Farming Today

It's less than a month before the new inheritance tax comes in for farmers, and the Government's Finance Bill reaching the report stage is a last chance for any amendments to be considered. After a Government u-turn at the end of the year, the tax threshold was increased, but there are concerns the policy still doesn't give Tenant Farmers, who don't own their land, the same advantage. The Tenant Farmers Association share their concerns. A farm vets practise in Gloucestershire is offering free workshops for Young Farmers groups to spend time with their vets asking questions and taking part in practical workshops. Marie Lennon went to Tyndale Vets for one of the sessions. For decades, farmers have used sewage sludge, or bio solids as fertiliser. That's the waste that comes from us after it's been cleaned up in water treatment plants. Compared to imported artificial fertiliser, its very cheap - it can even be free. But there's concern that sewage-derived fertiliser may contain microplastics, pharmaceuticals and some so-called forever chemicals. The government is proposing to tighten the rules on using sewage sludge on farmland Scotland introduced tighter rules a few months ago – and Wales is also looking to reform. Tom Heap reports.Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Marie Lennon

The meat industry say increased charges for Food Standards Agency staff such as abattoir vets and inspectors could threaten some operations. New charges come into force at the end of this month, and the hourly rate for some services will be more than 20% higher. The Food Standards Agency says a global vet shortage means it is having to pay more to recruit and retain them, and there are other inflationary pressures across the sector. We speak to the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers. Food producers, manufacturers, importers and exporters are all being asked to get prepared early for the new trading system under the EU/UK Trade Agreement, which is expected to come in next year. The new agreement will include a relaxation of the food biosecurity paperwork, known as SPS or Sanitary and Phytosanitary rules. The International Chambers of Commerce say this is good news. And trade disruption caused by the war in the Middle East has pushed oil and fertiliser prices up. Farmers here are worried there could be shortages of imported fertiliser. With this in mind, some farmers are looking at ways of mitigating the situation. David Morgan keeps a large herd of beef cattle at Peterchurch in Herefordshire’s Golden Valley. He’s invested in slurry separating equipment to help produce better home grown fertiliser.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Government's decision to ban lead shot from 2028 will impact the ability to control deer numbers - that's according to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation which says that the new legislation, which will cover England, Scotland and Wales, will ban the ammunition used by many deer stalkers. Last month the Government released its 10 year English deer strategy, which estimated that one-third of England's woodlands are damaged by deer, with urgent action needed to protect trees and wildlife. A new loom is being built for a woolen mill in Wales which closed down 50 years ago. Cambrian Mill is in an area once known as the 'Huddersfield of Wales' as it was so important to wool production, and when it closed down it became the National Wool Museum which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.Farmers use a variety of things to add nutrients to soil and plants to improve the quality and quantity of crops, from organic fertilisers like manure and compost to sewage sludge and man made fertilisers like liquid nitrogen. We're talking about all of them this week, as well as their impact on the environment. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The first UK trial of a vaccine for avian flu has started. Bird flu costs the government an average of £174 million every year and there have been 95 outbreaks in the UK since last autumn. Other countries have used vaccination to try to control the disease: five vaccines are licensed for use in the European Union, but not in the UK. The new trial will see 1000 turkeys vaccinated and, if successful, the vaccine may be rolled out to turkeys and ducks. The cost of the vaccine and the surveillance testing afterwards however, means chickens won't be included.As the impact of the war in the Middle East is felt on world markets, there are concerns about the cost and availability of fuel and fertilizer. This time of the year, when spring planting is underway, both are in high demand. We hear from manufacturers and suppliers about the effect.Land and its uses is seen as the answer to some of the big questions faced by society: cutting greenhouse gas emissions by generating renewable energy; building new homes to ease the housing crisis; making space for nature to halt the collapse of wildlife numbers; and farming to feed the nation. However land is a finite resource, so the debate over which land should be used for what purpose is becoming increasingly charged. The Calver family in Somerset installed a cheddar turning robot in their cheese cave 10 years ago. It was a world's first and we made a programme about it. We revisit the farm where the robot is still going strong and the family are now making ricotta, mozzarella and raw milk cheddar as well.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

