Farming continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations
The Health and Safety Executive have confirmed 27 people had died on farm during the last year. With an additional eight incidents in Northern Ireland, the total number of fatalities recorded for 2023 and 2024, so far, had been 35.
Farming and agriculture continues to have one of the most dangerous health and safety records in Britain.
The worrying statistics have coincided with the annual Farm Safety Week Initiative which focuses on safety and health issues that affect farmers.
Bird Flu concerns in the USA
There have been four human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, bird flu, in the US linked to an outbreak among dairy cows.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a dairy worker in the state of Colorado tested positive for the virus. Three other cases have been reported in the US since April, one in Texas and two in Michigan.
The European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assessed the risk of infection from highly pathogenic avian influenza in Europe to be "low for the general population and low-to-moderate for those with activities that expose them to infected animals or a contaminated environment". The ECDC said that the genotype of the virus detected in humans and cows in the US has not currently been detected in Europe.
Food inflation continues to fall in the UK
British food inflation leapt to a 45-year high of 19.2% in March 2023 on surging energy costs, labour shortages and disruption to Ukrainian exports.
The latest figures released show that the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 1.5% in the year to June 2024, down from 1.7% in the year to May.
Poor UK harvests of crops such as potatoes and onions due to widespread flooding earlier this year are not expected to have a significant impact on food inflation going forward.