NATIONAL Farmers Union (NFU) North West members have received a flyer in the post inviting them to join a series of virtual meetings this autumn and winter.

An open letter, written by the NFU's three county chairs, encourages members to 'make a brew and join them' virtually throughout October, November and December.

The meetings will be hosted via Microsoft Teams, online or by telephone.

Thursday, November 19 at 7.30pm: NFU Cumbria AGM with special guest NFU Vice President Tom Bradshaw.

NFU Live Events: Wednesday, October 21 at 11am: Making your business resilient; Wednesday, November 4 at 11am: Brexit and trade politics: where are we now?; Wednesday, November 18 at 11am: Net zero - climate smart farming for business, the environment and society; Wednesday, December 2 at 11am: Brexit, Trade and Standards - the one-month outlook.

To book onto an event, contact the NFU regional office. A helpful adviser will talk through the process. Simply call 01695 554900 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Meanwhile farm leaders have unveiled proposals they say will deliver the government’s vision for the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme due to be fully rolled out 2024.