Farmers in Wales have been taking to the streets in a series of protests against the sustainable farming scheme (SFS), which the Welsh government is proposing as a post-Brexit replacement to the EU’s common agricultural policy. They’ve blocked motorways with convoys of tractors and held large rallies in the capital, Cardiff, leaving behind thousands of empty wellington boots to … [Read more...] about Ignore farmers’ protests at your peril
farming
Bracken: a Highland wedge issue
Picture me this weekend, trudging along a Highland road in persistent rain, my not-very-showerproof jacket clinging soggily to my shirt. As I pass through a village, the water stops suddenly as if a tap has been turned off. The sun doesn’t exactly come out, but the soft air brightens and the earth starts to smell the way it does after rain. Birds sing and I drink in the scent … [Read more...] about Bracken: a Highland wedge issue
Scottish food, US-UK trade and GM
The first shadow boxing for the post-Brexit trade talks has begun.Wholly predictable hackles have been raised by the US Ambassador, Woody Johnson, who has accused UK farming of being a “museum of agriculture” which should embrace chlorine-washed chicken and the feeding of growth hormones to cattle.In his Daily Telegraph article, he argues that “it is time the myths … [Read more...] about Scottish food, US-UK trade and GM
Vertical farming: sustainable future made in Scotland?
In my job I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the challenges connected with how to build a sustainable future. Most of the time the solutions which many well-meaning people bring to my door just don’t add up or they are insufficiently ambitious. More often than not they create a new way of doing things which just moves the problem of a sustainable future elsewhere. They are not … [Read more...] about Vertical farming: sustainable future made in Scotland?