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FIELD NOTES

What the work turns up

Short, researched pieces on where food and farming businesses lose money, and what to do about it. Each draws on published data and on what I find in the work. Client names are removed, and figures are rounded wherever they could identify anyone.

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Showing 1–10 of 18 notes

The EU food deal lifts paperwork from one border and lays it on another

FRESH PRODUCE AND ARABLE

The EU food deal lifts paperwork from one border and lays it on another

Britain and the EU have agreed a draft deal to end most checks on food and farm exports, with leaders due to sign it on 20 November. Exporters gain…

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A UK food reserve: what to hold, where, and how to keep it fresh

STRATEGIC RESILIENCE

A UK food reserve: what to hold, where, and how to keep it fresh

Britain emptied its last food depots in 1995. With war on the continent and the NAO warning that Defra leans too hard on industry, it is time to look…

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Fish merchants pay in days and get paid in months: put a price on the gap

SEAFOOD AND CHILLED FOOD

Fish merchants pay in days and get paid in months: put a price on the gap

The fish is paid for within the week; the customer pays in fifty days. In between, the merchant is lending six weeks of trade. A strong run of…

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Old prices between your farm companies decide which one looks profitable

FAMILY FARMING GROUPS AND ESTATES

Old prices between your farm companies decide which one looks profitable

In many farming families, the prices one company charges another were set years ago and left alone. The group makes the same money either way. But…

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Farm succession under the 2026 tax rules starts with numbers outsiders trust

FAMILY FARMING GROUPS AND ESTATES

Farm succession under the 2026 tax rules starts with numbers outsiders trust

In many family farming groups, what each company owns and earns lives in two or three people's heads. Since April 2026, with a £2.5m ceiling on…

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The Budget let farmers down. Now the margin has to come from inside the farm.

LIVESTOCK AND FEED

The Budget let farmers down. Now the margin has to come from inside the farm.

Farmers asked for breathing space and got almost none. John Healey's first Budget extended a fuel duty cut that was already in place and left nearly…

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A flat feed delivery rate means the near farms pay for the far ones

LIVESTOCK AND FEED

A flat feed delivery rate means the near farms pay for the far ones

A full blower load into one bin takes very little time. Three small drops on a hill farm can take most of a morning. Many mills charge the same for…

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Reclaimed and recycled wood is outside the EUDR only if your file proves it

TIMBER AND IMPORTED GOODS

Reclaimed and recycled wood is outside the EUDR only if your file proves it

"Reclaimed" on an invoice is a description, not evidence. Waste, used and second-hand wood can sit outside the EUDR, and the exclusions have widened…

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Crop loss is counted at dispatch, but it rarely happens there

FRESH PRODUCE AND ARABLE

Crop loss is counted at dispatch, but it rarely happens there

Loss gets one line in a grower's accounts, booked at dispatch because that is where someone is counting. The crop usually went somewhere else. A…

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Empty miles and dear diesel: what a livestock wagon mile really costs

LIVESTOCK AND FEED

Empty miles and dear diesel: what a livestock wagon mile really costs

A livestock wagon drives out full and comes home empty, and diesel now costs about 40% more than it did a year ago. Most hauliers know their rate per…

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Fresh produce and arable

Notes for growers and arable businesses: where crop is really lost between field and dispatch, and how to keep the harvest plan running.

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