Farming Today

Bird flu is continuing its spread, with an ever growing list of English counties - and the whole of Northern Ireland – now under restrictions which mean all poultry has to be kept indoors. And stricter bio-security measures have been imposed across the whole of the UK.

We hear from a farmer in Devon who has had to cull his birds because of a disease outbreak. And the chair of virology at Edinburgh University’s Roslin Institute, Professor Paul Digard, discusses the avian flu vaccine situation in the UK and elsewhere.

Our theme this week is bulbs - Spring isn't far away! We're with daffodil pickers near Truro in Cornwall.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Sarah Swadling Farming Today is a BBC Audio Bristol production

The majority of the UK's peatlands could be at risk of drying out in the next 40-50 years because of climate change - according to a new study from scientists at the Universities of Exeter, Manchester and Derby. Healthy, wet peatlands are seen as part of the solution to climate change because they soak up planet-heating carbon dioxide - UK peatlands currently store an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon. But where they dry out, they become a problem because they can then release that stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

MPs have been debating calls to ban bottom trawling in some parts of the sea. Bottom trawling is a method of fishing where weighted nets are dragged along the seabed to gather things like scallops, sole and plaice. According to The Marine Conservation Society, bottom trawling is currently forbidden across 5% of the UK's MPAs, and a wider ban in ALL protected areas is something conservation charities have been calling for, for some time. But is it the right move?

And farming leaders have said they left a much-anticipated meeting with the Treasury this week with their blood "boiling", claiming the Government has "shut the door" on any rethink of planned changes to inheritance tax on farms. Representatives from agricultural organisations met the Exchequer Secretary, James Murray, and Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner, on Tuesday. It follows months of protests over plans for inherited agricultural assets worth more than a million pounds to be taxed at 20% from April next year.

Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced by Heather Simons

Solar farms managed for nature can benefit birds more than intensively farmed arable land. Research by the RSPB and the University of Cambridge looked at two types of solar farms in the East Anglian Fens. Those with mixed habitats - with hedgerows, no grass cutting or grazing sheep had a greater number and diversity of flowering plants and birds than intensively farmed arable land, or solar farms which were intensively managed.

As England consults on its new land use framework we find out how Scotland's land use strategy's been working. It was first published in 2011 and is updated every five years. We speak to a policy manager at NFU Scotland to find out how it's affected farmers and crofters on the ground.

Regenerative agriculture or regen ag, is something that's discussed a lot, and it's a term creeping into the marketing jargon of food businesses - so what exactly is meant by it?

Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

England's Land Use Framework is out to consultation. We speak to the academic who brought groups of farmers together to speak to Defra officials as they developed the policy.

We also consider what impact the framework might have on big renewable projects in future - like one in East Anglia. The proposed solar development in East Pye in South Norfolk covers 2,700 acres in ten different locations, Local residents who object to the scheme have set up their own group called Block East Pye. They say they are not Nimbys but that the current plans will directly impinge on residents and wildlife.

Food prices are up and driving inflation. The Consumer Price Index or CPI is up 3% in the year to January. However some basics have gone up by more: butter up by 18%, eggs by 4% and beef up 5%. What does this mean for farmers, who often tell us that they’re not being paid enough for the food they produce? We ask an expert from the Royal Agricultural University whether price rises mean more money for farmers.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farming leaders have said they left a much-anticipated meeting with the Treasury with their blood "boiling", claiming the Government has "shut the door" on any rethink of planned changes to inheritance tax on farms. It follows months of protests over plans for inherited agricultural assets worth more than a million pounds to be taxed at 20% from April next year.

MPs have been debating calls to ban bottom trawling in England's Marine Protected Areas. Bottom trawling is a method of fishing where weighted nets are dragged along the seabed to gather things like scallops, sole and plaice.

And a working group has been set up by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission to discuss how a Land Use Framework for Northern Ireland might be developed and implemented. We meet one of the group members to discuss how much difference it could make.

Presented by Steffan Messenger Produced by Heather Simons

The majority of the UK's peatlands could be at risk of drying out in the next 40-50 years because of climate change - according to a new study from scientists at the Universities of Exeter, Manchester and Derby. Healthy, wet peatlands are seen as part of the solution to climate change because they soak up planet-heating carbon dioxide - UK peatlands currently store an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon. But where they dry out, they become a problem, because they can then release that stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

There are a lot of things we want from the land of course - food production, green energy, housing, space for nature - and often these things are seen as being in competition with one another. We visit a farm where many different types of land use have been integrated so they can work hand in hand.

And tree planting is something else that faces criticism for taking land out of food production. But in agroforestry systems, trees are planted alongside livestock or crops. We find out about a new tree species guide for UK Agroforestry Systems which has been produced by Forest Research and the University of Reading, to help farmers decide what to plant and where.

