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  • Farmers have been gathering in London's Parliament Square to protest about what they feel is a lack of support for British food production. Organisers said they have three demands: first, a ban on what they see as 'dishonest' labelling where food imported and processed in Britain can be labelled as British; second, they want the UK to withdraw from the Australian and New Zealand Trade Deals; and third, they want a clear plan for 'food security'.

    Herring used to be a mainstay of communities up and down the west coast of Scotland. In the early 1900s Scotland was producing 2 million barrels of herring a year, but by the 60s and 70s, stocks of herring had been over-fished and collapsed. Since then, they've struggled to return, but a huge new spawning ground has been spotted by satellite.

    And, hemp has traditionally been used to make hardwearing textiles - things like ropes and canvas for sails. But it can also be used to build houses using a material called hempcrete! Film-maker, Steve Barron, who's best known for directing music videos, bought some farmland back in 2017, and decided to "grow his own home".

    Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

  • Why is wool so worthless for farmers? The price they get for a fleece barely covers the cost of shearing.And septic tanks in Cornwall in crisis because of wet weather.

    Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

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  • Some farmers who already rely on state benefits are being told they need to look for paid work and ditch their farm businesses if they want to continue receiving those benefits. It’s happening because of changes in the way welfare is delivered, so farmers on Tax Credits are now being switched to Universal Credit. But eligibility for Universal Credit is calculated using monthly income and expenditure, which doesn’t sit well with very seasonal farm businesses.

    The Wildlife and Muirburn Bill has passed through the Scottish Parliament and brings in the licensing of grouse shoots, banning animal snares and changing the rules on the burning of heather. For the RSPB it's game changing legislation, for gamekeepers a disproportionate response.

    And how sustainable is our scampi? The UK gets through around £68 million worth of scampi a year. But a conservation group says the current drive to make fishing for langoustine more environmentally friendly has failed.

    Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

  • The Wildlife and Muirburn Bill has passed through the Scottish Parliament and brings in the licensing of grouse shoots, banning animal snares and changing the rules on the burning of heather. For the RSPB it's game changing legislation, for gamekeepers a disproportionate response.

    Conservation groups are calling for a clean up of an ancient woodland in Kent, which they say has been left devastated by the dumping of illegal waste. This is a place called Hoads Wood near Ashford, which is privately owned by a number of people. The Environment Agency says it's investigating a number of individuals and companies for fly-tipping.

    All this week we've been talking about shellfish and the oyster fishery on the Fal Estuary is steeped in history. Only sailing and rowing boats are allowed to be used to pull small dredges. But even this light touch hasn't been enough to keep the native oyster population at sustainable levels, so in a rare move, the few fishermen and women who are left are now asking for tougher regulations.

    Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

  • Some farmers who already rely on state benefits are being told they need to look for paid work and ditch their farm businesses if they want to continue receiving those benefits. It’s happening because of changes in the way welfare is delivered, so farmers on Tax Credits are now being switched to Universal Credit. But eligibility for Universal Credit is calculated using monthly income and expenditure, which doesn’t sit well with farm businesses where these can vary enormously depending on the season. The transition process has been described by famers as a nightmare and, as we’ll be hearing shortly, it’s also having an impact on mental health.

    And CCTV… for fish! John Holmyard runs a ‘rope-cultured’ offshore mussel farm in Lyme Bay about 5 miles off the south coast of Devon. He's been working with the University of Plymouth to monitor what impact the farm has on the marine life around it.

    Presented by Caz GrahamProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

  • Fishermen and wildlife are still feeling the impact nearly two and a half years after the mass shellfish deaths on England's North East Coast. After several years of investigations and reviews, the conclusion of an independent expert panel, chaired by DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Gideon Henderson, was that the deaths of crabs, lobsters and other commercially important shellfish, was "as like as not", down to an unknown pathogen. Fishermen had blamed contamination from dredging or the presence of a toxic pollutant - but the panel dismissed that as "very unlikely".

