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Farming Today

BBC Radio 4

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

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13:57

14/11/24 Regenerative agriculture and advertising...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/14

The Advertising Standards Authority has issued guidance to advertisers to make sure consumers aren't misled about the term "regenerative agriculture".Scotland's first minister John Swinney says inheritance tax changes in the budget are causing unacceptable levels of stress among farmers in Scotland.We’re discussing farming in Scotland all this week. The new agriculture act now requires every farmer and crofter to complete an annual whole farm plan in order to claim their basic support payments. The

14:13

13/11/24 - Seafood carbon emission, Crofters Bill and...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/13

A new tool is being used by the seafood sector to collate carbon emissions data from all along the supply chain - from farming catching the fish in the wild, all the way through to processing and packing.The Scottish Government is consulting on a new Crofting Bill, aimed at making it easier for people to get into crofting and to support things like peatland restoration and environmental work on crofts. We ask crofters on the Western Isles what they make of it.And a 'sheep industry task force' has

13:57

12/11/24 - Avian flu in American cows, Scottish...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/12

Bird flu is back in the UK. Two years ago a strain of the virus called H5N1 caused outbreaks across the world, killing millions of birds, on poultry farms and in the wild. In America, that same strain has infected dairy cows on nearly 500 different farms, and in some cases also been passed on to humans. The UK has just seen its first avian flu outbreak of the winter in a commercial poultry flock in the East Riding of Yorkshire, but this time the strain's been identified as H5N5. What difference does

24:58

09/11/24 Farming Today This Week: Saltmarshes,...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/09

On the programme this week, we investigate concerns over plans for new saltmarshes near the Hinkley C nuclear power plant. Upland sheep farmers tell us why they're struggling with the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme. We visit the islands of Lewis and Harris to look at a new approach to treating sheep disease. And there's further reaction to the Budget: farmers explain their opposition to new inheritance tax plans and the Secretary of State, Steve Reed, responds. And farming tax

14:00

07/11/24 - Inheritance tax details, mobile sheep dips...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/07

Many farming families are extremely concerned about the future of their farms, after the Government introduced inheritance tax on farmland in the Budget. But there’s a lot of confusion about how much inheritance tax farmers will have to pay. We invite a tax expert to dig into the details.One of the sheep industry's most enduring health and welfare challenges is scab - an itchy condition caused by mites. It’s controlled by either injecting a dose of medicine or the traditional dipping of sheep. But

14:08

05/11/24 - DEFRA Secretary on inheritance tax, Basic...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/05

The DEFRA Secretary has defended the Government's decision to introduce inheritance tax on agricultural assets. Steve Reed tells Anna Hill the wealthiest landowners and farmers "can afford to contribute more". It comes after inheritance tax of 20% is being brought in for farms with £2 million or more of assets. Some farmers are angry - concerned it will mean that when a farmer dies, their family will have to sell some of all of their land to pay the tax.And we visit an autumn sheep sale in Cumbria

12:13

04/11/24 Row over new chair for Dartmoor land use...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/04

There's a row about a new Land Management Group for Dartmoor. There's been a lot of controversy about the state of the environment and grazing sheep there. The new group's been set up to bring together farmers, commoners and environmental groups to sort out the problems. The government's appointed Phil Stocker as the independent chair, but conservationists say he shouldn't have been given the job as he's also CEO of the National Sheep Association. We speak to Dartmoor Nature Alliance about their

24:43

02/11/24 Farming Today This Week: Farmers react to...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/02

Following the Budget, Caz Graham is in Cumbria to hear farmers' reactions to the news that inheritance tax will apply to farms from April 2026.The National Farmers' Union tells us farming is being "bled dry" and has "nothing left to give".The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner, confirmed that next year's farming budget for England remains unchanged at £2.4 billion.There was no mention of nature in the Chancellor's speech, something the Wildlife Trusts highlighted, saying

13:59

01/11/24 Budget: upland farmers and environmental...

Farming Today ·

2024/11/01

As part of the budget, farmers in England have been told direct payments will be phased out more quickly than originally planned.Under the EU system farmers were paid subsidy based on the amount of land they farmed - that system is being replaced with new schemes, which are different in the four nations of the UK. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland farmers continue to get direct payments at the moment. In England the phase out started in 2021. So many farmers are already getting around half

13:42

31/10/2024 - The Budget: inheritance tax will apply...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/31

We look at how the Budget affects agriculture and farming businesses. Inheritance tax will apply to farms from April 2026. The National Farmers' Union tells us farming is being "bled dry" and has "nothing left to give". The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner, has confirmed that next year's farming budget for England remains unchanged at £2.4 billion. There was no mention of nature in the Chancellor's budget speech, something the Wildlife Trusts highlighted, saying "The UK