Presented by Steffan Messenger Produced by Heather Simons

After a week that saw hundreds of tractors block Whitehall and a prime ministerial visit disrupted by protesting farmers, we take an in-depth look at the proposed changes around inheritance tax on farms.

From April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than a million pounds will be liable to inheritance tax at 20% - half the usual rate. The Government says the tax is fair and will raise much-needed public funds. Farmers argue the move could see family farms put out of business.

Charlotte Smith is joined by a panel of guests: Aled Jones - President of NFU Cymru Emily Norton - farmer and founder of the rural business advisory service, Farm Foresight Dan Neidle - tax expert who runs Tax Policy Associates

Produced by Heather Simons

Pesticides are killing plants, insects and animals that they're not aiming to control, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of Sussex have joined international researchers to analyse 1,700 lab and field studies of 471 insecticides, herbicides and fungicides used in agriculture or commercially around the world. Their report identifies 'wide ranging negative effects' on a range of species and while the authors acknowledge that without pesticides global food production would likely collapse, they conclude that these chemicals are a major contributor to the biodiversity crisis.

A tractor protest disrupted the Prime Minister's visit to a building site in Buckinghamshire. Farmers campaigning against the reintroduction of inheritance tax on farms took their tractors to the site near Milton Keynes yesterday, sounding their horns, Sir Keir Starmer then abandoned plans to make a speech. Speaking afterwards, he said the protest highlighted the difficult choices the Government had to make.

This week we have been featuring rural champions, unsung heroes making a difference to the lives of people in rural communities. Barkley Thompson, from a farming family in Co Antrim, is a music teacher at Ballymena Academy and it’s there of an evening that as musical director, he gathers some 60 or so men and women from the surrounding community under the banner of The Farmers’ Choir of Northern Ireland. 

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Free Range egg producers say the Government's latest measures to combat bird flu don't go far enough. The Chief Vet says that from Sunday, poultry in a further five English counties, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire, must be brought inside, joining restrictions already imposed in Hull, East and North Yorkshire, York, Norfolk, Suffolk and Shropshire. Gatherings of poultry have also been banned in England, and enhanced biosecurity measures are already in force across the country, but Gary Ford from the British Free Range Egg Producers Association tells us they want a stronger response.

The British Trust for Ornithology says there's been an increase in the number of wild birds infected with avian flu, and as many species have had a massive shock to their population, it's all about whether they can recover and how long it will take.

All this week we are celebrating rural community champions and today our reporter Sarah Swadling takes us to the winding lanes of the Exe valley in Devon. There a Church of England minister rides her Highland pony to services, and to visit parishioners in their homes.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farmers have vowed to continue protesting at the government's decision to implement inheritance tax on their businesses. The rate at which they are taxed is half that of other businesses, 20 percent, but farmers still say many of them will have to sell up, to pay it. We speak to the farm minister Daniel Zeichner who took questions at the Norfolk farming conference. He said the money raised from inheritance tax was necessary to support public funds. He said the government was trying to help farmers become more profitable, and that they must take up new opportunities to secure their businesses.

All this week we’re looking at rural community champions, the people who make a difference to the communities where they live. Today we meet a pair who run a food bank which helps people in rural Essex.

Wild deer are often considered by landowners as something of a pest. They eat new growth and damage young trees and mature woodland. However, scientists at Bangor University studied fallow deer in North Wales and by analysing the DNA in the deer droppings, found the animals were browsing more brambles than young trees.

Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

As many as one and half thousand tractors have converged on Westminster as farmers continue their protest over the Government's plan to re-introduce inheritance tax on farm business assets from next year. The Government says imposing the tax on farms worth more than a million pounds is fair, and will raise much needed public funds. But some farmers argue the move could see family farms put out of business.

And as part of a week long feature, we're hearing from rural community champions - the unsung heroes who are making a real difference in their villages and towns. In this episode, we hear from Andy and Lynda Eadon, who started campaigning for better awareness of mental health in agriculture after their son, Leonard, took his own life three years ago. He was 22 and had just finished his agriculture degree.

Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

Should meat be allowed in some animal feed? Measures brought in to control BSE banned feeding animal protein to farmed animals, but the Government says those rules no longer reflect the scientific evidence and is consulting on various proposals to use processed animal protein in feeds.

Gangs of hare coursers have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to farm land and infrastructure after about 25 vehicles swept through fields in Cambridgeshire in a single weekend. We hear from one of the farmers affected.

And as part of a week long feature, we're hearing from rural community champions - the unsung heroes who are making a real difference in their villages and towns. In this episode, we visit the coastal village of Solva in Pembrokeshire where 86-year-old Fran Barker joined a handful of other villagers to set up and run a unique support system looking after the most vulnerable people in the village.

Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced by Heather Simons

MPs are told that animal products from Germany continued to enter the UK after an import ban was put in place because of the foot and mouth outbreak there.

Egg producers want their chickens ordered inside to protect them from bird flu.

A new report finds farming leaders in Scotland must do more to call out racist, misogynistic and homophobic language from union members.

We visit a prize winner of the Westmorland Agricultural Society's annual hotly contested silage competition.

And we speak to The Crown Estate about its new rural strategy, offering tenants 'environmental farm business tenancies' or green leases.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Scottish farming leaders have been told they need to be more effective in calling out sexist, racist and homophobic language. An internal report presented to the NFU Scotland conference says inappropriate comments are going unchallenged.

We hear about the would-be farmers competing for a tenancy on national TV.

And we speak to The Crown Estate about its new rural strategy. It's one of the country's biggest landlords, with over 300 tenant farmers across over 200,000 acres. As part of the estate's new approach, tenants are being offered 'environmental farm business tenancies' or green leases.

Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced by Heather Simons

Egg producers want the Government to order all free range chickens inside to protect them from bird flu. The British Free Range Egg Producers Association has told Farming Today that with rising numbers of cases of the virus, it's time to protect the national flock.

In Scotland, tenant farmers are concerned about inheritance tax because of the way their farm lease system works.

A new report gives a 'critical' warning about the UK's ability to feed us all, given pressures like climate change and global political instability. The report published today by the National Preparedness Commission, an independent body which describes its aim as being to make the country better prepared to withstand major shocks, warns that food supply chains are fragile and the UK 'complacent'.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Animal products from Germany were still getting into the UK days after the Government banned imports in response to cases of Foot and Mouth there. That's according to evidence given to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee of MPs as they started a new enquiry into animal and plant diseases. We have the latest from the first session.

The future of councils farms in England is being thrown into uncertainty by the proposed reorganisation of local authorities - according to one Devon councillor. It comes after many rural councils facing financial problems have chosen to sell some, or all, of their farms.

And scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have discovered a special genetic signal, which allows crops to take up more nutrients from soil, without needing so much chemical fertiliser.

Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

The Prime Minister has been with EU Leaders in Brussels intending to 're-set' the UK's position with the EU. The Government is seeking a veterinary agreement with the EU to free up trade in food and animal products - something some farmers and food businesses have been calling for.

We visit the author of the Rock Review into Tenant Farming - Baroness Kate Rock is herself a tenant, farming 450 hectares of arable and a small beef herd with her father in Dorset.

And under the new system of farm payments in England, farmers can be paid for improving their soils. But how to do it depends on local geology. We visit a farm in the Brecklands on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, where growing crops in the sandy, stony soils can be difficult at the best of times.

Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

Silage is the preserved chopped grass or other crops that farmers feed to livestock through the winter. The more good-quality silage you can harvest and store yourself, the less money you need to spend on bought in feed. There’s also a real pride in producing a great crop of silage. The Westmorland Agricultural Society runs an annual hotly contested silage competition. The entries are lab analysed and the best four farms in each category get a personal visit from the judge. We visit a prize winner.

All this week we'll be looking at the current state of tenant farming. 14% of farms are rented, and many of those who own their own land also rent some, so about 30% of farmed land in England is tenanted. The Rock Revie, commissioned by the last government, made a number of recommendations to improve things for farmers who rent, from more protection from landlords wanting to take land back, to the appointment of a commissioner, a recommendation accepted by this government.

The fashion industry has come under scrutiny in recent years for the impact it has on the environment. Here in the UK, some textile producers are now turning to so-called 'slow fashion', which aims to ensure full traceability in textile supply chains.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

There are a lot of different things we want land to deliver - growing food, producing green energy, supporting wildlife and supplying space for new homes. The Government has released a new Land Use Framework to help decide what should go where.

A new analysis of the planned inheritance tax on farm businesses suggests over 75% of commercial farms in England and Scotland could be impacted. Farmers are being urged to seek advice.

And 5 years since the UK left the EU we assess the progress towards new farm payments systems in each part of the UK.

Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced by Heather Simons

After the the UK Health Security Agency confirmed a case of avian flu in a person, what does it mean for farmworkers on poultry units?

As avian flu outbreaks in farmed poultry continue, we visit a free range egg farm that's under housing orders, with the chickens shut indoors. New rules mean eggs from previously free range birds that now have to be kept inside can still be sold as "free range" for the duration of the housing order. Before, after 16 weeks inside, eggs would have been labelled as "barn eggs".

And how is the role of out The Environmental Land Management Scheme going? That's the new system of farm payments that is replacing the old EU payments in England since Brexit.

Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons