Of The Week: Making hay whatever the weather
SMALL farms have to be more inventive than big ones and tenants have to think harder than landowners.
Time, please to rediscover valley’s rural pubs of yesteryear
Last orders have been called at a dozen pubs in the Washburn Valley over the years. Roger Ratcliffe previews a celebration of the hostelries heritage beginning next week.
Research reveals how midges spread disease
The flies responsible for the spread of a devastating animal disease outbreak which cost UK farmers millions of pounds were not blown into the country but actively transported the disease themselves, research has shown.
Why it’s time to turn down the volume on modern life and savour the silence
WE all know them – sounds we endure in our everyday lives that also have a certain quality which sets the nerve endings screaming. In my case that noise is the sound of the high-powered Dyson hand dryer commonly used in workplaces, bars and restaurants. All very hygienic, I’m sure, but the loud, insistent whooshing, which changes to an even more annoying noise when you put your hands into its mouth, is calculated to make my fillings rattle in their cavities.
Country Week: The Top Dogs of Yorkshire
Top prices for top dogs. We find out how Yorkshire’s leading sheepdog trainer stays at the top.Listen to informed debate, in our weekly programme for Yorkshire’s country communities.
1 commentPayments agency pledges efficiency reforms
Managers at the troubled Rural Payments Agency (RPA) have unveiled a five-year plan to bring to an end the years of inaccurate and late payments which have cost UK taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds in fines.
Land sales pick up as farmers look for growth
The amount of farmland being bought and sold rose sharply in parts of Yorkshire last year with more farmers looking to expand their own farms or buy up new land, research has shown.
Origin of a big green idea that’s a show stealer
Driffield Agricultural Society has a new chairman and a grand design on the stocks. But can they bring it off? Chris Berry reports.
A prickly task for everyone
The hedgehog, one of our most recognisable and welcome garden visitors, is in decline. Liam Creedon explains how to help.
Livestock cause most injuries
More than 65 per cent of on-farm injuries in Ireland are caused by livestock, because cattle are nowadays bred for returns and are unused to human handling.
Growers winning argument with Minister for peat’s sake
GROWERS are taking some comfort from signs that the inquiry into phasing out peat is hearing their arguments.
Fears grow over impact of livestock virus blowing into the UK
CONCERN is mounting about the latest threat to British livestock to blow in from the Continent, borne by midges.
1 comment
Rule book setback for Yorkshire candidate in the NFU elections
YORKSHIRE’S contender for the top table of the NFU, Paul Temple, has been handicapped by a new interpretation of the organisation’s rule book.
Rocket takes off among farmer’s happy chickens
Pilmoor was once a major railway junction where lines from Boroughbridge, Coxwold and Helmsley joined up with the East Coast Mainline.
A call to Arms makes the ideal end to an ideal walk
Perfect end to a favourite route. At the end of a walk Mark Reid drops into a classic Dales pub at Muker in Swaledale.
Tablecloths and budget prices help to pull in the crowds
Don’t ask the price – it’s 50p. Chris Berry continues our series on Yorkshire marts by visiting one which bucked the closure trend.
Farm Of The Week: Ice cream farm scooping the top awards
FOR the past few years, dairy farmers have had little to celebrate.
Green drive involving over 20,000 homes to boost jobs
A £10m investment to improve the energy efficiency of more than 20,000 homes in Leeds will create 200 jobs.
Ex-farming union president dies
FORMER NFU president Sir Richard Butler died at the weekend, at the age of 83.
Insurance fears over 200,000 homes in flood peril
Around 200,000 homes at risk from flooding could struggle to get insurance from next year, the industry has warned.
Organic farm creates a living landscape
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is striking out in a new direction to create a thriving habitat on a Pennine hill farm. Marie-Claire Kidd reports.
Shows on alert as new livestock virus found
SHOW organisers are holding their breath for developments in a national alert for a worrying new livestock disease which appears to have blown in from the Continent, carried by midges.
Warning of increase in the cost of grass seed
GRASS seed will cost more in 2012, says DLF Trifolium, the UK’s largest supplier.
CAP gets some unhappy birthday wishes
AMONG the 50th birthday messages for the Common Agriculture Policy were some hostile ones.
Euro bosses pledge after chaos over egg rules
EUROPEAN civil service bosses have been shaken by the bad result of their attempt to impose better conditions for laying hens and have declared their intention to do better in future – starting with the ban on keeping breeding sows in isolation, which is due to come into force next year.
Holmfirth and the Tesco effect
Shopkeepers in Holmfirth have made their feelings plain about the arrival of Tesco. Chris Berry sounds out opinion in local farm shops.
Farm industry optimism as incomes are on the rise
GOVERNMENT figures confirming a strong year for the farming industry were welcomed by the NFU this week.
Plotting bird paths and easing personal heartache
Volunteers are giving up their time to help reveak the reasons for the decline of bird populations. Lucy Oates reports.
Shooting on a friendly scale
Game shooting might seem the preserve of the wealthy, but it doesn’t have to be that way, says Mark Holdstock.
4 comments
Time team of Yearsley Moor are digging up its secrets
Amateur archaeologists are digging through centuries of history on a wooded ridge overlooking Ampleforth in North Yorkshire. Roger Ratcliffe joined them.
Farm Of The Week: Potatoes still prove to be a hot topic
POTATOES are still big business and not easily replaced by imports. Until somebody gets instant mash right, it still costs quite a lot to move enough potatoes to feed the British and local supply is becoming more important, not less.
- Exclusive: Grayson takes lower deal from Leeds to make quick return with Huddersfield - Have your say
- Toddler ‘killed by poison used for his mum’s cannabis’
- Video: Scargill wins £13,000 damages after NUM ‘tried to disown him’
- Boy of 7 accused of racism for asking classmate why he is brown
- Court told welfare fears for pupils led to sacking
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Thursday 23 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: West
