All week across Europe farmers have been protesting. In France convoys of tractors blocked roads into Paris, in Brussels campaigners blockaded the streets, threw eggs and started fires. The European Commission and national governments have made some concessions to try and address the farmers' concerns over environmental rules, competition from cheaper imports and taxes on agricultural fuel.. We speak to the President of Copa, one half of Copa Cogeca, which represents millions of farmers and farming coops across the EU and find out from the BBC's Paris correspondent, what's happening there. Also we look at what UK farmers make of the protests and whether they are planning their own direct action. Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

All this week across Europe farmers have been protesting. They are angry about environmental rules, competition from cheaper imports and taxes on agricultural fuel. But here in the UK, no big protests - yet? We've been looking at trade and today it's fish. We import 80% of the fish we eat, but we also export 80% of the fish we catch. It seems we’re not very interested in eating our own domestic species. So how is trade going for the smaller fishing boats around the UK coast, which are trying to sell to the UK population?Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Welsh farmers fear their government is moving to reduce the number of cattle and sheep in the country - it's because of an impact assessment that the government carried out on its new Sustainable Farming Scheme. This is the Welsh replacement for the old EU CAP, it's currently out for consultation and is due to come in next year. The impact assessment research, by ADAS, The SRUC and the University of Dublin, showed a reduction in farm income as a result of the new policy which will phase out direct subsidy payments of £199 million. It estimates 5,500 jobs will go, along with 122,000 cattle and sheep. It's 10 years since the first Big Farmland Bird Count - a farmer-led survey run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation trust. Many birds that would have traditionally relied on farming landscapes, like yellow hammers, corn buntings and lapwings are in decline and red-listed according to the RSPB. We visit a farm on Salisbury Plain where one farmer's put in a range of measures to encourage birds, including boosting hedgerows, keeping plots back for plant mixes that provide seeds in the winter, and spreading bird seed every week. New rules on imports from the EU came in this week but the meat industry here warns that there are still problems which need ironing out. Post-Brexit checks on imported meat, fruit and veg have finally been introduced after much delay. From April more checks come in and, alongside concerns that the UK border control post won't be ready, the British Meat Processors Association warns that EU exporters won't have access to enough vets to sign documentation. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

As politicians look set to return to Stormont in Northern Ireland, we look at what that means for food and farming. For farmers a full-time working government could mean more clarity on the way forward for post-Brexit farm subsidies. Could it mean the end of customs checks on goods from Great Britain which remain in Northern Ireland and do not cross the border into the Republic and the EU's Single Market? We speak to BBC Northern Ireland's agriculture and environment correspondent to help unpick what impact this is likely to have on agriculture and trade.The new biosecurity regulations on imported goods from the EU have just come into force. More stringent checks are being carried out including on many food consignments. A report just published by the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee of MPs says it's concerned about cuts in funding for spot checks on animal products and the fact that the location for these is 22 miles away from the Port of Dover. All week we're looking at trade and how British importers and exporters are faring with post-Brexit changes. Coombe Castle in Wiltshire exports dairy products around the world. They say friction at the border with Europe and the ending of the trade deal with Canada last year, is going to hit them hard, because Canada accounted for a third of their cheese exports.Upland hill farmers have accused the government of failing to support them. Despite recent increases in subsidy payments, announced by DEFRA earlier this month, hill farmers say many of the new schemes still don’t work for them. The payments are part of the post-Brexit Environmental Land Management Schemes brought in to replace payments under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Thousands of French farmers have been protesting, blocking major routes across the country, and causing chaos on the roads around Paris. The tractor blockades follow similar action in Germany and Holland. The French protesters are calling for better returns after facing rising production costs, and for a change to environmental regulations which farmers say are putting them out of business.All this week we're looking at trade. New post-Brexit import checks are coming in on 30th April - that means goods classed as "medium risk" under the Border Target Operating Model, will require new more stringent checks. The government's confirmed those rules won't come in for fruit and veg before October this year, but growers are worried the additional checks will add further friction to trade, and increased costs. We visit a grower and importer of salads in the Lea Valley and speak to the Fresh Produce Consortium who estimate that the changes could add £200 million to the cost of imports for their members. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

New border controls are being phased in - these are the checks on imports introduced post Brexit, which have been delayed five times. There have been warnings that the extra costs imposed will be passed onto consumers and could add hundreds of millions of pounds to the nation's food bill. All this week we will be looking at trade: from these new rules to trade deals and their impact on British farmers. Today we speak to the International Chamber of Commerce There are growing calls for the government to support fishermen affected by the sudden ban on catching pollock. The zero quota came into force at the beginning of the year after concerns over fish stocks, but rod and line fishermen in Torquay say the decision could put them out of business.More farmland in England has been sold to investors and lifestyle buyers than farmers for the first time - figures for last year from the agents Strutt and Parker show that less than half of buyers last year were farmers - that's in comparison with 50 to 60 % in previous years. Private investors were involved in 28% of transactions; institutional investors in 13% a rise of 10% on 2022; and lifestyle buyers in 16%.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

This week, MPs debated giving hedges legal protection in England. Rules that had stopped farmers from cutting them back during the nesting season and from farming within 2m of the centre of a hedge came to an end on the 31st of December; before that those actions were restricted as part of what’s called cross-compliance, the rules farmers had to follow to get direct payments. Now the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and the Woodland Trust are calling for immediate action to restore what they argue are vital protections.After the get Fair About Farming campaign more than 100,000 people signed an e-petition urging retailers and their suppliers to treat British farmers more fairly. That triggered a parliamentary debate which took place in Westminster Hall this week. A fisherman who underwent gastric sleeve surgery to pass newly introduced medical requirements, says he's incredulous to hear the rules may now be changed.We often describe a farmer by the number of generations their family has been on the land. It's not unusual to speak to a fourth, fifth or even sixth generation; farming has long been a family business. That brings advantages and disadvantages. All week we've been talking about the family farm.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Co-op is launching a new scheme to encourage its beef producers to cut emissions. The Beef Sustainability Pilot, which will run for two years, will pay farmers who reduce the carbon footprint of the beef they rear. It'll initially cover up to10% of the beef supplied and could mean an extra payment to farmers of between 6 and 12p per kilo. The supermarket says the data will form part of its plans to be net zero by 2040.Since we left the EU, different agricultural policies are being developed and introduced at different speeds in all four nations of the UK. They are all, in their own ways, shifting towards rewarding farmers for benefiting the environment, rather than the old EU system which largely paid farmers based on the amount of land they farmed. We speak to four farmers from around the UK who are all part of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, a group "working to mainstream nature-friendly farming as the most sustainable way of producing food" to hear their views on the current policy landscape, and whether they're able to have an influence on the new schemes. All week we've been talking about family farms - the joys and the challenges of running a business with your closest relatives. For the younger generation taking over the business can be tricky, doubly so when it happens suddenly and unexpectedly, which is what happened to the Pollock family who farm in Fife. Claire Pollock now runs the farm while her mum and sister run the on site farm shop. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Billions of farm animals are transported around the world every year, both within the borders of individual countries and between them. An assessment of the welfare regulations surrounding animal transportation in different countries has found that livestock is not adequately protected while in transit. The research looked at policy relating to animal transport in the USA and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the EU and the UK. Campaigners say urgent action is needed to give hedgerows legal protection. EU rules that governed all UK farmers in BPS or Basic Payment Schemes, were phased out at the end of 2023 and new ones to replace them aren't ready. Defra consulted with farmers last summer, but haven't published their plans yet. The Woodland Trust say they're concerned that in the meantime, habitats and wildlife could suffer if there aren't any limits on how and when hedges are cut back.We’re talking about family farms all this week, the highs, the lows and the whole culture of a family running a farming business together. The Laytons have been working their traditional family farm in Herefordshire for more than 60 years. But sadly that tradition looks about to end after farmer Richard Layton took his own life in spring last year. He was 53. Neither of his two children are expected to take over the farm. We speak to Richard’s family about their plans for the future.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

After a Westminster debate, prompted by an online petition with more than 110 thousand signatures, the farming minister has said the government's due to publish its new regulations on fairness in the dairy supply chain before Easter. The debate called for a fairer power balance between farmers and supermarkets and a change to the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.The National Farmers Union and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board have agreed to commission an independent review of farming assurance schemes - they say 'to ensure the schemes are fit for purpose'. The two groups acknowledge that the Red Tractor Scheme will be part of the review, and say that 25 years after its creation it is now time to re-assess it. Neonicotinoid pesticides were approved last week for emergency use, that's an exemption to a ban that's been in place in the UK and the EU since 2013. The chemicals are coated onto sugar beet seeds to make them resistant to a crop virus spread by aphids, called virus yellows. Environmental campaigners say they harm plants and insects and shouldn't be allowed. Now, scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich are using techniques similar to the Covid vaccines, to kill the sugar beet yellow virus directly in the plant, without interfering with the aphids that spread it, or having an impact on the wider environment. They've managed to create an anti-viral which binds itself to the RNA in the cell, which cleans out the disease.All week we're looking at family farms. Today we visit County Londonderry in Northern Ireland where hairdresser Kerry Glass stepped up to help run the farm after her father-in-law lost his sight.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

More than 100 thousand people have signed an online petition and triggered an MPs' debate about the way supermarkets deal with the farmers and producers who supply them. The campaign is calling for the Grocery Supply Code of Practice and the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, the GCA, to be reformed.A group of poultry farmers have won a High Court case against the government's Animal & Plant Health Agency, over compensation for farmers whose flocks were affected by avian flu. The court ruled that the APHA had 'wrongly interpreted' the law under the avian influenza compensation scheme. The case was brought by the National Farmers Union who argued that the time taken between reporting an outbreak and the arrival of government staff to assess compensation, meant that many birds died before the APHA could get there, and so were not counted as part of the compensation.A fisherman who underwent gastric sleeve surgery to pass newly introduced medical requirements, says he's incredulous to hear the rules may now be changed. Brian Tapper from Plymouth says a high Body Mass Index put his career at sea in doubt, when the new health checks came into force in November. He spent £12,000 to have an operation so he could meet the weight requirements. Some of his colleagues have sold their boats. However, now the government has announced it is going hold a consultation on the requirements, without forcing small-scale fishers ashore. All this week on Farming Today we’re talking about family farms. But what happens when the next generation decides they don’t want to carry on the family tradition of farming? We visit a a farm in Llandeilo in Wales where they faced that problem, and find out how they solved it.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Government is doing too little, too slowly, to meet its own environmental ambitions and statutory commitments, according to a report published by the Office for Environmental Protection.Neonicotinoid pesticides have been approved for emergency use for the fourth year in a row. That's an exemption to a ban that's been in place in the UK and the EU since 2013. The seed treatment for sugar beet seed makes them resistant to a crop virus spread by aphids called virus yellows. Environmentalists say the pesticide poisons the soil and water courses, and affect plants and the bees that feed on them. Farmers say the regulations around them are stricter in the UK than in Europe but the way forward is to develop breeds of plant that are resistant to the aphids.Farmers warn that cuts to, and changes in, inspections at the Port of Dover raise the risk of animal disease being brought into the UK. The Government wants to cut the budget for spot checks for illegal meat in cars and coaches by 70%, and later this year plans to move the new post-Brexit inspections of commercial traffic from Dover to an inland site. The LAMMA Show took place in Birmingham this week with 600 exhibitors show casing the very latest in farm machinery and innovation, everything from specialist soil-aeration machinery to farm solar energy systems, and of course, enormous tractors.Drone tech is often touted as the next big thing in agriculture. But how useful is it? Plymouth University is working on a project to map biodiversity on farm using artificial intelligence.Kaleb Cooper, the star of the TV series "Clarkson's Farm" has recorded a rap to raise money for RABI - the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farmers warn that cuts to, and changes in, inspections at the Port of Dover raise the risk of animal disease being brought into the UK. The Government wants to cut the budget for spot checks for illegal meat in cars and coaches by 70%, and later this year plans to move the new inspections of commercial traffic from Dover to an inland site. These are the border controls which are being brought in post Brexit; they've been postponed five times but are due to start in April. Drone tech is often touted as the next big thing in agriculture. But how useful is it?What happens if we leave nature alone? That's the starting point for the first edition of a new programme here on BBC Radio 4 which starts later today: Rare Earth.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Government is doing too little, too slowly, to meet its own environmental ambitions and statutory commitments, according to a report published today. We hear from the Office for Environmental Protection. The LAMMA Show, taking place in Birmingham today, has 600 exhibitors showcasing the very latest in farm machinery and innovation, everything from specialist soil-aeration machinery to farm solar energy systems, and of course, enormous tractors. Birdwatchers from across the UK have been flocking to a Derbyshire beauty spot to catch a glimpse of an exotic visitor. There have been near record sightings of the colourful waxwing this winter. They’ve been seen in one spot in the Peak District in their largest numbers since way back in 1970.Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

A member of the Welsh Senedd Mike Hedges suggests that subsidies for farmers could be used elsewhere. We hear reaction from farmers. The Scottish Government's admitted it won't be able to plant enough trees to meet its climate and nature targets, following cuts of £32 million to grants for planting new woodlands. This week, as farmers gather in Birmingham for the machinery show LAMMA, we're talking about the latest developments in field hardware. Methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas, and is produced by cows burping and farting, but it's also produced by slurry. Using diesel-guzzling machinery in the field contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, so how about using methane from farm slurry to fuel tractors instead? Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The floodwater may have receded from much of the countryside - but now farmers are counting the cost. Over the past few months its been wet - and farmers across the country have been telling us what that means for their businesses One major supermarket, Tesco, has said it will be temporarily accepting smaller vegetables from farmers affected by flooding. It's relaxing its size requirements on cabbages, cauliflowers, leeks and sprouts. We spoke to a grower, and the British Growers Association for reaction. Farmers in Norfolk are meeting to discuss Bluetongue. There are now 50 cases of the disease in Kent and Norfolk, where control zones have been set up to try to limit the spread. Its a virus which is spread by biting midges - because of the warm Winter they've been active until quite recently - and it affects cattle, sheep, goats and deer. So far all the cases have been in animals which haven't showed any symptoms but have been picked up in blood tests. Phil Stocker, the Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association explains why farmers are meeting. It's LAMMA the massive farm machinery show which started in a field in Lincolnshire but now fills halls at the NEC in Birmingham. we'll be there later this week to see what new, and what's selling, and all week we're going look at farm machinery. to me that mainly means tractors and combines but Steven Howarth Agricultural Economist at the Agricultural Engineers Association points out, there is more to it than that.

