Food and drink exports grow
Food and drinks exports have grown to their highest levels since 2019. Figures released by the Food and Drinks Federation for the first half of 2022 show that overall food and drinks exports rose 3.1% compared to 2019. Exports to the EU fell 5.1% while exports to non EU countries rose by 15.9%.
Lamb and mutton exports were up 29.6%, beef up by 19.1%, pork up by 13.1% and cheese up by 4.3%. The total value of exports during the first 6 months of 2022 totalled £11.4 billion. Total food and drinks imports also rose sharply during the period with a total of £18.2 billion, a 22.1% increase compared with 2019.
Freshways 50 ppl milk price Warning
In June milk processor Freshways announced they would pay their farmers 50 pence per litre for their milk from September. The processor has written to its farmer suppliers to say that they will receive 50 ppl for September and that they also intend to pay the same for October, however, if other processors do not follow suit then the price may be unsustainable.
Agricultural consultancy Kite in April warned that record farmgate prices would continue rising into the autumn and above the 50 ppl mark due to tight supplies of milk and rising input costs.
There has been an increase in retail prices with prices in July being nearly 30% higher than a year earlier.
EU Commission approves first 7 CAP plans
The first 7 EU member states have had their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans approved by the EU Commission. Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and Spain are the first countries to get approval for the plans which combine funding for income support, rural development and market measures.
Through these plans, countries have set out how they intend to meet the 9 EU-wide objectives due to start in 2023 using CAP instruments while responding to the specific needs of their farmers and rural communities.
The European Commission has said that it remains fully committed to a quick approval of the 21 remaining Plans, taking into account the quality and timeliness of reactions following the Commission's observations.
New Project to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance on Farms
12 Welsh farms have been recruited to show how using new techniques and technology as well as general good practice works to reduce the need to use antibiotics and improve productivity.
The farms are spread across Wales and include a mix of dairy, beef and sheep farms.
Arwain DGC is a project created to highlight the issue of antimicrobial resistance. The 12 ‘Proof of Concept’ farms aim to reduce antibiotic use through the project with open days being held to share the results with the wider industry.
Farmers protest in Prague
Farmers from the EU held a protest in the Czech Republic on the 15th September on the same day that a meeting of EU agricultural ministers was taking place in Prague.
Part of the Czech Strategic CAP plan is to redistribute a larger part of the subsidies to smaller family farms. Representatives of large farms have been protesting against the move and also plan the protest to draw attention to how the EU Green Deal’s environmental measures will lead to production cuts due to higher costs.