Letter From Europe
The so-called Schmallenberg virus has made its appearance on hundreds of farms, affecting sheep, cattle and goats. But so far consumers have not given way to panic boycotts of beef, milk and lamb
by NORMAN DUNN
It’s estimated that livestock farming produces 18 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Now, the Netherlands is showing that higher quality feed and efficient cow management can dramatically improve the situation
by NORMAN DUNN
It’s called the “battle of the burp” by the press here in Europe and it’s being fought on research dairy farms throughout the world just now.
European farming support plans for 2014 at last seem to be addressing problems that have been ignored for years, such as the huge handouts to already wealthy agri-businesses
by NORMAN DUNN
It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like the era of Europe’s big farming businesses getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual support – whether they need it or not – is about to end.
Arable automation has really arrived with the introduction of a tractor that can handle 24-foot cultivation tools with no one in the cab. The catch: a manned tractor has to work alongside
by NORMAN DUNN
Farmers who changed housing systems to conform with EU welfare guidelines have ended up with higher costs, while others have continued with their about-to-be-banned Eurocages
by NORMAN DUNN
European farmers who accepted the need to change animal housing systems at the start of the millennium have ended up paying heavily for their move away from dry sow stalls and battery cages for layers.
From Serbia to Wales, incentives ranging from support for a new house through to improved genetics for dairy cows are being offered to farmers to stop the drift from the land.
by NORMAN DUNN
A phrase you’ll come across a lot when reading about European agriculture is “drift from the land.”
Farm-slanted information technology, computer control and intelligent electronic integration between machines are the focus at this major machinery show, all with the aim of less downtime, more job efficiency and lower inputs all round
by NORMAN DUNN
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