Farmers in Germany have been protesting about plans to cut subsidies on diesel. The cuts were introduced to fix a budget row after the German's government's budget was ruled illegal. The proposal has now been watered down so the subsidy on agricultural fuel will be gradually phased out but that's done little to reassure farmers.The long running row over wild camping on Dartmoor continues. One of the landowners has won the right to appeal to the Supreme Court over a ruling, from the High Court, that wild camping is allowed on Dartmoor. He argued that camping shouldn't be allowed because it isn't 'open air recreation' - which is permitted under the Dartmoor Commons Act. Increasing the supply of green energy is one of the major targets for the UK to reach its climate commitments. Wind and solar farms both contribute to that but getting the power to where its needed means more pylons and underground cabling being built, often through rural areas and that's causing concern. All week on Farming Today we've been looking at animal feed. Soya has become a staple in feed - it's high protein and relatively cheap, but it's imported and can come from areas of deforestation so farmers are looking for alternatives. We visit a feed-manufacturer in Aberdeenshire producing a soy-free animal feed, using oil seed rape as a source of protein. Insects are another possible source of protein. Farmers in the EU can now use them in animal feed, but it's not yet allowed here in the UK. We've been to the labs of FERA Science in York to meet scientists researching the use of insects in animal feed.Robots and AI technology at the heart of a vertical farm in Lincolnshire growing British strawberries mid winter.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Walkers in England and Wales are being blocked or obstructed in nearly 32,000 places - and face what access campaigners call 'a shocking and growing abuse and neglect of footpaths'. A BBC investigation found that councils which have responsibility for footpaths had 4,000 more access issues last year than the year before. Councils say 'funding constraints' limit what they can do and the government says funding for local government has increased by 6.5% year on year and that local authorities are best placed to decide how that money is spent. The Ramblers say they're shocked at the number of obstructions and The Open Spaces Society says pleading austerity isn't good enough.All this week we've been looking at animal feed. Soya is a high protein and relatively cheap ingredient in many feeds but it can come from areas where forests have been cut down to make room to grow it. We visit a feed supplier in Aberdeen which produces an alternative using oil seed rape, and we speak to an academic who's been working on a project to improve the traceability of soya.Anna Hill meets three women from three different generations, working together to produce organic beef on a small farm in Suffolk. She hears how two of them are first-time farmers, brought into agriculture by circumstance. The farm manger, a single mother, used to work in a concrete factory, but took a job on the farm to make ends meet when she was out of work. She later recruited her niece. Meanwhile the farm owner, now in her 80s, still does the paperwork, pays the bills and runs the business. It's a tale of co-operation, compassionate animal welfare, and faith in the strength of women to get the job done.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Behind the scenes at the Food and Environment Research Agency or FERA where scientists are researching ways of using insects as an alternative source of protein in animal feed. We find out what the current regulations are and how they might change. What scientists plan to do with the waste from insects farmed for feed, and what are the challenge facing the scientists carrying out trials at the government's big laboratories outside York.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

As farmers contemplate thousands of hectares under water, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology reports that Autumn rainfall, between September and November for the UK last year was 22% above average, followed by a December which saw 70% above average rainfall for central & northern England and eastern Scotland.  The government's announced help is available for flooded businesses and properties but farmers cannot insure against flooded crops and some have said they'll stop growing food on land that's repeatedly flooded. We speak to an expert about how farmers and government can better deal with flooding in the future.All week we're exploring the topic of animal feed. Today we hear from a farmer who's invested £30,000 in cages to protect his cattle feed from starlings. Giant flocks of the birds have been eating the grain Bryn Jones near Oswestry feeds his dairy herd. He estimates it's already saving him tens of thousands of pounds in lost feed and is helping protect his herd from disease - and improving the milk yield of his cows.We often hear that people want their food to be welfare friendly, sustainably produced and farmers to be paid fairly for it. Last year the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, or FFCC, launched a citizens' panel made up of a representative cross-section of the public, to hear what they want from government policy, to make healthy food available to all. We speak to Guy Singh-Watson, founder of the organic veg food box company Riverford, and Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of FFCC, which carried out the survey. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

From the Oxford Farming Conference, we hear from the Environment Secretary and his Labour shadow on food and farming in England. And from the Oxford Real Farming Conference, how big ag influences food and farming policy.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

On the first day of the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference, we talk about problems in the food supply chain and diversity in farming.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Rebecca Rooney.

The Oxford Real Farming Conference and the Oxford Farming Conference take place this week. They attract hundreds of people, connected to farming, conservation and rural policy-making. This year, the Oxford Farming Conference's theme is diversity and all week we'll be exploring how agriculture is bringing more diversity into the industry. Today we speak to Mike Duxbury who set up Inclusive Farm in Bedfordshire. It's thought to be unique in the UK, as the only one being run by a blind farmer.As the latest storm sweeps across the UK, farmers are counting the cost of months of wet weather. In Yorkshire some winter crops are already rotting, while many with livestock have seen grazing land turned to mud. We hear from a sheep farmer who's worried about the health of his flock - and the impact the weather could have on pregnant ewes.New rules have come in governing the packaging of English sparkling wine, meaning bottles will no longer have to have a mushroom-shaped cork with wire and foil closures, if the wine is semi-sparkling. However some manufacturers say they will stick with tradition, because customers still want to hear that pop. This year will see farmers receiving between 50 and 75 per cent less of their direct payments from government, as the transition from the pre-Brexit payment system switches to the new payments under the Environmental Land Management schemes. Even though farmers can apply for payments under the new scheme, many are still falling short. We hear from two farming families in the uplands who've diversified to help them overcome that.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Labour shortages have long been a problem for agricultural businesses, but there may be some light at the end of the tunnel - with an unexpected rise in the number of teenage girls opting for farming as a career choice. Rural colleges in Scotland are reporting that around half of all agricultural students are now girls. We meet some of the latest intake.Farmers and food processors are under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, in the face of climate change. Pilgrims, which produces nearly 30 percent of all UK pork on more than 300 farms, says it's made significant cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in its processing factories, while increasing sustainability on its farms. Anna Hill talks to the company's head of sustainability to find out what they've been doing to decarbonise the operation.A Lake District tweed is being made using wool from the flock of sheep at the RSPB’s Wild Haweswater site. The design was inspired by a ‘re-wiggled’ river.Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Emma Campbell

The art of ploughing the land and keeping a straight furrow has been a way of life in the British Isles for thousands of years, so much so that ploughing terms have become embedded in our language and culture; from pub names and church hymns to popular songs and the humble ploughman's lunch. While phrases such as ‘ploughing on’ and someone ‘ploughing a lonely furrow’ are second nature. Vernon Harwood visits the British National Ploughing Championships near Taunton to meet the people with a passion for ploughs and ploughing to discover why the task of turning the soil holds such a fascination. Along the way he meets the man who cares for a priceless collection of Victorian ploughs in Berkshire, a famous cheese-maker with a prized Gloucestershire Long Plough, a celebrated folk singer keeping forgotten plough songs alive and comes nose-to-muzzle with Sam and Tilly, the last working plough horses in Somerset. Archive material used in this programme: Speed The Plough: Moreton in Marsh Ploughing Competitions; BBC National Programme 30/09/1938 Gloucestershire Long Plough; Country Matters, BBC Radio Gloucestershire 30/03/2014Contributors: Dr Ollie Douglas, Sue Frith, Martin Horler, Jim Huntley, Trevor Johnstone, Alan Jones, John Kirkpatrick, Charles Martell, Deb Puxty, Simon Witty and Michael Wyman.Produced and presented by Vernon Harwood.

Deer specialist John Fletcher and his wife Nichola reflect on a life spent trying to educate the public on the merits of venison. Now working with a breeding herd of rare white-coloured red deer, they discuss the joys and challenges facing the sector.Produced and presented by Ruth Sanderson

Charlotte and Charlie Bennett are on a mission. Over the last four years they’ve been converting their ancient estate in Northumberland to how it would have been farmed in 1805. It’s all thanks to a long forgotten map from that year, which Charlie discovered in the Lit and Phil, a famous independent library in Newcastle. Drawn up when the land was owned by the Greenwich hospital in London, it revealed a landscape of pastures with ancient field names, and hedgerows and woodland that had long disappeared. Inspired also by the work of the engraver Thomas Bewick, who was illustrating wildlife in the same period, they decided they would recreate that landscape, taking the land out of arable and back to grass, putting all the ancient hedgerows back in and creating habitats for the species that would have been prevalent at the time. It’s a project which has seen astonishing results for wildlife, with species not seen for generations reappearing. Produced and presented by Jo Lonsdale

The Welsh Grand National is one of the biggest dates in the racing calendar and a favourite with those in rural communities. Many of its winners have gone on to success in the Aintree Grand National and The Gold Cup at Cheltenham, so today’s winner will be hoping for the same.Mariclare Carey-Jones presents this special episode of Farming Today from Chepstow Racecourse, home of the Welsh Grand National. She hears from the jockey who won last year’s race, and the trainer who is hoping to win for the first time this year.Produced and presented by Mariclare Carey-Jones

Saving the rainforest is great in principle - but what if to do it, you face driving a 10-mile road through the very forest you're trying to save? That was the dilemma facing conservationists at Loch Arkaig in the West Highlands, who wanted to extract non-native trees planted 70 years ago. However, with a bit of thinking outside the box and some canny engineering skills they built a very special barge to ship out the lumber and leave the forest undisturbed. Richard Baynes took a trip on it to find out more. Produced and presented by Richard Baynes

This year about eight million real Christmas trees have been sold in the UK. It’s impossible to imagine the festive season without the sight of a handsome Nordmann Fir or Norway Spruce covered in shiny baubles and twinkling lights. In this Christmas Day edition of Farming Today, Vernon Harwood visits the Yattendon Estate in Berkshire, following the journey of Christmas trees from planting to purchase.

Rural affairs budgets for next year are being cut by both the Scottish and Welsh governments. In Wales spending will fall by around 10% in comparison with this year's budget, while in Scotland agriculture faces an 8% cut. Both governments say the money is being "repurposed" to other areas like the NHS. The farming unions say it's disappointing,A damning report this week described NHS dentistry as being in 'perilous decline' across England, with a particular issue for people living in rural and coastal areas.We hear about The Archers' Christmas comedy night, called Gagriculture, mistletoe and the swede harvest, and the west country hip-hop singer who's championing farming.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Rural affairs budgets for next year are being cut by both the Scottish and Welsh governments. In Wales spending will fall by around 10% in comparison with this year's budget, while in Scotland agriculture faces an 8% cut. Both governments say the money is being "repurposed" to other areas like the NHS. Both also stress that BPS, the basic payment scheme which pays farmers directly based on the amount of land they farm, has been protected. While BPS is already being phased out in England with farmers now getting about half what they got in 2020, Scottish and Welsh farmers won't start that transition to new schemes until 2025. The turtle dove is always associated with Christmas because of the song, 'The 12 Days of Christmas'. In fact it's a summer visitor to the UK and has been on the RSPB's red list since 1996, meaning it's in decline and at risk of global extinction. Operation Turtle Dove was launched in 2012 and the RSPB has just reported that a record number of farmers are joining in, creating habitats for the birds.We hear about The Archers' Christmas comedy night, called Gagriculture! Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Nuffield Trust has published a damning report saying that NHS dentistry was in 'perilous decline' across England, particularly in rural and coastal areas, with many people struggling to enrol with NHS dentists. It's the last big push for farmers to get veg into the shops before Christmas, but it's been an incredibly difficult year for many root vegetable growers - with near drought followed by deluge. We catch up on the swede harvest in action.All this week, we’re looking at our farmers' contribution to Christmas trimmings, and today we hear about mistletoe and holly. Mistletoe grows naturally in the countryside, mainly in the South and West Midlands, and for more than 160 years it has been auctioned off in an annual sale in the town of Tenbury Wells on the Shropshire / Worcestershire border. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Marie Lennon.