    Farmers have been protesting about the Welsh Government's plans to implement a new Sustainable Farming Scheme, which includes having 10 percent of farmland planted with trees and 10 percent to benefit wildlife. The incoming First Minister, Vaughan Gething, brings with him some rural credentials - his father worked as a vet in South Wales and his mother was a chicken farmer in Zambia... So will that make him more receptive to farmers' concerns?

    And new rules are brought in so that everyone keeping birds has to register on a National list. Up till now only flocks of 50 or more had to be registered, but now, anyone who keeps just a few chickens in the garden, or birds of prey, or pigeons will have to do so too. DEFRA says the new rules will help them contact more bird keepers, so they can stay up to date on local disease outbreaks - like avian flu.

    Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

  • Spanish farmers in Madrid have held more protests, despite the European Commission announcing a review of its so-called 'green deal' which was designed to help the EU reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Farmers across Europe have voiced their anger at red tape and new environmental rules. Last week the Commission published a raft of proposed changes, which still have to be agreed. It says it'll cut back on red tape, allow individual member states more freedom over new 'greening' rules, and remove the demand that farmers must put a certain percentage of their land over to the environment. Conservationists have criticised the move as a backward step for the environment.

    The UK gets through around £68 million worth of scampi a year. but a conservation group says the current drive to make fishing for langoustine more environmentally friendly has failed. How sustainable is our scampi? We speak to a fisherman and an environmental campaigner.

    The Office for Environmental Protection is investigating whether there's been a failure to comply with the law governing Special Protection Areas for wild birds, in Northern Ireland and England. A similar investigation is being undertaken in Scotland, while in Wales there are concerns about how these sites are being run. S.P.A.s are legally designated sites that protect rare and threatened wild birds. The OEP says it's taking action because the recommendations from a review of these sites between 2015 and 2017 has still not been published.

    A new National Nature Reserve's been created on the South Devon coast at Budleigh Salterton. The Lower Otter Estuary is home to Dartford warblers, silver-studded blue butterflies, populations of sea trout, Atlantic salmon and eels.

    Presenter = Anna HillProducer = Rebecca Rooney

  • The government's farm business incomes forecast for this year makes grim reading: in England dairy farmers are expected to earn 78% less than last year, largely due to falls in the milk price; cereal farmers face a 77% cut, though prices have been high and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs says the fall reflects a return to more normal levels as well as a reduction in the amount of arable crops grown; while mixed farms will see a 49% cut in income. Only those grazing livestock or rearing pigs are expected to see their income rise, and there is no forecast for the poultry sector as DEFRA says there is too much uncertainty.

    A 'destructive and disproportionate attack' - that's landowners' reaction to the Scottish Government's new Land Reform Bill. The proposed legislation would mean that the sale of estates of more than 1,000 hectares could be stopped by ministers and split into smaller lots, and the owners of large estates would have to show how they use land and how that contributes to key policies like net zero. The Scottish Government says the bill will make land ownership more transparent and will mean communities have more involvement in the land where where they live and work. That view is not shared by Scottish Land and Estates, which represents landowners.

    All week we're focusing on shellfish. The industry has had a torrid time. We speak to a professor of fisheries conservation about some of the challenges which range from labour shortages and pollution, to climate change and trade rules.

    Presenter = Charlotte SmithProducer = Rebecca Rooney

  • Badger culling could continue indefinitely in England under new government proposals which reverse earlier pledges to begin to phase out badger culls from next year. The Government says culls are working in helping to reduce TB in cattle. Now ministers say that in high risk and edge areas, which covers much of southwest and central England, culling could continue until the Chief Veterinary Officer deems that the situation has improved, at which point badger vaccination would be introduced. A consultation on the proposals has just been launched. The Badger Trust describes this as 'another appalling attack on a protected native species'.

    New rules on food labelling could be introduced to give more information about how and where its produced, but some farmers say it'll be costly and complex.

    Sheep farmers are benefiting from a spike in prices as Ramadan and Easter are both celebrated this month. Both events traditionally look to lamb as their meat of choice on these occasions, and farmers, processors and retailers, have all geared up for a busy time. We answer listener questions about religious slaughter, and the difference between stunned and non-stunned killing methods.

