Farming Today

MPs are calling on the Government to have a ‘national conversation’ on the new EU/UK agri-food trade agreement, so farmers don't end up disadvantaged. The new trade agreement is expected to come into place by 2027. But there are concerns the deal will bring the need for re-alignment of rules, as since Brexit the UK has diverged on things like animal welfare, gene editing and pesticide regulation. The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee is warning the Government must seek ‘carve outs’ or exemptions on alignment to "avoid unnecessary burdens and undercutting of farmers".Human health scientists have been working with plant scientists to discover, for the first time, how a plant passes down information to the seeds it’s developing. Researchers at the John Innes Centre and The Earlham Institute in Norwich, say 'mother' plants use hormonal messaging to prime their seeds for the climate and nutrient environment they're likely to face when they germinate. All week we're talking to people starting out in agriculture. Even if you grow up on a family farm, it can be a good idea to go and try working somewhere else, to broaden your skills. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

A new report published by the think tank The Resolution Foundation says the government's goal of 'net zero' across the UK, could force less profitable farms into debt, and lead to 3,500 farms losing money. It says progress to decarbonise farming has been slow and there is no 'silver bullet' which will do the 'heavy lifting' for the sector to reduce its impact on climate change. It advises that policymakers should intervene to ensure costs are passed to the consumer.The Ulster Farmers Union has accused the Northern Ireland government of failing to support young farmers following the closure of one scheme last year and with another also about to come to an end. The Young Farmers Payment Scheme closed in 2025 - though the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs says successful applicants will continue to get top up payments for five years. The pilot Farming for the Generations scheme was designed to support farming families planning for succession. It's closing next month and DAERA says there will be an evaluation before the scheme is relaunched. Many things make it difficult to get a toe-hold on the farming ladder, not least the availability and cost of buying land. Some people though, are determined to overcome those challenges, against the odds. We meet a young couple who realised their dream by leaving behind their city lives in York and moving hundreds of miles to Scotland, to a croft in the Western Isles.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The RSPCA is updating its welfare standards for dairy cattle under its RSPCA Assured scheme. The changes come into operation this April and include: more access to pasture - a minimum of 120 days a year; changes to rules around transport of pregnant cows; and use of RSPCA Assured slaughterhouses. The changes also mean that electronic collars, which are used instead of fencing, will be banned under the scheme.Grey squirrels are a big problem for foresters. They strip off bark and leave trees dead or deformed. They also spread squirrel pox disease which kills native red squirrel populations. The government's issued a new policy statement on managing grey squirrels in England. It includes financial incentives and advice to help landowners take action, and it encourages a more collaborative approach to control numbers.All week we're looking at people who are starting out in farming. Rodrigo Navarro is a former chef and last May he set up a free-range egg business in Hampshire. He started as part of the Pitch Up scheme, which matches newcomers with large landowners or estates. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Scotland has introduced legislation to set legal targets on nature restoration and halt the loss of biodiversity. The Scottish Government says this will ensure that the country is 'on a bold ambitious journey to be nature positive by 2030'. The Natural Environment bill, which was passed by the Scottish parliament last week, also gives ministers new powers over land use and deer management. The right to roam in Scotland, which gives people access rights, is being 'hollowed out' by a lack of money according to a new report from the walkers’ group Ramblers Scotland. It says that some of the essential infrastructure needed to ensure the rights of both walkers and land managers has disappeared, with too few local staff to handle issues when people don't stick to the rules, and not enough money spent on maintaining paths. All week we're talking about new entrants: the people who come into farming with no family farm to work on, or inherit. The vast majority of farmers who own land pass it on to other members of the family, so it can be hard for people from outside the industry to get hold of land. Land is expensive too, which forms another barrier. Tenant farms where all or some of the land is rented make up about a third of farmland in England, but getting a tenancy is hard work and again requires some capital. One rural charity, The Addington Fund, has set up a new new entrant scheme to help people get a foot on the farming ladder.