China is the world’s biggest pork producer and consumer — but what does that mean for UK pig farmers? In this week’s Farmers Guardian podcast, Katie Fallon hears from industry experts at the World Pork Conference in Qingdao, China to understand China’s influence on the global pork trade, the threat of African swine fever and what the UK can learn from China’s experience, with insights from the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss. Message us
Actions speak louder than words. Despite new PM Andy Burnham telling MPs he will focus on farming, and Reform members pledging to ‘back farmers to the hilt’, deputy editor Alex Black, head of news and business Jane Thynne and chief reporter Rachael Brown discuss whether all these warm words will bring a positive change for farming. Message us
Sam Stables and Louise Layton join us for an honest conversation about the tougher side of farming. Why in some cases, we are still not always very good at talking about mental health, the importance of opening up when things get difficult, and why simply telling a mate you are struggling can make all the difference. Mental health is not always the easiest subject to talk about in farming, but Sam Stables and Louise Layton know first hand why those conversations matter. In this Se...
What if you could grow a second crop on half the area and still produce 80% of the yield of a conventional crop? That is the intriguing result from arable farmer Ben Adams’ first year of his relay cropping trial, where winter barley grown on just 50% of the area produced 80% of his average yield. Join Ash Ellwood to find out the practicalities of relay cropping, what Ben has learnt from the trial and whether the results suggest relay cropping could have a place in a commercial arable r...
Deputy editor Alex Black and chief reporter Rachael Brown sit down with farmers and NFU representatives Clare Wise and Ian Harvey, as well as NFU Scotland vice president Robert Neill to discuss the latest situation in the rise in Bluetongue across the UK, where we are with vaccine supply, why an emergency fund for fallen stock is needed urgently by Government, as well as an honest discussion on what lessons can be learnt from across the sector including government agencies to ensure we do not...