    The writer Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare have long been advocates for helping young people learn more about farming and the countryside, so much so that they set up Farms for City Children nearly 50 years ago. It gives kids from urban schools a week helping to run the farm and learning about both farming and nature. For one of their latest projects, they’ve teamed up with the Woodland Trust to involve primary school children in planting trees inside what they call roundels.

    Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

  • Badger culling could continue indefinitely in England under new Government proposals which reverse earlier pledges to begin to phase out badger culls from next year. The Government says culls are working in helping to reduce TB in cattle - pointing to stats from the first 52 cull areas where there is an average reduction in TB breakdowns in cattle of 56% after 4 years of culling. Now ministers say that in high risk and edge areas, which covers much of southwest and central England, culling could continue until the Chief Veterinary Officer deems that the situation has improved, at which point badger vaccination would be introduced. A consultation on the proposals has just been launched.

    New rules on food labelling could be introduced to give more information about how and where its produced - but some farmers say it'll be costly and complex. The Government is consulting on plans to improve country of origin labelling and introduce 'method of production' labelling on pork, chicken and eggs. This would introduce a 5 tier labelling system to differentiate between those that fall below, meet or exceed basic British animal welfare standards.

    We visit a factory in Norfolk where cattle intestines are turned into harp strings.

    And it's expected that 79% more UK farmland will be left fallow this year than last - new figures from the AHDB suggest the impact of the weather and Government environmental schemes means that fewer crops will be planted. The AHDB is the levy board which traditionally surveys farmers on their cropping plans in the Autumn - because its been so wet they've gone back to them and found that the weather is still having a big impact.

    Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

  • The National Rural Crime Network is calling for an overhaul of the way rural crime is dealt with. It's commissioned a new report which says serious organised criminals are increasingly preying on rural communities and highlights hare coursing, the theft of tractors and livestock and fly tipping as having major impacts. The report from Durham University says these crimes are often carried out by 'prolific rural offenders' linked with illegal drugs rather than being opportunistic.

    Heritage crimes like stealing ancient stone or lead from church roofs have risen according to a new report by Historic England and the National Police Chief's Council. However there's been a fall in unlawful metal detecting. Nighthawking as it's called, sounds rather romantic, but for farmers finding people metal detecting on their land without permission at night is anything but, with threats and violence from criminals searching for valuable historic artefacts. We hear from one Yorkshire farmer who helped capture a gang of four who were sentenced at Hull Crown Court earlier this month. We also speak to a former detective and archaeologist who's now in charge of tackling heritage crime at Historic England.

    All week we're looking into the many, often imaginative, ways byproducts and waste from agriculture are turned into something useful. On one farm site in Stirlingshire they're turning whisky waste into fish food. Scientists have found a way to turn yeast into Omega-3 using algae and say the vital oils produced this way could help save depleted feed fish stocks, boost Scotland’s salmon farming industry and give a clean, efficient way to dispose of the waste.

    Presenter = Charlotte SmithProducer = Rebecca Rooney

  • A shortage of vets is currently affecting services across all aspects of public and private animal health and biosecurity. In 2018 the gap in the veterinary workforce was put at 11%. At a hearing yesterday in Westminster the Chief Vet, Christine Middlemiss, told the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee that that shortage had not improved.

    All week we're exploring how by-products from farming can be put to use on farm or elsewhere. Today, beer and Marmite.

    A virus which causes birth defects in unborn lambs has returned. Schmallenberg disease has been reported since Autumn last year, and now sheep farmers are reporting that some have lost 40% of their new-crop lambs.

    Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

  • The Soil Association, has called for a ban on any new intensive broiler farms being set up in the UK. The organic farming group has published a new report called "Stop Killing Our Rivers" which says it's impossible to manage chicken meat production without harming the environment, especially rivers. The report says the chicken meat sector has been expanding at a rate of one million birds per month, since 2014 and has now reached more than a billion birds per year.

