Farming Today
932 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 51 ratingsThe latest news about food, farming and the countryside
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Episodes
16/12/23 Farming Today This Week: Dartmoor review; Community deer stalking; Rare breeds; Drones to spray nematodes; Minecraft.
December 16, 2023 07:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBAn independent review has told Natural England it needs to completely change the way it engages with farmers on Dartmoor. It also says more cattle are needed for "conservation grazing" to help tackle the spread of purple moor grass and sheep farmers have been warned they'll need to demonstrate they can control their flocks and not let them overgraze areas of heather and dwarf shrubs. A Scottish nature reserve is training members of the local community to stalk deer at Creag Meagaidh in th...
10/11/23 Methane in livestock; Avian influenza and wild birds; Dairy exports
November 10, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBWe look at agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions, and the carbon-dioxide-versus-methane debate. Some farmers argue that cattle numbers don't have to come down in order to reduce agriculture's emissions because the methane cattle produce lasts only for about a decade in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide on the other hand, lasts for thousands of years and so, the argument goes, it's more important to produce less of that, leaving cattle on pasture which itself can sequester CO2. We bring togethe...
09/11/23 Sugar price row, turkeys and bird flu, live export ban
November 09, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBThe Government has intervened in an increasingly furious row between British Sugar and the National Farmers' Union over the price farmers will be paid for sugar beet next year. Some turkey farmers are bringing forward their Christmas plans in an effort to beat bird flu. As we reported, this time last year many were dealing with outbreaks on their farms and though this year (so far) there have been fewer cases, turkey farmers are taking extra measures to protect flocks. We hear a warning of...
08/11/23 Landuse to prevent floods, bird flu on the Isle of Lewis, green prescribing
November 08, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBIt's been a challenging few weeks for farmers with Storm Babet and Storm Ciarán bringing exceptional amounts of rainfall to different parts of the UK. The flooding has washed away newly sown crops, and the soil they were in. Farmers are having to decide whether to replant or not. With volatile weather events happening more regularly, do we need to think differently about how land is managed in flood-prone areas? All week we're looking at bird flu. We still have outbreaks occurring, altho...
07/11/23 Raptor persecution, research in bird flu, high iron pea shoots
November 07, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBWildlife police officers are sometimes choosing not to investigate suspected bird of prey crimes because of a fear of complaints and online abuse. That's according to Chief Inspector Kevin Kell, head of the UK's National Wildlife Crime Unit. The issue of tackling crimes against birds of prey can get tied up with the debate around legal game shooting, and Chief Inspector Kelly says the animosity surrounding the debate, puts some officers off getting involved. All week we're taking stock of a...
06/11/23 Future bleak for fruit and veg growers, bird flu prevention on farm
November 06, 2023 18:17 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBThe future for fruit and veg growers is bleak, according to a report out today. It comes from the House of Lords Horticulture Committee and calls on the Government to 'safeguard the sector.' The report warns that British growers are being squeezed out by cheaper imports and that horticulture, which is worth £5 billion a year to the British economy, is underappreciated by policymakers. Its recommendations include reviving the Government's horticulture strategy for England and more urgently re...
04/11/23 - Farming Today This Week: Insect farming, egg supply chain and the Lynx Effect on rams
November 04, 2023 07:00 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBThe Government is reviewing what can be fed to livestock in the UK. Farmed insects are a potentially source of protein for pigs and poultry, which could replace imported feeds like soya that are linked to deforestation. But processed insect feed is currently banned for livestock in the UK. The concern here, is that insects can be disease vectors, particularly if reared on waste, and that using insect proteins could lead to outbreaks of diseases like BSE. But British insect farmers want the la...
03/11/23 Flooded farms, the Lynx effect on rams, NFU Cymru conference
November 03, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBMore farmers are waking up to floods this morning. After Storm Babet there was more heavy rain and flooding and now Storm Ciarán has swollen rivers to encompass fields. It's brought disruption across the country, from Scotland down to the Channel Islands. We hear from Mark Humphrey, a dairy farmer near Taunton on the edge of the Somerset levels, whose farm is underwater. All this week, we've been talking to farmers preparing their farms for winter. For sheep farmers though this is a time for...
