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Farming Today

BBC Radio 4

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

science

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13:34

25/11/25 University agriculture courses, bird flu in...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/25

Despite a rise in the number of students taking up agriculture degrees over the last couple of years, not all courses are growing. The University of Nottingham is deciding whether to close its agriculture and business course at its Sutton Bonington campus. The University says applications for its farming courses have dropped, making them “less financially viable”. Students have started a petition to save the degree course.Cases of bird flu are still on the rise across the country, with outbreaks in

11:50

24/11/25: Dairy rollercoaster, English farm business...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/24

The latest Farm Business Income Survey from DEFRA shows average dairy farm incomes for 2024/25 had doubled year on year. The reality at this moment may feel very different on farms as the milk price rollercoaster is starting to rattle downwards, with some global dairy commodities tumbling. The Chairman of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, Robert Craig, tells Charlotte Smith that the industry is becoming used to a cycle of rise and fall in milk prices but that ultimately there will be

13:38

21/11/25 Defra secretary at CLA conference, farm...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/21

Details on the relaunch of England's biggest agri-environment scheme will come in the first half of next year - so says the Secretary of State for the Environment, Emma Reynolds, who was speaking at the Country Land and Business Association's annual conference. The sustainable farming incentive or SFI, pays farmers for things like planting hedges and improving soils. It was suddenly closed to new applicants in March as it had run out of money. Details on what happens next were supposed to be

13:40

20/11/25 Food & Farming Award winner, maltings...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/20

A decline in demand for whiskey is being blamed for the closure and suspension of Scottish malting plants - something which farmers fear will also mean a decline in demand for barley. Maltsters process barley so it can be used in distilleries or brewing. Several plants have announced closures and redundancies, but the Maltsters Association of Great Britain says that although it has a been a challenging year, they are positive about the future.The BBC Food and Farming Awards ceremony has taken place,

14:12

19/11/25 Antibiotic resistance, rice straw, Food &...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/19

The use of antibiotics in treating livestock in the UK has fallen, according to a new report published by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, which is a government agency. Using high levels of antibiotics in farming can lead to people developing resistance to life-saving antibiotics.The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, which was set up to reduce antibiotic use in farm animals, through better livestock husbandry, has just published its own report into antibiotic drug use, particularly in pigs

14:02

18/11/25 Inheritance Tax a year on from farmers'...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/18

A year on from a big farmers' rally in Whitehall, farmers again travel to London to lobby MPs about inheritance tax. As COP 30 continues in Brazil, we look at imports of South American soy and its use for animal feed on UK farms. Brazil has a moratorium on cutting down rainforest to allow farmers to plant soya, but there's concern that pressure from big-business could reverse that protection. We speak to the Agricultural Industries Confederation.A Welsh entrepreneur is working on an alternative

11:53

17/11/25 Rise in wool price, getting out of dairy,...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/17

The price farmers get for wool is up, about 20% up from last year, but it still doesn't cover the cost of shearing the sheep. We hear from a dairy farmer who is getting out: this year’s exceptionally hot summer and the resulting cost of feed for the animals has proved too much.Farming fish rather than livestock is being seen by some as the answer to sustainable food security. China is the world's biggest farmed seafood producer, providing more than 60% of the world's farmed fish, and it's investing

24:53

15/11/25 EFRA questions, report on farming in Wales,...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/15

Eight weeks after taking up her post as DEFRA Secretary of State, Emma Reynolds has faced her first barrage of questions from the cross-party group of MPs at the EFRA select committee. MPs quizzed her about farming profitability, fishing policy, water pollution, border controls and illegal meat. They asked about environmental payments too and she acknowledged that mistakes had been made and lessons learned when the Sustainable Farming Incentive was suddenly suspended earlier this year.A report by

14:04

14/11/25 Drought warnings, farmers at COP 30,...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/14

We hear warnings that unless we see some serious rain, England will be in drought next year. The Environment Agency says there will be widespread impacts on farming as well as nature and describes the current situation as 'precarious'. COP 30, the annual world meeting on tackling climate change is underway in Brazil. This one is notable perhaps for the leaders who've skipped it, neither the Chinese or American presidents are attending, but plenty of farmers are.All this week we are looking at

14:01

13/11/25 MPs call for inheritance tax impact...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/13

A report by the House of Commons’ Welsh Affairs Committee is calling for the Government's inheritance tax on farmers to be halted, because it says the tax will have a detrimental impact on Welsh farming, which is intrinsic to the Welsh economy. How about turning fungi roots into building materials? It may sound a bit strange but its already happening - in laboratories, and in commercial enterprises too.This year's apple harvest has been a bumper one, but with a small orchard on a small landmass, the

