Episodes
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The 240th Royal Highland Show is taking place just outside Edinburgh, and more than 200,000 people expected to attend over the 4 days of the show. We hear from some of the breeders showing cattle at the show.
In 2022, the UK grew 162,000 tonnes of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers and celery - worth more than 200 million pounds. This time of year is normally peak salad season, but the months of rain and below average temperatures have been bad news for the country's salad growers. We find out what that means for both field crops and those grown in glasshouses.
An e-coli outbreak across the UK has been traced back to some salad leaves, which were used in a wide range of food, including sandwiches and wraps. The Food Standards Agency has not been able to say whether those leaves came from UK farms, or were imported. We ask what it means for farmers.
And could the plant breeding achievements of the Green Revolution be started again from scratch? That's the hope of scientists at the John Innes Centre, who say modern commercial varieties of wheat used by farmers could be replaced with better ones, using wheat lines collected a century ago.
Presented by Caz GrahamProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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Charlotte Smith visits the Royal Highland Show for its 240th year to talk cattle, politics and farmers' health.
Produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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Episodes manquant?
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Could the plant breeding achievements of the Green Revolution be started again from scratch? That's the hope of scientists at the John Innes Centre, who say modern commercial varieties of wheat used by farmers could be replaced with better ones, using wheat lines collected a century ago. Back in the 1920s, an enterprising plant scientist named Arthur Earnest Watkins sent out letters to other Brits around the world, asking them to collect locally grown wheat, hoping the traits in those local cultivars would come in useful in the future. That original Watkins Collection is now based at the John Innes Centre in Norwich - but a massive 60 percent of the genetic diversity held within it, has never been looked at.
The Landworkers' Alliance is one of the smaller groups. It speaks for regenerative and sustainable agriculture, but with an emphasis on local production, and getting more people involved in growing food. We hear what they want from the next Government.
And we visit a new "Centre of Excellence" in glasshouse growing at Hadlow College. It's been set up with Thanet Earth - the biggest greenhouse complex in the UK, growing salad veg.
Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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A recent E-coli outbreak is thought to have been caused by contaminated salad leaves. There have been over 200 confirmed cases of food poisoning across the UK caused by e-coli bacteria found in manure, with nearly half those affected admitted to hospital. So how does the bacteria get into the salad, and what are farmers doing to prevent it?
As part of our week looking at salads, we visit Evesham Vale Growers in Worcestershire, where they grow 500 acres of spring onions outside and some 70 acres of premium tomatoes in glasshouses. Alongside salad production, they grow crops including maize and wheat to feed anaerobic digesters for gas and electricity, and there's a solar farm. Some of the gas and electricity is used to heat and light the glasshouses - insulating them somewhat from fluctuating energy prices.
The Soil Association, which campaigns for sustainable and organic food and farming, has published it's list of demands in the run up to the election. It wants the next Government to 'grow green jobs' by backing sustainable British farming and protect the NHS by supporting healthy and sustainable food.
Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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With the rain continuing and below average temperatures, the outlook isn't so sunny for UK salad growers.
We look at some of the detail in the main parties' manifestos to see what they're promising on issues like the agriculture budget, food security and England's badger cull.
Sometimes described as a farmer's best friend, dung beetles consume, bury and break up dung, improving soils as they go. Earlier this month vets and farmers met at a conference in Somerset devoted to the dung beetle.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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Three UK vet practices are now offering IVF for cows. It's a common practise for dairy cows to be made pregnant using artificial insemination, but IVF is more specialist. It allows for multiple embryos to be produced from one particularly good cow, meaning the genetics of a herd can be improved more quickly and its health and productivity improved. But it means hormonal treatments and some invasive procedures for the cow - so is it ethical?
In a world first, methane from slurry on a farm in Somerset is being broken down and turned into hydrogen gas and graphene. Graphene is a material that was discovered in the UK 20 years ago, and is normally made from mining graphite rock. But a company called Levidian has developed a process which separates the carbon and hydrogen in methane gas, to make graphene and hydrogen.
And ten police forces across the country will soon be trialling new forensic technology to help identify dogs involved in livestock attacks. We hear from farmers affected and find out why the police think this new kit will help.
Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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The vets using IVF to improve dairy herds, and could a new 2-stage planning system help kickstart the rural economy? We hear from the CLA on what it wants from the next government.In a special episode of On Your Farm recorded at the Hay Festival, Kate Humble explains how she accidentally ended up buying a council farm in the beautiful Wye Valley in Wales.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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We’re talking about vets all this week and one of the most difficult and unpleasant jobs they face is dealing with serious illness and disease in livestock, like the devastating foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. Breaking the painful news to a farmer that their whole livelihood is under threat is something no one wants on their job description. The threat of bovine TB can take a heavy toll on the mental wellbeing of both farmers and vets. We meet a dairy farmer in Derbyshire who's lived under the shadow of TB all her life, and also the farm vet who runs the TB Advisory Service which supports farmers and vets.
As the general election campaigning continues, party manifestos are coming out, thick and fast. We’re going to be taking a detailed look at all of the main manifestos with key party spokes-people, the week before the election on 4th July, but we’re also hearing from a range of campaign groups and organisations that live and breath farming, rural life, wildlife and the environment to find out what they would like from the next government. Today it’s the Wildlife Trusts, the organisation that campaigns for wildlife and wild places.
Ten police forces across the country are to trial new forensic technology to help identify dogs involved in livestock attacks. It involves collecting canine DNA at the scene.The South West of England has more dog attacks of this kind than anywhere else in the country – last year, farm animals worth hundreds of thousands of pounds were severely injured or killed by dogs, according to NFU Mutual. The hope is these new DNA test kits will recue the number of dog attacks.
Presenter = Caz GrahamProducer = Rebecca Rooney
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Post-Brexit trade barriers are leaving the UK behind when it comes to introducing new varieties of crops - according to the British Society of Plant Breeders. Anna Hill reports from the arable event, Cereals 2024, where seed breeding is centre stage.
After one of the wettest years on record left many farmers have been struggling to get out into the fields to plant or spray crops...but new drone technology could help - making it possible to spray on land that's still too soft to put heavy machinery on.
And away from the show, we visit a Welsh livestock farm to find out how vets and farmers are working together to reduce the use of antibiotics.
Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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In a world first, methane from slurry on a dairy farm in Somerset is being broken down and turned into hydrogen gas and graphene. The farm involved is Worthy Farm, which hosts the Glastonbury Festival. It already has an anaerobic digester which uses slurry from their dairy cows to make methane which is used to make electricity, and now also used to make graphene. We find out how it all works.
Last year tens of thousands of sheep in the Netherlands died after contracting bluetongue - a virus transmitted by biting midges. Famers in England are being warned to be vigilant for signs of the disease, and scientists at the Pirbright Institute in Surrey are studying midges to try to predict what might happen this summer.
And a shortage of vets means recruiting can be a challenge - and it can be even harder for practices in remote areas. We visit from practice in Fort William in the West Highlands who are finding it difficult to recruit a new member of staff.
Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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Farmers need more money - so says the National Farmers' Union which says the incoming Government should increase the agriculture budget. Over the next few weeks as well as hearing from politicians about what they propose for farming, the environment and rural communities, we're also going to hear from rural and wildlife groups about what they think incoming MPs should be focusing on. Starting with the NFU which launched its manifesto at the end of last year.
Fishermen in Looe say the closure of the Plymouth Fish Market is a disaster for their industry. Now the day catch has to be sent around 30 miles further, to Brixham Harbour for auction. The Looe Harbour Commissioners are trying to help the fishermen by transporting the fish to Brixham.
Our topic for the week is vets. While they'll still be involved in a emergency, the role of a farm vet has changed a lot over the years. They now work with farmers on whole herd health. But that doesn't make the job any easier and as we'll hear this week recruiting vets in rural areas can be a challenge.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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Spruce trees may not be viable in the UK in the long term because of a pest which is now in the country. Restrictions on spruce trees have been extended after spruce bark beetles were found in East Anglia. The beetle was first found the the UK in 2018 and areas of the South East of England have been under restriction - that has now been extended to cover much of Norfolk and Suffolk. In the longer term, foresters may have to look for alternatives to Spruce.
A chicken producer in Northern Ireland has breached environmental laws repeatedly, but not faced prosecution. An investigation into water pollution by BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight found that Moy Park, Northern Ireland which supplies chickens throughout the UK and Europe, has breached laws on more than 500 occasions.
And pollinators are very important to farmers - pollinating crops from apples to oil seed rape and field beans - and so are worth millions to the UK economy. But across Europe, numbers are declining. The UK’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee has found that, as of 2022, there had been a 24% decrease in pollinator numbers compared with 1980. We visit several farms where efforts are being made to increase their numbers.
Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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Spruce trees may not be viable in the UK in the long term because of a pest which is now in the country. Restrictions on spruce trees have been extended after spruce bark beetles were found in East Anglia. This week, we've been hearing from BBC correspondents in the nations about what farmers want from politicians. Today, we hear from Northern Ireland.A study by the University of Sussex found that moths are even more efficient pollinators than bees. So are these nighttime creatures being overlooked in their role as a friend to crop growing farmers? Delays in organising the post-Brexit regulation of agricultural chemicals are making planning on farms harder, according to the Agricultural Industries Federation. It follows calls from the Royal Society of Chemistry for a new UK Chemicals Agency to regulate across all chemicals.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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The UK is vulnerable to animal diseases because of the ongoing trade in illegal meat, according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. The CIEH says that a lack of proper inspections at UK borders makes it easy for criminals to bring meat in.
We visit a couple of fruit farms in Herefordshire to find out how they encourage the insects that pollinate their crops.
And although agriculture is devolved, so farm policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland won't be decided by the General Election, the budget is set by Westminster...and that's being discussed on the campaign trail across the UK.
Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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The agri-food company Moy Park, which supplies chickens throughout the UK and Europe, has breached environmental laws on more than 500 occasions without facing prosecution. A BBC Spotlight investigation into water pollution uncovered the breaches at three different sites in Northern Ireland - including Lough Neagh.
Holidaymakers and walkers in Scotland are being warned not to light camp fires. Last year, a wild-fire tore through forestry at Cannich, south of Inverness. It burned for two weeks on the surface and even more damage was caused underground, as peat burnt beneath the soil. The commercial forest is now being felled, 20 years earlier than expected, and has lost 60 percent of its value. The fire also had a serious impact on the RSPB Scotland nature reserve, at Corrimony.
As the election campaign continues, and politicians travel around the UK to drum up support, on Farming Today we've asked our correspondents this week to explain what the agricultural sector is looking for. Agriculture is devolved, so policies are drawn up separately in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Today we discuss what farmers are looking for in England.
We're looking at pollinators all week: over the past ten years, honey bees have become an integral part of the way the 75,000 acre Lowther Estate in Cumbria is managed, with around 500 colonies producing between 12 and 15 tonnes of Lake District honey every year. As well as its home hives, the estate also sends out around 200 bee colonies to other local landowners, which feed from and pollinate arable crops throughout the Eden Valley. Cumbria’s only producers of rapeseed oil, farmers Ben and Jannike Taylor, are accommodating some of the Lowther bees this spring.
Presenter = Anna HillProducer = Rebecca Rooney
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The UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme has been running for over 6 years now, with thousands of people counting insects in gardens, parks and on farms. So how are our pollinators faring?
We visit a network of connected land in Ayrshire, designed to encourage pollinators. The network is being expanded after receiving funding from the Scottish Government. It was set up over the last decade or so, and includes farmland, council land and some unexpected leisure areas.
And according to a recent study from the charity the Farm Safety Foundation, 95% of UK farmers under the age of 40 rank poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today. Farmstrong Scotland is doing what it can to help, by organising events where people can get together to discuss wellbeing. We report from one of them - on a farm in East Lothian, which has a recently opened outdoor sauna.
Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio Bristol by Heather Simons
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A selection of farmers outline what they would want from the next government.
Bees may be the best known of the UK’s pollinators, but there are many more insects involved in the process which is vital to our food production.
And farmers celebrating decades of hard work are recognised with a long-service award.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Alun Beach
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House prices in the Lake District are likely to fall because of plans to control the number of homes being turned into holiday lets, according to the most senior planning officer at the national park authority. This is already being done in Wales where it has been causing a lot of controversy.
A ten year study of beavers in Devon shows that they are having a positive impact on flood and drought alleviation – according to researchers at Exeter University who have been following the beavers on the river Otter, some farmers disagree with the findings.
And a grandfather and grandson team of bee keepers rent hives to apple growers in Northern Ireland so the bees can pollinate the crop.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Alun Beach
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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.
The proposals include increased funding, an end to water pollution, improving sustainable travel links and a new National Park for North East Wales.
Amidst fears over reduced numbers of earth worms across the UK, one farmer who supplies them to gardeners, is increasingly supplying to other farmers.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Alun Beach
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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 longhorns may no longer be viable.
And we head out on a night time, biofluorescence safari to see the natural world in a whole new light.
Presented by Caz GrahamProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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