The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) has called on major retailers to urgently engage with the agricultural sector and ensure that the ongoing rise in production costs is fairly reflected across the supply chain.听
It comes as new figures confirm consumer prices index has risen to 3.3% in the year to March, driven largely by sharp increases in fuel and energy costs linked to global instability.
A Cabinet Secretary has responded to claims that the Government is preparing for the possibility of food and carbon dioxide (CO2) shortages in the UK as a 'worst case scenario' should war in the Middle East continue to escalate beyond the summer.
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said the possibility of food and CO2 shortages, used as a method for stunning pigs pre-slaughter, is not a concern for the UK economy at this present moment in time, adding that people should 'drink beer and eat meat'.
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British farmers could be prepared to hold a national protest in the coming days if the Government does not step up to support the sector as it deals with 'unsustainable' price surges to fertiliser and red diesel.
Farmers for Action coordinator William Taylor said the group is considering the possibility of holding a UK-wide protest if the Government does not cut fuel duty and provide support for farmers dealing with price surges to fertiliser.
Key farm input costs will only come down once the Strait of Hormuz reopens and war in the Middle East comes to an end, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned.
Since the start of the war in Iran on February 28, UK farm businesses have been bearing the weight of enormous pressure with price surges in heating oil, red diesel and fertiliser.
Once again, war exposes the true fragility of supply chains. It only seems five minutes ago that I was attending the 2022 NFU Conference, with war in Ukraine hot on everyone's lips, says Farmers Guardian machinery reporter James Huyton.
Following the invasion, we saw considerable market volatility and energy price spikes, much like today.
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The Middle East conflict has added an additional 拢25,000 fuel bill for UK farmers.
British farmers are under increasing pressure to navigate uncertainty from war in the Middle East as fuel bills start to bite into business planning and farm profitability.听
Dr Sven Koops, the University of Reading's farms manager, said the fallout from war in Iran is having a profound impact on UK farming costs, both locally and nationally.
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