Industry
Straw Prices 2026: Wheat Straw £74/t as Bedding Gets Cheaper
Wheat straw is averaging £74/t ex-farm, £7 down on last year, after English wheat straw production rose 24% to 3.2m tonnes. What it means for buyers and…
From the fields and beyond
UK farming industry news
Supply chains, processors, retailers and the trade deals that decide what farmers are paid. Industry coverage from outside the press release: what’s moving, who benefits, who absorbs the cost, and where the next pressure point lands.
Crops
What supermarkets, processors and foodservice buyers require from fresh produce growers
What Tesco and other supermarkets, processing factories and foodservice wholesalers check before they buy from a grower: assurance, audits, specifications, Brix and labelling.
Crops
Which Route to Market for Your Crop? A Working Grower’s Guide to the Five Channels That Move UK Fresh Produce in 2026
A working grower's comparison of the five UK routes to market for fresh produce: wholesale markets, supermarket contracts, foodservice, direct sales and box schemes, with prices, payment…
Industry
Irrigation and Wash Water Testing for Salad Growers: A UK Guide
What UK salad growers must test, how to treat irrigation and wash water, and the Red Tractor, abstraction and private water supply rules that apply.
Industry
Bluetongue surge sparks ‘buyer beware’ warning ahead of sheep sales
Sheep farmers heading into the busiest trading window of the year have been told to treat every purchase as a potential disease risk.
Industry
Red Diesel Prices UK 2026: What a Litre Costs and the Duty Cut Running to December
Facts last checked against primary sources: 21 October 2026. Tim’s take: Fuel is the input cost nobody budgets honestly, because nobody knows where it will be by…
Arable
UK Wheat Prices 2026: Feed Wheat, Milling Premiums and What Moves the Market
Last updated: 20 October 2026. Facts last checked against primary sources: 21 October 2026. The price table and the market analysis cover AHDB figures for the week…
Industry
How Much Does a Cow Cost in the UK? (2026 Prices)
Current GB deadweight values turned into per-head money, why there is no public national price for store and breeding cattle any more, and the CPH number and…
Industry
How Much Does a Sheep Cost in the UK? (2026 Prices)
Live per-head figures from the October 2026 trade, the arithmetic behind a finished lamb's value, why breeding ewes have no national price, and the CPH registration you…
Industry
One in seven English farm holdings has disappeared since 2005
English farm holdings have fallen by 36,000 since 2005, a drop of 14.6%, while the total area of land being farmed has barely changed.
