Farmers are reportedly planning strike action in response to plans to introduce a 20% inheritance tax on farms. The Telegraph says farmers are discussing plans for a co-ordinated “sewage strike” on online forums following the budget. The title claims farmers will refuse to take Biosolids – typically used as farming fertiliser – from water treatment companies, forcing them to find alternative dumping grounds for the waste product.
Farmers in the UK take about 3.6 million tonnes of sewage sludge from water treatment plants and spread it on agricultural land, reports The Daily Mail. Withdrawing this effective way to get rid of sewage waste would force bosses to suddenly find somewhere new to dumps millions of tonnes of sewage, it adds.
Meanwhile a group of around 10 farming influencers is urging farmers not to allow produce to leave their farms on a number of days in November in a bid to disrupt the supply chain and cause shortages in supermarkets (The Times).
Beleaguered retail giant Asda is ordering staff back to the office at least three days a week, while also cutting head office jobs in an attempt to halt its decline (The Telegraph) and save cash. The change will apply to more than 5,000 head office workers across three different locations in Leeds and Leicester.
EU plans to delay landmark deforestation legislation is causing uncertainty for businesses and putting investment at risk, warn consumer goods companies including confectionery giants Nestlé and Ferrero (The FT). The law, which had been due to come into effect in December, will ban goods made using commodities grown on deforested land from being sold in the bloc. However, it has been delayed by a year following fierce opposition by producing countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia.
Britain’s high street retailers will bear the brunt of tax rises announced in the budget, which are set to benefit “the least affluent” consumers, according to the chief executive of Primark, Ryvita, Kingsmill and Twinings owner Associated British Foods (The Guardian).
George Weston said it was “hard to look at this Budget and say it was a good Budget for the high street”, citing changes to national insurance and the minimum wage as well as less reform on business rates than hoped. (The FT).
His remarks came as Associated British Foods reported its pre-tax profits had risen to £1.91 billion — up from £1.34 billion — in the year to September 14 (The Times).
Growth in UK retail sales slumped in October, with industry figures suggesting shoppers were putting off spending in anticipation of Black Friday (The Guardian). Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed total sales grew by 0.6% year-on-year in October, significantly below September’s rate and less than half the three-month average. BRC boss Helen Dickinson said uncertainty before the budget and rising energy bills had “spooked” consumers.
The Sun has picked up on The Grocer’s story that Bacardi is bringing back its popular Patrón XO Cafe coffee liqueur in the UK. You can read more about the return of Patrón XO Café here.
Finally, research from consumer watchdog Which? suggests our air fryers could be listening to us (The Independent). It examined three air fryer models, which were found to request precise location data and seek permission to record audio on users’ phones via an app for no specified reason.
The tests also examined smartwatches that required giving invasive access to the consumer’s phone through location tracking, audio recording and accessing stored files, and digital speakers preloaded with trackers for Facebook, Google and a digital marketing company called Urbanairship (The Guardian).
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