This week’s trawl through the ‘data sphere’ features a jump in the area of land farmed organically in Scotland, cost pressures ravaging the hospitality sector, and funding boosts for both electric vehicle purchases and food safety research.
13%. The annual increase in land being farmed organically in Scotland, a jump attributed to a favourable policy environment and increasingly health conscious consumers. The total area of land farmed organically in 2024 stood at 132,000 hectares, including 27,000 hectares currently under conversion. Among the latest stats, the land devoted to organic oats has nearly doubled since 2018, from 1,485 hectares to 2,608 last year.
69%. The proportion of hospitality businesses that are operating at or below 85% of required capacity. That’s according to the latest member survey by trade bodies including UKHospitality and the British Beer & Pub Association who warn that despite a strong summer of trading, cost increases have forced 79% of businesses to increase prices and more than half to cut staff numbers.
2027. Businesses will have at least another two years to access grants to purchase commercial electric vehicles after the UK Government announced an extension to the plug-in van and truck grant until 2027. Final grant levels for the 2026–27 financial year are yet to be announced but the scheme currently provides discounts of up to £2,500 for small vans, £5,000 for large vans, £16,000 for small trucks and £25,000 for large trucks.
£650,000. The level of new funding awarded to the Food Safety Research Network (FSRN), which secures its work for the next three years in delivering research that contributes to making food safe. Established in 2022, the Food Standards Agency co-created the FSRN to help ensure cutting-edge science is translated into practical solutions that support the UK’s food safety system. Hosted by the Quadram Institute, its work ranges from researching microbial threats in ready-to-eat foods to challenges posed by novel proteins and vertical farming.
