· Data from the Feb 2024 Defra Farm Practices Survey has just been published, very soon after the 2023 figures reported in last month’s update. They show some changes but it is not clear if these are the same farms surveyed each year or a different group which clearly makes comparison difficult.
o 57% of holdings had a nutrient management plan, unchanged from recent years.
o 12% of farms process waste by anaerobic digestion compared to 7% 5 years ago.
o 48% of farms are taking action to reduce greenhouse gases compared to 53% a year previously
o 78% of holdings spread manure or slurry on grass or arable land while 84% spread fertilisers.
o The most common method of manure storage is in the open on a field (66%) whereas for slurry above ground tanks with no cover and lined or unlined earth bank lagoons (both 31%) are the most common.
o 74% of livestock farms have a Farm Health Plan, unchanged in recent years.
o 85% of livestock holdings sow some or all of their temporary grassland with a clover mix while 70% sow high sugar grasses.
o 66% of livestock holdings use a ration formulation programme or nutritional advice. Down from 71% a year earlier.
· Total Income from Farming (TIFF) in the UK has been published for 2023. This showed that TIFF was £7.2 billion, down 9.8% on 2022 whilst agriculture's contribution to the economy was £13.7 billion down 4.5% on 2022 to 0.56%.
· Sterling improved against the Euro but fell against the US dollar this month but the net movements were not large. The gold price was more settled this month with smaller fluctuations and a lower peak. It closed the month at £1843 per tray ounce. Crude oil prices started the month by falling but thereafter rose to a close of $86.40 per barrel, a net gain of $4.80 overall.
· The UK milk price, in the most recent reports, fell again in April. The UK average "all milk" price for April, reported in June, was 37.21 pence/litre;0.92 p/l below the March average and 2.2 p/l below the price a year earlier. The EU average for April was only marginally down, sitting at 40.65 p/l;0.20 p/l below the March average and 2.47 p/l below the price a year earlier.
· The number of new bovine TB herd incidents in the year to March fell by 8% in England, compared to the previous year, with a fall of 11% in the High Risk area but an increase of 5% in the Low Risk area.
· The Welsh Government has introduced legislation which is hoped will lead to the eradication of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD). With effect from 1 July 2025, keepers will be required to screen their herds annually by testing a small number of cattle and isolate Persistently Infected animals from the rest of the herd for the remainder of their lives.
· AHDB has reported that the genomic testing of dairy heifers is widening the gap between the best and worst herds. Producers using genotyping services for 75-100 per cent of their dairy heifers had an average Profitable Lifetime Index across their 2023 calf crop of £430 compared to £237 for those herds which test 0-25 per cent of their heifer calves.
· Arla has increased its price by 0.44 p/l taking the conventional manufacturing price to 40.89 p/l and the liquid price to 39.23 p/l. The organic price has increased by 0.89 p/l taking the conventional manufactured price to 50.87 p/l and the liquified price to 48.81 pence/litre
· Muller has increased its price by 1 p/l to 39 pence per litre whilst First Milk has increased its price by 0.8 p/l to 40.3 p/l
· Saputo has increased its price by 0.5 p/l to 40 pence per litre whilst Meadow has increased its price to 37 p/l and Barbers to 41.28 p/l.
· Organic milk production in May fell by 9.7% compared to the previous year, while 2023/24 production was down by 14% on 2022/23
· Meadow has taken over as buyer of milk of 31 dairy farms following the collapse of Mona Dairy in Anglesey.