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Farming Today

BBC Radio 4

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

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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

14:05

18/10/24 - COP 16, soil microbes, wine tourisim

Farming Today ·

2024/10/18

The UK is in danger of violating international agreements on restoring nature, that's according to the Wildlife Trusts. The Trusts' chief executive, Craig Bennet, tells us next week's COP 16 on biodiversity is a crucial chance for the Government to demonstrate how it will meet targets. Tom Heap explores the microscopic world of microbes, including an experiment to improve the resilience of wheat.Viticulture is one of the fastest growing parts of agriculture here in the UK. Recent data shows that

14:08

17/10/24 - Review of Defra's rules, decline in the...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/17

The government has announced that Defra should be a 'key economic growth department' and has ordered a review into its regulations and regulators. That's been welcomed by some, like the Country Land and Business Association, which says ministers need 'a laser like focus on identifying and removing the barriers to economic growth in the countryside'. The National Farmers' Union told us it wants a 'proportionate and predictable' regulatory environment for farmers. But others are more wary:

14:12

16/10/24 Bluetongue restrictions, champagne producers...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/16

Bluetongue disease continues to affect livestock across England, and into Wales. The virus, which can be fatal to sheep, is transmitted by biting midges, which breed in warm temperatures. Over the last few weeks, DEFRA has increased the areas where animal movements are restricted. We speak to a breeder in Suffolk whose pedigree flock is under lockdown because of the restrictions. He's been unable to sell his rams at market and has criticised the government for not tackling the disease sooner. He

14:08

15/10/24 - Renewable community benefits, English...

Farming Today ·

2024/10/15

New energy infrastructure projects like solar and wind farms don't always go down well with local communities. But what if people living nearby got cheaper energy bills or even owned shares in the development? When asked about new energy infrastructure last month, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said he wants to "do deals with local people so they can see a benefit for their community". We find out how that could work for rural people.We visit Chapel Down on the North Downs in Kent. It's England’s

11:50

14/10/24 - Harvest 2024, eco-friendly twine, UK wine

Farming Today ·

2024/10/14

The 2024 wheat harvest is the second worst since records began in 1983, according to DEFRA. That won't be much of a surprise to famers across the country who have battled wet weather which has destroyed some crops and disrupted planting plans and harvest. What will it mean for farm businesses and consumers?We visit a trial in Cornwall which is testing if twine made from sisal could be an an eco-friendly alternative to wrapping bales of hay and straw in plastic netting. Sisal twine is made from

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