Mixed food loads pose problems for traders
John Campbell BBC News NI Economics & Business Editor BBC Mixed loads of food products have emerged as the major problem for trade across the new Irish Sea border. “Groupage” is a type of haulage where goods from different companies for different customers are grouped together on one lorry. It is causing problems with food […]
Bee-harming pesticide use given emergency authorisation
Malcolm Prior BBC News Rural Affairs team Getty Images Neonicotinoids can have harmful effects on pollinators The UK government has again given emergency authorisation for the use of a type of pesticide banned because of the harm it can cause bees. Permission to use a neonicotinoid on sugar beet seeds has been given to protect […]
How do bottle deposit schemes work?
Reality Check team BBC News Getty Images A scheme is being proposed to encourage recycling and cut plastic waste, which would see customers in England pay more for drinks in the shops. Customers will then be able to claim the money back if they return their drinks containers to be recycled. Scotland has already announced […]
North Sea whale death raises by-catch safety fears
PA Media Humpy the humpback whale washed up dead on the beach at Blyth The recent death of a humpback whale off the Northumberland coast has raised interest in and concerns for the marine mammals in the North Sea. With the number of whale sightings in the area growing, what can be done to protect […]
Pret A Manger to double reusable coffee cup discount
Getty Images High Street food and drink chain Pret A Manger is to increase the discount for bringing in a reusable cup to 50p from the first week in January. Since August, it has offered customers 25p off their coffee if they bring a reusable cup that it can be served in. In the UK, […]
New Zealand egg shortage threatens pavlova
KarpenkovDenis New Zealand is in the grip of a nationwide egg shortage which is driving up wholesale prices and putting its much-loved dessert, pavlova, at risk. Supermarket shelves are bare and some stores are putting restrictions on the number of eggs customers can buy. A long-awaited government ban on battery-caged hens came into effect this […]
Marmite maker Unilever to cut 1,500 jobs worldwide
Reuters Consumer goods giant Unilever has confirmed it will cut about 1,500 jobs globally as part of an overhaul of its management and structure. The Marmite-to-Domestos maker said the cuts would not affect shopfloor jobs in factories. Unilever is under pressure after a failed £50bn bid for a division of GlaxoSmithKline, and some shareholders have […]
No guarantee from May on farm cash after Brexit
James Williams BBC Wales Brexit correspondent Theresa May promises a system that works “in the interests of Welsh farmers” Theresa May has declined to promise Wales will not lose any money it now receives from the EU after Brexit. The prime minister reiterated her government’s commitment to maintain EU funding levels of around £300m a […]
Rivers used as ‘open sewers’, says WWF charity
Daniel Wainwright & Paul Bradshaw BBC News Melissa Compton became seriously ill while swimming the length of the River Severn Targets for 75% of rivers to be healthy by 2027 are “very unlikely” to be met in England, a charity has warned. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says rivers are “used as open […]
Theresa May says Brexit bill ‘a sensible way forward’
Getty Images The prime minister has insisted her Brexit bill is a “sensible way forward” despite the Scottish Parliament refusing to grant its consent. Theresa May told the House of Commons she was disappointed by the vote. But she insisted it was “right that we go ahead with measures that not only respect devolution but […]