Farming Today
02/04/25 Housing shortages in Scottish islands, Farming Minister quizzed on farm support, tree planting.
This week we're taking a closer look at the rural lives of islanders around our shores. A survey by the Young Islanders Network found the biggest concern for young people in Scotland’s islands, is housing – or a lack of it. We speak to people about some of the problems they've faced - and some of the solutions. The Environment Food and Rural Affairs select Committee of MPs has been grilling the farming minister Daniel Zeichner about the repercussions of suspending the Sustainable Farming Incentive, or SFI, which gives payments to farmers for environmental work. Thousands of farmers have already joined, but it was abruptly closed to new applicants on 11th March. Trees are being planted on Dartmoor to help alleviate flooding. A team lead by the National Park Authority is using a method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki which plants a wide variety of native species close together to encourage rapid tree growth. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney
2 avr. 2025 - 14 min 13 s
01/04/25 Review of agricultural pollution rules in Wales, ban on burning peat, island ferries
An independent review has backed controversial muck-spreading regulations for farms across Wales, but said improvements are needed. Stricter rules on spreading and storing manures have been phased in since 2021, against a backdrop of fierce opposition from the farming industry. The Welsh government says it will implement all the recommendations in the study in full, though some will take longer to deliver. A ban on the burning of heather on deep-peat land could be extended to cover a wider area of England. Conservation groups have called for heather-burning on peat land to be stopped altogether, but representatives of the game shooting industry claim that controlled heather burning can encourage development of sphagnum moss and be used as a firebreak to prevent the spread of wildfires. All this week we're visiting islands and hearing about the advantages and challenges of living in some of the UK's most beautiful places. For communities on the Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland ferries are essential, and for crofters who have livestock, the ferry service is an essential part of their farming business. However getting animals on and off the island by boat isn't always predictable. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney
1 avr. 2025 - 13 min 53 s
31/03/25 Lifeline for Guernsey dairy farmers, wartime farm survey, turtle dove conservation
Guernsey dairy farmers have welcomed a decision to increase the support they receive from government. An ambitious plan is underway to digitise wartime farm records and make them available online. A ban in Europe on shooting turtle doves, and work by farmers in England to provide both habitats and food has resulted in a 40% increase in populations. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
31 mars 2025 - 12 min 32 s
29/03/25 Farming Today This Week: Bird flu in a sheep; Egg production; Red Tractor review; Chancellor's spring statement.
Bird flu has been found in a sheep for the first time. DEFRA said the case in Yorkshire was on a farm where avian flu was present in captive birds. One ewe tested positive and has been culled, but her lambs and the rest of the small flock of sheep were negative. Surveillance of mammals for avian flu has been stepped up, partly because in the United States many dairy cattle and even some dairy workers have gone down with the disease. We speak to the chief vet. Avian influenza is at the forefront of egg producers' minds at the moment. All week we've been taking a closer look at egg production, including a free-range egg producer in Wales. We also visit a farm which supplies pullets, which then grow into laying hens. For every female chick which grows into a pullet, there's a male chick, which will never lay eggs and isn't wanted by egg producers. In the UK these chicks are gassed at one day old, but in Europe techniques are being used to sex the chicks before they're hatched, whilst still in the egg. Red Tractor has pledged to improve communications with farmers and simplify its audits as part of its response to an independent review. The review, published earlier this year, recommended more than 50 changes. The Chancellor's spring statement has drawn a mixed reaction from the rural community. Farming itself wasn't mentioned as such, Rachel Reeves focused on the government's agenda for growth and plans to build more homes. We speak to a professor from Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy to assess what it means for agriculture and rural communities. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney
29 mars 2025 - 26 min 11 s
28/03/25 Investigation into supply chain arbitration, sexing chicks in eggs, small island dairy
Farmers are too afraid to use a government system that was set-up to improve their relationship with the supermarkets, according to a new investigation by BBC One’s Countryfile. All week we've been looking at the egg industry. Yesterday we heard about pullets, the young female chicks that grow into laying hens. But for every egg that hatches a female chick, there's another that hatches male, and cockerels can't lay eggs, which obviously renders them useless for egg producers. In the UK these chicks are gassed at one day old, but in Europe techniques are being used to sex the chicks before they're hatched, whilst still in the egg. St Agnes is the most southerly of the Isles of Scilly. It's home to the Hicks family and their very small herd of dairy cows. The herd provides milk for the island’s residents, around 80 people, and summer ice cream for the tourists. For this Sunday's edition of our sister programme On Your Farm Sarah Swadling went to meet them. Presented by Anna Jones and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
28 mars 2025 - 15 min 21 s
27/03/25 Chancellor's spring statement, pullets, nitrogen inquiry.
