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THE VIEW FROM MANY AT the conference - whether or not you wanted to stay in the EU - was that there was no reneging on the Brexit decision , so now was the time to start planning ahead and making the most of whatever challenges and also opportunities this historic change presents .
Believing that the Defra Secretary is standing up for the needs of the industry would obviously help industry confidence , but many farmers
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have turned their attention to their business plans and on doing their best to ensure those plans are as robust as possible , whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations .
One of the strong messages from many speakers was that a positive attitude towards farming in the post-Brexit era might prove to be one of farming ’ s biggest assets .
NFU deputy president Minette Batters pointed out that now is the time for farmers to
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engage with their communities and MPs about the importance of the industry . Nobody will promote agriculture for us , so she urged farmers to speak up for themselves .
That is something farmers – with their eyes always on the future - will undoubtedly be doing .
SPRING BUDGET Sarah Dodds , Head of Agricultural & Rural Business at MHA MacIntyre Hudson , says there was little for
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the farming community to cheer about from this Spring Budget :
“ The Chancellor has made no big changes and given little away in this Budget , and most farming businesses will be worse off as a result .”
We will be taking a closer look at the impact of the changes in the June issue .
NOTE As from April , Farmers Mart will become a quarterly publication .
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AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL consultancy Alltech E-CO2 recently launched a new website offering farmers and the wider food industry knowledge on resource efficiency . In addition to free farm efficiency assessments , the site also hosts new interactive ‘ virtual farm ’ graphics that provide quick and easy information on the main origins of carbon emissions .
“ The new website offers opportunities to gain a better understanding of the factors affecting food production efficiency , as well as access to tools that will help farmers improve enterprise performance ,” said Ben Braou , general business manager at Alltech E-CO2 .
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“ A farm ’ s carbon footprint is an accurate indicator of performance efficiency and , therefore , profitability ,” continued Braou . “ So managing the business to minimise emissions helps the bottom line as well as the environment .”
‘ quick and easy information on the main origins of carbon emissions ’
The website ’ s interactive online ‘ What If ?’ tools , which calculate carbon footprints from enterprise input and performance data , offer a good starting point by providing farmers with a quick and simple opportunity
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to assess and benchmark their business efficiency . The tools offer insight into current practices and provide opportunities to see how changes can benefit performance . As such , using the online tools provides a good introduction to more comprehensive farm assessments , which Alltech E-CO2 finds give farmers the best opportunities to review and improve their businesses .
The interactive ‘ virtual farm ’ graphics are currently available for both ruminant and nonruminant livestock enterprises , providing a quick guide to the origins of greenhouse gas emissions . The new site also highlights Alltech E-CO2 ’ s wider range of farming solutions , which include tools to calculate
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costs of production , evaluate biodiversity and measure water footprints .
Alltech E-CO2 works closely with the Carbon Trust and other independent bodies to ensure its assessment tools are technically sound , robust and accredited . The company has pioneered the use of on-farm environmental tools and assessments with software licensed globally . To date , it has carried out more than 6,000 farm consultancy visits throughout Europe , commonly in collaboration with food processors and supermarkets , and is now operating as far afield as the United States of America and Australia .
To view the new website , go to alltech-e-co2 . com
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