13:46

30/10/24 Budget preview, environmental targets, soil...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/30

Labour's first Budget for 14 years will be delivered by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves today. The treasury's confirmed a 6.7% increase in the national living wage for UK workers over the age of 21 and the national minimum wage for those aged between 18 and 20 will also rise by £1.40 per hour. It's one decision that could impact farming businesses. We look at what other potential announcements could mean for agriculture and the environment.The government's set out new criteria for meeting nature

13:45

29/10/24 Hedgehogs on red list, soil survey in...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/29

Hedgehogs have been moved up the red list of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation. The IUCN says the European Hedgehog is in worrying and widespread decline, and it has moved it from "least concern" to "near threatened". We ask the Mammal Society why hedgehogs are a cause for concern.All week we're digging down into the subject of soil. Northern Ireland is running one of the most comprehensive soil nutrient sampling schemes that any country has ever undertaken. The £37

12:02

28/10/24 - Salmon deaths, mink eradication and soil

Farming Today ·

2024/10/28

A rise in sea temperatures is being blamed for the death of more than a million fish on salmon farming sites. MOWI - the company that runs the sites - says increased sea temperatures in the last 2 years led to an influx of jellyfish and algae, which harmed the fish. But campaigners say having large numbers of salmon concentrated in once place is the real problem - claiming it compromises their health, making them more vulnerable when water temperatures fluctuate.Invasive mink could be eradicated

24:54

26/10/24 Farming Today This Week: greenhouse gas...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/26

This week we are focusing on livestock and their impact on climate change. We hear about the concerns over the number of livestock here in the UK, and find out how farmers are reducing emissions by growing cattle faster or breeding sheep to burp less.A BBC freedom of information request has revealed that the amount of illegal meat seized by border force officials has doubled in a year. Charlotte Smith revisits a farmer growing white maize, a staple crop in his native Zimbabwe. Eleven years since

13:59

25/10/24 - Neonics, reducing emission from dairy and...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/25

Following an application from farmers for the emergency use of a neonicotinoid pesticide on next year's sugar beet crop the Government has told Farming Today that it will ban neonics, but that a decision on this application will be taken 'in line with legal requirements'. We understand that that means farmers may get permission this time - but not again.We visit a Wiltshire farm, where the family who run it have spent the last 4 years changing the way they do things to reduce their carbon footprint

13:41

24/10/24 - Reducing emissions from beef, diversity...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/24

This week we are focusing on livestock and their impact on climate change. We've heard about the concerns over the number of livestock here in the UK, and today we find out how beef farmers are reducing emissions by growing cattle faster.An online course has been launched to raise awareness of the importance, and lack of, diversity in UK agriculture. Nuffield Farming Scholarships say farming is one of the least diverse industries in the country in terms of ethnicity, disability and sexual

14:08

23/10/24 - Bird of prey deaths, ruminant emissions...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/23

The RSPB says more than 1,300 protected birds of prey have been killed across the UK over the past 15 years. The Birdcrime report blames rogue gamekeepers who, it claims, are more concerned about protecting the gamebirds on their shooting estates. But the British Association for Shooting and Conservation says its members have "absolutely zero tolerance" of the illegal shooting of birds of prey.The Green Alliance says the number of ruminant livestock in the UK needs to be reduced to reach Net Zero

13:56

22/10/24 - Unspent flood money, low emission sheep,...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/22

Less than 5% of a £50 million fund promised to farmers who were hit by last winter's floods, has been paid out. The Farming Recovery Fund was set-up by the previous government to support farmers whose land had been damaged by floodwater during Storm Babet and Storm Henk. But figures revealed by a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Farmers Weekly show that, so far, just £2.1 million of it has been spent.A selective breeding trial on a sheep farm in Shropshire is hoping to reduce methane

11:47

21/10/24 - Budget concerns for farming and the...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/21

We hear warnings from the Country Land and Business Association that changing tax rules for farms could close many down. The RSPB says any cuts to the farming budget would put nature and climate targets at risk. To start our week looking at greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, we speak to Professor Sir Charles Godfrey of the Oxford Martin School who says we should be producing less and better meat.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

24:43

19/10/24 - Farming Today This Week: Biodiversity COP,...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/19

The UK is in danger of violating international agreements on restoring nature, according to The Wildlife Trusts. It says the upcoming COP 16 on biodiversity is a crucial chance for the Government to demonstrate how it will meet targets to halt and reverse the decline of nature by 2030. As the grape harvest gets underway, we take a deep dive into a growing UK farm sector - viticulture. There are more than 10,000 acres of vines grown across the UK, and that area is expanding. Recent data shows more

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