Farming Today

A wet winter and dry spring means cereal crops were hard to sow and grew slowly. The result: straw short in stature and in short supply, so greater costs for livestock farmers as they prepare for housing their animals this winter. We hear from a Hay and Straw Merchant about the difficulty of sourcing their product after a difficult year for cereal growers. Party conference season gets underway today, with Reform UK gathering in Birmingham. We discuss whether they sense electoral opportunity in disaffected farming and fishing communities. And Charlotte Smith visits a Kent farm growing fruit with a little help from some predatory insects.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Sarah Swadling

There should be more urgency and a bigger budget to tackle TB in cattle in England while farmers should be empowered to do more to eradicate the disease. Those are headlines from a new report published today. It also calls for a bovine TB tzar to co-ordinate government policy along with investment in IT systems, vaccination and testing. We hear from the report's author, Professor Sir Charles Godfray, the Badger Trust and the National Farmers' Union.Major changes are needed to rebuild trust in the body responsible for promoting Welsh meat, that's according to an inquiry by Senedd members.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Concern is growing about a shortage of fodder this winter. Drought in some parts of the UK has meant that the grass just hasn't grown, so farmers have had to feed their animals with the food they planned to save.A new study suggests people working with pesticides can be at higher risk of problems with their lungs. The study from the Health and Safety Executive published in the Occupational Medicine Journal says chest tightness and nasal allergies were common in those they surveyed.A team of researchers from Seafish, the public body supporting the seafood industry, is currently carrying out its annual survey of the nation’s fishing fleet, talking to around 10% of the 4,000 skippers. The work is essential to know just what’s happening in the fleet and what challenges it faces.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

People living and working around Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland say pollution in the lake has become worse over the hot summer this year. The Lough supplies about forty per cent of Northern Ireland's drinking water and for the past couple of years it's been covered with a toxic blue green algae, which has grown due to pollution from agriculture, broken water treatment facilities and industrial waste. The algae's also had a big impact on the fishing industry.All this week we’re looking at animal feed. There's a drive to source and grow more of it in the UK, especially as new regulations come in to tackle deforestation linked with growing soy for animal feed. We visit a traditional feed mill in Gloucestershire which makes a feed mix from local wheat, oats, peas and beans.The island of Unst in Shetland is the most northerly inhabited island in Britain. It's also considered to be the true home of the Shetland pony and is the venue of the most northerly agricultural show in the UK. The Unst Show has been going for more than 150 years and draws crowds from across Shetland and beyond to see cows, sheep, poultry and ponies being exhibited. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

A new report says racist abuse is too often "tolerated or even normalised" in the English countryside, with many incidents going unreported by victims. Researchers from the University of Leicester spoke to 115 people and 20 community groups over two years, for their Rural Racism Project. They found that it wasn't just visitors to the countryside who suffered abuse, but those who are living within rural communities as well. The UK dairy sector has had a pretty successful year. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which works with farmers and food producers on international trade, says that European demand for UK dairy exports reached a record 1.1 billion pounds in the first half of 2025, that's a 20 percent jump from last year. Exports to the USA and Asia also rose. How sustainable is this trend, especially with the impact of drought on dairy producers in some parts of the country?All this week we're looking at the business of livestock feed. What's grown to feed animals and how it's produced, can have a big impact on carbon emissions. Farmers are being encouraged to grow pulses to replace imported soya which can lead to deforestation. We visit a livestock farmer who's been trialling it as part of a nationwide project.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Changes to the costs, paperwork and bureaucracy that are hampering agri-food exports from Great Britain to the European Union won’t be in place until 2027. Nick Thomas–Symonds, the Minister for EU Relations, has been setting out his priorities for the future of the UK-EU relationship in a speech in front of industry representatives and journalists. We speak to trade expert David Henig and hear how food exporters are 'disappointed' that barriers to trade won't be removed sooner.The pig and poultry industries is damaging our rivers and countryside, according to a report commissioned by the Wildlife Trusts. The UK produces almost one million tonnes of pig meat and two million tonnes of poultry meat per year and the Trusts have been examining the broader environmental risks from farming pigs and poultry. We hear look into the details of the report and hear from the pig industry.Pollinators play an essential part in crop production and we've been looking at them all week. One fruit farm in Herefordshire imports bees from the Netherlands to pollinate fruit in polytunnels. We also speak to the insect charity Buglife. An update on a tiny community which was considered too remote to be connected to the national grid. People living in the Upper Coquet Valley in Northumberland used to be reliant on generators. For 50 years they've campaigned to be connected to the mains - and now they are!Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