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Sustainable Foods 2026: a conference in London which brings together big food companies, supermarkets, producers and scientists in a drive to transform our food systems - but what does it mean for agriculture?Flooded farmers say government needs to spend more on infrastructure to make rural communities are more resilient in the face of climate change.The secret lives of octopus, revealed in new report. Their numbers have increased dramatically - what is the impact on the fishing industry?Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The weather has dominated life for many this month, from storms and flooding in South West England to snow and rain in parts of Scotland, flooding in Northern Ireland and strong winds and rain across Wales. Rural communities and the leader of Devon County Council have called on the government for urgent financial support because of the impact of this month's storms, particularly on roads and railways saying more frequent rough weather highlights the need for more investment. All this week we are talking sustainable systems - whether that's how we farm or how we make farming a more economically sustainable and resilient business. The University of Lincoln has been working with a Nottinghamshire farmer on an innovative project called ‘Reverse Coal’, which has just won a national sustainability award. We visit Pollybell Farms to find out more about biochar.A tale of legacy, love and rare breeds: Clifford Freeman farms in Gloucestershire where he has the world's biggest herd of Gloucester cattle. He is also the custodian of his father's collections of rare breed sheep and pigs and vintage farm wagons. Eric Freeman was a farmer, broadcaster and rare breeds pioneer.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Sustainable Foods 2026 - a conference in London which brings together big food companies, supermarkets, producers and scientists in a drive to transform our food systems - but what does it mean for agriculture? Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Warmer waters have brought large number of octopus to coastal waters around the South West over the past year. Now, the University of Plymouth has published a report bringing together evidence from scientists, the fishing industry and citizen scientists to reveal more about what's known as the 'octopus bloom'. What can it tell us about the changing marine environment, the consequences for sea life, and the impact on fishing?The on-farm science group BOFIN is starting a three-year £2.5 million project funded through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme. It'll be growing the first commercial trial of precision-bred oilseed rape, which will be resistant to light leaf spot. Sheepdog training and competitions have captivated TV audiences for decades, and watching sheepdogs in action in the field is one of the privileges of farming. We speak to sheepdog trainer Nij Vyas as he puts one of his students through her paces.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Government's new Warm Homes plan has been set up to help people switch to eco-friendly heating systems for their homes, such as air source heat pumps and solar panels. The scheme will provide £15 billion in grants. The five year plan has been welcomed by the energy industry, but some see it as a missed opportunity. We ask the Rural Services Network what's in it for rural communities.Vertical farming has been hailed as one of the ways to feed the world's growing population, expected to increase to nearly ten billion by 2050. Crops are grown indoors, under artificial light. This method of farming can use less water and fewer chemicals than outdoor crops but does use a lot of energy. We find out why Scotland’s Rural College has just opened its own full-scale vertical farm in Edinburgh.Making sure that a farm is sustainable and productive over the long-term - without ruining the environment or damaging wildlife - can be expensive. A young food activist and a farmer explore how this can be done with environmentalists and campaigners for better food networks.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Forestry experts are warning that the UK needs to plant more trees for timber. We import around 80% of the timber we use, but there are fears of a shortage of wood for house building, pallets or fencing if more conifer plantations aren't created. MPs on the all party group on forestry are discussing the issue. We speak to the industry body Confor which says we can grow they type of wood we need.Feijoas are a popular fruit in New Zealand but a bit of a mystery to most Brits. The fruit isn't really imported and until now it wasn't grown here. Well, that changed when a New Zealander in Sussex had an idea. We meet the couple behind a new growing enterprise.All week we're focusing on sustainability in farming, whether that's from an environmental point of view, resilience in supply chains or from a financial perspective. Farming is seasonal and unpredictable, which can make it hard to plan financially - veg growers for example find it hard to predict how much they'll earn from one month to the next. Margins are tight and prices don't necessarily reflect the cost of production. We speak to a producer and campaigner who's part of a cooperative which would like to see a basic income for all farmers.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