02/11/23 Insect feed for livestock, sustainable food supply chains, winter cover crops.
November 02, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBThe Government is reviewing livestock feed in the UK as we're out of step with the EU, and that includes feed made from insects. Farmed insects are a potentially sustainable protein source for pigs and poultry, replacing feeds like soy that are linked to deforestation. Processed insect feed is currently banned for livestock in the UK, but not in the rest of Europe. The concern here, is that insects can be disease vectors, particularly if reared on waste, and that using insect proteins could...
01/11/2023 - Egg supply chains, winter on the Isle of Lewis and live sheep exported to Georgia
November 01, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBThere's to be Government a review into fairness in the egg supply chain - something that was promised at the UK Farm to Fork Summit in Downing Street 5 months ago. Last Spring egg producers warned that retailers weren't paying enough for their eggs, and that was forcing producers to cut back the number of laying hens or give up altogether. That - combined with the pressure of avian flu - led to shortages on supermarket shelves and an increase in imports from places like Italy and Poland. Sinc...
31/10/2023 - NI vet strikes, livestock in winter, Scottish vole populations
October 31, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBSome meat factories in Northern Ireland say they may have to stop production as Government vets take five days of strike action. The Nipsa union, which represents the vets, described a government pay award as 'derisory'. In Scotland, field voles are a favourite meal for predators like pine martens, but when the tiny rodents' population drops, the pine martens will attack endangered capercaillie birds instead. Now, conservationists are developing what they call 'diversionary feeding' to get a...
30/10/23 - Trail hunting, diversity in farming and hedgerows in winter
October 30, 2023 06:00 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBIt's hunting season. Though hunting - chasing wild mammals with dogs - is illegal in England, Scotland and Wales, hunts will still meet up and down the country. They are trail or drag hunts - two different ways of hunting without doing anything illegal. In drag hunting the hounds follow a non-animal scent laid by a drag pulled on a string, in trail hunting they follow an animal scent. Critics say trail hunting can be used as a smokescreen for illegal hunting, and it's been banned by some land...
28/10/23 Farming Today This Week: Floods, Beavers, Welsh food producers, Bracken, Livestock marts, Food & Farming award winner.
October 28, 2023 06:00 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBAs communities across the UK recover after widespread flooding brought by Storm Babet, the National Farmers Union is calling on the government to set up a comprehensive water strategy for England to improve flood resilience. They want more investment to stop crops on fertile farmland being washed away. Wildlife and conservation groups say the English government's approach to re-introducing native species is 'astonishing' after remarks made by the Environment secretary Thérèse Coffey earlier ...
27/10/23 - Bracken control, BBC Food and Farming Awards and vintage farm machinery
October 27, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBFarmers across the country say they're concerned by the withdrawal of a product used to control bracken. This year Asulox was not approved for use in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and allowed only under emergency authorisation in England. Government rules mean the herbicide would need additional health and safety testing work to be allowed for future use, and the company that makes it has decided not to do that. So what does the future hold? We hear from the Green Farm Collective - t...
26/10/23 - Welsh food and drink exports
October 26, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBExports of food and drink from Wales are growing. They were worth £797 million in 2022 - up 44% since 2020. That’s compared to a UK average growth of 16% in the same time. So what’s the secret? In this programme Charlotte Smith visits Taste Wales - an event run by the Welsh Government to help food and drink producers meet buyers from around the world. She speaks to both producers and buyers to find out how powerful 'Brand Wales' is, ask what part sustainability plays and discover where the g...
25/10/23 Floods; Sale of country estate; Scottish auction
October 25, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBAs thousands of acres of farm land have been affected by flooding after Storm Babet, the NFU is calling on the government to set up a comprehensive water management strategy to improve flood resilience, and more investment so productive land does not get flooded, washing away crops. The nine and a half thousand acre Rothbury Estate is on the market for £35 million and that means uncertainty for the tenant farmers who farm nearly half the land. It's currently owned by the Duke of Northumberla...
