The UK Cabinet reshuffle last week saw George Eustice appointed Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Eustice has been Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth since 2010 and has held junior ministerial roles in Defra almost continuously since 2013.

In February 2019, he resigned from the government over Theresa May’s approach to Brexit negotiations, but was reappointed to his Defra role five months later when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister.

Eustice comes from a family farm in Cornwall. He is expected to have more interest in agriculture than the last Defra Secretary Theresa Villiers, although he will probably have less political clout at the Cabinet table than her predecessor, Michael Gove.

Dog attacks cost NI farmers £15,000

Dog attacks on livestock cost NI farmers £15,000 last year, according to insurance company NFU Mutual.

The figure is down 60% on 2018 levels and a similar trend is seen in Scotland where the cost of dog attacks stood at £113,789 last year.

Across the UK, £1.2m worth of livestock were attacked by dogs during 2019.

A survey of over 1,300 dog owners by NFU Mutual found that 95% of respondents now put their dog on a lead if they see a sign warning them livestock are nearby.

However, 63% still let their pets roam free, despite half admitting their dog doesn’t always come back when called.