The Chancellor's spring statement has drawn a mixed reaction from the rural community. Farming itself wasn't mentioned as such, Rachel Reeves focused on the government's agenda for growth and plans to build more homes. We speak to a professor from Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy to assess what it means for agriculture and rural communities. All this week we're looking at eggs, and today we focus on the farms which supply laying hens. We visit a pullet rearer which supplies egg producing farms with four million birds a year. The House of Lords Environment Committee is investigating nitrogen pollution in waterways and the air. It's been hearing evidence from the Office for Environmental Protection, a government body set up to ensure compliance with environmental laws. They're investigating Defra after Defra gave advice to farmers which didn't comply with the Farming Rules for Water - the regulations which aim to stop farmers causing pollution to waterways from fields and slurry. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney
27 mars 2025 - 15 min 30 s
26/03/25 Red Tractor responds to farm assurance review, Efra inquiry into border checks, colony eggs
Red Tractor has responded to an independent review into the assurance scheme. A report, published earlier this year, recommended more than 50 changes to the Red Tractor scheme, which is supposed to hold farmers to meet high standards on animal welfare, food quality and business governance. We speak to the interim chair about the changes Red Tractor's making as a result. The Environment Food and Rural Affairs select committee has been hearing more evidence about how border control points are managing biosecurity for food and plants. Industry experts have been telling MPs that the post-Brexit system of checks which came into force last spring are expensive and inefficient and just not up to the job. This week we're delving into the different methods of egg production. Today we find out how colony eggs are produced. We visit Farmlay Eggs in Aberdeenshire, a family business with an output of seven million eggs a week, the majority of which are free range. However, the farms also have colony - or caged - hens whose eggs mainly go to the catering sector, although some are also sold to retailers. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney
26 mars 2025 - 15 min 49 s
25/03/25 Bird flu in sheep, free-range eggs, restoring lost ponds
Bird flu has been found in a sheep for the first time. DEFRA said the case in Yorkshire was on a farm where avian flu was present in captive birds. One ewe tested positive and has been culled, but her lambs and the rest of the small flock of sheep were negative. Surveillance of mammals for avian flu has been stepped up, partly because in the United States many dairy cattle and even some dairy workers, have gone down with the disease. We speak to the chief vet. Avian influenza is of course at the forefront of egg producers' minds at the moment, and free range layers in many parts of the country must now be kept indoors. All week we're taking a closer look at egg production. Today we speak to a free-range egg producer in Wales. A project involving farmers and nature conservationists is celebrating the restoration of 400 "lost" farmland ponds in Essex. A century ago there were more than 17,000 in the county but conservationists say around 10,000 of those have disappeared. We visit a farm which has been part of a big project to restore some of them. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney
25 mars 2025 - 15 min 49 s
24/3/25 National pesticides action plan, egg week overview, forced rhubarb
The UK has set a pesticide reduction target of 10% over the next five years. The UK Pesticides National Action Plan from all four UK governments says it will support farmers and growers to reduce the potential harm from pesticides, so rather than farmers using 10% less, the plan wants more sustainable use which reduces the impact on the environment by 10%. While environmental groups have welcomed the plan they describe the target as modest. The government says that UK farmers reduced pesticide use by 60% between 1990 and 2020, at the same time worldwide use in agriculture increased by 90%. We speak to the Nature Friendly Farming Network. Every year we consume nearly 12 billion eggs in the UK, according to the egg industry, with the vast majority produced in this country. All week we're looking at eggs, from colony cages to free range. We speak to the British Egg Industry Council about demand, different production systems and hen welfare. Q: Which crop originates from Siberia, grows in the dark and is picked by candlelight? A: Forced Rhubarb. Supermarket sales of the crop are surging. The majority of it comes from a small area of West Yorkshire known as the rhubarb triangle, we meet a fourth generation grower near Leeds. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney
24 mars 2025 - 13 min 21 s
21/03/25 New National Forest, Biosecurity at the border, farming medicinal cannabis.
England is to have a new National Forest. The Western Forest will be planted across Bristol, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It's the first national forest in 30 years. The government is putting £7.5 million towards it, with the same amount expected from the private sector and charities. The aim is to plant 2,500 hectares of woodland by 2030 and more by 2050. The National Forest chief executive says it won't be created at the expense of farmland. Biosecurity at our borders is a big issue. As we've previously reported, port health authorities have warned that the post-Brexit checking system isn't working and illegal meat is being smuggled into the country. A member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health's port health expert panel says there isn't enough money and the system is under pressure. A chemist and tomato grower have pooled their expertise to set up a cannabis farm in the English countryside. It's a high-tech £26 million greenhouse that is licensed by the Home Office to grow medicinal cannabis for the pharmaceutical industry, and its technology means it can harvest cannabis flowers 52 weeks of the year. Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Rebecca Rooney
21 mars 2025 - 15 min 20 s