British chickens are unlikely to be vaccinated against bird flu because of the cost and concerns about trade. The first UK trial of an avian flu vaccine is underway on 1,000 turkeys and if it's successful the vaccine may be rolled out to them and to ducks. But the British Poultry Council says that given the cost of the vaccine and the surveillance testing afterwards chickens won't be included. Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionise farming - but how? trials are underway all over the country looking at everything, from soil to bees.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The government's launching its first field trial of a bird flu vaccine, in turkeys in England. The poultry industry has been calling for an avian flu vaccine, which could protect millions of birds against the disease. Five veterinary vaccines are approved for use across the European Union, but they haven't been approved in the UK. We speak to the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer about how the trial will workAs the impact of the war in the Middle East starts to be felt on world markets, groups in the UK who buy fertiliser and fuel for farmers, are fielding calls from farmers worried about price rises. This time of the year, when spring planting is underway, both fertiliser and fuel are in high demand. All week we're talking about land use, and the many demands that are being put on farm land, from growing food, to producing green energy, mitigating climate change and managing water. We talk to the people who are going to be affected by plans for a big reservoir in South Oxfordshire.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

MPs question top civil servants about surveillance at Dover Port and illegal meat. The EFRA Committee said nearly a fifth of consignments directed from Dover to a border control point 20 miles away at Sevington, were failing to do so. All week we’re exploring how farmland is being used. Solar farms can be controversial, but how do farmers and landowners with tenants view the issue? Norfolk County council has more than 16,000 acres in tenant farms. It's decided that none of its tenants will be allowed to put solar panels on their land, although they are encouraged to install them on farm buildings.We've all been told that less waste is good, and we're urged to recycle, but what if your household rubbish could be used to grow tomatoes or salad ? A landfill site next to the M4 in Wiltshire has installed a prototype inflatable structure which will use cleaned gases from waste, to grow food under cover.Presenter - Anna Hill Producer - Rebecca Rooney

The first shipment of tariff-free UK beef has arrived on shop shelves in the United States. It's part of the UK-US trade deal which allows a reciprocal movement of 13,000 tonnes of US and UK beef across the Atlantic. For British farmers, the government claims the deal is worth £70 million a year, if the quota is fully used. We ask a trade expert how significant it will be.All week we’re talking about the varied pressures on farm land, from energy production to growing food. Deepdale Farm on the North Norfolk coast has sandy loamy soil. For many years one of its fields produced a healthy crop of carrots, but continual production, combined with high rainfall, led to a catastrophic degradation of the soil and in 2020 the field slipped, and flooded the village below. It was a massive shock and led to a wholesale re-assessment of how the land is managed. The farm's since become organic and introduced cover crops and flood protection systems.Farmers are being asked to join a project to investigate whether growing a variety of the common dandelion could solve a worldwide shortage of natural rubber. Natural rubber production has been falling in its native sites in South East Asia because of disease and climate change. Scientists are breeding a special variety of dandelion indoors, without soil, in hydroponic or aeroponic systems, and harvesting it to create high quality rubber. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

After a marathon run of torrential rain, floods, and grey skies to start 2026 , the drought warnings from last Autumn seem a world away. Back in October, the Environment Agency said that at least 100% of the average rainfall would be needed every month until the end of March for England to recover fully from the 2025 drought. Steve Turner from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology tells Charlotte that rivers and groundwater have returned to normal, or above normal, levels in most of the country.We meet a grower search for an elusive and almost forgotten Derbyshire apple: Mrs Wilmot's Pippin. Land is seen as the answer to some of the big questions faced by Society: cutting greenhouse gas emissions by generating renewable energy, building new homes to ease the housing crisis, making space for nature to halt the collapse of wildlife numbers...and farming to feed the nation. As land is a finite resource, the debate over which land should be used for what purpose is becoming increasingly charged. The Government is hoping to take some of the heat out of the discussion, and provide much needed clarity. It's already consulted on a Land Use Framework for England, and the final version is due to be published soon. Ahead of that, this week we're looking at those competing pressures on land. Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Sarah Swadling

Mackerel will soon be disappearing from the shelves of Waitrose as the supermarket says it's 'taking a stand against overfishing'. In September last year the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), recommended that North-east Atlantic Mackerel catches should be cut by 70% to help rebuild stocks to a sustainable level. But four countries which fish for Mackerel in the North East Atlantic cut their quota for 2026 by just 48% compared to the previous year. As a result, Waitrose has decided to suspend sourcing from the end of April. Fishing organisations in Scotland say they are disappointed and feel they have been unfairly penalised because - they say - the UK has led the way in trying to secure sustainable fishing for Mackerel.Anna Hill reports from a Cromer seafood processor who's experiencing a drop in the availability of Crabs following fishing disruption due to wind farm construction. It's been a worrying winter for poultry farmers, with cases of avian flu in England, Scotland and Wales. The Pirbright Institute's Head of Avian Virology updates us on what he describes as the 'third worst ever' epidemic of high pathogenicity bird flu in the UK, and reflects on what might lie ahead over the spring and summer. Cambridge University's vet school will not be closing after all. The University's governing body has rejected proposals to cease taking new entrants.Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Sarah Swadling

