Farming Today

BBC Radio 4

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

  1. 18 hr ago

    17/06/26 Abattoir charges, pheasants and insects, Scottish farming with nature.

    The owner of one of the last remaining abattoirs in the south east of England has said he's furious after a court ruled that the food regulator has been over charging for its hygiene and animal welfare checks. A number of abattoirs have been forced to close recently due to rising financial pressures. Earlier this month, a High Court judge said some of these costs, enforced by the Food Standards Agency, should never have been charged. A new study by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, published by Natural England, suggests that the release of millions of pheasant and partridge into the countryside for shooting does not have a significant impact on the insect population in the wider environment. However, campaigners claim the releases do have a detrimental impact. As Scotland's farmers get ready for the Royal Highland Show, we're taking a closer look at how the country has designed its own farming and rural policy post-Brexit, under its devolved powers. The changes won't be fully implemented until 2030. Like the policy of 'public money for public goods' in England, many of the changes in Scotland centre around including payments for enhancing the environment. Not all farmers have embraced the idea of including wildlife alongside food production, but farmer and writer Tom Bowser has done more than most, including releasing beavers on his farmland. Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Rebecca Rooney

    14 min

  2. 1 day ago

    16/06/26 Heathland birds, carabid beetles, Scottish agriculture policy

    The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) says three rare heathland birds are starting to recover. Its heathland bird survey - the first for 20 years - shows populations and spread of the nightjar, the Dartford warbler and the woodlark are improving. They looked into whether active management within specially protected areas was helping. Beetles can be both welcome and unwelcome visitors to farmland. We recently reported that scientists at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire had created an app to help identify and then combat the troublesome cabbage stem flea beetle. Now a second team at the institute have launched an app to help identify one of the good guys: the carabid beetle, also known as the ground beetle. The focus is very much on accurate and fast identification so farmers know for certain if they have a healthy population in their fields. And all this week we're taking a closer look at Scottish agricultural policy, ahead of the Royal Highland Show. Today we hear how far the government has come in developing its own policies after Brexit. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.

    14 min

  3. 2 days ago

    15/06/26 Octopus bloom, Scottish organic farming

    An emergency by-law has been passed in Cornwall, to restrict the number of boats coming in to take advantage of the ongoing bloom of octopus on the south coast. It's been described as a 'gold rush' as huge sums are being made - Brixham fish market recently experienced a record catch of 103 tonnes - worth £400,000. But the octopus are also causing problems - eating crab and lobster and devastating that industry locally. It's hoped the new by-law will help those stocks recover. The Royal Highland Show is taking place this week, so we're taking a closer look at Scottish agricultural policy. It's devolved, so the Scottish government has developed new post Brexit farming and environment schemes which we'll talk more about later in the week - but one aspect is it's support for organic farming. The latest figures, from the UK government show a 115% rise in Scottish land farmed organically in 2025, accross the UK there was a 7.3% rise. The organic certifiying and campaigning group The Soil Association says political backing and the scrapping of an upper limit on farm size for organic grants has helped. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.

    12 min

  4. 4 days ago

    13/06/26 Farming Today This Week

    The budget for the scheme which pays England's farmers for environmental work is revealed - but is it enough? With production costs rising following the war in the Middle East, the National Farmers' Union is calling for government support with the price of fertiliser. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

    25 min

  5. 5 days ago

    12/06/26 Sustainable Farming Incentive, Cereal farming in Cumbria

    The Department for Envrionment Food and Rural Affairs has announced how much money it’s making available to farmers in England through the Sustainable Farming Incentive - or SFI - for 2026. It’s something farmers and environmental organisations have been keenly anticipating. There’s a total budget of £240 million pounds., with the first application opening later this month. The SFI is the DEFRA ‘public money for public goods’ scheme that pays for farming in ways that protect and benefit the environment, support food production and improve productivity. Some farming and conservation groups say the budget isn't big enough. And all this week we’re talking about growing cereals, things like grain and oats. The latest figures just out from the industry body the AHDB, that’s the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, show that UK farmers are growing less barley than they have for the last 16 years, while oilseed rape and wheat have climbed back from last year’s lows. The Eden Valley in Cumbria is possibly better known for its livestock than its crops. But over the past couple of years, father and son Thomas and Harry Ewbank have been bucking that trend. Guided by local agronomist, Steven Gate, they've abandoned ploughing in favour of what’s called ‘one-pass drilling’, and they’ve expanded their range of crops to maximise yields and increase sustainability. Presented by Caz Graham and produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Challoner.

    14 min

  6. 10 Jun

    10/06/26 New bovine TB strategy for England, cereals

    A cattle vaccine to protect livestock from bovine TB could be in use on farms in England by 2030. That's one of the aims outlined in a new strategy for the eradication of bovine TB. The government commissioned it and has just released the details. We hear from the farmer who chairs the Steering Group behind the strategy which aims to get rid of the disease on farm by 2038. This week we are looking at cereals, with the current pressures on cereal farming such as high fertiliser and fuel costs, and an unusually hot and dry spring, finding more hardy and efficient varieties of cereals has become vital. The agricultural research organisation, NIAB, has been running a trial in Norfolk to do exactly this. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

    14 min

  7. 9 Jun

    09/06/26 Flood funding, cattle cull, cereals

    Somerset's to get an extra £50m investment to help the county deal with flooding. The government is giving the money to the county council who will work in partnership with local drainage boards, communities, the Environment Agency and the Somerset Rivers Authority. Farming Minister Angela Eagle says it will enable farmers to better withstand the growing threat of floods. Nearly 300 cattle in Scotland are due to be culled because their identification regulations haven't been followed. The Belted Galloways from Home Farm on the Falkland Estate in Fife cannot enter the food chain because they aren't properly registered. Government inspectors due to oversee the cull say they've faced threats online, and will now not attend. All week we’re delving into the detail of growing cereal crops – wheat, barley and oats. Farmers are used to juggling with the challenges of the weather, but this year there have been several other parts to the tricky equation of making cereal crops profitable. With fertilizer prices rising because of the war in the Middle East, and lower or non-existent support payments following Brexit, where does that leave larger cereal growers, competing in global markets? Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

    14 min

  8. 8 Jun

    08/06/26 Brown or white eggs? The outlook for cereal farmers

    How do you like your eggs? Brown or white? Sainsbury's has announced it's switching to white eggs for environmental reasons. With high prices for energy and fertiliser but not for their crops, and after another dry spring, we ask how arable farmers in the UK are doing. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

    12 min
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The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

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  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Farming Today

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