24/10/2023
October 24, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBThe latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
23/10/23 - Seasonal worker treatment, Hereford livestock mart, native oysters
October 23, 2023 05:00 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBNearly half the seasonal workers on farms inspected by the Home Office complained about their treatment... that's one of the findings of an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism which is published this morning. The Bureau was granted access to reports from 19 farm inspections made between 2021 and 22 after a Freedom of Information battle with the Government - it says 44 % of the 845 workers interviewed by Home Office inspectors raised problems - from racism to being denied m...
21/10/23 Farming Today This Week: bird flu new research, Welsh farming budget, agricultural education
October 21, 2023 06:00 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBSome major new research into bird flu was published this week. The headlines are that this year has so far been better than last year, that the virus doesn't spread between poultry farms in the air and that spread from farm to farm has been very rare. We hear from the Animal and Plant Health Agency on the details. Farmers are warning that cuts to the rural affairs budget in Wales are a significant blow, which put environmental targets at risk. The Farmers Union of Wales and NFU Cymru have bo...
20/10/23 Avian flu new research; Courses in uplands education; Horseback neighbourhood watch.
October 20, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBScientists have published some major new research into bird flu. A consortium of British universities and the Animal and Health Protection Agency has been working on "the flu map project" which is now going to extended. For farmers, the situation so far this year is better than last year and scientists say the virus doesn't spread between poultry farms in the air and that spread from farm to farm has been very rare. They did find some immunity to the infection in some wild birds - particular...
19/10/23 Welsh farming budget; Scottish floods; Drone course
October 19, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBFarmers are warning that cuts to the rural affairs budget in Wales are a significant blow which puts environmental targets at risk. The Farmers Union of Wales and NFU Cymru have both criticised the Welsh Government, which in an emergency budget announced cuts across departments. About 8% of the rural affairs budget, will go, that is around £37 and a half million. Farmers in Scotland are bracing themselves for more bad weather. The Met office is forecasting 'unprecedented levels of rain'. Th...
18/10/23 Shetland trawlers, digital agriculture, Syrian farmer in Northern Ireland
October 18, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBFishers in Shetland are warning lives will be lost unless authorities crack down on the alleged dangerous behaviour of some foreign vessels in the area. All week we're looking at agricultural education; while some students choose to go down the traditional route, others are opting to go high-tech - into what some might call "digital agriculture". We hear how Syrian refugee, Wejdan Ghazal, has been growing her own fruit and veg, with the help of a community vegetable project, near Strangford...
17/10/23 Inquiry into land-based education; Rural skills in Scotland. Reducing emissions from livestock; Coracle fishing
October 17, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBMPs launch an inquiry to find out if young people are failing to get the skills needed to work in rural jobs. All week we're looking at training and education in land-based careers. Rural Skills Scotland offers apprenticeships and qualifications to help get people who are unemployed or live in towns and cities back to work. We visit a training session in Fife. Can upland farms cut their environmental impacts and still stay in business? That’s what trials in the Scottish Highlands are aiming...
16/10/23 SNP Conference; Dentists for fishermen; Land-based education.
October 16, 2023 05:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBThe SNP is meeting in Aberdeen - throughout the party conference season we've been catching up with the rural affairs spokespeople. Today we talk to the Secretary for Rural Affairs in the Scottish Government, the SNP's Mairi Gougeon. A project offering fishermen free dental checks and treatment on the harbourside has got underway in Newlyn in Cornwall. Smiles at Sea will be visiting eight fishing ports in Devon and Cornwall between now and December. The demands of being at sea means it ca...
