EXPERT VIEW Farming must address the twin challenges of food and water security, says Melvyn Kay. “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” wrote English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Penned in 1798, it’s a sentiment that echoes down the ages as... Read more

Irrigation and weather start-up Sencrop has been acquired by Groupe ISAGRI – one of Europe’s leading companies in digital solutions for field management. The acquisition aims to ensure the continuity of innovation and provide farmers with higher service levels, moving Sencrop from a fledgling company to being part of... Read more

• Abstraction licence terms breached • Offences took place over four-year period • Magistrate imposes £4000 fine Farmers are being reminded to abide by abstraction licences after a Norfolk grower was fined more than £4000 for taking too much water. Brian Rutterford, 77, of Undley, Lakenheath, was ordered to... Read more

Funds to protect farm communities Defra plans to review the way it funds flood defences – saying it wants to ensure that farms, rural businesses and local communities are properly protected. It comes after the government unveiled an extra £50m for internal drainage boards (IDBs) – the public bodies... Read more