The official Wholesale Price Index for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2011-12=100) for the month of June, 2017 declined by 0.1 percent to 112.7 (provisional) from 112.8 (provisional) for the previous month.
Jul142017
Jul142017
A Woman’s Place: Cabinet Secretary calls for increased visibility of women in agriculture
Lesley Griffiths has challenged Wales’s agriculture industry to increase efforts to promote farming as a rewarding and sustainable career for women by developing their skills, experience and confidence.
The Cabinet Secretary recently met with members of three regional Women in Agriculture groups, set up by the Welsh Government shortly after the UK voted to leave the EU. The groups, supported by Farming Connect’s Agrisgôp programme, presented a paper to the Cabinet Secretary setting out their vision of the future of farming in Wales.
Many of the women first got together at a Farming Connect ‘women in agriculture’ forum last year, when the Cabinet Secretary invited delegates to set up their own regional forums and provide their perspective on key issues facing the industry.
Since 2011, the Welsh Government has, through Farming Connect, supported 35 women only groups through Agrisgôp and 60 events have been held specifically for women in agriculture.
The Cabinet Secretary also stressed the importance of improving women’s confidence to apply for senior positions within national farming organisations.
Earlier this year, the Cabinet Secretary appointed ten new members to the Board of Hybu Cig Cymru. The advertisement was worded carefully to encourage applications from women and five were subsequently successful in achieving positions on the board. Further, two are past members of Farming Connect’s Agri Academy Rural Leadership programme, which last year boasted a 2:1 female-to-male ratio.
Lesley Griffiths said:
“Women play a critical role in the development and sustainability of agricultural businesses. Many though have additional responsibilities such as looking after children or caring for elderly relatives. Few, therefore, take a salary and their contribution often goes unrecognised. They truly are the industry’s unsung heroes.
“This needs to change. As a government, we have a role to ensure the relevant support services are in place to give women the confidence to apply for leadership roles. We must also word adverts for senior positions in a way that encourage more women to apply, indeed this applies right across the board – not just in agriculture. This was an approach we adopted when recruiting for members to the board of Hybu Cig Cymru and I was pleased to subsequently appoint a gender neutral board.
“In addition we have established a number of forums for women to inspire, motivate and support each other and it is encouraging to see an increasing number of women within young people’s groups set up by industry bodies like FUW and NFU Cymru. My challenge now to the wider industry is to build on these positive developments and do more to raise the profile of women in agriculture.
“That is because diversity is a strength. As we face a future outside the EU we must pull together and utilise as wide a pool of talent as possible. This is how we can best achieve our shared vision of a prosperous, resilient agriculture industry promoting Wales’ present and future well-being.”
Agrisgôp leader, trained coach, mediator and farmer Alice Lampard, emphasised the importance of empowering and encouraging women to ensure their voices and opinions are heard and valued:
“Women are recognised as having a hugely influential role in many farm businesses. Often expected to manage farm and work commitments alongside family duties, there has never been a more important time for us to get together and speak out.”
Jul142017
Press release: Satellite Event-Pakistan: Family Planning Summit at London 2017
The London Family Planning Summit was co-hosted today by Priti Patel, the Secretary of State for International Development, Melinda Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Natalia Kanem, UN Population Fund. The Summit focused on practical measures to reduce costs and increase availability for the millions of women who want contraception, but can’t afford or get hold of it.
At today’s Family Planning Summit, Ms Patel set out an increased support package – boosting and extending the UK contribution until 2022 – to provide voluntary, modern family planning to women in the developing countries across Africa and Asia.
In her key note speech at the London Summit, Ms Patel highlighted the UK’s global leadership in responding to the urgent need for voluntary family planning:
She said
It’s truly astonishing that in today’s world there are still 214 million women around the world who do not want to get pregnant, but who are not currently using modern methods of family planning. This new UK aid support will provide 20 million women with voluntary contraception, change the lives of 6 million women by allowing them to avoid unintended pregnancies and prevent the trauma of 75,000 still births.
But this isn’t a job for the UK alone and that’s why at this global Summit governments from around the world have come together to make commitments on family planning to address the long term need and unsustainable population growth.
The provincial governments of Pakistan also attended the London Summit. Pakistan pledged to reach 6.7 million additional people, (3.4 million already reported and an additional 3.3 million to be added) achieving a contraceptive prevalence trate of 50 % by 2020. This commitment will be achieved through additional resources, raising the per capita expenditure on FP to $2.50, and a programmatic refocus to address the information and service needs of men and young people and introducing safe and long acting reversible methods through task sharing.
