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Farming Today

BBC Radio 4

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

science

All Episodes

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

13:37

07/05/24 UK EU row over sandeels, farmers' collapse...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/07

The RSPB says it is "vital" that a UK ban on fishing for sandeels in the North Sea remains in place. The ban, which stops sandeel trawlers fishing in English and Scottish sections of the North Sea, came into effect in April following a long campaign by conservationists concerned about declining seabird populations, particularly puffins and kittiwakes. Fishermen in Denmark are supporting a challenge by the European Union to the UK ban, claiming they have lost half of their fishing grounds because

11:59

06/05/24 Behind the scenes on the Wildland Estate...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/06

Just what happens when a foreign billionaire buys a vast tract of the Scottish Highlands and sets about changing it? Does Scotland’s biggest landowner Anders Holch Povlsen dictate everything that happens on his 80,000 acres of the Cairngorm National Park? Is he making money from it? Richard Baynes has been to the heart of Povlsen’s Wildland estate, talking to those charged with restoring nature on it and finding out how they work. Produced and presented by Richard Baynes.

25:08

04/05/24 - Farming Today This Week: Border checks,...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/04

New physical checks have been brought in on some imports of food and plants from the EU. Products deemed high or medium risk now have to be inspected - including live animals, meat and some plant products. We report from a border control post to find out how it works.An investigation is under way following the large scale illegal dumping of waste at a site in Kent. Local residents describe a steady stream of lorries carrying waste being brought to the site.And the largest cider manufacturer in the

14:08

03/05/24 Latest badger cull figures, Jeremy Clarkson,...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/03

The latest figures from Defra show nearly 20,000 badgers were killed across England last year, as part of the Government's policy to tackle TB in cattle. Badger campaigners say that the continued culling is leading to local extinctions. Defra says there are no easy answers, but badger culling "has proved highly effective and needs to remain a part of our holistic approach".Jeremy Clarkson says if he wanted to make money from his thousand acre Oxfordshire farm he'd put as much as possible into

13:45

02/05/2024: Illegal waste dumping; NI veterinary...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/02

An investigation is under way into a case of large-scale illegal waste dumping in Kent. According to a House of Lords committee report, up to a third of veterinary medicines currently used in Northern Ireland could cease to be available to farmers when a grace period ends next year.A Natural Products BioHub has been launched at Swansea University, which will support researchers and businesses specialising in pesticides which control pests without the need for chemicals.Presented by Charlotte

14:01

01/05/25 - Import border checks, local elections and...

Farming Today ·

2024/05/01

New physical checks have been brought in on some imports of food and plants from the EU. Products deemed high or medium risk now have to be inspected - including live animals, meat and some plant products. Inspections can be done either at Government run sites or at commercial facilities - we report from both to find out how it works.The major political parties are all competing for the rural vote ahead of the local elections. A combination of councillors, mayors and police and crime commissioners

14:13

30/04/24 - Border checks, global disease monitoring...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/30

New border checks for imports of food and plants coming into the UK from the EU, start 30th April 2024. Some farming groups have been calling for these checks for some time - saying they will give producers here more of a level playing field with EU producers, because UK exports have had similar checks since Brexit. But some importers say inspection costs are prohibitive.We hear from the conference to celebrate the World Organisation for Animal Health's 100th anniversary, where avian flu is on the

24:38

27/04/24 Farming Today This Week: illegal fishing,...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/27

Illegal fishing on rivers and watercourses is on up according to the police, who are stepping up patrols with other agencies. Angling clubs pay thousands of pounds every year to stock rivers with fish for members and taking fish without permission is theft. Better training of police in poaching laws has led to a recent spate of convictions and a legal first for volunteer river bailiffs.MPs have highlighted the impact of changes in welfare payments on farmers. Farmers historically claimed tax

14:04

26/04/2024: Red Tractor, Tree nursery, Universal...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/26

The National Sheep Association says it has no confidence in the Red Tractor assurance scheme's executive.MP's have highlighted the impact of the changes in welfare payments on farmers, who historically claim tax credits to boost low incomes.A tree nursery manages to combat the adverse weather conditions, and a breed of cattle found on a remote Scottish islandPresented by Charlotte SmithProduced by Alun Beach

13:47

25/04/2024 Illegal fishing, housing estate flock, ash...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/25

Fishing is a very popular pastime. In England alone, the Environment Agency issued more than 900,000 fishing licenses between March 2022 and April 2023. But illegal fishing on rivers and watercourses is on the up, according to the police, who are stepping up patrols with other agencies. Angling clubs pay thousands of pounds every year to stock rivers with fish for members and taking fish without permission is theft. Better training of police in poaching laws has, however, led to a recent spate

14:14

24/04/24 - Labour's Rural Crime Strategy, Scottish...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/24

The Labour Party has launched a Rural Crime Strategy, saying crime is rising faster in rural than urban areas. Research commissioned by the party, and based on information from the House of Commons Library, shows rural crime has risen by a third since 2011, compared to a rise of 24% in urban areas. Labour says the new Strategy would include increasing rural police presence by 13 thousand community and neighbourhood staff. We hear from the Shadow Policing Minister.In February, we reported that

14:16

23/04/24 - Land mines in Ukraine, trees on farmland...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/23

Around 38 million acres of Ukrainian farmland has now been rendered too dangerous to farm by Russian mines. According to the charity the "Mines Advisory Group", there have been more than a thousand mine accidents in Ukraine since 2022 - with farmers making up one of the largest single groups of casualties. We hear from the man in charge of clearing land mines there.Farmers can be paid to integrate tree-planting into their farm management plans through Government schemes like Countryside Stewardship

12:02

22/04/24 Public perception of commercial forestry,...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/22

Today trees: from Welsh Government plans to get them planted on farms, to the ever missed English planting targets and the recent cuts to the budget for planting in Scotland, trees are the subject of much debate in rural areas. Despite our fondness for them and need for timber, we still don't like commercial forestry. Foresters warn the public's perception is hampering efforts to grow more timber. We get an overview of the state of British woodlands.The Scottish Government wildlife agency

25:06

20/04/24 - New Welsh Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary,...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/20

Wales' new Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs says his first job it to listen to farmers. It comes after unrest and large protests in Wales by farmers, angry about the Welsh Government's approach to farming. In particular, the way its tacking TB in cattle, stricter rules on pollution and the Sustainable Farming Scheme, which will replace EU subsides in Wales and requires farmers to plant trees on 10% of their land. We put their concerns to Huw Irranca-Davies.The UK Government has

14:06

19/04/24 River pollution from dairy farms, new border...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/19

Most UK dairy farms are failing to meet environmental regulations aimed at protecting rivers from pollution; so says the campaign group River Action which has used freedom of information requests to find new data. It says dairy farms are one of the biggest causes of river pollution. The National Farmers' Union says farmers are getting better.Companies importing food to the UK say the Government's plans to bring in physical checks for food coming from the EU is going to lead to higher prices, and

14:02

18/04/24 Government admits it broke rules on gamebird...

Farming Today ·

2024/04/18

The Government has admitted that it unlawfully issued some licences for releasing game birds last year. The campaign group Wild Justice challenged the licences granted in the Deben Estuary in Suffolk and Breckland in Norfolk, saying that ministers had ignored the advice from the wildlife regulator Natural England, and that a proper assessment of the impact hadn't been carried out. By law under the Habitats Directive there must be an assessment of the impact of any release near Special Protected

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