13:55

12/11/25 EFRA questions, pig farm planning...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/12

Eight weeks after taking up her post as DEFRA Secretary of State, Emma Reynolds has faced her first barrage of questions from the cross-party group of MPs at the EFRA select committee. Over two hours the MPs quizzed her about farming profitability, environmental payments, fishing policy, water pollution, border controls and illegal meat.One of the UK's biggest meat producers, Cranswick has been refused retrospective planning permission for a site in Norfolk, housing 7000 sows. The buildings, which

13:54

11/11/25 Fishing action plan, Scottish farming fund,...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/11

An all party parliamentary group of MPs is launching what it calls a 'new action plan for fishing.' The group believes that the industry is being challenged by a series of problems including a declining workforce, restrictions at sea because of environmental protection and avoiding windfarms. The former fisheries minister and Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner is writing the report. Farmers and crofters are criticising the Scottish Government over the allocation of grants for the Future Farming Investment

11:59

10/11/2025: Family farms, 'Aginflation', mushroom...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/10

Many farming families are uncertain about their future in the industry, but are we on the cusp of major change with consequences for the fabric of the countryside? Professor Matt Lobley, from Exeter University, has researched the dynamics and economics of family farms for many years and he tells us that this moment feels 'different', citing the phase out of the Basic Payment System in England, rising costs, price volatility, and the hiatus in England's Sustainable Farming Incentive. He says that a

24:35

08/11/25 Farming Today This Week: Bird flu, low...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/08

Poultry Farmers are warned this winter is on course to be among the worst for avian flu. This week all poultry in England and Northern Ireland was ordered inside after a number of new cases. The Pirbright Institute's head of avian virology explains why the H5N1 strain of bird flu has become more able to spread, describing it as 'almost a super strain'.A household name in food processing says it's worried about future supplies of raw materials, because farmers confidence is so poor. Behind the scenes

14:00

07/11/2025: Bird flu warning, Wrinkled Crinkled...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/07

Poultry Farmers are warned this winter is on course to be among the worst for Avian Flu. This week all poultry in England and Northern Ireland was ordered inside after a number of new cases. The Pirbright Institute's head of Avian Virology explains why the H5N1 strain of bird flu has become more able to spread, describing it as 'almost a super strain'.A household name in food processing says it's worried about future supplies of raw materials, because farmers confidence is so poor. McCain is the

13:59

06/11/25 Millennium Seed Bank - how wild seeds can...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/06

As part of our week-long focus on seeds we go behind the scenes at the Millennium Seed Bank in Sussex. It's celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Experts from Kew Royal Botanical Gardens collect, clean and curate wild seeds from around the world. They're stored in giant vaults and safeguarded for the future. This helps protect endangered species of plants, but scientists also germinate the seeds for use in conservation and agriculture.Presenter = Charlotte SmithProducer= Rebecca Rooney

13:55

05/11/25 Preparedness for animal disease, bird flu...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/06

As the number of bird flu cases across the country rises, DEFRA has announced bird keepers across England must house all poultry and captive birds if they keep more than 50 birds. Avian influenza is just one of the animal disease threats raised in a new report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. It says the government would not be ready for a serious national disease outbreak like BSE or foot and mouth because resources have been focused on tackling ongoing outbreaks of avian

14:00

04/11/25 Seasonal workers, seed merchant, farm...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/04

The government's announced the number of agricultural seasonal workers visas allowed for the UK for next year. 41,000 visas will be made available for horticulture and 1,900 for poultry. It's slightly lower than the current allowance, but the National Farmers Union has welcomed the announcement, saying it has been made in good time, so farms can organise recruitment ahead of next year's harvest. However the NFU says if the horticulture sector is to grow, it will need more workers in the future -

11:59

03/11/2025: Food security, no confidence in DAERA,...

Farming Today ·

2025/11/03

A cross party group of MPs are warning that UK food production could drop by almost a third, by 2050. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture also says that by 2050 - assuming all Government targets were met in full - almost a quarter of current UK farmland could be used for other purposes including renewable energy, housing, and nature restoration. The group is publishing a report today calling for the most productive farmland to be protected and for output to

25:03

01/11/2025: Drought, invasive species, waste

Farming Today ·

2025/11/01

The government's Drought Group has warned of ongoing problems in the year ahead unless reservoirs and rivers get enough rain in the next few months. The hot dry summer has pushed many farmers to re-evaluate how they use water. We speak to an expert who works with farmers and landowners to plan and manage water use. This week on Farming Today we've been looking at invasive species - from the Asian hornet which is killing our native honey bees, to Himalayan Balsam which spreads quickly and can choke

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