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Farming Today

BBC Radio 4

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

science

All Episodes

14:04

30/05/2024: Dairy, National Parks, Worms

Farming Today ·

2024/05/31

A Welsh cheesemaker which described itself as innovative and with the highest sustainability standards has announced it cannot continue in its current form. The 321 farmers who supply milk to Mona dairy on Anglesey have been reassured that an interim buyer for their milk has been found, while the dairy's owners search for new investment. The Campaign for National Parks and the Alliance for Welsh Designated Landscapes has produced a 10-point National Parks Action plan for the new Welsh government

13:51

29/05/24 - A new National Park for Scotland, horned...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/29

Scotland is to get at least one new national park - due to be designated in 2026. Groups in Tay Forest, Loch Awe, Lochaber, Galloway, and the Borders have now submitted formal bids for the Scottish Government to consider...but not everyone’s keen on the idea. Farming traditional native breed cattle with horns, like Gloucester’s and Longhorns, is becoming increasingly difficult because abattoirs don’t have the facilities to deal with those horns. We hear from one farmer who says his herd of 80

14:09

28/05/2024: National Parks and International Seed Banks

Farming Today ·

2024/05/28

Environmentalist Ben Goldsmith blames sheep grazing for turning the UKs National Parks into ‘dead zones’. Neil Heseltine the chair of National Parks England responds, and explains what role he sees for these institutions.One of the two scientists who was instrumental in creating a back-up vault of the world’s crop seeds to protect global food security, explain how it works.Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced by Alun Beach

12:02

27/05/24 The D-Day farms

Farming Today ·

2024/05/27

To mark the 80th anniversary of Vernon Harwood tells the story of Britain's D-Day farms. As dawn broke on the morning of the 6th June 1944 thousands of Allied ships and landing craft carrying more than 150,000 troops approached the beaches of Normandy in Northern France as the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare got underway. Meanwhile the airborne assault involved more than 11,000 aircraft making it the single largest aerial operation ever seen. D-Day had arrived. Code-named

25:03

25/05/24 Farming Today This Week: The Chelsea Flower...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/25

This week as the Prime Minister sets the date for the General Election, we ask what farmers will be looking for.And as antidote to all the politics, we bring you flowers. All week we've been taking time to enjoy the blooms, inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

13:57

24/05/2024: Farmers on the election, Mushroom...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/24

Farmers from different parts of the industry say what they want from the next government.A woman who swapped a life in the luxury hospitality business in Jamaica for mushroom farming on Scotland’s west coast.And an arable farm which specialises in growing flowers for the British market.Presented by Caz GrahamProduced by Alun Beach

13:40

23/05/24 General election and rural vote; Daffodils;...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/23

The date's been set for a general election. Some would argue all the main political parties have been wooing the farming and rural vote for months now, Rishi Sunak was the first PM in 16 years to appear at the NFU conference this spring, Labour’s promising a rural crime strategy and the Lib Dems say they’d put an extra billion pounds into farming budgets. According to the Rural Service Network 40% of constituencies are rural, and that rural vote will be a key battleground, especially in the light

14:08

22/05/24 - Farm labour, flower growers and live...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/22

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show a record number of people are not employed due to long term sickness. The Government's launching a new task force with the aim of getting people who are off work and on benefits, back on the payroll. The Prime Minister has suggested they could they be persuaded to get out into the fields to pick fruit and veg.The wet weather is impacting farmers across the country - and flower growers are being hit too. For many of those exhibiting this week

14:15

21/05/24 - Planning rules change, growing roses and...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/21

Changes to planning law will allow more freedom for farmers and landowners in England to convert unused buildings into new homes, or new businesses like farm shops. The relaxed rules make it possible to alter buildings to create up to 10 homes, without planning permission. In addition, the amount of floorspace that can be changed from agricultural to commercial use has been doubled.When you pick up a potted rose in a garden centre do you think about how long it's taken to get there? At Whartons

12:00

20/05/24 Illegal waste; Environmental benchmarking;...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/20

There's an update on the saga of illegal waste dumping at a protected woodland in Kent. The BBC has learnt that the Government is planning an emergency intervention to clear thousands of tonnes of rubbish. Locals say that as many as 30 lorries a day were illegally dumping rubbish at Hoads Wood near Ashford at the height of the problem last year. The woodland is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and is site of special scientific interest . Now one conservation group describes the site as a

25:07

18/05/24 - Farming Today This Week: Farm to Form...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/18

