STOCK WATCH

LOWER milk prices, tough farming markets and mild weather caused a dent for flour miller and animal feed maker Carr’s. Shares fell 3.61pc or 5.5p to 147p as it reported a 9.4pc fall in sales to £189.1m despite previously claiming it would hit annual targets. Carr’s said its US feed block business had an outstanding first half, which had helped to offset deteriorating farming conditions in the UK. Chief executive Tim Davies said UK agriculture was suffering from a drop in milk and livestock prices. The first interim dividend rose by 2.7pc to 0.95p.