A new report from the Wildlife Trusts outlines the environmental damage caused by pig and poultry pollution. Caz Graham talks to the report authors and to the National Pig Association.Moths and hoverflies are the unloved pollinators that keep our farms and gardens healthy. We hear about their brilliant undercover work.Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton

Changes to the costs, paperwork and bureaucracy that are hampering agri-food exports from Great Britain to the European Union won’t be in place until 2027. Nick Thomas–Symonds, the minister for EU relations, has been setting out his priorities for the future of the UK-EU relationship in a speech in front of industry representatives and journalists. We speak to trade expert David Henig and hear how food exporters are 'disappointed' that barriers to trade won't be removed sooner.As part of our week-long look at pollinators, we visit Bishop’s Bees in Devon, where owner Darren Molyneux is developing genetic lines suited to the UK climate using artificial insemination. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Three river catchments in the East of Scotland are now in a state of significant scarcity - that’s the most extreme level of water shortage issued by SEPA, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. It says the river Deveron in Aberdeenshire is at its lowest level since the 1970s and that unless there’s significant rainfall, other rivers including the Lower Tweed and the Don could also fall into that highest drought-alert category. Farmers in Scotland have been harvesting cereals earlier than usual, and agronomists are warning that shifting weather patterns mean growers will need to change their farming practices to help deal with the impacts of climate change.Butterflies are an important pollinator across farmland, orchards and gardens. However, their numbers have fallen dramatically over the last fifty years. According to the charity, Butterfly Conservation, they’ve dropped by 80% since 1970, due to habitat loss and changes in land management. We take a look at a project in South Wales where grazing cattle are helping to manage bracken and encourage rare High Brown Fritillary butterflies.Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Rebecca Rooney

A new stakeholder survey has been launched by Natural England and Natural Resources Wales to find out how the Countryside Code is working in England and Wales. The code in Northern Ireland is similar but runs separately, and in Scotland, where they have the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, access, rules are different. We speak to two farmers about whether they feel the code's working for them and what they'd like to see. Pollinators play an essential part in crop production and we're looking at them all week. One fruit farm in Herefordshire imports bees from the Netherlands to pollinate fruit in polytunnels. We also speak to the insect charity Buglife.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The cider apple harvest has started already. Most apples are picked in the autumn and even varieties which ripen early aren’t usually ready yet, and the apple harvest looks likely to buck this year's trend and be good.The Government's decision last week not to offer a rescue package to two plants producing bioethanol is a cause for worry for farmers. This week the Vivergo bioethanol plant on the Humber near Hull stopped production and started laying off staff. It had been buying around a million tonnes of wheat a year, distilling it into bioethanol which is added to petrol to reduce emissions. It also produced large quantities of cattle feed as a by-product. A separate business, Ensus on Teesside is continuing for now; it produces bioethanol and also carbon dioxide which is used in abattoirs and the food industry. The plants have been rendered economically unviable by the US trade deal, which removed tariffs from bioethanol imports from the States. We hear how the UK has been dependent on American bioethanol for some time now.Avian flu is on the rise again. In England new rules on game birds are being introduced after warnings of a 'heightened risk' of the virus. The Government says there have been more new cases, particularly in coastal areas and places with a significant number of shoots. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Avian flu is on the rise again and this summer increase in cases is being linked with seabirds. New stricter biosecurity rules have been introduced for shoots in England after a number of outbreaks in game birds, and there are also more coastal cases of the disease. Bird flu is usually associated with the winter and migratory birds, but seabirds were very badly hit in 2022 and researchers say the H5N1 virus is again affecting them. A consortium of UK scientific organisations form FluMap which is studying bird flu. We speak to Dr Tom Peacock from the Pirbright Institute who says gulls are currently spreading the virus.It's peak salad season and we visit a producer who uses state-of-the-art technology to grow lettuce under glass using aeroponics. The plant's roots are grown in the air, and the nutrients they need are delivered in a vapour which itself is created using ultrasonics, or sound waves. The cider apple harvest has started early in some orchards. Most apples are picked in the autumn and even varieties which ripen early aren’t usually ready yet but as we’ve been reporting this year many harvests have been earlier than usual. We find out what this year's apple harvest's looking like.Farmers are still dealing with the aftermath of Scotland's biggest ever wildfires. In June and July this year more than 29,000 acres of land in the Highlands were affected by fire - with firefighters joined by gamekeepers, farmers and local communities to tackle them. The damage has been described as 'devastating'. We hear from a couple who may have to sell some of their livestock if they can't find alternative grazing soon.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