The farming minister says changes announced this week will help make farms more resilient. Angela Eagle speaks to us about the government's biggest environmental scheme, England's Sustainable Farming Incentive, which is getting an overhaul. The other UK nations have different schemes. Reaction has been generally welcoming, with some buts...Farmers and landowners are calling for a new arrangement which would allow them to take rubbish illegally fly tipped on their land to landfill sites free of charge. At the moment they have to foot the bill for any clean up. This comes as new government figures for England show a nine per cent increase year on year in the number of incidents local councils have to deal with. We hear an update on the illegal waste site cleanup at Hoad's Wood near Ashford in Kent.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Environment Secretary has revealed more details of the rebooted Sustainable Farming Incentive in England, at the National Farmers Union Conference. It'll include an annual cap of £100,000 and fewer options. Smaller farms of between 3 and 50 hectares will be able to apply in June, as will larger farms who haven't previously been signed up to one of the Environment Land Management schemes. Everyone else will be able to apply in September. The President of the NFU, Tom Bradshaw, told the conference that that a failure to build farming resilience would put food security, and national security at risk. Some of the delegates reflect on resilience and confidence in their own businesses: we hear from a pig farmer, wheat and potato grower, and a young dairy farmer. Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Sarah Swadling

It's four years today since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. It's obviously been devastating for the population; and while front line fighters and high pressure politics make the headlines, its the country's farmers who have the massive responsibility of keeping the people of Ukraine fed. The war has led to soaring prices of fuel and fertiliser - but more than that, labour shortages and continual power cuts have put massive pressure on what was an efficient and profitable industry. We hear from Kees Huizinga, a Dutch farmer who moved to Ukraine to run a large mixed farm, just before the invasion took place. He estimates that 20 percent of farm land has been lost to the war. We also hear from the BBC's former Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse who's seen the devastation for himself.Several farmers in the Midlands have been giving up pieces of their land to create wetland habitats for wintering birds. Work is being carried out to make scrapes and channels on fields so they’ll attract species like the snipe and the lapwing. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner

The government's announced a new 10 year plan for controlling deer numbers in England. It estimates that a third of woodlands are damaged by deer and says immediate action is needed to protect trees and crops.A project in the Ashdown Forest aims to persuade more people to eat venison. Deer managers are working with the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, and with apprentice butchers at Plumpton College.BBC News NI has obtained figures showing there have been over 150 farm related accidents in Northern Ireland between 2019-2025. We hear from a musician whose career was jeopardised by a machinery accident on the family farm.Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Sarah Swadling

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak, which caused devastation to thousands of farms across the country. Around 6.5 million animals were culled, with a cost to the UK economy of £8 billion. Charlotte Smith meets a farmer whose animals were destroyed in the outbreak, and speaks to UK Chief Vet Christine Middlemiss about the risk of another outbreak - and whether the response would be different.The issue of biosecurity at our ports has been in the spotlight in recent months. Dover Port Health Authority announced its highest ever monthly total of seizures of illegal meat - finding 34 tonnes of it in January. We hear from chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee Alistair Carmichael MP, who gives us his reaction to the latest figures.Sheep shearing is an international business, with skilled shearers travelling the world to work across different countries. Many shearers who come to the UK are from Australia and New Zealand and have previously been allowed entry into the country each year via a special concession for highly skilled workers. This year, the UK Home Office has decided not to give this special temporary access. The National Association of Agricultural Contractors say these shearers are essential to the farming industry, and are warning that sheep welfare may be compromised without them.Farm vets are vital to any livestock business, but there's a shortage of vets wanting to work on farms. We join a cattle vet on a visit to a Wiltshire farm to hear about her role and Charlotte speaks to BVA president Rob Williams, who explains some of the reasons behind the shortage.Farming Today This Week was presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Jo Peacey. A BBC Audio Bristol production.