A satellite event was also held at Islamabad, Marriot Hotel ahead of the Summit. The Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarrar; DFID Deputy Head Judith Herbertson; Country Representative UNFPA Hassan Mohtashami; and country director Population Council Dr Zeba Sathar all attended.
While speaking at the event, DFID deputy head Judith Herbertson said,
The Government is particularly emphasising the importance of the census for population planning and economic management; and we applaud the completion of the census and the associated ambition. If by 2020 Pakistan’s target of 50% contraceptive use is reached, it will be a huge stride forward for individuals, families and the country.
And will set Pakistan on the road to achieving reproductive health services for all by 2030 as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Today there are 214 million women around the world, who despite not wanting to get pregnant, aren’t using modern contraception. Progress has been made globally to reach more women with family planning services, but more needs to be done. Voluntary family planning saves lives by enabling women to plan, and have fewer, pregnancies – reducing their risk of death through unsafe childbirth. This risk is very high in the world’s poorest countries, especially for adolescents.
The UK’s total package of support until 2022 will every year:
- help save the lives of over 6,000 women by preventing maternal deaths – that’s one woman every 90 minutes;
- support 20 million women to receive voluntary contraceptives through family planning services;
- help avert 6 million unintended pregnancies; and
- help prevent the trauma of 75,000 stillbirths and nearly 44,000 new-born deaths.
The UK put family planning on the international agenda with the inaugural 2012 Family Planning Summit where a goal was established to help 120 million additional women and girls use modern, voluntary family planning by 2020. Britain is the second largest bilateral donor of family planning in the world. Since the 2012 Summit, the UK has helped nearly 8.5 million additional women to access modern methods of contraception.
Notes to editors
- Across Pakistan, the UK is working closely with federal and provincial governments and partners on ambitious plans which will benefit millions of children and improve the standard of their education.
- Pakistan is now one of the UK’s largest recipients of development investment.
- As well as tackling the education emergency, other priorities for the UK in Pakistan include preventing thousands of women dying in childbirth by funding skilled midwives, nurses, or doctors; providing job skills training to tens of thousands of the poorest people; and giving women in deprived households small monthly cash grants to purchase essentials, such as food and medicine.
- UK development investment is dependent on continuing to secure value for money and results.
More Information:
DFID – the Department for International Development
- In Pakistan, contact the DFID-Pakistan media team on + 92 (0) 51 201 2000.
- Get free-to-use photos, videos and features online: www.gov.uk/dfid
- For breaking news, follow us on Twitter: @DFID_Press
Jul142017
News story: Origin and Bunn must resolve concerns over fertiliser merger
The CMA has found that Origin’s proposed acquisition of Bunn could reduce competition to supply fertilisers in Scotland.
The companies must now offer proposals to address these concerns by 21 July or face an in-depth investigation.
Both companies are national blenders and distributors of fertilisers for use in agriculture.
Through its initial investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that Origin and Bunn are two of the three main suppliers of fertilisers in the central/eastern region of Scotland, supplying farmers and farmers’ merchants from their sites in Montrose. The CMA is concerned that bringing the two firms together could see prices rise for customers or result in a reduction in the choice of fertilisers available.
The CMA found that there were sufficient alternative suppliers in other areas of Great Britain. The merger will be referred for an in-depth investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members unless Origin can offer undertakings by 21 July which sufficiently address the CMA’s competition concerns.
All information relating to the merger is available on the case page.
Jul142017
The Brexit Bill and the bill for Brexit
The government is pressing on with Brexit preparation. Labour now say they wish to amend the Bill and maybe even vote against it. That’s strange as they put an identical Bill into their Manifesto. Their overriding request that all EU employment rules become good UK law will be met by the Bill as drafted. The government can win the votes without them if needed. Their own Leave voters will be right to ask why they are doing this after their promises, and after their vote to send the Article 50 letter.
There are still too many UK interests wanting to give ground on paying money to the EU. The legal position is clear. We only owe our regular contributions up to the date of departure. We do not have to pay extra to trade. If they insist the only way they can make us do that is by imposing WTO tariffs. That would be a far cheaper route for us than them, and far cheaper than any of these so called bills they have been talking about.
Under WTO tariffs the UK government would gain around £12bn of tariff revenue at the expense of UK consumers, which it could give back as tax cuts.