    All week we're looking into the many - often imaginative - ways byproducts and waste from agriculture are turned into something useful. A renewable energy company is using poultry litter to generate electricity at their five power stations in England and Scotland. We visit their station at Thetford, in the heart of chicken farming in East Anglia where every week 11 thousand tonnes of poultry waste are delivered and used to generate electricity.

    Sheep farmers are benefiting from a spike in prices as Ramadan and Easter are both celebrated this month. Both events traditionally look to lamb as their meat of choice on these occasions, farmers, processors and retailers, have all geared up for a busy time.

    Presenter = Anna HillProducer = Rebecca Rooney

  • The writer Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare have long been advocates for helping young people learn more about farming and the countryside, so much so, that they set up Farms for City Children nearly 50 years ago. Young people help run the farm and learn about both farming and nature. For one of their latest projects in Devon, they’ve teamed up with the Woodland Trust to involve primary school children, planting trees inside what they call roundels - a protective barrier, which keeps out livestock until the trees are big enough to become part of an agroforestry grazing system.

    MPs on The Science and Technology Committee have called on the government to publish its National Plan for Sustainable Pesticide Use which has been been delayed by six years. The report on insect decline and pesticide use says insects are vital for food security and describes government targets to reduce pesticide use by at least half by 2030 as ambitious and welcome, but also narrow and incomplete. The Royal Entomological Society, which gave evidence to the committee, says the decline in insects has serious implication for ecosystems - including agricultural ones

    We hear a lot about waste in food and farming and this week we are going to look at ways of using by products or waste products from agriculture as something useful. The Blenheim estate in Oxfordshire is in the middle of a trial to turn all its organic waste, including livestock manure and sheep wool, into a material that can be used to boost soil quality or as part of an organic fertiliser.

    Presenter = Charlotte SmithProducer = Rebecca Rooney

  • The consultation on the Welsh Government's controversial Sustainable Farming Scheme has now closed. The National Farmers Union Cymru marked the moment by placing 5,500 pairs of wellies on the steps of the Welsh Parliament to highlight the farming jobs which could be lost if the plan is adopted. Farmers across Wales, and some in England, have held tractor convoys and protest meetings over the past few weeks. We look at what's led farmers to take action now.

    The whole idea of a green tractor standard should be dropped according to the levy body the AHDB and the National Farmers Union. They say they want 'a more transparent approach which works for farmers'. This is an ongoing dispute about the farm assurance scheme Red Tractor which had designed a voluntary green tractor element, called the greener farms commitment. This would have seen farmers share environmental information with retailers, for a premium, and so help those retailers meet sustainability targets. Farmers said it was developed without proper consultation and their discontent forced two reviews of Red Tractor: one on governance, which was published last month; and a wider review of the scheme, which is expected to take much longer. We speak to the AHDB.

    We've been talking about lambing all week - from the exhaustion of nights in the lambing shed to the highs, and lows, of this time of year. We've mainly been on farms talking to farmers but members of the public are learning to lamb at St Fagan's near Cardiff. The National Museum of History runs a working farm and an annual lambing course aimed at non farmers.

    Presenter = Charlotte SmithProducer = Rebecca Rooney

  • Thousands of discontented farmers gathered outside the seat of the Welsh Government, the Senedd, in Cardiff Bay, this week in what was probably the biggest farmer protest seen in the UK in recent years. They’re unhappy about various aspects of agricultural policy including the new Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme, which is heading into its final week of consultation. The scheme is to replace the system of subsidies that operated under the EU’s common agricultural policy, and to claim it farmers need 10% of their land under tree cover and a further 10% used for wildlife habitat. Farmers say it's unworkable, but conservationists say it'll protect farming as well as nature.We also look at the state of British Rivers. It coincides with the publication of the Rivers Trust's annual report, which shows that no single stretch of river in England or Northern Ireland is in good overall health. We hear about projects by charities and farmers that are aiming to improve the situation. Presented by Caz Graham