Come the new year, it'll be an offence for farmers in Wales to kill or take a magpie. The change in the rules has been introduced after the bird moved onto the amber list of endangered birds, meaning the population has moderately declined and they're in an unfavourable conservation status. Natural Resources Wales says farmers who need to control magpies can apply for a specific licence. But the Countryside Alliance has criticised the decision saying NRW has bowed to campaigners' pressure and it will inevitably mean damage to crops and livestock.We’ve all heard stories of grotty grottoes and rotten reindeer, when Christmas experiences on wintry farms go wrong. So how do you avoid those pitfalls? One Scottish farm has turned a potential disaster into a successful Santa experience.Another government review of the supply chain has been announced, this time into fresh produce. It follows the review of the dairy sector and joins ongoing reviews into egg and pork supply chains. This follows concerns from farmers about the fairness of contracts and the prices they're paid for what they produce. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Steve Barclay, says it delivers on commitments made back in May at the Prime Minister's Farm to Fork Summit and that it's only fair that producers should be paid a fair price. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

An independent review has told Natural England it needs to completely change the way it engages with farmers on Dartmoor. It also says more cattle are needed for "conservation grazing" to help tackle the spread of purple moor grass and sheep farmers have been warned they'll need to demonstrate they can control their flocks and not let them overgraze areas of heather and dwarf shrubs. A Scottish nature reserve is training members of the local community to stalk deer at Creag Meagaidh in the Highlands. NatureScot says community models of deer management are common in many European countries, but this is the first time it has been tried on publicly owned land in Scotland.Applications are now open for a new £4 million Smaller Abattoir Fund. The fund is to enable abattoirs in England to improve productivity, enhance animal health and welfare, and will allow farmers to add value to their meat and encourage innovation. Abattoirs will be able to apply for funding of up to £60,000. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust welcomed that announcement - they said the network of of small abattoirs had been in sustained serious decline, and the fund offered a lifeline. All this week we've been looking at the future for rare breeds, among them North Ronaldsay sheep from the Orkney Islands and the endangered Welsh Pig.The forestry industry is using drones to drop microscopic worms or nematodes onto trees, to control pests. Foresters say it helps them reach areas that machinery can't.A virtual world is being used to get children interested in conservation. The Crown Estate has teamed up with Microsoft to create a version of the very popular world-building game Minecraft, based on Windsor Great Park. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Government launches its plan to protect 30% of land in England for the environment by 2030, but the NFU is concerned about the impact on farmers.A community deer-stalking scheme in Scotland could become a template for more initiatives. We’re looking at rare breeds all this week, and today we hear how the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme is proposing to encourage and support people interested in farming with rare breeds. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The government's published an independent review into the management of protected sites on Dartmoor. Earlier this year, there was an almost complete breakdown in the relationship between farmers and commoners on Dartmoor and Natural England, the body that advises the government on the natural environment. Dartmoor National Park, around two thirds the size of Greater London, is classified as a European Special Area of Conservation and 62 percent of the area falls within Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but much land on those sites is in poor condition. We speak to a Dartmoor farmer and the Natural England's director for the south west.We're all starting to think about our Christmas dinner vegetables, but there are warnings that prices could be higher in the shops this year. Storms and heavy rain have contributed to reported record low-yields of cauliflowers and broccolli in some areas. Meanwhile potatoes could be in shorter supply come the Spring. We report from a Cornish potato farm.The government has announced applications are now open for a new£4 million pound Smaller Abattoir Fund. The fund is to enable abattoirs in England to improve productivity, enhance animal health and welfare, and will allow farmers to add value to their meat and encourage innovation. Abattoirs will be able to apply for funding of up to £60,000.We’ve talking about rare native breeds all this week. Glyn Canol Old Farm near Welshpool in Powys is something of a rare farm because all its animals are rare breeds - from the goats and sheep to the chickens and cows. We find out why the farmers there have chosen rare breeds over commercial stock and whether rare breeds can be commercially viable.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Anna Hill

For the first time, agriculture and its impact on climate change, was on the official agenda at the COP28 Summit in Dubai, which has just ended. While much of the debate about the final statement from the event has centred around reductions in the use of fossil fuels, progress was made on the role of agriculture. More than 120 countries signed a pledge to include agriculture in their national climate change equations, and ensure changes in agricultural practices are part of their plans for reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the impacts of global warming.A new study covering thousands of species has analysed how many plants and insects are now out of kilter with the seasons. The University of Oxford and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has looked at data covering the last 34 years across Europe, much of it gathered by citizen scientists. We speak to one of the authors about how particular crops are affected when nature is out of sync.All week we're talking about rare breed farm animals. The Suffolk Punch is the oldest breed of heavy horse and according to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, all modern Suffolks are descended from just one horse which was born in 1768. There are currently 200 breeding mares today, but back in 1966 there were just nine Suffolk foals registered. Presenter = Anna Hill Producers = Rebecca Rooney & Marie Lennon

Next year could see drones being used for the first time to drop microscopic worms on trees, to protect them from harmful insects. The worms, or nematodes, are natural predators of damaging insects and the forest industry is developing ways of controlling pests as pesticides it currently relies on are phased out.Another outbreak of Bluetongue has been recorded in Norfolk making a total of 11 cases in England. Stock on six different premises, in Kent and Norfolk have been affected. There are restrictions on moving animals in the protection zones and farmers say its difficult to find abattoirs to process their animals within those zones. We speak to a beef farmer who remembers a big outbreak which affected farms across Europe in 2007.All week we're looking at rare breeds. The North Ronaldsay are one of the UK’s oldest and rarest breeds of sheep. They're shaggy and small and can often be found grazing on seaweed along the coast of the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, which they’re named after. But more recently farmers on the UK mainland have taken to keeping the breed which is listed as a priority by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer =Rebecca Rooney

British Sugar says it may put negotiations over the price it'll pay farmers next year into arbitration. The NFU says the costs of that would outstrip the cost of the issues they can't agree on. There has been a long running row over prices for sugar beet next year. Talks broke down in the autumn and then British Sugar wrote directly to growers with an offer that hadn't been agreed by the NFU. The main issue causing the problem at the moment, is the futures price - while most sugar beet is sold on fixed price annual contracts, a small amount is sold on a futures contract and the two side can't agree on the details How do you get youngsters interested in conservation?  The property owner the Crown Estate, thinks one way is video games.  It has teamed up with Microsoft to make a version of Minecraft - a game of virtual worlds - based on Windsor Great Park.  All week we're looking at rare breeds. It's 50 years since the Rare Breeds Survival Trust was set up, when traditional breeds of farm animal were being ousted by European or new commercial breeds. Things are looking much brighter for native varieties, but while their popularity has grown, there are concerns about the availability of local abattoirs and hopes that native breeds will attract payments in England's Environmental Land Management Schemes, and their counterparts being developed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Food security is a public good and the Government should use England's post Brexit environmental payment system to incentivise it; so say MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee in a report out this week. This year food and farming has been on the official COP agenda for the first time. It's taken 28 years but tomorrow will see a full day of the COP dedicated to food and farming, a 'game changer' according to the hosts in Dubai. It's been a difficult week for many farmers, with torrential rain and heavy snowfalls, especially in Cumbria. Andrea Meanwell farms in the Howgills and has a herd of Belted Galloway cattle. She went out to find them when the snow came down, and had to go on foot when the diesel in her all terrain vehicle froze.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Food Security is a public good and the government should use England's post-Brexit environmental payment system to incentivise it - so say MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee in a new report. Food was excluded when the new system of public money for public goods was introduced - the argument being that the market rewards farmers for growing food and public money should be used to reward them for other services, like improving soil or planting trees. This report though, says the Environmental Land Management Schemes or ELMs, should be used to encourage a shift 'towards a resilient food system while also balancing environmental change'. The MP who chairs the committee says the government shouldn't take food security for granted.Fishermen in the south west of England have been catching and selling bluefin tuna as part of a new pilot fishery. Seven licences have been issued in Cornwall, two in Devon and one in Scotland. The fish weigh around 250 kilograms and can sell for several thousand pounds. The trial has been extended until the end of the year because of bad weather, but some conservationists are concerned. COP28 has for the first time this year, had more emphasis on food and farming - and so more farmers are there to put forward their views. From US ranchers to European farmers and smallholders from Milawi. We've been speaking to two young famers from the World Farmers' Organisation who have been at COP to put forward the youth voice in agriculture - an organic apple grower from Italy and a poultry farmer from Zimbabwe.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

$50 million of new investment to 'accelerate agriculture and food innovations' has been announced at COP28. This is part of AIM, the Agriculture Innovation Mission for climate, a global coalition set up at COP26 and led by the USA and the UAE. It aims to get more money into climate smart ag and new technologies to adapt to and mitigate climate change. The AIM for Climate Innovation Sprint launched in Africa earlier this year has been expanded and we speak to the special envoy for global food security at the US State Department.North East Kent is under restrictions after cases of bluetongue have been confirmed. The last outbreak in the UK was in 2007, but a temporary control zone which was introduced at the end of last month, has now been extended after more cases were found. Bluetongue is a notifiable disease which is spread by biting midges - it affects cattle, sheep and goats - and while their milk and meat is safe for humans to eat, the disease can have a significant impact on the animals. A community in Pembrokeshire is rallying round to buy a farm. Locals are being invited to buy shares in Clynfyw Care Farm which helps people with learning disabilities and mental health issues. Its goal is to become a community asset and sell shares to locals, but five hundred and fifty thousand pounds is needed to secure its future.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer - Rebecca Rooney

All week we're taking the temperature of the COP 28 climate summit in Dubai. While there's been criticism of attendance by oil, coal and gas industries, for the first time food production and distribution have also been on the agenda.  Farmers around the world have experienced the impact of extreme weather on their production - it's just one of the reasons why food prices across the globe have risen. A report by the think-tank The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, shows climate change, coupled with the energy crisis, has pushed up the UK's food bill by £17 billion since 2021.  We report from a farm in Surrey where a change in climate has made food production more costly and speak to a professor of agriculture and food systems at the University of Edinburgh who's just back from the COP28 summitPolice in the Thames Valley have bought off-road motorbikes to help them chase criminals across fields and green lanes, and other places where cars can't go. The force has invested £120,000 in three bikes and other equipment that can be used in hard-to-reach hotspots.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

All week we're discussing the issues raised around food production at the COP28 summit in Dubai. It's the first time farming and food production have been included in the summit's remit. The food system as a whole, including agriculture, accounts for nearly 30% of greenhouse gases globally. We speak to The Global Alliance for the Future of Food - a group of philanthropic institutions which has been campaigning to bring food production into the debate on climate change, for many years.We also visit a vertical farm which says it can increase food production while limiting the impact on the environment. Fischer Farms grows layers of crops indoors under LED lighting at its £37 million plant in Norfolk. They say that on a four-acre footprint, they can produce the same quantity of rocket, watercress and basil as on 1000 acres out in the field. The Home Secretary has announced the salary needed to qualify for a skilled worker visa is being raised by a third, to £38,700. The decision will affect manager level agriculture-related jobs. There will be a review of 'shortage lists' - that's the list of jobs where there is a shortage of workers, which includes vets. The Migration Advisory Committee has been asked to review the occupations on the shortage list and a new immigration salary list will be created with a reduced number of occupations. The changes do not affect seasonal workers.Farmers and rural communities have been rallying round to help people stuck in snow in the Lake District. We speak to one farmer who's helped to clear roads and move fallen trees and another who walked for hours to check on her cattle after diesel froze in her all-terrain vehicle.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farming and food is on the official COP agenda for the first time. It's taken 28 years but there is now a declaration from COP on the future of food, the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action. All this week we'll be looking at what that means for agriculture and at some of the action being taken on farms here in the UK to reduce farming's environmental and climate impact. The COP declaration was signed by 134 world leaders and means they have promised to consider greenhouse gas emissions from food and agriculture in their national plans to combat climate change. There are no targets and no mention of how countries will tackle the emissions related to food production. Christmas may be just around the corner but there's little seasonal cheer in the fishing community. It seems likely that the government will very soon announce a complete ban on fishing for pollock, one of the key species on which fishing livelihoods in the South West of England are based. In a very strongly-worded letter to the Fishing Minister, the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation says the move would be catastrophic and swiftly lead to people going out of business. 'The worst year we have ever known', that’s what many farmers are saying about 2023, and while this year is drawing to a close the impact of failed or ruined crop will of course have an impact of next year.  Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Acute and overlooked - that's how the rural charity, the CPRE, describes the shortage of affordable housing in the English countryside in a report out this week. It says rural homelessness has risen by 40% in the last five years, driven by record house prices, long waiting lists for social housing and a proliferation of second and holiday homes. 34 new Landscape Recovery projects have been announced this week. This is part of the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) which are replacing the EU's Common Agriculture Policy in England. Landscape Recovery, as the name suggests, is work on a grand scale, giving farmers and land managers the opportunity to co-design a plan to provide environmental and climate benefits across a whole landscape. These latest projects will involve more than 700 farmers and landowners working over 200,000 hectares and have been given £25 million between them. This is the second round of projects - 22 pilot projects were given the go-ahead to develop plans last year. We visit three of them to find out how they're coming along.And we speak to 2 of the UK's Food and Drink Attaches. A job selling British food and drink round the world sounds rather glamourous - in fact its more about tackling trade barriers than wining and dining. The UK's has 11 Agri-Food Attaches based in embassies and consulates around the world - 5 more will be added next year. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Baked beans on our toast could soon be British-grown, following a UK initiative between scientists and farmers. Although they've long been a family favourite, until now the beans in baked beans can't be grown in this country, so they've been imported from North America, China and Ethiopia. Following years of research, new varieties of haricot beans have been developed to suit the UK climate, reducing our reliance on importing them. Farmers here can use them as a break crop in a cereal rotation, because they fix nitrogen in the soil. All week we've been travelling around England to see some of the 22 pilot schemes for Landscape Recovery. These are the most ambitious environmental projects in the Government's post-Brexit farm policy – different schemes are being designed in the other home nations. This week, the Government announced a further 34 projects, and say that together the schemes involve more than 700 farmers and landowners across 200,000 hectares. One of the projects, the North East Cotswolds Farmer Cluster, is based around the catchment of the River Evenlode in West Oxfordshire, and aims to reduce flooding by changing the way the land is managed across three and half thousand hectares.What does an American oil man do in retirement? The answer isn’t always cruises, Florida and golf. Phil Close has turned to the hard graft of raising beef cattle on the hills above the South Ayrshire coast. Phil and his daughter Heather are doing it differently: raising smaller, all-grass-fed animals that stay in the fields all winter, even as storms howl in off the Irish sea. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Climate Scientists, politicians, big business, food companies and agriculture leaders have all gathered for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Discussions will be deep and meaningful, so we were rather surprised to be sent a colourful poster, published by an online casino site. It has a timeline showing what the effects would be if everyone in the UK cut out meat, for just one day a week. The poster shows the progression through the decades, from an increase in eating plant based foods, to fewer emissions from less livestock. How was this work done? The whole thing was generated by the AI tool, ChatGPT. We ask emeritus professor of food policy at City University in London, Tim Lang, what he thought of it.All week we're travelling around England to see some of the 22 pilot schemes for landscape recovery. They’re part of the Government’s post-Brexit farm policy; different schemes are being designed in the other home nations. Today we're in Dorset in Poole Harbour at the Wareham ARC project, which focuses on improving water quality to benefit birds, wildlife, farmland and people.Farmers are facing very different ways to fund what they do, especially when providing environmental goods, whether that be under government schemes or providing carbon offsetting for private companies. To achieve that backing, farmers have to prove they are making a difference and that means they must measure what they are doing. Anna Hill went to a Agri-TechE gathering, an organisation that connects farmers, growers, technologists and entrepreneurs. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Government is due to announce new funding for National Parks in England along with plans to identify an area for a new National Park. This follows news that new community forests will be created in Derbyshire and the Tees Valley...with a competition also held for a new National Forest as well. So will more community forests and a woodland competition help meet - or at least get nearer reaching - tree planting targets? The Woodland Trust says that while it will draw attention, what's really needed are long term commitments. The Landscape Recovery programme in England is billed by DEFRA as taking 'a radical and large scale approach to environment and climate goods'. We visit the border between Devon and Dorset where just over thirty farmers are signed up for a project which aims to keep agriculture productive whilst lessening its impact on the River Axe.And the Welsh Government is facing calls to prove its commitment to farmers and maintain the rural affairs budget next year. It follows cuts to that budget this year and the ending of the Glastir scheme in a month's time. Glastir pays farmers for environmental work and will be replaced by the Habitat Wales scheme. The Welsh Government says that will cover more farms. But some farmers say the payments under Habitat Wales will be much lower than what they got under Glastir.Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Swine flu has been diagnosed in pigs on 33 farms in the UK so far this year. But now, it's been diagnosed in a human. The person, in North Yorkshire, is now fully recovered after what's described as a 'mild illness', but the UK Health Security Agency is investigating. We ask what this means for pig farmers, and the rest of us.The CPRE, the Countryside Charity, describes the shortage of affordable housing in the English countryside as "acute and overlooked" in a report out today. It says rural homelessness has risen by 40% in the last five years, driven by record house prices, long waiting lists for social housing and a proliferation of second and holiday homes. And we visit the Brecklands in East Anglia. It's an unusual landscape covering 400 square miles across Norfolk and Suffolk which, despite having poor soil, is an growing veg, pigs, sheep and free range poultry - along side being home to 12,000 wild plants and rare birds like the nightjar and the stone curlew. Now, a group of more than 50 Breckland farmers have joined together to take part in a Government funded Landscape Recovery Scheme, to try and improve the habitats there.Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