14/10/23 Farming Today This Week: Producing food versus producing energy, controversial green label for Red Tractor
October 14, 2023 06:00 - 24 minutes - 22.9 MBRed Tractor logo goes green: are farmers being asked to enhance retailers' green credentials for free? As a solar farm in Yorkshire is turned down, we discuss producing food versus producing energy. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
13/10/2023 Renewables, Natural Capital, Grape-Picking
October 13, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBHow do energy companies decide where to put renewables? After a Yorkshire couple, successfully challenged plans to build a solar installation on their tenant farm, we speak to the company that wanted to create a solar farm there, and find out how they select land for renewable projects. Conservationists say the government's new agri-environment scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, doesn’t reward farmers adequately for the human, social and cultural value of the land they manage. Friend...
12/10/2023 Solar farms and tenanted land; Wind farms; Blackberry beer
October 12, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBA couple has won their battle to stop a solar farm being developed on the land they farm. The application was turned down by North Yorkshire Council. The Tenant Farmers Association, who backed Rob and Emma Sturdy, says renewables should not go on good arable land which is being used for food production. Coastal communities living close to wind turbines off the east coast are to be offered cheaper electricity. The scheme, which runs from Grimsby down to Skegness, aims to promote the use of gr...
11/10/23 Gene editing to prevent bird flu, new green label for Red Tractor, pears.
October 11, 2023 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBScientists in Edinburgh have used gene editing techniques in chickens which they say could eventually limit the spread of bird flu. A heated debate on social media has been sparked amongst farmers after the Red Tractor assurance body unveiled proposals for a new environmental label to its scheme. Some pear growers in Wales are trialling using a willow mulch around their trees to help tackle fungal disease. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
22/10/22 Farming Today This Week: Bird flu, education and political uncertainty.
October 22, 2022 06:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MBWe reflect on what political turmoil means for farmers trying to plan their businesses. Farmers plan in decades and like certainty when the're making those plans; that's been in short supply this week. With a new Prime Minister incoming will the Environment Secretary retain his job? Will the current agricultural policy be the policy be the policy by this time next week? We also hear the latest on the worst outbreak of bird flu the UK has ever seen, and talk about agricultural education. Pr...
21/10/22 - Farm planning with politics in turmoil, a BBC Food and Farming Award finalist and education through farming
October 21, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBFarmers say they need some certainty to be able to plan their businesses. With a new Prime Minister incoming will the current agricultural policy still be the policy next month? At the moment that policy includes a 'rapid review' of ELMs (Environmental Land Management Schemes) which have been developed to pay farmers in England for public goods - things like using fewer pesticides or planting hedgerows. The direct subsidy paid to them is being phased out leaving a hole in many farm accounts -...
20/10/22 Flytipping, game birds and avian flu, schools visiting farms
October 20, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBMPs say flytipping has in effect been made legal by the government's inability to deal with it. That's the damning verdict of the cross party Public Accounts Committee. The RSPB says gamebirds shouldn't have been released into the wild this year because of bird flu, and that both the Government and the shooting industry should have acted earlier to prevent more spread of the disease. The shooting industry says about 40% fewer pheasants have been released this year as the area of France where...
19/10/22 - 'Sexing up' farming, a "Landuse Framework" and dying trout
October 19, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBWilfred Emmanuel-Jones, also known as The Black Farmer, hopes he can increase the diversity of the students at the Royal Agricultural University, where he has been appointed as governor. To change the industry for the future he says more land must be made available to new entrants and farming as a career needs to be "sexed up"! The author of the UK Food Strategy, Henry Dimbleby has called for a ‘Land Use Framework’ during an evidence session with the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select...
18/10/22 - Avian flu, Christmas turkeys and teaching kids about farming
October 18, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBThe whole of Great Britain has been put under an Avian Flu Prevention Zone, which means heightened biosecurity. Millions of birds, wild and farmed, are dead because of bird flu. For the first time, the disease has remained at high levels in the wild bird population throughout the summer. It has now re-entered domestic and farmed birds. DEFRA believes the disease is NOT being spread from farm to farm, or even from garden flocks to farms, but from wild birds to farmed poultry. Anna Hill speaks...
