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The uplift in cattle prices of recent weeks slowed in week ended 11th May read more

With more new season lambs entering the market, the dynamics of the trade have started to change read more

Provisional data for April milk deliveries of approximately 1,111m litres are 93m litres (7.7%) down on the previous year read more

In April, the DAPP averaged 160.9p/kg, almost 4p up on the month. At the same time, the average retail price came down by a small amount read more

The GB weekly average price fell by £7.68/t to £295.35/t and the free-buy average fell by £22.02/t to £368.39/t. read more

The first USDA estimates for world production in 2013-14 forecast record maize and wheat production, citing larger planted areas and a rebound in yields from the US (maize) and the Former Soviet Union (wheat) read more

The USDA has released its first soyabean supply and demand estimates for the new season read more

UK malting barley export prices are at €245/t FOB (spring, South Coast) w/e 11th April. read more

The latest National Statistics produced by Defra on the activity of UK hatcheries and poultry slaughterhouses. read more

USDA’s latest quarterly stocks report, released on 28th September, estimated US maize stocks (at 1st September) at 25.1m t, down 12% on the same point in 2011 and the lowest since 2004. read more

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PAPERS

Figures obtained by the Yorkshire Post show the Environment Agency has spent a total of £30.4m since 2005 on outside experts and officials, drawing criticism from some of the region’s farmers who claim consultants are being hired to express views which could just as easily be gleaned from the local farming communities who have operated in the area for decades. This view was echoed by Thirsk and Malton Tory MP Anne McIntosh, who said greater control over maintaining flood defences should be handed to Yorkshire farmers and landowners who operate in the area. Ms McIntosh, chair of the influential Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee, said budget cuts meant agency officials would have to do more with less and that slashing consultancy fees would have to form a part of this. The news comes as the Environment Agency prepares to slash more than £100m from its spending on new flood defence projects and amid increasing complaints that day-to-day maintenance operations on watercourses and flood systems are falling behind. Martin Voase, a farmer based near Beverley, in East Yorkshire, saw much of his farm swamped under water during the floods of 2007. He said: "We are aware of a lot of technical issues along the River Hull and wonder if we are being listened to. We are frustrated by the fact that they are spending all this money on consultants, money that could be better spent on maintenance of the system. If we end up with a very wet period, and who is to say we won’t do, we could easily see another emergency situation."

New figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that in Britain between April 2009 and March 2010, the number of reported major injuries on British farms, such as broken bones or amputations, rose to 640, up from 599 the previous year. The number of major injuries has now increased by more than 40 per cent in the last three years. In June it was announced that 38 people died as a result of work on farms last year - up from 25 twelve months ago and above the average of 37 for the previous five years, making agriculture Britain’s most dangerous industry. Sandy Blair, HSE’s Board champion for agriculture, said: "The agricultural community has responded magnificently to our Make the Promise campaign to improve safety in farming, and we’ve seen everyone from industry leaders like the National Farmers Unions for England, Scotland and Wales to individual farmers getting behind the initiative. But these figures show the reality of what we are dealing with - deaths have returned to previous levels and serious injuries are still steadily increasing. This isn’t about statistics - it is about the farming community itself being able to take action to prevent these serious, life-changing or life-ending injuries. If we’re going to see sustainable change, it needs to be led from within farming itself. More worrying is the estimate that only around 30 per cent of agricultural injuries are reported."