Maureen Hodges

IN RESPONSE to a plea from the farming community over changes to inheritance tax rules, the Farmer Network is hosting an open meeting later this month.

RESPECTED husband-and-wife team, David and Heather Pritchard have been honoured with the prestigious Blamire Medal for services to agriculture in the old county of Cumberland.

AMID heightened security and a planned protest by local farmers, a packed 15th Northern Farming Conference, heard how the recent budget announcements had failed to address urgent concerns from the industry.

THE National Sheep Association (NSA) is disappointed by Defra Secretary of State, Steve Reed’s comments, as he has doubled down on the Chancellor’s announcement last week that threaten increased tax burdens on UK farming families.

SMALL family farms, the lifeblood of rural Cumbria, could disappear from the landscape forever due to Government plans to scrap tax relief, industry leaders warn.

DESPITE the doom and gloom surrounding the future of farming following Labour's Budget the farming community turned out in their thousands for one of the finest showcases of livestock in the UK.

TWO young farmers from Cumbria have been described as ‘dynamite’ for the industry, after winning the top two places in the Young Farmer of the Year Award at NFYFC’s YFC Achiever Awards.

LEADING agricultural business H&H Group has reported a dip in profits after two record years, but their annual results reflect an outstanding performance for the company's core agricultural businesses with Harrison & Hetherington achieving a record-breaking gross turnover of £250 million.

FARMERS warned that Government plans would “decimate the countryside” and cause family farms to “disappear” as they staged a protest against changes announced in last week’s Budget.