Your Suffolk county NFU update

FARMER'S FRIDAY
Bolton's Committment to Support Local Farmers

Bolton Recycling & Waste Management have partnered with Suffolk Young Farmers on a new promotion for free desposal recycling and have extended the offer to NFU members.

Bring in the following recycling on a Friday and they will make a payment per tone to Suffolk Young Farmers:

• Cardboard
• Clean Fertiliser Cans (HDPE Drums)
• Clean Fertiliser and Seed Bags (Woven PP Sacks)

You will be suppled with a Waste Transfer Note each visit to ensure your compliance.

Loads can be mixed but must be bagged seperately.

The following grades can be delivered; however, they will be chargeable a thte time of visit or via regular account:

• Bailing Twine
• Silage Wrao
• Crop Cover
• Crop Fleece

You can deliver via tractor and trailer or wby 4x4 and trailer - but the offer is only on a Friday!

Address: Bolton Bros, Bramford Road, Great Blakenham, Ipswich, IP6 0SL.

Before your first visit, you must contact Boltons so they can link your account with the YFC promotion. 

Contact Boltons to book in your first visit: 01473 830948 or [email protected]

Rural crime continues to affect farms and agricultural businesses, causing financial loss, disruption to work, and safety concerns. Taking simple but effective security measures can significantly reduce becoming a victim.

General Farm Security Advice

• Review your farm security regularly, especially after seasonal changes or new equipment purchases:
• Clearly mark your farm with name boards and signage to remove anonymity.
• Secure all access points including yards, barns, and fields where possible.
• Lock gates when not in use and consider tamper proof padlocks,
• Be mindful of unfamiliar vehicles or people on your land – trust your instincts.
• Sign-up to the FREE messaging service Suffolk Connected to keep in touch with what is happening in your area.

Tool and Machinery Security

Theft of tools and agricultural equipment a common target for criminals due to their value and ease of resale.

To reduce the risk:

• Store tools and machinery in locked buildings whenever possible.
• Use heavy duty locks, secure doors, and protected hinges on sheds and containers.
• Fit immobilisers, trackers, or forensic marking systems to valuable equipment.
• Mark tools clearly with your postcode or the farm name using property marking kits.
• Keep an up-to-date inventory of tools, machinery and serial numbers.

Heating Oil and Fuel Security

Fuel and heating oil theft can be costly and disruptive, particularly during colder months or periods of high fuel prices.

Protect your fuel by:

• Installing lockable fuel tank caps and checking them frequently.
• Positioning tanks in well-lit. secure locations that are overlooked where possible.
• Using protective cages, fencing, or bollards around tanks.
• Consider fuel alarms or monitoring systems that detect sudden drops in fuel levels.
• Keeping delivery times discreet and avoiding predictable routines.
• Maintaining accurate records of fuel levels to identity theft quickly,

Working Together Reduces Crime

Criminals rely on isolation and lack of awareness. By securing property staying alert, and sharing information with neighbours and Police, rural communities can deter crime.

Oil is a prime target for thieves at rural properties, businesses, transport depots and farms. Take the following steps to secure your heating oil.

Top Tips 

• Your oil tank should NOT be visible from the road.
• Secure the perimeter area around your oil tank.
• Invest in an approved oil tank alarm.
• Install movement sensitive CCTV, security lighting and warning signage.
• Additionally fit a good padlock on the filler cap Check your oil gauges regularly.

Alarm and regularly monitor your heating oil tank, hiding if from view, within a secure perimeter area. Also making sure it is easily accessible for delivery drivers.

The position of your oil tank can have a significant effect on how difficult it is for a thief to target. Ideally it is best to have the oil tank close to your house with one or more windows overlooking it. However, there are guidelines on the sighting these items and guidance should be obtained from either the Oil-Fired Technical Association, (referred to as OFTEC), through their guide at Liquid heating fuel tank information | OFTEC guide or your local heating oil supplier. 

• Oil tanks can be seen as easy targets by thieves and tampering with them can lead to environmental spillage and possible serious damage to your heating system. So make sure your oil tanks are properly secure.
• The perimeter around the oil tank can be secured by keeping gates locked, with walls and fences in good repair.
• Install movement sensitive CCTV that can immediately alert and allow you to view that movement. Back it up with CCTV warning signage. Further enforce CCTV with good security lighting.
• If possible, enclose your tank either in a stand-alone building or fenced off area. Any enclosed area must be ventilated. Again, advice should be sought from either OFTEC or your oil company. 
• Install a good alarm, preferably a movement activated alarm to deter the offender before they have accessed the oil tank. Or use a Sonic alarm with a mobile application that can immediately alert you of a change in fuel level.
• Further advice on fuel theft can be obtained at the police national Secure By Design (SBD) website at How to reduce the risk of fuel theft. 
• Invest in a good quality lock over the filler cap. Close shackle padlocks are recommended as they offer better resistance to bolt croppers and other tools that thieves usually come equipped with.

If you see something suspicious, report it. Call 101 or Report online. In an emergency always dial 999.

A young Suffolk farmer is featured in a key NFU report highlighting some of the measures needed to deliver essential growth in the industry.  

The report was produced for the annual national NFU Conference and features stories of several grassroots farmers, at a time when short and medium-term farmer confidence levels remain low. 

In the report Jon Watt, a 28-year-old mixed farmer who runs a farm at Laxfield, near Eye, with his father, tells of the need for more support for small and medium-sized abattoirs and highlights the importance of farming to East Anglia.  

He said: “Businesses like ours play an important role in supporting the local economy and to make the small number of cattle we have economically viable we rely on selling the beef directly in a box scheme.

“Small abattoirs are vital for providing a resilient, sustainable local food chain to keep everything local. But rising charges and increasing regulation have meant hundreds of small and medium-sized abattoirs have closed and those that remain are facing huge challenges which could undermine the resilience of these local food chains. 

“Supporting local agriculture includes supporting abattoirs. By doing this you are creating a resilient network for farms to work with. Reducing costs, minimising red tape and reintroducing the small abattoir fund would help ensure the future of these abattoirs and help maintain resilience in local supply chains.”

Small abattoirs in the UK are closing at a rate of 10pc per year, with numbers dropping from nearly 100 in 2007 to just over 60 in 2023.

An NFU survey of livestock farmers in the East of England found 19% would stop keeping livestock and 14% would be forced to cease trading if this trend of abattoir closures continues.

In the report, which is being sent to MPs, industry leaders and other stakeholders, Mr Watt also highlights the need for investment in biosecurity to support the current TB eradication strategy and calls for a simplified planning system to support farm diversification projects.