New rules on game birds are being introduced in England after warnings of a 'heightened risk' of avian flu. The Government says there have been more new cases, particularly in coastal areas and places with a significant number of shoots. English shoots will now have to introduce stricter biosecurity, for instance cleaning and covering feed and water to protect them from wild bird droppings, which can spread the infection, disinfecting vehicles and keeping records of any visits. Rules on moving animals in and out of Scotland are being eased, they were introduced to help control bluetongue and stop the disease moving from England into Scotland. Bluetongue is a virus, spread by biting midges which affects sheep, cattle and goats but not humans. The whole of England became a restricted area earlier this year which meant that animals moving into Wales and Scotland faced costly pre-movement tests. Welsh rules have been relaxed and from next month the rules on animals going into Scotland will also change. Removing peat from commercial veg production is proving problematic. Despite successive Governments intending to ban peat from horticulture, there's currently no date set. Growers are battling to overcome practical issues with peat free compost, particularly where salad crops are concerned. We visit field trials where tomatoes and lettuce are being grown without peat.Farmer, journalist and broadcaster David Richardson has died at the age of 87. Alongside running his own farm in Norfolk he wrote for newspapers, the farming press, presented on TV and presented, and contributed to Farming Today. He also became the first presenter of our long-running sister programme On Your Farm. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

County councils say major changes to the way the government calculates funding for local authorities will penalise rural areas. The government says the new system will mean fairer funding and more stability which will help deliver better public services. However the County Councils Network says rural council tax payers will ‘shoulder the burden’ of redistributing hundreds of millions of pounds to urban areas and warn some councils will face deep cuts to their services. Growing spinach in the soaring heat - a seasonal look at producing salad.The Vivergo bioethanol plant on the Humber near Hull has now stopped production and started laying off staff after the government said it wouldn’t provide support for the plant. The future of the business had been in doubt since tariffs were removed on bioethanol imports from the US in the recent trade agreement with Donald Trump. The company, owned by Associated British Foods, bought in locally grown wheat, around a million tonnes a year, and distilled it into bioethanol which is added to petrol to reduce emissions, and also produced large quantities of cattle feed. It's one of two plants in the UK. We speak to a renewable energy expert Dr Michael Short from the University of Surrey. Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Changes to bluetongue restrictions mean farmers can transport vaccinated livestock from Wales into England without the need for a costly pre-movement test. Sheep and cattle that have been jabbed can be taken to a market within 12 miles of the Welsh border such as Hereford, Ludlow and Oswestry. Since the start of July, trade in livestock between England and Wales has been affected by restrictions designed to stop the spread of bluetongue disease. The midge-borne virus poses no threat to public health or food safety but can be fatal for animals like sheep, cattle and goats.Routine border checks on live animal imports from the European Union are to be suspended, ahead of the introduction of the UK's new SPS - or sanitary and phystosanitary - deal with the EU. The government said the agreement would cut costs and red tape for businesses, while speeding up trade in food. Synthetic fertiliser is one of the biggest costs for salad production, not to mention its environmental impacts. One big producer, G's, on the Cambridgeshire Fens says trials of a new composting technique called Johnson-Su has led to a reduction in fertiliser use as well as increased crop health. A new rural crime strategy in Wales has made heritage crime or damage to ancient monuments a particular focus. There are fears treasure thieves are targeting Wales’ most ancient sites – in an attempt to unearth rare and valuable artefacts for the black market. Nighthawkers use the cover of darkness to sneak onto protected sites and use their metal detectors. Authorities say they receive up to 20 reports of nighthawking at Wales’ most precious historical monuments each year. Presenter = Steffan Messenger Producer = Rebecca Rooney

