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Sainsbury’s Signs 10-Year Grower Deals To Extend British Salad Supply
Sainsbury’s has inked two 10-year supply agreements with UK growers Evesham Vale Growers and Thanet Earth as part of a strategy to increase the availability of British-grown tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, while strengthening resilience across its salad vegetable supply chain. Image: Sainsbury's The retailer said the long-term partnerships are designed to support investment in domestic production at a time when climate-related disruption is increasing pressure on imported s
Hospitality Sector Says Burnham’s Business Rates Cut Must Go Further
News of the 20% reduction in business rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues has been met with calls for wider, more ambitious business reform to support the UK’s entire hospitality sector. The rate cut for pubs, clubs, and live music venues, which is set to take effect from next April, will benefit nearly 32,000 businesses across England, according to the government. Prime Minster Andy Burnham said the measure will translate into estimated annual savings of £1,100 for
AI, Gaming, And Young Ambassadors To Steer £5.1m Farming Recruitment Drive
A new £5.1 million research project will explore how artificial intelligence (AI), video games, and young farmer ambassadors could help attract more young people into agricultural careers. Image: James Hutton Institute Led by the James Hutton Institute, the Farm Heroes initiative aims to tackle one of the sector’s most pressing long-term challenges: recruiting and retaining the next generation of farmers. The four-year project, which launches in October, will investigate how
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Sarah-Jayne Gratton
Burnham’s Food Affordability Crisis: Industry Warns of a“Self-Inflicted” £300 Million Hit to Britain’s Shopping Baskets
In one of the first industry interventions of Andy Burnham’s premiership, the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) has written to the Prime Minister today urging him to make fresh produce part of his cost-of-living fight — by scrapping an avoidable plan that would add more than £300 million a year to the cost of the fruit, vegetables and flowers Britain imports from beyond Europe. At issue is the UK–EU Reset. As drafted, it would impose EU-style border controls on Rest of World fre
UK Approaches Critical Weeks For Food Supply As Heatwave Hits Growers
Growers are warning that the coming weeks will be crucial in determining the outlook for this season's harvest with the prolonged spell of hot, dry weather continuing to put pressure on UK food production. Domestic food shortages could hit supermarkets within the next 10 days as the recent extreme weather pushes some areas of the country close to drought, reports The Independent. “Some areas haven’t harvested yet so what happens over the next week to 10 days could have an im
AI Project Targets Earlier Onion And Brassica Pest Detection
A new collaborative project bringing together growers, researchers, agronomists, and agritech specialists aims to improve pest monitoring in UK onion and brassica crops through artificial intelligence, smart trapping technology, and real-time data analysis. Image: University of Warwick The grower-led initiative, known as TRACER-Pest, has been established to address one of the fresh produce sector’s ongoing production challenges: identifying economically damaging pest populat
Burnham Puts Household Affordability At Heart Of Government Agenda
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has placed the cost of living at the centre of his new government’s priorities, promising action to help families afford everyday essentials — including good, healthy food. According to The Guardian, Burnham instructed ministers at the first meeting of his new Cabinet to explore “all possible ways” of reducing pressure on household finances. The move offers renewed hope that families facing difficult choices at the checkout could receive meaningful
World’s Deepest Vertical Farm Takes Root Beneath Yorkshire
A pioneering project is investigating whether crops can be grown commercially more than a kilometre beneath the North Yorkshire countryside. Researchers from the University of Sheffield have partnered with food producer Farm Urban to establish what is described as the world’s deepest vertical farm, located 1.1km underground in a working polyhalite and salt mine near Whitby. The 12-month study is taking place at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Boulby Undergroun
Tesco Accelerates Rapid Delivery Push With Uber Eats And Deliveroo Deals
Tesco is dramatically widening the reach of its rapid grocery operation through new partnerships with Uber Eats and Deliveroo, opening its range to millions of additional on-demand delivery customers. The supermarket will launch on Uber Eats in August before joining Deliveroo later in the summer, marking a significant expansion beyond its established Tesco Whoosh service. Crucially, customers ordering through either platform will be able to access Clubcard Prices and collect
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