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Farming Today

BBC Radio 4

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

science

All Episodes

14:00

08/10/25: Rive Wye, rural crime, new nature reserve

Farming Today ·

2025/10/08

What has been described as the biggest legal claim ever brought in the UK over environmental pollution has been filed at the High Court. Almost 4000 people have signed up to a class action lawsuit against major poultry producers and a water company over allegations of "extensive and widespread pollution" in the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk. They argue that the state of the rivers in recent years has severely affected local businesses, property values and people's enjoyment of the area - and are

14:01

07/10/25: Skilled workers visas, Neigh-bourhood...

Farming Today ·

2025/10/07

More than twenty five dairy farms in Scotland say their businesses could be at risk after the UK Government removed farm workers from the visa system for skilled overseas labour. In July, the government cut the jobs of 'farmer' and 'agricultural contractor' from the Temporary Shortage Occupation list. We meet one of the horseback volunteers keeping an eye out for suspicious activity in Cumbria, and find out how the police force's Rural Crime Unit is overcoming the inherent challenges of fighting

11:47

06/10/25: Rural policing, grape harvest, Conservative...

Farming Today ·

2025/10/06

A rural crime expert tells us there's been an 'ideological and material' shift away from the problem in some police force areas. Dr Kate Tudor from Durham University says despite this there have been some positives in the fight against rural crime, following the advent of a National Rural Crime Team. All this week Farming Today is examining the issue.The warmest summer on record for the UK has meant good yields and high-quality grapes in our vineyards, and winemakers looking forward to a vintage

24:53

Farming Today This Week: illegal meat, rural poverty,...

Farming Today ·

2025/10/04

Twenty tonnes of illegal meat and animal products have been intercepted at Dover in September alone according to Dover's Head of Port Health and Public Protection. Lucy Manzano tells us the amount of illegal meat her staff are seizing is 'escalating'.The way deprivation is measured in the UK means the challenges facing rural areas aren't taken into account. That’s the conclusion of "Pretty Poverty", a new report from Plymouth Marjon University. It argues that rural hardship could be "hidden behind

13:53

02/10/2025 Cuts to milk price, bluetongue virus and...

Farming Today ·

2025/10/02

The price farmers are paid for milk is falling. This comes at a bad time for many farmers who are having to buy in forage for their cows after the long hot summer slowed, or stopped, the growth of grass. The new Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds says farming is "transforming and modernising". In one of her first speeches, at the Labour Party conference, she told delegates she's seen first hand how much we depend on hardworking farmers.And why bluetongue virus matters for food security.Presented

11:59

29/09/25: Prime Minister's farming priority, Armagh...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/29

As the Labour Party Conference continues, the Prime Minister says improving profitability is his priority for farming. There's no sign of change on the decision to reimpose Inheritance Tax on farms worth over £1 million.We begin a week focussing on the role of livestock markets in 21st century farming, and ask are they as relevant now as a generation ago?County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, is famous for its Bramley Apples and we visit a grower who says his family has apple in their blood.Presenter:

25:01

27/09/25 Farming Today This Week: Bumper harvest of...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/27

As the fallout continues from cyber attacks on Jaguar Land Rover and nursery chain Kido in recent days, so too does scrutiny of the food supply chain and how vulnerable it may be to hackers. We've talked a lot about the problems the baking weather this summer has caused farmers, but for apple, pear and plum growers it has been great. The Lyth Valley in south Cumbria is known for its damson orchards, a dazzle of snowy white blossom in spring and this year creaking under the weight of a bumper

14:01

26/09/25: Cybersecurity, historic plums, tenant...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/26

As the fallout from a cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover continues, how vulnerable are the major retailers' food supply chains to hackers? The Grocer's Technology Editor tells us that the supermarkets are nervous, and putting pressure on their suppliers to improve cybersecurity.England's new Tenant Farming Commissioner has been named. Alan Laidlaw will be an 'independent champion' to promote better relationships between tenants and landlords, according to DEFRA.We visit an orchard full of historic

14:06

25/09/25 Bumper crop of damsons, dahlias, water...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/25

This year's baking heat has had a beneficial impact on damsons and dahlias.The Lyth Valley in south Cumbria is known for its damson orchards, a dazzle of snowy white blossom in spring and this year creaking under the weight of a bumper harvest. It's such a bumper crop that some growers have more damsons than they know what to do with.In Gloucestershire dahlia growers are enjoying a good growing season. These bright autumn flowers originally come from Mexico, and their popularity here as a cut

13:58

24/09/25: New farmland bird stats, Corn Buntings,...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/24