MPs have told the Government 'ambitious action' is needed to improve bus services in rural England. The Transport Committee suggests rural weighting to give more money to councils in the countryside where it is more expensive to run services, along with a minimum service guarantee so communities can rely on regular buses. The Campaign To Protect Rural England tells us that poor public transport is one factor holding back growth in the rural economy. Our exploration of ways to find markets for less popular cuts of meat takes us to a wildlife park.And an independent analysis of controversial changes to Inheritance Tax on farms worth over a million pounds says that some smaller family farms will be affected, and that the measure could be targeted better.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Sarah Swadling

Could a tough autumn lie ahead for UK arable farmers after 3 difficult years in a row? Sliding prices, difficult weather conditions, and a range of pressures have led to low confidence. The National Farmers Union's Combinable Crops Board chair tells us he's heard from once forward-looking farmers now considering their exit strategy. One factor causing concern is the Government's decision last week not to put forward a rescue package for the UK bioethanol, green fuel, industry. Also in the programme, how freezing trees could make it possible to plant in Summer and we begin a week long look at the UK salad industry.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Sarah Swadling

Salted pig's trotter? Brains on toast? Why the carcass balance is important to farmers. We like steak but we're not so keen on tripe, and we eat a lot of chicken but not the feet. To both reduce waste and get the best price for the whole animal or bird we need to do something with the offal. This is carcass balance, balancing the sale of the popular bits with finding markets for the bits that are less desirable here. Those parts that can't be sold are sent for rendering, using heat to separate them into fats and proteins to be sold as animal feed, fertiliser or go into things like cosmetics.Shooting clubs on Salisbury Plain say they may have to close because they can't get a licence to release game birds. Clubs near protected areas, like Sites of Special Scientific Interest, now need a special licence from Natural England to release birds like pheasants and that's now harder to get because of the threat of bird flu. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation says the licensing system is legally flawed and it's issued legal proceedings against Natural England. However, the RSPB would like to see the licensing regime extended. New rules to make trade fairer for pig producers came in this week. A series of recent difficulties in the industry revealed that many farmers didn't have proper contracts for their stock. The new system aims to change that.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Shooting clubs on Salisbury Plain say they may have to close because they can't get a licence to release game birds. Clubs near protected areas, like Sites of Special Scientific Interest, now need a special licence from Natural England to release birds like pheasants and that's now harder to get because of the threat of bird flu. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation or BASC says the licensing system is legally flawed and it's issued legal proceedings against Natural England. However the RSPB would like to see the licensing regime extended. It's called for all game bird releases to be stopped this year because of the risks. In the meantime, clubs say no shoots means no money coming in which means some, like the Bulford and Tidworth Garrison Shoot, are at risk of folding.All week we're looking at what's known as the 5th quarter - this is the name given to the offcuts of meat which, though edible, the British palate isn't keen on. Carcass balance is about finding a use for offal and things like ears or trotters both to combat waste and to get the best price for the whole animal and that means exports. British consumers may not want to eat this sort of thing, but in other parts of the world there is a market so in recent years greater emphasis has been put on seeking out new buyers to get the best out of animal carcasses. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

New rules to make trade fairer for pig producers come in today. A series of recent difficulties in the industry revealed that many farmers didn't have proper contracts for their stock. The new system aims to change that. The dry weather continues, with heat alerts out for all of England. It can be a problem for farmers, not only immediately, but for crops just establishing now to be harvested in Autumn or Winter. We speak to a pumpkin farmer who needs his crops to be ready at Halloween. All this week we're looking at what happens to the parts of an animal carcass that we as consumers don't like to eat. Today we visit a rendering plant which deals with fallen stock on farms. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Sally Challoner