The UK has planted 13,000 hectares of trees this year - that's less than half of the annual target of 30,000 hectares, and 7,000 down on last year. The figures come in the latest annual 'UK Forest Market report' from Tilhill and Goldcrest - two companies which plant and manage woodlands. They say that for the first time in almost a decade the value of commercial forestry has dropped - by between 10 and 20% - and that while people value things made from wood they don't value commercial forestry. We visit a Landscape Recovery Scheme in the Lake District. Landscape Recovery is part of the Environmental Land Management Schemes which are replacing the EU's Common Agriculture Policy in England. Other schemes are being designed by the devolved Governments. Landscape Recovery is work on a grand scale, giving farmers and land managers the opportunity to co-design a plan to provide environmental and climate benefits across a whole landscape. And we hear from two of the UK's Food and Drink Attaches. A job selling British food and drink round the world might sound rather glamourous - in fact it's more about tackling trade barriers than wining and dining. The UK's has 11 agri-food attaches based in Embassies and Consulates around the world - 5 more will be added next year. These jobs were created after criticism of the UK's lack of emphasis on food exports. Other countries have had such roles for many years. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Regenerative agriculture is seen by some as the future of farming; we discuss the hope and the hype. Joining the discussion are regen Shropshire farmer Michael Kavanaugh, part of the Green Farm Collective which recently won the Farming for the Future category at the BBC Food and Farming Awards; Helen Browning, an organic farmer in Wiltshire and Chief Executive of the Soil Association which champions organic farming; and Professor Mario Caccamo, CEO and Director of NIAB, the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, which describes itself as the UK’s fastest growing crop science organisation. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Roughly two thirds of ponds in England and Wales have been lost since the late 19th century, mainly because they’ve been filled in or drained so the land can be farmed, and unlike in the 19th century, they’re not needed to water working horses any more. Now, scientists at University College London - along with the Norfolk Ponds Project and the Freshwater Habitats Trust - have produced a new guide to help farmers and landowners restore and maintain ponds. Kelvin Fletcher won Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, but before that he spent 20 years playing fictional farmer Andy Sugden in the ITV farming soap Emmerdale. He grew up in Oldham and, along with his wife Liz, who’s also an actor, was a self-confessed townie. Until, in 2020, they bought a 120 acre farm on the edge of the Peak District. Caz Graham visits the farm to meet the family, along with their rare breed pigs. And one big attraction of regenerative farming is that it can save farmers money. It focuses on improving soil health, and means using fewer artificial inputs. Spend less on fertiliser and manufactured feed, and production costs go down. Some are now starting to find ways to market their produce at a premium. Presented by Caz Graham Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

After the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, Caz Graham hears from a range of experts about what it contains for farm businesses and the countryside. For many people a sticking point in regenerative farming is the herbicide glyphosate. It’s used to kill weeds and cover crops before planting new seeds, so removing the need to plough. But there are concerns about the impact of glyphosate on both human and soil health. We ask which is worse or better - ploughing or glyphosate? Presented by Caz Graham Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Soft fruit growers say they are scaling back future investment plans because retailers are not paying enough for their produce. That's according to British Berry Growers - the industry body representing the majority of British berry farmers. It's just recently held meetings with supermarkets after a survey of members found 80% of those who took part felt they 'no longer have a partnership with UK supermarkets.' It seems Hollywood has become enamoured with the idea of regen-ag, with a slew actors and activists declaring that it is the answer to tackling climate change. We hear from former actor, Ian Somerhalder, whose the Executive Producer of "Common Ground" and "Kiss the Ground". And are you familiar with Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or AONB's? Apparently not that many people are. Now, the AONB's across England and Wales are all coming under the simpler banner of National Landscapes. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

The shipworm is a bi-valve mollusc - like an oyster or a mussel - which is known as a marine pest because it eats through sea-water submersed wood. Now, scientists at Cambridge and Plymouth Universities have developed a system for farming them, in a highly controlled environment using waste wood for feed. To make them a more appealing meal, they're re-branding the shipworm as a Naked Clam! Rothamsted Research is renowned for its Broad Baulk field crop experiment which is celebrating its 180th anniversary this year. Now, a new long term field trial is being developed, looking at Regenerative Farming. There is no agreed definition, but generally speaking regenerative agriculture focuses on improving soil health by reducing or removing cultivation, growing cover crops and using fewer chemical inputs. It can also involve re-integrating livestock into an arable system. And the Welsh government has commissioned Natural Resources Wales to evaluate the case for a fourth national park, in the North East. Three Parks already exist - Eryri, The Pembrokeshire Coast, and Bannau Brycheiniog. We hear from people living and working in the proposed new park area about what it could mean for them. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol

Known as 'black gold', cuttlefish is one of the most valuable species for fishing fleets in the South West of England. The Government is proposing new rules to safeguard numbers of the species but fishermen claim they could see 40% of their catch, and millions of pounds, lost without any real benefit to cuttlefish stocks. The proposal is to set a minimum landing size of 23 cm so any cuttlefish smaller than that would get thrown back. But cuttlefish don’t live very long if they’re out of water and so by the time they are measured and thrown back they’d most likely be dead. Regenerative agriculture has become a real buzz phrase in farming over the last decade. Very broadly speaking it’s farming in a way that improves the soil, by removing or reducing ploughing and artificial fertiliser, using fewer resources for the benefit of the environment. It has farmers flocking to events like Groundswell, Carbon Calling in Cumbria and the Oxford Real Farming Conference to exchange ideas. Global food and farming businesses like Nestle, McDonalds and Unilever say they’re doing it too. All this week we’re going to be looking into regenerative farming: what is it, who is doing it and why. A fungus that’s extremely rare in the UK has been found in Kent. Artomyces pyxidatus, also known as candelabra coral, was discovered by enthusiasts who weren’t sure what it was. Kent Wildlife Trust says it was thought to have become extinct, with no record of it in the entire 20th Century. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The widespread use of fake evidence in planning applications from livestock farms may have led to increased water pollution in Northern Ireland, including the toxic blue-green algae we reported on this summer in Lough Neagh. That’s according to the Belfast based investigative journalism network, The Detail. Since 2015 farmers in Northern Ireland wanting to build new sheds to house livestock like pigs and poultry have had to submit soil samples to show their land will be able to absorb the extra animal waste, or slurry, without it running off into rivers and causing pollution. The Detail’s investigation says that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency found that between 2015 and 2022, 87 percent of those samples - that’s more than a hundred - were fabricated or doctored to get around planning regulations. After weeks of heavy rainfall, we join one farmer trying to harvest sprouts in a quagmire. And presenter, Caz, braves the cold water to meet a group of swimmers as they travel from "source to sea" along the River Eden in Cumbria. Presented by Caz Graham Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Farmers who continually have bovine TB outbreaks on their farms should ‘find another business’. That was what Labour Welsh Senedd member Joyce Watson suggested on the floor of the Senedd earlier this week. Ms Watson was responding to a statement from the Welsh Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths about bovine TB. The Welsh Government published a new 5 year eradication plan for bovine TB earlier this year and the Minister was updating members on progress, announcing increased testing responsibilities from February next year. This Sunday sees the first screening of a short film about a long distance swim from ‘source to sea’ along Cumbria’s River Eden. It’s part of the session on outdoor swimming at the Kendal Mountain Festival and was undertaken by a familiar voice on this programme, common land and uplands expert, Julia Aglionby. Her aim was not just to enjoy the swim but assess the health of the river. All this week we're talking about brassicas. Mustard is a specialist crop, mainly grown in the east of England for the company Colman’s. The majority of mustard seed that’s used in Europe is brown seed, grown in Canada and last year drought there caused a shortage. The mustard grown in England tends to be a white seed, but now work is underway to enable English farmers to grow a new overwintered brown seed so the mustard market can be less reliant on Canada. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The widespread use of fake evidence in planning applications from livestock farms may have led to increased water pollution in Northern Ireland, including the toxic blue-green algae we reported on this summer in Lough Neagh. That’s according to the Belfast based investigative journalism network, The Detail. Since 2015 farmers in Northern Ireland wanting to build new sheds to house livestock like pigs and poultry have had to submit soil samples to show their land will be able to absorb the extra animal waste, or slurry, without it running off into rivers and causing pollution. A planning expert tells us there are systemic failures in environmental protection in Northern Ireland. Heavy rainfall in recent weeks has turned many fields into quagmires, making the harvesting of vegetables a particular challenge and that includes brassicas which we’re talking about all this week on the programme. T.H. Clements is one of the country's largest suppliers of brassicas, with 11,000 acres in Lincolnshire and another 1,000 in Cornwall. Our reporter Bob Walker's been seeing how workers are currently braving the mud to bring in the sprout harvest. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farmers in Northern Ireland have been left wondering what's next after a proposal to cull badgers to prevent the spread of bovine TB was quashed by a court last month, which found the consultation behind the cull was flawed. At the time, the Ulster Farmers’ Union described the decision as "a major blow for livestock farmers"...saying it could now "take years before the issue of the TB reservoir in wildlife is addressed." The Northern Ireland Badger Group - which brought the legal challenge alongside Wild Justice - said "a farmer-led cull would inflict immense suffering on great numbers of healthy badgers." Farmers in England are being warned that even if they take up multiple options to 'stack' Government payments for environmental work under the new post-Brexit support scheme, they will not receive the same amount of funding they used to get, under the EU's Basic Payments Scheme. That's according to new research by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which found taking up multiple payments can bring stability to farm incomes, but that farmers have to judge how much it might cost them to take up the work, before committing to it. And brassica crops like cabbages or cauliflowers face many challenges in the field. Pests, diseases and the weather can all reduce yields and affect their quality, which can cause farmers to lose income. We hear from scientists at the University of Warwick, who have been working to develop new varieties which can be more resistant to difficult weather conditions, disease and pests. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has new boss - former Health Secretary, Steve Barclay. The appointment comes after Therese Coffey stepped down during the Prime Minister's reshuffle. We get the low down on the new Secretary of State, and consider what he will bring to the Department. Simon Naylor produces white, red and pink cabbages in South Lincolnshire, which are sold whole in supermarkets, but also go into a huge range of pre-prepared lines, including coleslaw, stir-fry mixes and salads. But as much as 35 percent of each white cabbage is wasted, with tonnes of outer leaves thrown away every year. So, he's developed a plan to use the waste and transform it into new food ingredients. And Wildlife Trusts on both sides of the Wales-England border are working together in a new project which aims to restore habitats for wildlife and tackle the consequences of climate change. The Trusts say the "Wilder Marches" project can also support farmers to carry out environmental actions to increase biodiversity on their land. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to the Government over the rules about fertilising farmland with sludge from sewage works. The group alleges it’s abandoned its pledge to protect farmland from harmful chemicals. All week we're talking about brassicas; and today it's cauliflowers. Phil Collins grows veg across 150 acres, just north of Devizes in Wiltshire, with 20 acres of brassicas. One of the biggest ever dam removals has been completed in Aberdeenshire. The Garlogie dam was built as part of a now defunct local hydro electric scheme in the 1920s. Its demolition opens up part of the River Dee to Atlantic salmon for the first time in more than 100 years. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Government has intervened in an increasingly furious row between British Sugar and the National Farmers' Union over the price farmers will be paid for sugar beet next year. The future for fruit and veg growers is bleak, according to a report from the House of Lords Horticulture Committee. It calls on the Government to 'safeguard the sector.' and warns that British growers are being squeezed out by cheaper imports and that horticulture, worth £5 billion a year to the British economy, is underappreciated by policymakers. Agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon-dioxide-versus-methane debate. All week we've been looking at the impact of bird flu. It continues to spread across the world, killing both wild birds and farmed poultry. It's been reported in more than 80 countries now. Bio-security on farms is tight, we visit a free-range egg producer to see the lengths poultry keepers are going to, to protect their birds from the virus. It's been a challenging few weeks for farmers with Storm Babet and Storm Ciarán bringing exceptional amounts of rainfall to different parts of the UK. The flooding has washed away newly sown crops, and the soil they were in. Farmers are having to decide whether to replant or not. With volatile weather events happening more regularly, do we need to think differently about how land is managed in flood-prone areas? Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

