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The article presents comments on issues affecting the agricultural industry in Europe. It raises complaints about the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs application forms. Quota for sugar-beet growers has been reduced. The common agricultural policy was reformed in Brussels, Belgium.

The article reports on the White Paper published by the Scottish government that promises a brighter future for farmers in an independent Scotland. The paper places high priority to farming and rural issues, citing that the output of the country's rural economy represents 30 percent of the total Scottish economy. The independence vote will be held in September 2014.

The article reports that the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has come out fighting against the introduction of proposed changes to Northern Ireland’s Nitrates Action Plan. The Department for Agriculture, the Environmental and Rural Affairs (Daera) published a consultation paper that makes a series of recommendations for 2019 to 2022.

The article explores the possible side-effects of the Rural Payments Agency's plan to eliminate paper-based applications and replace it with a digital-by-default online payments systems, which according to Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee chairwoman Anne McIntosh would send shockwaves through rural areas. Also mentioned is the challenge of the lack of access to broadband Internet in rural areas.

The article discusses the author's experience with joining the 2013 Farm Business Innovation show at Scunthorpe, England. Her booth was designed by the owner of Farndon Fields Farm Shop to resemble a farm shop featuring brown lining paper, empty product packets on the wall and arty photographs of food. She explains an idea for farm retailing in which the customers will be fascinated when they enter a farm shop, restaurant or visits a farmers' market.

The author discusses his visit to China to deal with issues relating to the agricultural industries of China and Great Britain. He addresses the challenge of how to respond to Chinese legislation introduced following the melamine scandal in the dairy industry. He talks about meeting with Chinese authorities to convey the message that British meat production plants have met Chinese production requirements. The author's presentation of a paper on animal welfare in the city of Wuhan is also cited.

The article presents news briefs on agriculture. Values of cull cows from November to December 2006 have increased by about 30%. Policyholders of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Mutual are set to receive reductions of up to 10% on their 2007 renewal premiums as part of the society's Mutual Bonus Scheme. Tomlinson's Dairies in North Wales has begun selling fresh milk in environmentally-friendly plastic pouches as an alternative to glass bottles and plastic cartons.

The article focuses on the Chinese agricultural sector as of March 2006. It is said that China's ability to be self-sufficient in food will determine much of the future of western agriculture. For the past 20 years, China has been sending plant breeding material into orbit to develop mutated super-varieties. China's demand for products which it cannot produce itself, such as oil, plastic, paper and some metals, will have a huge impact on commodity prices.

Reports on the agreement of Sainsbury's to withdraw a label that advertises soya milk on cartons that contain British milk after pressure from the Farmers for Action (FFA) as of June 4, 2004. Description of the labels of the milk cartons; Actions taken by FFA Chairman David Handley for the removal of the label; Decision of Sainsbury's on the issue of the label removal.