Farmland bird populations in England have seen a 'rapid nosedive' says the RSPB. It's worried by new Government figures showing an 11% decrease in farmland bird numbers between 2019 and 2024. Meanwhile, farmers in Scotland have been trialling tweaks to conservation scheme options which could help the Corn Bunting.And, new techniques to make Plum growing more profitable by using resources more efficiently.Presenter: Anna HillProducer: Sarah Swadling

13:52

23/09/22: Bluetongue warning, apple harvest, farming...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/23

Bluetongue affects ruminant animals, like Sheep and Cattle, and it's spread between animals by biting midges. The disease tends to subside as temperatures drop but vets are warning farmers not to become complacent about Bluetongue this autumn. Anna Hill hears from the British Veterinary Association.This week we're focussing on apples, plums and their ilk - known as Top Fruit. Today, a visit to a Herefordshire orchard growing apple varieties old and new, which is enjoying a good harvest.Anna visits a

11:58

22/09/2025 Apples and pears, Lib Dem conference,...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/22

It's a good year for British apples, a lack of frost and an abundance of warm weather should mean a bumper crop. Harvest is underway and hopes are high, but there are continuing concerns about the loss of orchards and growers' reluctance to invest in new ones.It's party conference season and we're hearing from all the parties about their plans for the countryside. Today we speak to Tim Farron from the Liberal Democrats who would scrap inheritance tax on farms.An experimental scheme using drones to

24:49

20/09/25 Farming Today This Week: Rivers in National...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/20

A new report into the health of waterways in National Parks in England and Wales claims that they aren't being properly protected from agricultural and sewage pollution. The research, from the Campaign for National Parks and Rivers Trust, has found that almost sixty percent of rivers and lakes in these areas are failing to meet the legal standard for 'good ecological status'.Whether it's doctors and dentists or banks and buses, services in the countryside are often harder for residents to access

13:40

19/09/25 Rural Housing Solutions, NI Rural Politics,...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/19

The lack of affordable housing has long been a barrier to people living and working in rural areas. The Rural Services Network described it this year as a 'rural housing emergency'. All this week we've been looking at rural services, from buses to health, and today it's housing. We've reported before on some of the issues: planning, second homes and high prices for instance. Today we hear about some of the solutions.It's party conference season; agriculture is important to Northern Ireland's

13:46

18/09/25: Drought/downpour, rural crime gang jailed,...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/18

The Environment Agency announced this week that drought is likely to extend into the autumn for some areas. But September is making up for August's lack of rain and, where there have been heavy downpours, farmers are starting to hope for a little respite. Charlotte Smith talks to two dairy farmers: one in the dry East of England the other in the (usually) damp West about the swing from heatwave to showers.An organised crime gang has been jailed for machinery and vehicle thefts from farms, worth

14:02

17/09/25: Rivers in National Parks, Rural Post...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/17

A new report claims rivers in England and Wales' National Parks aren't protected adequately against sewage discharges and agricultural runoff. 'Rivers at Risk', published by Campaign for National Parks and the Rivers Trust says in some areas the sewage system isn't able to cope with an influx of holiday visitors. The report's timed to send a message to the Government ahead of forthcoming reforms to the water industry.There's a week left to comment in the Government's consultation on the future of

14:00

16/09/25: US-UK dairy trade? Health services in rural...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/16

As President Trump arrives for his State Visit, farmers and milk processors are warning that allowing US dairy producers access to our markets could potentially threaten the financial viability of the UK industry. The National Farmers Union's Dairy Board Chair says the US dairy industry has made no secret of its ambitions to break into the lucrative UK market and has exportable surplus to spare. The NFU and Dairy UK have written to the Prime Minister, demanding that food and animal welfare standards

11:54

15/09/25 Cheesemakers unhappy with US trade deal,...

Farming Today ·

2025/09/15

British cheesemakers say they’ve got a raw deal on export tariffs to the US compared to their EU competitors.The Government is consulting on extending a ban on bottom trawler fishing in marine protected areas. Conservationists argue the practice of dragging nets and chains along the sea floor is destroying habitats and species. But fishermen are warning that restricting where they can catch will cause financial hardship.If you live in the countryside it is likely that your local authority gets 40%

24:44

13/09/25: Farmland Birds, Wild Summit, Illegal Meat

Farming Today ·

2025/09/13

Populations of birds which live on farmland have declined sharply since the 1970s, although there are signs the rate of decline is now slowing. We visit projects to improve habitats for Nightjars in Staffordshire and Corncrakes on the Isle of Lewis. This week a Wild Summit bought together voices from all sides of the debate to discuss how to reverse the biodiversity crisis. Farming Today hears from conservationists and farmers, agreeing that current policies are 'fractured'.The Commons' Environment,

13:59

12/09/2025

Farming Today ·

2025/09/12

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