17/10/22 Avian flu in wild birds, lab grown meat, agricultural colleges
October 17, 2022 05:00 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBThe Government should be doing more to co-ordinate the response to bird flu in wild birds - that's according to wildlife experts dealing with the outbreak in East Anglia. Marine and Wildlife rescue have been out on the Norfolk broads finding severely ill swans, but say the response has been left to local people to organise. What impact might lab grown meat have on the farming industry? We hear how a new programme lead by The Royal Agricultural University hopes to answer that question. All ...
14/10/22 Bird flu threatens free range production, tenant farmer report, grain trade, farm film diversification
October 14, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBThis week saw new restrictions introduced across East Anglia as the number of avian flu outbreaks continues to rise. It's the worst year ever with more than 170 incidents reported, now flocks in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex will have to be kept inside to try to protect them. We hear what impact this is having on egg producers. England should have a tenant farmers commissioner, the law should be changed to improve tenancies and Defra should change its schemes to make them more accessib...
13/10/22 High tech horticulture, Spanish veg, Ground source heat pump
October 13, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBGrowing Britain's growing: the Environment Secretary has been to Holland to learn about high-tech horticulture. We ask what British growers make of Ranil Jayawardena's £12.5 million of grants for automation in the sector. In the week when we're looking at international trade, we hear from one of the countries we rely on for fruit and veg: Spain. A drought this year and higher energy prices are having an impact on producers. We visit Cornwall where a multi-million pound project is retro-fitt...
12/10/22 - Gene editing, rural cost of living, fertiliser
October 12, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBAs the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill goes through parliament, scientists are engaging in a public dialogue. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics say people want more clarity on the government’s overarching plan for the future of food and farming, in order to understand how genome editing would fit into it. MPs are launching an inquiry into the cost-of-living crisis in rural areas. The All Party Parliamentary ...
11/10/2022: Cheese Exports, Lamb to the US and Rural Unrest
October 11, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBRural organisations with millions of members are worried about what the government has planned for the countryside. Sarah McMonogal from the campaigning organisation CPRE tells Anna that they want to be consulted about future policies such as planning. Ranil Jayawardena the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has heralded a resumption of exports of lamb to the United States as a victory for UK farmers, but is it really such a big deal? And a weaker pound could be goo...
10/10/22 - Pollution rules delayed, International Trade.
October 10, 2022 04:44 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBNew rules aimed at reducing agricultural pollution in rivers in Wales are being delayed by the Welsh Government for three months. The introduction of an all-Wales nitrate vulnerable zone is opposed by farming unions and opposition parties. Campaign group the Welsh Rivers Union, tell us the delay is disappointing, and hope this is not a sign the policy is being pushed into the long grass. And as we begin a week looking at international trade we speak to the head of Copa-Cogeca, the strongest ...
08/10/22 - Conservative party conference, seasonal workers, log bank, potatoes
October 08, 2022 06:00 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBLooking back at the Conservative party conference: the new secretary of state says Defra is now an economic growth department, and the home secretary tells farmers they should work harder to find pickers. We find out what all that means for farmers and food supplies. We hear how a 'log bank' in Northumberland is helping to keep people in rural areas warm this winter. And how the dry weather means chips will be shorter. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
07/10/22 Farm Payments, Net Zero spuds, Seed Potato exports
October 07, 2022 04:44 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBThe Government should consider introducing a direct payment to small farms in England according to Conservative MP and chair of the EFRA (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Committee, Sir Robert Goodwill. He tells us around £10,000 pounds a year could ensure their survival. Direct payments to farmers in England are currently being phased out, while a new policy to pay farmers public money only for providing public goods is brought in. And as we come to the end of our week looking at the p...