UK dairy farmers are living through what's been called the sharpest milk price drop in history. We look at the causes with dairy analyst Chris Walkland.Earlier this week, the author of a Government commissioned review of profitability in farming, former National Farmers Union president Baroness Batters, was questioned by MPs. She told the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee that civil servants needed to spend some time 'in the lambing shed' to understand farming more fully, and that farmers also needed to understand more about Whitehall culture.England's Farm Business Survey figures for 2024-25 showed that incomes increased by 49% on average across all farm types. Business consultant, James Webster-Rusk, explains that the headline figure conceals difficult times for arable farmers, and that diversification as well as environment scheme payments are the difference between profit and loss for many farms.And...feeding livestock in winter, a new crop to cut costs on a Welsh dairy farm, the impact of drought in Herefordshire, organic farmers grappling with updated rules, and we jump into the lorry of a hay merchant delivering to the Isle of Lewis.Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Sarah Swadling

The effects of volatile international markets are currently being felt in the bank accounts of UK dairy farmers. Milk prices paid by processors started tumbling in the autumn and there’ve been further drops this month. Dairy Analyst Chris Walkland discusses the impact of President Trump's trade policy on milk production in the US, which has coincided with a boom in UK and European milk output...leading to a bust. We also consider whether further US trade tariffs as leverage over Greenland could further destabilise dairy trade.We meet a Welsh farmer adding Sunflowers to the cattle feed crops grown on his farm, to cut his feed bill in volatile times. The European Parliament has voted to refer a deal with the South American trade bloc Mercosur to the European Court of Justice, in a move which could see a two year delay in the agreement coming into operation, or even derail it altogether. The European Commission signed the deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay on Saturday. But yesterday MEPs decided its legality needs to be tested. If a water company pollutes rivers or releases sewage illegally, it can be taken to court and fined. The government has just announced that it’s reinvesting £29 million pounds from these fines into more than 100 projects to improve 450km of rivers, restore 650 acres of natural habitats and plant 100,000 new trees. The money collected from precious water company fines between April 2022 and 23 was put into a Water Restoration Fund and it’s already being spent on local projects. We visit one, on the River Witham in Lincolnshire.Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling

The smuggling of illegal meat is on the rise. Farmers are worried it could bring animal diseases into the UK. Europe has seen outbreaks of both African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth, neither of which affect humans but both of which can wipe out whole farms.Average income across all farms in England rose by 49 percent in the year from March 2024 to February 2025, with increases in all farming sectors, bar specialist pig farms and horticulture. That’s the headline from DEFRA’s newly published Farm Business Survey. So, are English farmers laughing all the way to the bank, and how do those figures sit alongside frequent reports about tough times for farmers with high costs, uncertain markets, more extreme weather events, and low confidence in new agri-environment schemes?It's mid-winter, the hungriest time of year for livestock, so all this week we're looking at the challenges of providing winter feed, be they financial or practical. It's tough enough when farmers are able to grow or make their own forage, but in the Scottish islands, where the land’s poor and the climate’s wet, crofters rely on hay and straw being brought in by lorry from the mainland. We join a haulier as he drops off bales in the Isle of Lewis. His family has been supplying forage to the Western Isles and Skye for three generations.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Civil servants should spend more time on farms, to understand the problems they face. That's according to Baroness Minette Batters, who's been facing questions from MPs on the Environment Farming and Rural Affairs committee. She was speaking about her Farming Profitability Review for England, which was published just before Christmas. There are 57 recommendations in the review, all of which, she told MPs, should be implemented. The questioning was very wide-ranging from fairness in the supply chain, to the viability of agri-environment schemes, and the impact of trade agreements with countries such as Australia.All week we’re discussing animal feed. For many years, organic pig and poultry producers have been able to feed their animals with up to 5% non-organic feed. However on 1st January the rules changed. Now, in line with EU regulations, any birds over 30 weeks old, and pigs over 35kg must be fed a 100% organic diet. We visit an organic pig farmer and an organic poultry farmer to find out how it's affected their business.Defra has said non-organic pig and poultry producers will be able to feed their animals processed-animal-protein or PAP. It's made from the left over carcasses of pig and poultry, or insects. Since BSE or mad cow disease, it has been illegal to feed processed-animal-protein or PAP to farm animals in the UK. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The government is promising a complete overhaul of the water system, which it says will protect households from disrupted water supplies and bring in tougher oversight of water companies. The new water white paper, which paves the way for the Water Reform Bill, proposes the abolition of Ofwat to create a new regulator. It promises new reforms bringing councils, water companies, farmers, and developers together to deliver joined-up local plans to tackle river pollution, water resources and housing growth. We ask the Rivers Trust what it means for agriculture and the health of our rivers.All week we're talking about winter feed - from simple grass to complex proteins. Some farmers have already used up the forage which they grew to feed their animals over the winter. We visit a dairy farmer in Herefordshire who's had to buy in maize to feed his livestock and reduced his herd numbers because there's a shortage of fodder.Glyphosate is a commonly used but controversial weedkiller. Councils use it kill off weeds and it's used in regenerative farming to kill off cover crops, planted to help protect and nourish soils over the winters, before planting the main crop. In the USA courts have ruled that the chemicals in it are linked to cancer. In the UK, the government's reviewing whether it should still be allowed. We speak to farmers, scientists and campaigners about its future.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