Anna Hill reports from the second Farm to Fork Summit held this week in Downing Street. To coincide with the event, the Government released it's Food Security Index - which looks at how much of the food we eat is produced here, but also takes into account other things, like fertiliser prices, global trade and biosecurity risks. The Prime Minister said he wants to expand UK fruit and veg production. Around 120,000 visitors and 4,000 head of livestock have been at the Balmoral Show in Northern Ireland

13:56

17/05/24 The Balmoral Show

Farming Today ·

2024/05/17

Helen Mark visits the Balmoral Show in Northern Ireland. In the week when the Northern Ireland Assembly has declared the country to be in an ecological and biodiversity crisis, Helen asks the new Minister for Agriculture, Andrew Muir, how he sees farming and the environment working together.Produced by Beatrice Fenton.

14:02

16/05/24 - Water company landscape plan, solar farm...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/16

Farmers are being asked to support South East Water with its new 25 year environment plan - launched this week - which includes creating a new super nature reserve. More than 80% of the area covered by the company across Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire, is agricultural. The company is under investigation by OFWAT after it was revealed as the worst performer for supply interruptions last year, and some local farmers are not impressed by the new plan.Land use and the rules around it are

13:59

15/05/24 - The Farm to Fork Summit at 10 Downing Street

Farming Today ·

2024/05/15

In this special programme, Anna Hill reports from the second Farm to Fork Summit at 10 Downing Street.The Government says it wants to increase the amount of home grown fruit and veg - after figures released this week who only 17% of fruit and 55% of vegetables eaten in the UK, are produced here. More money will be released to help fruit and veg farmers invest in new equipment.As well as interviewing Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, we hear from delegates who were invited to the summit about what it

14:08

14/05/24 - Farm to Fork Summit, Welsh holiday homes...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/14

The Government says it wants more home grown fruit and veg - after releasing figures that show only 17% of fruit and 55% of vegetables eaten in the UK, are produced here. It's releasing more funding to help fruit and veg farmers invest in new equipment. The announcement come as the Prime Minister hosts his second Farm to Fork Summit at 10 Downing Street. New rules in Wales mean holiday-let owners now have to rent their accommodation out for at least 182 days a year in order to qualify for business

24:32

11/05/24 Farming Today This Week: Sandeels, funding...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/13

Farmer confidence is at an all time low: that's according to a new survey published this week by the National Farmers' Union. It says the wet weather has had an impact, but farmers also point to worries about the future of their businesses. The Government’s announcement that the seasonal worker visa scheme is being extended for five years has been welcomed by farming organisations. It comes as part of Defra's response to an independent review into labour shortages in the Food Supply Chain which

11:59

13/05/2024 - Food exports, rural tourism and new...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/13

When Britain left the European Union, the Government said food and drink exporters had a 'golden opportunity' to put British food at the 'top of the global menu'. But the reality is that UK food is still lagging behind its European counterparts, both in terms of sales and reputation. Tourism brings £14.5 billion into the rural economy every year - according to the Country Land and Business Association. But while visitors bring much needed cash they also create problems - from the pressure on housing

13:47

10/05/2024 - Seasonal labour, Portuguese rice and...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/10

The Government’s announcement that the seasonal worker visa scheme is being extended for five years has been welcomed by farming organisations. It comes as part of DEFRA's response to an independent review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain which was published last summer. Also in that response is a commitment to "turbo-charge" investment in automation with an extra 50 million pounds of funding for new technology for automating pack houses and to improve robotic pickers.Jon Old’s family

14:20

09/05/24 - Regen ag, Iberico pork, OEP water report...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/09

The boss of Waitrose has told Farming Today that the value of food needs reappraising and that in some cases higher prices should be considered. It comes as the supermarket announces that from 2035, it’s UK produced meat, milk, eggs and fruit and veg will come from farms that practice regenerative farming. There is no precise definition for regenerative agriculture, but it focuses on improving soil health by reducing or removing cultivation, growing cover crops to protect the soil and using fewer

14:12

08/05/24 - Coast path, carbon sequestration and...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/08

The King Charles III England Coast Path was named to celebrate the coronation last year - and the plan was to make 2,700 miles of coastal path available to walkers. But, on the Isle of Wight, the Ramblers Association says some landowners won't allow access for the path, so it will have to detour away from the coast. One of those is the Osbourne House Estate - the former home of Queen Victoria, which was given to the nation in 1902.A bio-tech company has developed a new technique to enhance carbon

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