SCHOOL EDITION 22 MARCH 2023 - Flipbook - Page 18
18
NEWS
FARMWEEK
JANUARY 28 2021
Cereals 2021 returns
to Lincolnshire fields
C
EREALS 2021 is on target to
open its doors to physical
visitors on June 9-10 this year,
following a series of meetings with
farmers, exhibitors and health and
safety advisers.
After a year of online-only events
due to Covid-19, Cereals is set
to become Comexposium’s rst
physical European event of 2021,
when it returns to Lincolnshire in
June.
“All of our farmers and exhibitors
are so keen to get back out into the
eld and meet real people again,”
says event director Alli McEntyre.
“The site is drilled up and
growing nicely, and with our
new farmer advisory board we
are now formulating the seminar
programmes and live action
exhibits.”
Of course, the safety of visitors
and exhibitors remains paramount,
so the team is following the latest
health and safety advice, with
Covid measures likely to include
social distancing, hand sanitisers,
open air theatres, and more entry
points to reduce queues.
“We will update exhibitors about
our biosecurity plans in early
March and early June,” says Ms
McEntyre. “Although navigating the
site might feel a little different, we
are extremely positive about our
ability to deliver a vibrant and biosecure outdoor event.”
Following the success of its
November webinar: ‘The Q&A
Edition’; delivered by farmers for
farmers, the Cereals team invited 16
arable producers from around the
UK to join its new advisory board.
Encompassing a range of farming styles – from organic and
regenerative to high output,
precision-driven units – the board
will ensure that Cereals continues
to deliver practical, relevant and
innovative content for its visitors.
“We have now held our rst
exhibitor and farmer advisory
board meetings which, alongside
other meetings with industry
stakeholders, is helping us to form
a strong theme for the event, with
features and seminars that promise
to inspire,” says Ms McEntyre.
“We are committed to having
more farmer representation among
our speakers, and to ensure utmost
editorial integrity in our seminar
programmes.”
New features this year will include
the Market and Farm Diversication
theatre – dedicated to grain
marketing topics and diversication
advice – and the Sustainable
Solutions theatre in association
with the National Federation of
Young Farmers Clubs.
This will focus on sustainability
in all of its guises, from nancially
strong family farm structures to
environmentally friendly practices.
“Although we did introduce these
new elements to the online Cereals
ALL SET: Cereals is set to become Comexposium’s first physical European event of 2021 when it returns to
Lincolnshire in June.
LIVE in June this year, it will be
really exciting to have the physical
versions on-site in June 2021,” says
Ms McEntyre.
Other new features include
the Innovation and Tech demo
ring – which will have working
demonstrations of the latest
novel equipment – and a practical
drainage area.
A perennial favourite, the Syngenta
Sprays & Sprayers Arena, will be
back with a more challenging track
to reect real farm conditions, while
the NIAB Soil Pit, crop plots and
working machinery demonstrations
will offer plenty to see and discuss.
“We’ve even got a new 4x4 driving
track, where visitors can get behind
the wheel of the latest off-road
vehicles and put them through their
paces,” she adds.
“Of course, if national health
measures change, we will deliver
the event online again, which we
did with such success in June and
November 2020. But we are very
hopeful and looking forward to
getting back out in the eld and
meeting
everyone
face-to-face
again.”
Tickets for the Cereals
event on June 9-10 will go on
sale on February 1. For more
information or to catch up on
the November webinars, visit
www.cerealsevent.co.uk
Scottish farmgate prices
strong despite concerns
T
HE Brexit agreement for
tariff and quota-free trade
between the UK and Europe
was agreed on Christmas
Eve. For producers in Scotland it removed important risks to
the livestock market and with the
reassurance it brings, farmgate prices
– so far – remain strong.
However, according to the latest
market commentary from Quality Meat
Scotland (QMS), those trading with
Europe must come to terms with the
new non-tariff conditions of export,
including aspects of detail, like Export
Health Certicates and pre-notication
of movements.