After 25 years of negotiations, the European Union has signed the Mercosur trade deal. Farmers across Europe have been out on the streets protesting against it and farming unions in the UK warn that it could threaten the future of family farms. The free trade deal between the EU and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay gives European businesses access to a market of more than 250 million people and is seen as a way of offsetting business lost because of US tariffs. However it will also open the door to tariff-free imports of food, particularly beef, which European farmers argue is not produced to the same standards. The deal was not approved by all EU countries, France and Ireland were among those voting against, and it will have to be ratified by the European Parliament. All week we're focusing on what farm animals are eating this winter, from grains to soy and silage: it is a mixture of forage, things grown on the farm like hay or silage; and feed that's bought in from the UK or abroad. A combination of geopolitical events, a challenging UK harvest, and an exceptionally dry summer in some areas has put pressure on the supplies of feed. The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) says the UK needs a national protein strategy to safeguard feed security because that impacts food securityPresenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

This week two watchdogs published reports on the Government's performance on the environment. The Office for Environmental Protection warned that, unless swift action is taken, the Government could miss 21 out of 43 legally set targets on biodiversity and protecting land and sea. Meanwhile, the National Audit Office published a report saying that substantial reform is needed in the way DEFRA, the Environment Agency, and Natural England operate. Our sister programme, Farming Today, has been exploring the UK cheese industry. We visit a Somerset cheddar maker, a goat's cheese maker in Carmarthenshire, and an exporter making the most of growing demand for UK cheese around the world.It may be more than a week since Storm Goretti unleashed hurricane force winds on Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly but rural businesses are still clearing up the wreckage.Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Sarah Swadling

Students and staff are campaigning against recommendations to end vet training at the University of Cambridge. The recommendation comes from the School of Biological Sciences which says there is no viable future for undergraduate vet courses at the university. We speak to a student who'll graduate next year and one of the faculty's professors who are campaigning to keep the course going.All week we've been talking about cheese, today we meet a cheese monger who founded the Real Cheese Project. It supports independent cheese makers and works with dairy farmers across the UK and Ireland to champion small-scale producers. Farmer Iain Colville breeds cows and sheep on the family farm in County Down, but when he's not wearing his wellies, he dons his a wig for hearings in London where he works as a barrister.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The National Audit Office, the public spending watchdog, has published a report looking at efficiency and effectiveness in England's environmental regulation. It found that complexity, outdated IT systems, skills shortages, and a risk averse culture were affecting how well DEFRA and the regulators Natural England and the Environment Agency are working. The NAO says that substantial reform is needed, but that it's optimistic there is the impetus and political will for change. The Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland outlines progress on the Sustainable Farming Programme, and on efforts to cut pollution in Lough Neagh. The lough supplies 40% of Northern Ireland's drinking water and is facing what the Minister calls a 'biodiversity and ecological crisis'.Continuing our exploration of the UK cheese industry, we visit a Somerset cheesemaker whose products are found on the shelves of several major supermarkets.Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling

A new approach to working with England's upland communities has been announced by the Government, starting with Dartmoor and then Cumbria. Clubs have been formed so farmers and other enthusiasts can come together to enjoy repairing and maintaining old Land Rovers. This week we're focusing on cheese, from the very big brands you find in the supermarkets to the small artisan producers.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.