Charlotte Smith is in Devon to reflect on the impact of the 2001 Foot and Mouth crisis 25 years on. Highly contagious foot and mouth disease was confirmed at an Essex abattoir on 19th February 2001. The outbreak which followed led to the slaughter of 6.5 million cattle, sheep, and pigs and cost the UK economy an estimated £8 billion. The emotional cost to farming families was incalculable. Charlotte speaks to the then South West Regional Director of the National Farmers Union, Anthony Gibson, who recalls the 'cataclysm' which hit the farming community. Farming Today's Caz Graham remembers the smell of burning pyres and disinfectant on the air in Cumbria, the worst hit county. She hosted a nightly phone in on BBC Radio Cumbria during the crisis, where callers would share their grief and anger. Charlotte visits Phil Heard's farm on Dartmoor, which got caught up in the controversial 'contiguous cull' policy, in which farms neighbouring confirmed outbreaks of Foot and Mouth would also have their animals compulsorily slaughtered. Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Sarah Swadling

The Environment Agency and Met Office are warning of more rain and unsettled weather continuing into March at least. And that’s going to delay essential farm jobs even longer - crops not planted, slurry not spread. For contractors who rely on this work, the forecast is another blow. Their national body - the National Association of Agricultural Contractors - has been meeting in Cornwall to discuss the situation. Its chair Matt Redman told Caz Graham the rain is stopping vital work, and when it finally clears there will be less time to complete the work, putting extra strain on staff and machinery.The UK is facing an acute shortages of vets, particularly in farm animal and public sector roles. A survey last year suggested that more than 40 % of ‘large animal’ vets have considered leaving their jobs, and replacing them will be difficult - many undergraduates who study veterinary science have limited exposure to farmers and agriculture, and choose to specialise in other parts of the profession. Will Golding is a graduate of the University of Nottingham’s vet school and knew from the off that farm vet practice was the career for him.Not having access to a large animal vet makes farming - or crofting - impossible. So when the last vet on the Hebridean Island of Tiree retired and no one came forward to take over the practice, islanders realised they’d have to take matter into their own hands. This week they’ve opened what’s thought to be UK’s first ‘not for profit’ community owned vets. Presented by Caz Graham and produced in Bristol by Sally Challoner

Thirty four tonnes of illegal meat and animal products were intercepted over the course of January, at Dover docks. The Port Health Authority says it's the highest monthly total they have ever seized. Meanwhile, also in January, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority discovered 300 kilos of illegal pork at Harwich. It was found wrapped in foil and packed into suitcases. The chair of the Commons Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee, Alistair Carmichael, gives his reaction.We’re talking about farm vets all this week on the programme. Until 1999 UK veterinary practises had to be owned by vets but now 60 per cent of practises are owned by companies - some of them large. In Staffordshire, farm vet Ellen Widdowson decided to set up her own independent practice, with a colleague, after her previous employer was bought by a corporate group. The Home Office has said it’ll no longer give special temporary access to the UK for overseas sheep shearers. The National Association of Agricultural Contractors says the concession is essential to the farming industry, and the decision could compromise animal welfare. The association estimates the 75 or so overseas shearers, who mainly come from New Zealand and Australia, would shear up to 1.5 million sheep during their time in the UK.Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling

Livestock worrying cost UK farmers nearly two million pounds last year, a ten percent increase on the year before. Farm insurers NFU Mutual, who published the figures, say that’s in spite of many pet owners believing their own dogs are incapable of injuring or killing farm animals.This week we're exploring the role of the farm vet and today we're out on the round with a cattle vet in Wiltshire. More than two hundred thousand new hedgerow trees are being planted this winter, as part of the Campaign To Protect Rural England's Hedgerow heroes Initiative. BBC South East Today's Chrissie Reidy went along to see planting at the Birling Estate in Kent. Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling

There'll be a bigger splash of bright yellow across the countryside later in the spring, at least compared to last year. Signs are that, after a 40 year low in planting, Oilseed Rape is starting to come back into favour with farmers. Many had moved away from it because of pest problems, the chemical used to combat the Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle was banned in the UK in 2010. Low prices for other crops have made oilseed rape a more appealing prospect.Our subject for the week is farm vets. The UK is short of vets who want to work on farms and indeed those who want to work in the Government's animal health services, where the vacancy rate is about 25%. With the University of Cambridge considering closing its vet course and a survey last year suggesting that more than 40 per cent of farm vets have considered leaving their jobs: what's the future? Charlotte Smith discusses the reasons for a shortage of vets, and what could be done about it, with the president of the British Veterinary Association. We also hear from a panel of experts discussing the potential risks and benefits of Artificial Intelligence for vets and farmers.Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Sarah Swadling