Stuart Ashworth, QMS Director of
Economic Services, pictured right,
noted that, although border control
issues have been resolved, exporters
are exercising caution.
“Whilst the border control concerns
have been resolved for some border
control posts, including the opening
of Calais, red meat companies are very
cautious about exporting product to
Europe during these early days, with
many sending only limited quantities
as they get to grips with the new rules.”
He adds that the red meat sector
also exports skins, hides and animal
by-products, and that the nontariff movement conditions of these
products are onerous and are still
lacking clarity.
“They have the potential of being
restrictive and, without further guidance and clarity, may lead to a buildup of product in store, a weakening
of prices and a consequential drop in
processors’ returns.”
Despite this uncertainty, farmgate
prices for cattle and sheep remain rm.
“Although cattle prices dipped after
the peak Christmas buying period,
they have started 2021 nine per
cent higher than last year, and are
at their highest level for this time of
year since 2014. Sheep prices, which
started to strengthen in December,
have continued to climb through into
January.
“January 2021 prices for prime sheep
are more than 25 per cent higher than a
year ago and also higher than the start
of the lamb crop marketing year in May
2020; an unprecedented position for
the sheep market.
“However, prime sheep throughputs
in action marts have failed to reach
last year’s heights this early in 2021,”
he noted. “Cattle price reporting from
abattoirs similarly show a sizeable
reduction in kills during the rst full
trading week of 2021, although Covidrelated staff shortages may have
contributed to abattoir and cutting
plant capacity,” said Mr Ashworth.
Prime lamb prices are rm among
the major sheep producing countries
of Europe, suggesting continued
consumer demand across Europe, as
well as the UK.
“For example, Irish prices are around
20 per cent higher than this time last
year, while French producers started
the year with prices nine per cent
higher than a year ago. Across the
EU, the average producer price for
prime lambs is around 10 per cent
higher than last year. Quarterly UK,
Irish and French slaughter volumes
have also been lower than a year ago.
Consequently, despite the disruption
caused by Brexit, there has been rm
British lamb export demand from
France and Ireland to offset their
reduced domestic production,” added
Mr Ashworth.
Although sheepmeat exports are
a signicant part of demand from
the UK, they are not all of it, with the
continuation of rm prices suggesting
steady domestic demand also exists.
“Although lagging somewhat, data
from Kantar Worldpanel to the end of
November 2020 indicates a signicant
increase in household purchases of
lamb during the nal quarter of 2020 as
more in-home cooking was done.
“The latest indication of retail price
from the Ofce of National Statistics
(ONS) suggests the retail price of lamb
has increased just over two per cent
on a year ago, which suggest some
tightening of margin in abattoir to
consumer links in the supply chain,”
said Mr Ashworth.
With the revised June 2020 UK
agricultural census pointing towards
a one per cent reduction in the 2020
lamb crop, and UK slaughter numbers
since June higher than in 2019, the
expectation is the reduced carryover
of hoggs into 2021. Slaughter numbers
are likely to remain tight as traders
become more familiar with the
demands of exporting to Europe, with
the outlook for prices to remain rm.
Potato
Live
goes
online
T
HIS year Potato
Science Live –
the specialist
Syngenta technical
event for potato
growers and
agronomists – will be
presented online. But,
instead of a long oneday event, it will be a
series of ve, highly
topic-focussed, short
sessions.
For the week of
Monday, Feburary 8,
to Friday, February
12, each event will
start at 9am and last
for an hour – enabling
growers to pick
and choose to catch
up with the latest
information without
eating into too much of
the day.
Topics to be covered
include:
n Targeting seed and
soil borne potato
pathogens;
n Soil pest
management;
n Advancing
application for blight
control;
n Biostimulants for
potato crop resilience;
n Sustainable potato
growing initiatives.
n To register go to
www.syngenta.co.uk