06/10/2022 Calls for more visas to pick veg, log bank, potatoes
October 06, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBThe Home Secretary says farmers should work harder to find local pickers. The vast majority of pickers on UK farms come from abroad via the seasonal workers scheme. It was expanded earlier this year to allow 30,000 people to come for 6 months to work on farms and in poultry processing, with an extra 10,000 visas available if needed. Farmers say they really need 70,000 people, allowed to come for 9 months, and that they need to know how many visas will be available as soon as possible. We've...
05/10/22 Potatoes with less ploughing, Leaf Assurance Scheme, Hare Coursing
October 05, 2022 04:44 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBField trials are being carried out to see if potatoes can be grown with less disturbance to the soil. Tractors can make between five and seven passes of a field even before the seed potato is planted. Now Dyson Farms is testing to see if potatoes can be grown in a way which has a lighter touch on the soil and uses fewer inputs. Some are being grown with straw covering them with no fertilisers or irrigation, and others are being grown using digestate as a topping. One of the UK's first susta...
04/10/2022: Conservative Party Conference, Trade Deals, Potato Harvest
October 04, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBThe new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ranil Jayawardena took to the stage at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham yesterday. He told delegates a strong healthy environment and a strong healthy economy can go hand in hand, and from now on instead of Defra being a regulatory department, it is now an economic growth department. Meanwhile, farming and environmental groups have written to the Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch demanding guarantees that the Gov...
03/10/2022: Avian Flu vaccine, Crab Deaths and Potatoes
October 03, 2022 05:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBThe UK chould consider vaccinating flocks against bird flu - the head of virology at the animal and plant health agency - Professor Ian Brown tells Charlotte that new vaccines are needed, but given the severity of avian flu this year the UK should be ready to use them. A new study could shine a light on why crabs are dying off the North East coast of England, could it be chemical poisoning or algae that is to blame? And the start of a week looking at potatoes, how has the weather affected thi...
01/10/22 Farming Today This Week: Reaction to Defra's "rapid review" of farm policy
October 01, 2022 06:00 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBThis week farmers in England have been dominated by speculation that the Government may be about to ditch payments for environmental work and revert to money per hectare. As Defra tries to clarifies its "rapid review" of farming policy, we discuss what farmers and environmentalists want to see, to make it all work better. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
30/09/2022: Scottish Rural Visas, English Vineyard, Flea Beetles and Pesticide Legislation
September 30, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBThe Scottish Government wants to create a 'bespoke rural visa' to allow remote communities - and farms - to attract people from abroad to work, but it needs the Westminster Government’s approval, Charlotte hears from a Scottish minister. One of the newest English vineyards has just opened in Suffolk, Catherine Scarff left a job in the music industry, studied viticulture, and joined the family farm to start a new venture. Some agronomists reckon farmers will lose 20% of their crop to the fle...
29/09/22 Bird Flu, On-shore wind, Wine tourism
September 29, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBMore bird flu outbreaks and more restrictions. 64,000 turkeys are being culled in the latest outbreak, this time in Norfolk. The Government says it's going to relax planning laws about where on-shore wind farms can be built, but some rural councils are not sure they want them. All week we're looking at UK wine. Most is English, but there are about five vineyards in Scotland and thirty in Wales - that's according to the tourism organisation Visit Wales. Visitors are a growing part of the bu...
27/09/22 - Defra announce a 'rapid review' to farm policy, new Welsh Agriculture Bill, berry wine in Scotland
September 27, 2022 05:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBIs the government going to ditch paying farmers to meet environmental goals and give them money per hectare instead? We hear from the academic who thought up the 'public money for public goods' policy. And the Welsh government launches its new Agriculture Bill. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
26/09/22: Reservoir Opposition, Farmers Abused, UK Wine
September 26, 2022 04:44 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBA plan to flood more than a thousand acres of Lincolnshire farmland to create a new reservoir is being met with strong opposition. More than 2000 people have signed a petition opposing Anglian Water’s plans for the site near Sleaford. The company says the facility is vital to secure future water supplies as our climate changes and as demand for water grows. Farming Today regularly reports on concerns for farmer's mental health - and now a study suggests farmers are also regularly being subj...