  • The government's spring budget is getting a lukewarm response from many in rural communities - with more discussion of what wasn't in it, than what was. The NFU said it didn't go far enough to offer stability for agricultural businesses, growth in food production and decarbonising the sector. Friends of the Earth described it as: 'yet another missed opportunity to properly invest in building a strong, clean and prosperous future.' The Tenant Farmers Association said it was 'bitterly disappointed' that inheritance tax relief on farms hadn't been restricted only to those renting land out on a long term basis. While the Country Land and Business Association welcomed the extension of tax relief to land in environmental schemes, it said changes on taxing short term lets risked squeezing and stifling rural businesses. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said it was all about long term growth and encouraging people back to work. We speak to Green Bank, Action on Communities in Rural England and a fruit grower to find out what they thought.

    We've been looking at lambing this week, and for those of us not involved it's a lovely time of spring, new life and hope. The reality on farms, particularly ones which rely on family labour is that lambing season is a test of endurance. We visit a sheep farmer near Exeter, who's nearly made it through the season.

    Presenter = Charlotte SmithProducer = Rebecca Rooney

  • The Government has promised that hedgerows will continue to be protected, even though there’s been a gap in regulations after EU rules lapsed at the end of last year. DEFRA has confirmed that legislation will include plans to maintain cutting bans on hedges and 2 metre protective buffer strips. But farmers will also be allowed to apply for an exemption to cut or trim hedges in August, if they are sowing oilseed rape or temporary grass. Conservation groups have welcomed the protections but some, including the Wildlife Trusts say the government could have gone further.

    The Labour Party is considering stopping the emergency use of harmful neonicotinoid chemicals, if it wins the next election. The chemicals protect crops from pests which spread disease, but are dangerous for pollinators. Their use is generally banned but the Government granted emergency authorisation for farmers to use them on sugar beet this year, for the fourth time in a row.

    And we visit Wood Farm, near Carlisle, in Cumbria, for lambing! Tom Wilson has 1250 Suffolk Cross Texels to look after, but his family also runs a 200 strong dairy herd so the family employ a live-in lambing assistant.

    Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

  • In between the rain, farmers have planted crops many of which are now battling for growth in saturated ground. Waterlogged soil is a poor growing medium, and it also means farmers can’t bring machinery onto their land to give the plants fertilisers or pesticides to help them grow. Some are now turning to drones to deliver preparations instead, so at least the soil is not disturbed. But, if the ground is still draining, does that mean more danger of pollution from nutrient rich water running off the fields?

    A new project’s been launched by farmers and scientists, to uncover special traits found in heritage wheats, which could boost productivity in modern commercial varieties. Scientists at the John Innes Centre have been working with the Watkins Collection of heritage wheats gathered in the 1930s from 32 countries. Unlike modern wheat, some of these ancient varieties can interact with bacteria in the soil to allow them access to more nutrients.

    And, it's lambing time - we visit a smallholding in North Yorkshire where all the ewes are pregnant with either triplets or quads!

    Presented by Anna HillProduced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

  • Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Wiltshire, Dorset and Cornwall are among the latest local authorities which have voted to buy from local farmers when procuring meat, dairy, fruit and veg for council-organised events. Both the government and the Labour Party are aiming for 50% of spending on public sector food to go on local and sustainable produce. We ask Professor Tom MacMillan from the Royal Agricultural University, how significant that could be for farmers.

    Farms with expensive machinery, miles from their nearest police station, can be easy targets for thieves. The National Farmers Union say that, nationally, rural crime rose by more than a fifth between 2021 and 2022 - costing an estimated £50 million. Thames Valley Police have been taking part in a week of action to try and prevent rural crime.

    It’s lambing time, a full-on time of year for sheep farmers. Last year 15 and a half million lambs were born into the UK flock by June, although that was down six per cent on the year before. We’re going to take an in depth look at lambing this week, the highs, the lows, and the measures farmers go to to ensure a good healthy crop of lambs. We start off by talking to Dr Joe Henry, president of the Sheep Veterinary Society

    Presenter = Caz GrahamProducer = Rebecca Rooney