We look at agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions, and the carbon-dioxide-versus-methane debate. Some farmers argue that cattle numbers don't have to come down in order to reduce agriculture's emissions because the methane cattle produce lasts only for about a decade in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide on the other hand, lasts for thousands of years and so, the argument goes, it's more important to produce less of that, leaving cattle on pasture which itself can sequester CO2. We bring together two academics - Professor Myles Allen and Professor Sir Charles Godfray - who are both quoted to support the arguments on either side of the debate. Now the two Oxford professors have agreed a way forward, which involves reducing methane levels and reducing global temperatures. The risk of avian influenza in wild birds has been officially reduced from high to medium after a reduction in the number of cases - in kept poultry the risk remains low. We're looking at the impact of avian flu all week. For farmers it can be devastating and it is changing the way they produce poultry. Conservationists want more research into wild bird populations, where tens of thousands of birds have died. We visit a nature reserve in Scotland and speak to the RPSB's senior policy officer on avian flu. A new £1 million pound dairy export programme's been launched by the government. It was promised by the Prime Minister at the farm-to-fork Summit in May. Currently the UK exports about £2 billion of dairy products every year, to 135 countries. A new dairy export task force, with farmers, processors and government is looking at reducing 'barriers to trade' and opening up more markets. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Government has intervened in an increasingly furious row between British Sugar and the National Farmers' Union over the price farmers will be paid for sugar beet next year. Some turkey farmers are bringing forward their Christmas plans in an effort to beat bird flu. As we reported, this time last year many were dealing with outbreaks on their farms and though this year (so far) there have been fewer cases, turkey farmers are taking extra measures to protect flocks. We hear a warning of the impact of the Government's decision to ban the export of live animals for slaughter. This was proposed but then dropped by the Government back in May. It's now been revived and appeared in the King's speech earlier this week. The Farmers' Union of Wales says it is not good news for farmers. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

It's been a challenging few weeks for farmers with Storm Babet and Storm Ciarán bringing exceptional amounts of rainfall to different parts of the UK. The flooding has washed away newly sown crops, and the soil they were in. Farmers are having to decide whether to replant or not. With volatile weather events happening more regularly, do we need to think differently about how land is managed in flood-prone areas? All week we're looking at bird flu. We still have outbreaks occurring, although much less frequently than this time last year. But the devastation for farmers whose flocks died, still hurts. Nancy Nicolson has been to speak to Donald MacSween, a crofter on the Isle of Lewis who, for the past decade, has run a commercial flock of hens supplying eggs to shops across the island. But this summer his remaining birds fell victim to the disease. There is growing evidence that getting out into nature can play an important role in improving mental and physical health - according to NHS England. Green social prescribing activities are being offered as an alternative form of treatment as part of a cross government programme, lead by Natural England. One project at Blenheim Estate, is being supported by research from Oxford University. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Wildlife police officers are sometimes choosing not to investigate suspected bird of prey crimes because of a fear of complaints and online abuse. That's according to Chief Inspector Kevin Kell, head of the UK's National Wildlife Crime Unit. The issue of tackling crimes against birds of prey can get tied up with the debate around legal game shooting, and Chief Inspector Kelly says the animosity surrounding the debate, puts some officers off getting involved. All week we're taking stock of avian flu. Since 2021 the disease has hit wild and farmed birds very hard and it's still at large. The situation so far this year is better than last year, and research carried out by a consortium of British universities and the Animal and Plant Health Agency under the FluMap Project, revealed that the virus doesn't spread between poultry farms in the air, and that spread from farm to farm has been very rare. We ask Professor Ian Brown, Scientific Services Director at the APHA, what the group is looking at next. Scientists are developing peas which will be at least ten times higher in iron, so vegetarian and vegan consumers can increase the iron in their diets, without eating meat. The research was started more than 30 years ago, but with the sequencing of the pea genome in 2019 and the arrival of gene editing, scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have been able to find out how to make peas more iron-rich without damaging the plant itself. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The future for fruit and veg growers is bleak, according to a report out today. It comes from the House of Lords Horticulture Committee and calls on the Government to 'safeguard the sector.' The report warns that British growers are being squeezed out by cheaper imports and that horticulture, which is worth £5 billion a year to the British economy, is underappreciated by policymakers. Its recommendations include reviving the Government's horticulture strategy for England and more urgently reviewing fairness in the supply chain. This week we're looking at the impact of avian influenza or bird flu as it's more commonly known. It continues to spread across the world, killing both wild birds and farmed poultry. It's been reported in more than 80 countries now. Here the RSPB says 77 wild bird species have been affected and tens of thousands of birds have died. For farmers too it has been devastating, with whole flocks of birds dying or being culled. But so far this winter there have been fewer outbreaks and housing orders, where all poultry has to be kept inside, haven't been introduced. That doesn't mean everyone can relax; Victoria Elwess runs a free range unit in Lincolnshire. Her plans to expand have been put on hold because of rising costs and fears around bird flu. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Government is reviewing what can be fed to livestock in the UK. Farmed insects are a potentially source of protein for pigs and poultry, which could replace imported feeds like soya that are linked to deforestation. But processed insect feed is currently banned for livestock in the UK. The concern here, is that insects can be disease vectors, particularly if reared on waste, and that using insect proteins could lead to outbreaks of diseases like BSE. But British insect farmers want the law changed and more flexibility allowed on what insects bred for fodder can eat. The Government is launching a review into fairness in the egg supply chain. Last Spring egg producers warned that retailers weren't paying enough for their eggs and that was forcing producers to cut back the number of laying hens or give up altogether. That - combined with the pressure of avian flu - led to shortages on supermarket shelves and an increase in imports from places like Italy and Poland. Since then, prices farmers are getting for their eggs have risen by as much as fifty percent, and many are now achieving a profit, but farmers say contracts need to be fairer to prevent future shortages. And why is Lynx Africa a vital bit of kit for sheep farmers? We hear from one shepherdess about it's use in calming down rowdy rams! Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

More farmers are waking up to floods this morning. After Storm Babet there was more heavy rain and flooding and now Storm Ciarán has swollen rivers to encompass fields. It's brought disruption across the country, from Scotland down to the Channel Islands. We hear from Mark Humphrey, a dairy farmer near Taunton on the edge of the Somerset levels, whose farm is underwater. All this week, we've been talking to farmers preparing their farms for winter. For sheep farmers though this is a time for planning next year's spring lambs. It's tupping season when they put the rams, or tups, out with the ewes. A Norfolk sheep farmer explains why Lynx body spray is apparently really useful for sheep farmers. Welsh farmers are facing multiple challenges but given the right government support can produce healthy food and tackle climate change; so says Aled Jones the President of NFU Cymru, speaking at the Union's annual conference this week. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Government is reviewing livestock feed in the UK as we're out of step with the EU, and that includes feed made from insects. Farmed insects are a potentially sustainable protein source for pigs and poultry, replacing feeds like soy that are linked to deforestation. Processed insect feed is currently banned for livestock in the UK, but not in the rest of Europe. The concern here, is that insects can be disease vectors, particularly if reared on waste, and that using insect proteins could lead to outbreaks of diseases like BSE. But British insect farmers want the law changed to be the same as in the EU, and also want more flexibility on what insects bred for fodder can eat. The Red Tractor food assurance scheme now says it won’t go ahead with its new green option until a National Farmers Union independent review of its governance has taken place. It also says further work on an environmental standard would “need to include more detailed dialogue with farmers and supply chains” and recognises it has been slow to fully understand the strength of feeling of its members on this issue. But consumers do increasingly want more information about the carbon footprint of food and retailers are keen to show they’re working with farmers who are doing their bit for the environment. It does feel like winter’s just around the corner, so all this week on Farming Today we are looking at how farms are getting ready for winter. We’re used to seeing bare fields of frosty stubble once the temperatures drop, but farmers are being encouraged to help their soil over the colder, wetter months by planting fields with cover crops. We visit a farm in Fife that's been cover cropping for the last 8 years. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

There's to be Government a review into fairness in the egg supply chain - something that was promised at the UK Farm to Fork Summit in Downing Street 5 months ago. Last Spring egg producers warned that retailers weren't paying enough for their eggs, and that was forcing producers to cut back the number of laying hens or give up altogether. That - combined with the pressure of avian flu - led to shortages on supermarket shelves and an increase in imports from places like Italy and Poland. Since then, prices farmers are getting for their eggs have risen by as much as fifty percent, but producers say contracts still need to be fairer. A flock of pedigree Suffolk sheep has been flown all the way to Georgia in Eastern Europe. Irene Fowlie from Aberdeenshire, who bred the animals, had to arrange the export directly with the Georgian Department of Agriculture, to allow the trade go ahead. The animals, 70 ewes and 3 rams travelled on three flights - from Stansted to Maastricht, then to Istanbul in Turkey and then on to Georgia. And we visit the Western Isles off the coast of Scotland, which are exposed to some of the worst winter weather. Keeping livestock of all kinds safe and healthy, is the priority for farmers and the local community. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Some meat factories in Northern Ireland say they may have to stop production as Government vets take five days of strike action. The Nipsa union, which represents the vets, described a government pay award as 'derisory'. In Scotland, field voles are a favourite meal for predators like pine martens, but when the tiny rodents' population drops, the pine martens will attack endangered capercaillie birds instead. Now, conservationists are developing what they call 'diversionary feeding' to get around the problem - leaving out deer carcasses for predators when vole numbers are low. And as more rain is forecast, we join some Yorkshire beef farmers as they bring their herd in for the winter. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

It's hunting season. Though hunting - chasing wild mammals with dogs - is illegal in England, Scotland and Wales, hunts will still meet up and down the country. They are trail or drag hunts - two different ways of hunting without doing anything illegal. In drag hunting the hounds follow a non-animal scent laid by a drag pulled on a string, in trail hunting they follow an animal scent. Critics say trail hunting can be used as a smokescreen for illegal hunting, and it's been banned by some landowners, including the National Trust and suspended by others, like the Forestry Commission. We find out how it works. Farming needs to do more to attract people from diverse backgrounds into the industry - according to a Nuffield Farming report from cattle vet, Dr Navaratnam Patheeban. He says that while 17 per cent of the population are black or people of colour, they represent just 0.8 per cent of people in farming. And hedges were originally a way of marking boundaries, keeping stock safe and providing firewood. Now they're recognised for their benefits to wildlife and grants are available for farmers to plant new, and improve old, hedges. We visit the Barker family's farm in Suffolk, where they have invested heavily in researching the right hedge for the right place, creating wildlife corridors. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

As communities across the UK recover after widespread flooding brought by Storm Babet, the National Farmers Union is calling on the government to set up a comprehensive water strategy for England to improve flood resilience. They want more investment to stop crops on fertile farmland being washed away. Wildlife and conservation groups say the English government's approach to re-introducing native species is 'astonishing' after remarks made by the Environment secretary Thérèse Coffey earlier this week. She told MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee that management plans for species like beavers and eagles, were not a priority for Defra. Farmers and food producers been showing off their produce at "Taste Wales", a big trade fair in Newport. We caught up with Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Rural Affairs. Farmers across the country say they're concerned by the withdrawal of a product used to control bracken. This year Asulox was not approved for use in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and allowed only under emergency authorisation in England. Government rules mean the herbicide would need additional health and safety testing work to be allowed for future use and the company that makes it has decided not to do that. We speak to an expert on bracken. We visit livestock marts - great and small. Hereford Market is the outskirts of the city and sales have quadrupled since the mart moved to a purpose-built facility 12 years ago. In the Western Isles of Scotland, we visit a livestock mart that only operates a few times a year, but it's a lifeline for crofters. The Green Farm Collective has been named winner of this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards Farming for the Future category. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farmers across the country say they're concerned by the withdrawal of a product used to control bracken. This year Asulox was not approved for use in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and allowed only under emergency authorisation in England. Government rules mean the herbicide would need additional health and safety testing work to be allowed for future use, and the company that makes it has decided not to do that. So what does the future hold? We hear from the Green Farm Collective - this year's winners of the Farming for the Future category of the BBC Food and Farming Awards. And Anna Hill visits a massive machinery sale in Cambridgeshire, joining collectors and enthusiasts ready to spend thousands on rural ephemera. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Exports of food and drink from Wales are growing. They were worth £797 million in 2022 - up 44% since 2020. That’s compared to a UK average growth of 16% in the same time. So what’s the secret? In this programme Charlotte Smith visits Taste Wales - an event run by the Welsh Government to help food and drink producers meet buyers from around the world. She speaks to both producers and buyers to find out how powerful 'Brand Wales' is, ask what part sustainability plays and discover where the growth markets are. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

As thousands of acres of farm land have been affected by flooding after Storm Babet, the NFU is calling on the government to set up a comprehensive water management strategy to improve flood resilience, and more investment so productive land does not get flooded, washing away crops. The nine and a half thousand acre Rothbury Estate is on the market for £35 million and that means uncertainty for the tenant farmers who farm nearly half the land. It's currently owned by the Duke of Northumberland's youngest son. Local campaigners are concerned, because although around half the land is in the Northumberland National Park and protected, they fear that elsewhere land use could change, and public access could be restricted. All this week we're looking at auction marts and the central role they play in farming communities. Most major centres hold regular sales - often several times a week -  but in the Western Isles it's very different.  Here, livestock production tends to be small-scale and sales of sheep and cattle only take place on a few days in autumn when stock is ready for market. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.

Nearly half the seasonal workers on farms inspected by the Home Office complained about their treatment... that's one of the findings of an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism which is published this morning. The Bureau was granted access to reports from 19 farm inspections made between 2021 and 22 after a Freedom of Information battle with the Government - it says 44 % of the 845 workers interviewed by Home Office inspectors raised problems - from racism to being denied medical care and not being paid for all the hours worked. Many livestock marts have moved from city centre sites to the edge of town - and for one of the largest marts in the country in Hereford its been a good move. It's seen sales quadruple since it relocated in 2011 to a purpose built, seven million pound facility on the outskirts of the city. Native oysters used to be plentiful in the Solent, but numbers have declined to almost nothing. Now, environmentalists are trying to encourage re-generation with a five year project. We join local school children as they take part, releasing a thousand young oysters off West Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Some major new research into bird flu was published this week. The headlines are that this year has so far been better than last year, that the virus doesn't spread between poultry farms in the air and that spread from farm to farm has been very rare. We hear from the Animal and Plant Health Agency on the details. Farmers are warning that cuts to the rural affairs budget in Wales are a significant blow, which put environmental targets at risk. The Farmers Union of Wales and NFU Cymru have both criticised the Welsh Government, which in an emergency budget this week announced cuts across departments. A parliamentary committee is looking into land based education, so all week we've been doing the same. We asked the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Sir Robert Goodwill, why they launched the inquiry now. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Scientists have published some major new research into bird flu. A consortium of British universities and the Animal and Health Protection Agency has been working on "the flu map project" which is now going to extended. For farmers, the situation so far this year is better than last year and scientists say the virus doesn't spread between poultry farms in the air and that spread from farm to farm has been very rare. They did find some immunity to the infection in some wild birds - particularly gannets and shags - but game birds were found to be very susceptible, along with chickens, turkeys and ducks. All this week we're looking at education in agriculture and to make higher education more accessible the University of Cumbria is offering three short part-time courses for farmers, land managers and farming advisors. The modules are equivalent to the first year of a degree course and have been tailored to help equip farmers for the current rapid changes in farming policy. Dorset Police have launched a new rural neighbourhood watch - on horseback. The force is recruiting volunteer horse riders who will be visible and provide the police with information while they are out and about in the countryside. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farmers are warning that cuts to the rural affairs budget in Wales are a significant blow which puts environmental targets at risk. The Farmers Union of Wales and NFU Cymru have both criticised the Welsh Government, which in an emergency budget announced cuts across departments. About 8% of the rural affairs budget, will go, that is around £37 and a half million. Farmers in Scotland are bracing themselves for more bad weather. The Met office is forecasting 'unprecedented levels of rain'. This follows hard on the heels of heavy rain and flooding in Argyll, Aberdeenshire and Tayside when fields with crops were submerged for days. Drones are already being used for photography and surveying farms, and drones which spray aren't far behind. Harper Adams is the first university to offer a qualification in using drones for agriculture. We meet the people running the course and the people learning how to operate them. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Fishers in Shetland are warning lives will be lost unless authorities crack down on the alleged dangerous behaviour of some foreign vessels in the area. All week we're looking at agricultural education; while some students choose to go down the traditional route, others are opting to go high-tech - into what some might call "digital agriculture". We hear how Syrian refugee, Wejdan Ghazal, has been growing her own fruit and veg, with the help of a community vegetable project, near Strangford in County Down. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

MPs launch an inquiry to find out if young people are failing to get the skills needed to work in rural jobs. All week we're looking at training and education in land-based careers. Rural Skills Scotland offers apprenticeships and qualifications to help get people who are unemployed or live in towns and cities back to work. We visit a training session in Fife. Can upland farms cut their environmental impacts and still stay in business? That’s what trials in the Scottish Highlands are aiming to find out. The Cairngorms National Park has backed a study to see how emissions can be cut, and biodiversity boosted, while farms still stay in the black. We visit one farm taking part in the study. Coracle fishing may be in danger of dying out, because of river pollution, according to South West Wales fishers. It’s a tradition that dates back centuries, using a small, rounded, lightweight boat, but fishermen say it's at risk because of a lack of fish. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The SNP is meeting in Aberdeen - throughout the party conference season we've been catching up with the rural affairs spokespeople. Today we talk to the Secretary for Rural Affairs in the Scottish Government, the SNP's Mairi Gougeon. A project offering fishermen free dental checks and treatment on the harbourside has got underway in Newlyn in Cornwall. Smiles at Sea will be visiting eight fishing ports in Devon and Cornwall between now and December. The demands of being at sea means it can be hard to visit a dentist. The scheme is also helping children in coastal communities be seen by a dentist. All week we're taking a look at land-based education. A parliamentary committee launched an inquiry into it last month. The EFRA committee is looking at education from primary to universities to see how effectively its making students aware of the opportunities in agriculture and equipping them with the right skills. We speak to Landex who represents 39 colleges and universities in the sector. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Red Tractor logo goes green: are farmers being asked to enhance retailers' green credentials for free? As a solar farm in Yorkshire is turned down, we discuss producing food versus producing energy. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

How do energy companies decide where to put renewables? After a Yorkshire couple, successfully challenged plans to build a solar installation on their tenant farm, we speak to the company that wanted to create a solar farm there, and find out how they select land for renewable projects. Conservationists say the government's new agri-environment scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, doesn’t reward farmers adequately for the human, social and cultural value of the land they manage. Friends of the Lake District has published research to establish the ‘true’ value of an upland common. We visit Little Asby Common in the Westmorland Dales to see why the charity thinks the 450 hectare site has a potential value of £61 million. All week we're celebrating autumn fruits. It's been a good year for grapes, with vineyards enjoying a bumper harvest. One producer in Shropshire has enlisted a small army of volunteers to help pick the crop. Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Jon Wiltshire

A couple has won their battle to stop a solar farm being developed on the land they farm. The application was turned down by North Yorkshire Council. The Tenant Farmers Association, who backed Rob and Emma Sturdy, says renewables should not go on good arable land which is being used for food production. Coastal communities living close to wind turbines off the east coast are to be offered cheaper electricity. The scheme, which runs from Grimsby down to Skegness, aims to promote the use of green energy. All week we're talking about autumn fruits. A brewery in Cornwall is using foraged blackberries to create a beer, with a little help from the community. Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Scientists in Edinburgh have used gene editing techniques in chickens which they say could eventually limit the spread of bird flu. A heated debate on social media has been sparked amongst farmers after the Red Tractor assurance body unveiled proposals for a new environmental label to its scheme. Some pear growers in Wales are trialling using a willow mulch around their trees to help tackle fungal disease. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farmers in Scotland are assessing the damage caused by record-breaking rainfall which has flooded hundreds of acres of farmland. As much of England was basking in sunshine, Scotland experienced a deluge. The floodwater, which is unusual for this time of year, has ruined high-value crops that were still waiting to be harvested. We talk to the farm manager whose mental health campaign Walk With Me has gone global. It encourages a more open approach to mental health in agriculture across the world, as part of World Mental Health Day. All week we're gathering up autumn fruits, and hearing how farmers are taking advantage of the season's natural abundance. On King Charles's Sandringham Estate a new pilot project has started to grow fruit and nut trees in strips, among arable crops. Agro-forestry, as it's known, is gaining recognition by commercial farms as a system which can enhance soil health, while creating invertebrate habitats in fields which sometimes have little space for biodiversity.  Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The impact of a major wildfire in the Scottish Highlands is still being felt, months after the emergency response to tackle the flames.  The large blaze near Cannich in May scorched a massive area of land, including half of the RSPB's Corrimony Nature Reserve, severely impacting wildlife.  The Labour party would ensure that the public sector bought more British food and would consult farmers on the right to roam should it win the next election. The new shadow environment secretary Steve Reed also says government should do more to protect the environment. During the party conference season we're speaking to all of the four main parties, this week it's Labour. The Clyde Valley was once famous as the fruit bowl of Scotland, and many Scots will remember spending summers there picking fruit, but a combination of factors including rail closures and EU membership led to a steep decline. Now a team of volunteers and orchard owners is fighting to keep the area's fruit-growing tradition alive. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

At the Conservative Party Conference this week the death knell was sounded for the northern route of HS2, and the transport minister Mark Harper made it clear that people whose land and businesses have been affected by the line, and now its cancellation, will not be getting any compensation for the disruption. So what happens next? We hear from farmers along what was to be the HS2 line. Former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he wans to see Australian hormone-treated beef being allowed into the UK and accused the National Farmers Union of being 'protectionist'. NFU president, Minette Batters, tells us she's livid. The nights are drawing in and there's a nip of autumn in the air so what better time to talk about root veg; the carrots, parsnips, swedes and onions that warming stews are made of. But with many UK veg growers warning that the cost of growing is increasing way faster than the prices they're paid, we ask what's the future for these staple crops. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Migration Advisory Committee has rejected a bid from the National Farmers Union to include eight agricultural jobs on the government's "shortage occupation list" - the list of jobs where employers who face a shortage of labour are given some special dispensations within immigration rules to make it easier to employ migrant labour to fill vacancies. Now the NFU is warning that food production could be affected if farmers can't get the people they need. Celebrations have been taking place in Caithness to mark one hundred years since the formation of Scotland’s first ever Young Farmer’s Club. All week we’ve been hearing about root vegetables, a comfort food for the winter, but perhaps not a food that you often associate with fine dining. One small organic farm in Cambridgeshire is trying to change that perception. Flourish Produce grows 750 vegetable varieties and sells direct to high-end restaurants in London. Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

As the HS2 railway line's cancelled in the north, we talk to farmers whose lives and businesses have been turned upside down by the scheme. Dairy farmers are warning that what they're being paid for milk no longer covers the costs of producing it. An NFU survey showed that nine per cent of dairy farmers plan to quit this year, with 30% saying they're 'uncertain' about the future. All week we're talking about root veg. Soil health is particularly important for these crops. Compaction and water logging can mean dramatic drops in yield before they've surfaced above ground.  We speak to a farmer in Scotland who's growing six hectares of parsnips. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

NFU President demands an apology from a politician who told a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference that he wanted to see hormone-treated beef allowed into the UK - something which is banned at the moment. MP Jacob Rees-Mogg then went on to accuse the National Farmers Union and its leader Minette Batters of being 'protectionist'. The government's system of a 'shortage occupations list' is not working and should be abolished, according to a review by the Migration Advisory Committee - the independent body that advises the government on migration issues. The S.O.L. is used to decide which jobs immigrants can apply for, because of the need for labour. All week we are digging into root veg, today it's carrots. The UK crunches its way through 10 billion carrots every year, nearly all of them grown here. Right now, the main crop is being harvested, and we visit one farmer in Yorkshire who grows 1,000 acres of carrots. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

It's party conference season, and Farming Today is following what each one is pledging on rural affairs. This week, the Conservatives are gathering in Manchester, and we speak to Thérèse Coffey, the Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Affairs. As the Scottish Agriculture Bill goes before the Scottish Parliament, Scotland's farming leaders are calling on the UK government to commit an extra one billion pounds to the sector across the four nations as farmers face additional demands to deliver on both food security and the environment.  All week we're looking at root veg. One grower in Norfolk has spent seven years developing his own variety of potato and branding it as a local speciality. The Norfolk Peer is a small salad potato which is sold fresh, in season, but it is also stored and sold all year round, as the Norfolk Keeper. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Wild beavers are to be returned to the Scottish Highlands in what will be a series of firsts for the Cairngorms National Park Authority. A licence application to NatureScot is to be made shortly for the release. It'll be the first time they've been reintroduced to the Highlands, and the first re-introduction completely outside the animals' existing range, in the Spey valley, confirming the Scottish Government policy of getting wild beavers to spread across all of Scotland. However, will those farm along the Spey going to be happy? The nights are drawing in, there is a nip of autumn in the air so what better time to devote a week to talking about root veg - the carrots, parsnips, swedes and onions that warming stews are made of. But with many UK veg growers warning that the cost of growing is increasing way faster than the prices they're paid, what's the future for these staple crops? Farmers in North Yorkshire are running new trials on a traditional but under used type of grass that could last longer and save costs while capturing more carbon and improving river quality.  It's called Cocksfoot, because the splayed-out seed heads look the bird's foot, and it's been thought of as a coarse grass, so not popular commercially. Now new varieties are more palatable for grazing animals and the grass is thought to be better for the environment than traditional grazing swards like rye grass.    Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farming needs to change to help reverse the ongoing decline in the UK's nature - that's the message in the new State of Nature report published this week by more than 50 research and conservation organisations, from the RSPB to the wildlife trusts and statutory bodies like Natural England. The report warns that 1 in 6 species of British wildlife are under threat of extinction and highlights nature friendly farming as part of the solution. But which approach works better for nature - sharing productive farmland with biodiversity, or farming more intensively so some land can be spared entirely for nature? Young people in rural areas are missing out on "critical" services due to a "postcode lottery", charities have warned. BBC analysis shows that of the seventy million pounds in grants for youth clubs awarded in August, most of it went to venues around big cities. Experts describe children in villages and small towns as ‘the forgotten youths’. And sales of books about nature have been steadily rising over the past few years - we're said to be living in a golden age for nature writing. We hear from writers about what motivates them, and what impact they feel they can have. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Trade between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will change on Sunday as the new Windsor Framework comes into operation.The framework is the revised post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.  It was agreed by the EU and UK in February. The government is being taken to court over fishing. The Blue Marine Foundation, a conservation charity, says ministers have set fishing quotas higher than scientific advice allows. The UK negotiates with neighbouring countries, like Norway and the EU over fishing quotas and those discussions are informed by scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Ices), which outlines how many fish can be taken from the ocean, without their numbers falling to dangerously low levels, but campaigners claim the government is ignoring that advice. Harvest time has featured in poetry and songs for centuries, reflecting both the beauty and difficulty of farming at this important time of year. All week we've been celebrating nature writing. Today we hear from poet Sean Borodale who's been visiting farms and collecting stories to write his own poem, reflecting what harvest looks like nowadays. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Farming needs to change to help reverse the ongoing decline in the UK's nature - so says the State of Nature report from 50 research and conservation organisations. This is an update of the 2019 report and highlights continuing declines in things like: the populations of pollinating insects, down 18% since 1970; mammals like voles and hares down 30% in the same time frame; and plants, where 50% of species have declined. The report points out that not only do we now know the problem, but we also understand the solutions, which when it comes to farming, include more nature friendly farming. All week we're looking at nature writing. It plays a big part in the work of Literature Wales, the national company for the development of literature. They see writing about nature as an important way to connect with the Welsh landscape and language. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Three of the UK's four agri-tech centres which support farm technology and innovation are merging. They are CIEL - the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock; CHAP - Crop Health and Protection; and Agri-Epi, the Agricultural Engineering Precision Innovation Centre. The fourth, Agrimetrics, which covers data will go its own way as an independent company. We speak to the science minister at the World Agri-Tech Innovation summit in London about why the government's changing them. All week we're looking at nature writing. The Wainwright prize is awarded annually to the books which most successfully inspire readers to explore the outdoors and nurture respect for the natural world. This year's prize for conservation writing went to Guy Shrubsole for his book, The Lost Rainforests of Britain. Presenter - Charlotte Smith Producer - Rebecca Rooney

How have farmers and tanker drivers been affected by the collapse of a haulage company which collects fresh milk from farmers? We speak to a dairy analyst. The north Norfolk coast and its wildlife has been the subject of one of the country's largest and most detailed biodiversity audits. The North Norfolk Coastal Group of landowners and local authorities worked with scientists at the University of East Anglia to monitor all life, from algae to eagles and produce a plan and work with farmers to protect and increase the area's special habitats. All this week we're talking about nature writing, and author Richard Mabey could be seen as a pioneer in the genre, with books stretching back over 50 years. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Financial Conduct Authority has published its initial review into 'de-banking' this week - finding that some businesses, including shooting and the gun trade, feel 'unfairly affected' by some banks' decisions not to provide accounts for them.' Part of the evidence the FCA considered was a survey of members by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, BASC. It showed that 41 percent of the 325 who answered, had found difficulty with their banking, and that just over half of those people had been told by the bank "off the record", that their connection with shooting and firearms was the reason why their banking had been stopped or restricted. BASC says its members have connections with shooting and firearms through legal, legitimate and viable businesses. A working group is being put together to work out how to combat the toxic blue green algae on Northern Ireland's biggest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh. It bloomed over the summer, has been linked with the deaths of dogs and birds and has closed some businesses on the lough. Pollution from farming - along with the weather and invasive species - have been blamed for the problem. A survey commissioned by the organic veg box group Riverford has revealed that nearly half the fruit and veg growers who took part, fear they could close within a year, with the majority citing supermarket behaviour as the main reason. And how to tell your manure from your slurry? We as a farmer. Presenter by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Fewer trees will be planted in Wales over the next few months than planned says the forestry industry - and they are blaming the Welsh Government for delays to woodland planning and woodland creation grants. Confor, the Confederation of Forest Industries, says it comes just before the planting season and will have a huge impact this winter and beyond. The British Poultry Council warns that it's only a matter of time before another outbreak of bird flu. Last year it had a devastating effect on some poultry farms and wild bird populations have been badly affected by the illness. Defra, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, says the risk among wild species remains high and poultry farmers are being urged to take extra care to guard their flocks from infection. We hear from one North Yorkshire poultry farming family keeping vigilant, as they prepare their Christmas flock. Rural councils should have more power over buses - to end the 'spiral of decline' in services. The idea comes from the Local Government Association which wants more councils to have the same powers as mayors so they could then decide fares, routes and the frequency of buses. We’ve been talking about growing booze all this week, and there is an obvious relationship between growing barley and beer. We speak to a brewer who's making beer from barley grown just three miles from his pub in Cumbria. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Campaigners say a toxic blue green algae which has covered Northern Ireland's biggest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh, is killing the wildlife and fish, and could be harmful to people. The algae's rapid growth this summer has been blamed on pollution from farms, as well as the weather, sewage and the impact of invasive species. So, to what extent are farmers the problem and what should be done? Sainsbury's launches a premium range of beef which promises a carbon footprint 25% lower than the industry standard. The supermarket says it's taken a decade to develop. We speak to their director of agriculture to find out what that means for consumers and farmers. The UK wine business has grown a lot in the past few years; all week we've been talking about growing booze. What's involved in creating a new vineyard from scratch? We visit a farmer in Hertfordshire who's diversified into viticulture. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced by Beatrice Fenton & Rebecca Rooney

The Financial Conduct Authority has published its initial review into 'de-banking' - that's when banks decide to terminate certain accounts. The issues surrounding 'de-banking' were raised when politician Nigel Farage revealed he had been refused banking facilities. Among the evidence the FCA has considered, is a report from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. They surveyed their members and said 41 percent of the 325 who answered, had found difficulty with their banking, and that just over half of those people had been told by the bank, off the record, that their connection with shooting and firearms was the reason why their banking had been stopped or restricted. As the war in Ukraine continues, the longer term consequences are being assessed, including the impact on farmland soil, which has been contaminated by heavy metals like mercury and arsenic. Staff from a Ukrainian university have spent a week at in the UK at the Royal Agricultural University, learning how to heal their soil back home. All this week we’re looking at British booze, today it's beer. Malt is a key ingredient and it usually comes from barley, grown specifically for brewing. Malting barley production across the UK got back to pre-pandemic levels last year, at nearly 2 million tonnes, but the price of malting barley has risen dramatically since 2019, pushing up the price of a pint. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer - Rebecca Rooney

A survey commissioned by the organic veg box group Riverford says nearly half the fruit and veg growers who took part, fear they could close within a year. The report shows three quarters of the responders who felt they didn't have a long term future, point to supermarket behaviour as the main reason. Some of the accusations against supermarkets include cancelled orders for crops which have already been grown to order and failure to pay farmers within 30 days of delivery. Riverford is now launching a campaign calling for supermarkets to act, and for government to back that action. A farmer who lost nearly three quarters of his oil seed rape because of flea beetle, re-seeds his fields by drone - the farm in Yorkshire is one of the first in the UK to use a drone rather than a tractor to sow a crop.    All week we're lifting a glass to British booze, from beer, to cider and wine. Earlier this year the British Growers Association reported costs for cider producers had risen by nearly a quarter, forcing some to question if they have a future in the industry. One cider maker in Herefordshire has decided to tackle the crisis head on, investing in a state of the art restaurant on his farm to help make it more viable. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Every police force in the UK should have a dedicated rural crime team - the call comes from the National Rural Crime Network which comprises rural and farming groups and Crimestoppers. As we reported last month, the cost of rural crime went up by 22% last year, that's according to the insurers NFU Mutual. They put the cost of thefts and damage of things like tractors, GPS systems and power tools at nearly £50 million in 2022, up from £40 million in 2021. It's harvest time for British hop growers - but they say that it's not a great time to be in the business. With the popularity of craft beer, you might think that hop growers would have a good market, but they say work force costs, fuel inflation and brewers holding stockpiles of hops since the pandemic mean the industry is struggling to survive.  The world sheep dog trials have been taking place in Northern Ireland - 240 dogs and their handlers were competing in the hopes of becoming World Champion at Gill Hall country estate in Dromore. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Many small local abattoirs have been shutting down in the last decade, It's hard to pin down a precise number, but the government has announced it is setting up a £4 million small abattoir fund to ensure more don’t go out of business. These small local abattoirs play a vital link in the supply chain for farmers who want to slaughter their livestock locally and sell the meat themselves either from the farm or at farmers markets. We hear from the Royal Countryside Fund which has campaigned to save them, and also an abattoir owner who welcomes the money, but says it won't be enough to stop more from closing. Sheep used to be a common sight on Hampstead Heath in London before grazing was phased out in the 1940s and 1950s. Now, the City of London Corporation has teamed up with community groups to bring them back, as part of a week-long trial. A small flock of five rare breed ‘Norfolk Horn’ and ‘Oxford Down’ ewes are grazing an area in the north-west of the heath. Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

This year the warm and still weather has led to a surge in flea beetles, which can destroy oil seed rape, while it's still in the early stages of growth in the fields. Farmers used to rely on neonicotinoid chemicals to protect the plants and kill flea beetle larvae, but they have been banned. We speak to a farmer who's been spraying his crop at night to try and tackle the pest, but now he's having to re-sow much of his crop, some of it by drone. This year's sugar beet harvest, known as a 'campaign', has just started. The harvest last year was poor and the cost of processing sugar-beet rose dramatically. Farmers and businesses which want to use British sugar in their products are hoping for a better season this year. Picking apples has always been labour-intensive, but things are changing with the development of new machinery to aid - or even replace - pickers. One such machine is called the REVO and it’s being used this year by a major grower in Kent. Adrian Scripps has 250 hectares and produces up to 200 million apples a year from its orchards near Tonbridge, it's invested in a fleet of harvesting platforms. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Two cases of avian flu have been confirmed on game farms in Cheshire and Staffordshire, where pheasant and partridge are produced for shooting. Every year more than 40 million partridge and pheasant are released into the wild from game farms, to populate land for shooting. In May the RSPB called for more restrictions on releasing game birds into the countryside, to reduce the risk of new strains of avian flu, but the British Association for Shooting and Conservation says a ban on releases of game birds is not the answer. Sir Ian Wilmut who led the research team that produced Dolly the cloned sheep at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, has died at the age of 79. The team used a cell from the mammary gland of a dead adult sheep to create a living animal that was genetically identical to the donor. The work laid the foundations for stem cell research, a technology which aims to cure many of the diseases of ageing by enabling the body to regenerate damaged tissue. All week we're picking out the stories from top-fruit farming - that's apples, pears, plums and cherries. One fruit grower in Kent says he is giving away all his crop to charity, because he says he can’t make any money selling it. The Canary Islands have banned imports of UK seed and eating potatoes to their Islands after Colorado beetles were found in potatoes in Kent and Hampshire in July. Each year, the UK exports 50 thousand tonnes of potatoes to Spain, and the Canary Islands are the fourth largest export market for seed potatoes from Scotland. The government's Animal and Plant Health Agency says the Spanish National Plant Protection Organisation has agreed to import potatoes again under new criteria and the APHA is discussing this with the sector. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Top fruit farmers say they're not being paid enough by retailers for their crop, and lose money on fruit which doesn't reach the top specifications. Scottish farmers press for food production to be higher up the government's agenda when it comes to the First Minister's 'programme for government'. And why a rare pine martin was spotted in Yorkshire, miles from where it would usually be spotted. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Following Government reviews into the dairy and pig sectors, there will now be a new inquiry into the fruit and veg supply chain later this autumn. It follows salad shortages on supermarket shelves and complaints from growers that the price they're paid doesn't always cover the cost of production. Agricultural research may be a little bit easier after the Government's announcement this week that the UK is to re-join the EU's flagship scientific research scheme, Horizon. We've been excluded from the scheme for the last 3 years because of disagreements with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol. For the agricultural research institute, Rothamsted Research, that's meant a 20% a drop in EU funding, so the latest news brings fresh hope. And how do you keep a pig cool in this hot weather? The answer is - give it a bath. Presented by Charlotte Smith Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

The government says it wants fairness in supply chains and will launch its inquiry into the fruit and veg supply chain later this autumn. Natural England releases details of the controversial licences for badgers to be culled across 19 counties in England. Scientists look at how to develop specific chickpea varieties which can be grown in the UK. And the Scottish nursery that went from having 70 herb species to more than 400. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

How science is shaping British and global farming for the future. Assessors for Unesco have been visiting peatlands in the Flow Country in Scotland to see if it qualifies for World Heritage Status. All this week we're looking at herbs and how they're grown in the UK. Today we're heading inside a huge glasshouse. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

How can trees be integrated into all types of farming? The UK's first agroforestry show is trying to find out. We hear from a Norfolk farmer working hard to keep his 72,000 free range pigs cool. As part of our week looking at UK grown herbs, today we focus on native herbs like sweet woodruff, musk mallow and rock samphire. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Thousands of invasive species around the world are a major part of biodiversity loss; a new report says the evidence is being ignored. This week we're exploring farming herbs in the UK. Today Anna Hill visits a farm growing chives out in the field, and hears how basil can been produced indoors all year round in a vertical farm. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Last week, the government announced new plans to scrap water pollution restrictions for housing developments in order to build new homes - some farmers warn that the government is undercutting its own environmental schemes. The Government consultation on proposals to allow the conversion of barns and disused shops into houses without the need for planning permission ends later this month - it is considering extending these changes into the National Parks, which have had long held protections against such developments. And all this week we look at growing herbs in the UK. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Farmers on a newly designated protected site say they're being forced to sell up. Natural England has designated 3,000 hectares of the Lands End peninsula in Cornwall as a Site of Special Scientific Interest -or SSSI - that brings in more protection for the area, and stricter rules on what farmers can and can't do. Some who work the land affected - West Penwith Moor and Downs - say the impact on their businesses is so bad that they're leaving. After multiple delays, this week the government announced it will be bringing in full post-Brexit border checks for some goods imported from the EU from January next year. British farmers have had their produce checked as it goes across to the continent since we left the EU in 2021. leading to higher costs, and delays for exporters. From January some animal products, plants, food and feed will need certification before entering the UK to make sure they're safe. The news has been welcomed by safety groups and farmers, who said the fact that imported food wasn't being checked was putting animal disease protection at risk. It's harvest time, and arable farmers have been in a race against time to get the crops in during brief dry periods. But it's not just wheat and barley that are being harvested. We also visit farms where blackcurrants are being harvested for a well-known fruit cordial, and report on an experimental harvest of flax in Scotland. And Sarah Swadling heads to a farm in Dorset where they're trialling artificial intelligence as a way of measuring the amount of wildlife on the site. The equipment can distinguish between different species of bee, for example, and the scientists say it could help in our bid to tackle the nature crisis. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner

Farmers in West Penwith, Cornwall say Natural England's designation of 3,000 hectares as a site of special scientific interest in the county will put them out of business. Steam weeding - an alternative form of weed control - is being trialled on an agricultural scale in Scotland. And how the past year's changeable weather has affected the blackcurrant harvest. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Nearly 4,000 farmers who farm common land in England face delays to being able to apply for - and therefore receive payments from - the Sustainable Farming Incentive, the most basic element of the Environmental Land Management Scheme which is to replace the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. A farm worker in Wiltshire shares his recent experience of what happened when he confronted hare coursers. And why there's growing interest in using flax for sustainable fashion. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

After multiple delays, the UK government announces it will be bringing in new border controls for imported goods from the EU from 31st October 2023. How new innovations and technology are helping the growth and storage of potatoes. And as we continue to look at harvest this week, we take a look at the challenges farmers face when taking their tractors off the fields and on to public roads. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

After the hottest June on record and weeks of wet weather afterwards, we ask how good will this year’s harvest be. It’s been like playing cat and mouse dodging the showers, and trying to get into the fields whenever the sun’s out long enough to dry the crop. Last year’s harvest was very good, 90% of it was in by now, and yields and prices were up too. This year is a different story. Whereas wine growers across the south of England are expecting a bumper harvest this autumn. Expectations are high and some smaller producers may even need volunteers to help pick the grapes. More than 80% of the UK’s peatlands are in poor condition. In England the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has just given £16million worth of funding to 12 new landscape scale peatland restoration projects. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

As farmers share how their crops have been destroyed by dogs and walkers, and livestock have been scared by joggers, just how can the Countryside Code be better followed, publicised and communicated? A consignment of British sheep embryos was shipped to the US this week - it’s the first time embryos have been allowed to be exported to the States, following the lifting of a 33-year-long embargo on lamb and embryos from countries where livestock has been affected by BSE. We explore the world of growing salad, from vertical farming baby leaf salad in a giant warehouse to growing microgreens in a home office. And an endangered bird species returns to Northern Ireland for the first time in years. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Which is better - roots deep in the earth or in a nutrient cocktail on a vertical farm? We hear about the biology of how salad crops are grown without using soil. As part of our week focusing on salad, we visit a micro-farm growing micro-greens. It's harvest time for broad beans, but one grower calls them “the forgotten vegetable”. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The first ever shipment of UK sheep embryos has just arrived in the United States. We ask how significant the trade could be and hear from one of the farmers exporting his flock’s genetics. This week we're talking about salad. The University of Warwick has been awarded £1.4million by the Government to carry out research into the use of robotics in horticulture. Scientists and engineers are working with a large salad grower experimenting with new technology. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farmers share their experiences of having their crops damaged, their livestock scared, and signs on footpaths being discarded by the general public accessing their land. What should be done to ensure the Countryside Code is followed? A sugar shortage in the UK sees supplies imported from Central and South America. And how a warehouse in Kent is growing salad crops, vertically. Presented by Steffan Messenger and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

A water company in the east of England is to build a pipe "longer than the M1" to bring water from the Humber to counties further south, in an attempt to tackle water shortages and meet future water demand. Why some salad producers are switching from growing cucumbers to aubergines. And building Cornish hedges has been put on a red list of endangered skills. Presented by Steffan Messenger and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Water shortages in Suffolk have lead one water company to refuse connecting up new businesses who use a lot of water, or allowing more use of water of expanding business who also use a lot of water. Two lapwing breeding pairs and chicks have been found on a farm in Northern Ireland; it is the first time the endangered birds have been seen in the area for several years. And an expert in crop and environmental science shares his thoughts on the state of salad production in the UK this year. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

The price of petrol in rural areas: supermarkets charge up to 15p more per litre if you live in the countryside. The Climate Change Committee has called for a 40% increase in hedgerows in the UK by 2050 to help tackle global heating. Defra says it wants to create or restore 45 thousand miles of hedges in England by 2050, and is asking farmers how it can support them to achieve that goal. It’s a far cry from the post-war farming policies that led to hundreds of thousands of miles of hedges being ripped out. And can the River Wye look forward to a cleaner future? Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The latest figures for the brood management trial for hen harriers have been released. The Welsh Agriculture Act has received Royal Assent. And, how hedgerow management makes a difference to farms and the land. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Petrol prices have hit their highest in the past six months, but why does it cost more to fill your car in rural areas compared with urban ones? A countryside charity releases its latest report into the use and future of green belt land in England. How hedges can be used for shelter on farms. And the Farming Today finalists for the BBC Food and Farming Awards are revealed. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Organic farmers and businesses in Wales say they have been 'forgotten' by the Welsh government; they say millions of pounds worth of support is being withdrawn under the new farming policy proposals. The 1947 Agriculture Act aimed to get farmers producing more food to shore up Britain’s self sufficiency following the pre-War depression, and it rewarded farmers financially for removing their hedgerows. Decades later, hedges are increasingly being reinstated. How musical collars instead of fences are keeping cattle in their fields. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

The largest poultry processor in the Wye catchment area has announced litter from its supply chain will no longer be available for sale, as fertiliser, within the Wye catchment, as a way to help better manage their supply chain, in relation to the health of the River Wye. A conservation group responds to the news. NFU MIdlands members are asked for their thoughts on the government's hedgerow consultation. And a fifth generation farmer in Kendal shares why hedgerows are not just important for farming, but local history and culture, too. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

A hedge to the uninformed eye might just look like a line of bushes, trees and weeds marking out a field, but there’s much more to them than that. So much so that the independent body which advises all of the UK governments on climate change, the Climate Change Committee, has called for a 40% increase in hedgerows in the UK by 2050 to help tackle global heating. DEFRA says it wants 45000 miles of hedges in England by 2050, and ministers are currently consulting on how to make that happen. It’s a far cry from the post war farming policies that led to hundreds of thousands of miles of hedges being ripped out. All this week we’re looking into hedges, starting with their ability to sequester carbon. King Edward, Maris Piper, and Shetland Black; just some of the varieties of spuds that were on display last week at the UK potato industry's biggest field-based event, Potatoes in Practice, which takes place annually in Scotland. Interest in UK farm holidays has doubled over the last decade according to the farm holiday co-operative, Farmstay, which has just clocked up 40 years of supporting and advising farmers who welcome holiday makers onto their farms. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

A look back on some of the best bits from Farming Today over the past five days. The government is consulting on whether landowners and farmers in English national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be allowed to convert barns into housing without planning permission. Scientists research how much crops can be deprived of water without affecting their growth. And the shooting season for red grouse gets underway. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

The guns will be out on the moors for the Glorious Twelfth tomorrow, the first day of the grouse shooting season. We ask what’s the appeal and as more landowners ban grouse shooting, what kind of a future does it have. Flavian Obiero moved to the UK from Kenya as a teenager, and was bitten by the farming bug after a stint of work experience on a farm near Basingstoke. Charlotte Smith visits Tynefield farm to find out how the new venture is going. All this week we’ve been speaking to people about their visions for 2050 when, if the Government hits its target, the UK will have reached net zero emissions of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Today we hear from a young farmer who you may have seen on TV because she makes video diaries about her farming life for the BBC’s Countryfile programme. Emily McGowan is gradually taking responsibility for the family farm just west of Strangford Loch in County Down, Northern Ireland. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farmers in Scotland have criticised what they say is the government's 'lack of joined up policy' after it emerged that over the past 23 years nearly 16 million trees have been felled to make way for wind farms. The Scottish government says that there is a planning presumption to protect woodland and that developers would be expected to plant trees elsewhere to make up for the loss. All this week we’re looking ahead to 2050 when, if the government hits its target, the UK will have reached net zero emissions of the greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. So what should and could farming and the food system look like? It's a question we've put to a range of people over the week, farmers, conservationists and today an architect turned writer who has given a lot of thought to food and its place in our lives. Carolyn Steel is the author of Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives and Sitopia: How Food Can Save the World. She argues that food is a powerful force and we don't give it the value it deserves. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The government has launched a consultation on whether farmers in English National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be allowed to convert barns into housing without planning permission. A conservation scientist shares his vision for 2050 in trying to reach net zero carbon emissions. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rhiannon Fitz-Gerald.

Food companies and retailers have been in talks with the chancellor Jeremy Hunt about addressing issues with the food supply chain. An investigation has already been carried out by DEFRA into the pig supply chain and its report, back in April, said new regulation for written contracts would be brought in, to provide 'fairness and certainty'. One of the largest pig processing companies, Cranswick, has just announced a rise in profits, while at the same time another large pig processor Pilgrims has closed its plant at Ashton in Manchester. The government's launched a new Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code in England, which encourages people visiting coastal areas to respect marine mammals and birds. The guidelines include not approaching wildlife on beaches, including seals, and taking care when swimming or using craft such as jet skis. The Office for Environmental Protection is to investigate the Department for Agriculture in Northern Ireland - or DAERA - after concerns that it breached environmental law on ammonia guidance. Ammonia from cattle slurry can be damaging to the environment and air quality, and has been an issue in agriculture in Northern Ireland for some time. We often talk about food loss and waste in the UK market, and as part of our World Farming Focus week we are putting a spotlight on the excess production of fruit in Ghana. Every year the country’s farmers produce a glut of fruit like watermelon, mango and oranges, with no ready market, meaning it’s left to rot on farms and along roadsides. Research estimates that some 3.2 million tons of food is either lost or wasted along the supply chain in Ghana. Presenter - Anna Hill Producer - Rebecca Rooney

‘Farming Today’ and ‘On Your Farm’ are a long-established, well-loved part of the Radio 4 schedule. But how did agriculture on the air begin? A century ago radio was the wonder of the age with the newly-formed BBC offering an astounded public a nightly menu of news bulletins, chamber music and children’s stories. Farming broadcasts soon followed and were keeping listeners in touch with rural life long before the first radio drama, sports commentary or record programme had crackled in to the ether. In the century since, the strictly-scripted agricultural studio talk of the 1920s and ‘30s has evolved beyond recognition, and along the way brought fame and fan mail to the most unlikely of ‘stars’; a university farm manager, a Times newspaper correspondent and a Surrey horticulturalist. We look back at a hundred years of rural broadcasting, and the programmes that have been made for – and about – farmers. As we delve in to the archives, we’ll find out what’s changed over the last ten decades; what in the past is surprisingly familiar to us now; and discover how we’ve arrived where we are today. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced by Vernon Harwood Picture: The BBC's head of agricultural programmes, John Green, at home on his Cotswold farm on 17th March 1945. Interviewed guest: Jeannie Hamilton Interviewed guest: Jim Heffer Interviewed guest: Tom Hercock Interviewed guest: Robin Hicks Interviewed guest: Anna Hill Interviewed guest: Felicity Peake Interviewed guest: Rebecca Pow MP Interviewed guest: Robert Seatter Interviewed guest: Richard Willmott Interviewed guest: Robert Young Reader: David Wethey Archive material used in this programme: The End of Savoy Hill; National Programme, 14/05/1932 6BM Calling; BBC Radio 3, 31/03/2004 Today in the South & West; West of England Home Service, 18/11/1964 Auntie, Uncle and Mr Mike; BBC Radio 4, 01/01/1974 The Farming Week – 60th Anniversary Special; BBC Radio 4, 25/03/1989 Farming Today – Robin Hicks; BBC Radio 4, 25/05/1972 Dig for Victory – R.S. Hudson; BBC Home Service, 10/09/1940 In Your Garden – C.H. Middleton; BBC Home Service, 03/12/1944 Radio Allotment; BBC Home Service, 18/04/1942 Post War Careers – Irene Hilton; BBC Home Service, 07/06/1945 Farming Today – Hill flocks; BBC Home Service, 10/02/1944 Farming Today – Cattle at the Crossroads; BBC Home Service 11/11/1943 Farming Today – Pig farming; BBC Home Service, 09/03/1944 On Your Farm; BBC Radio 4, 29/01/1983 The Oral History of the BBC; John Green video interview, 19/11/1992 The Oral History of the BBC; John Green audio interview, 01/09/1989 The Farming Week – CLA Game Fair; BBC Radio 4, 01/08/1987 Pick of the Year; BBC Radio 4, 29/12/1989 Royal Welsh Show; BBC Wales, 21/07/1987 Plague ’67; BBC Radio 4, 06/12/1967 Six o’clock News; BBC Radio 4, 19/02/2001 Farming Today – EU referendum result; BBC Radio 4, 24/06/2016 Asian Club – Richard Dimbleby; BBC General Overseas Service, 27/04/1964

Before the advent of synthetic dyes, the place to turn for a bit of colour in your life was the natural world. Rachel Lovell heads to Devon to visit a grower offering an alternative to industrially-made dyes. Sophie Holt of Pigment Organic Dyes grows highly specialist crops for the textile dye market, and she has plenty of surprises in store. Presented and produced by Rachel Lovell

Climate change could bring opportunities, as well as the well-documented downsides. One couple in Dorset have been looking at pushing the boundaries of what it's possible to grow organically in the UK, using the warmer weather to cultivate plants that would be familiar to people living in the Caribbean. Katkin Tremayne and Ipar Davis-Hughes run Vital Roots Garden in Netherbury. It's a smallholding where aside from the classic British kitchen garden staples, the couple grow and sell subtropical vegetables including callaloo, chow chow and yams. All this is done outdoors, as they have no polytunnels. They put their success down to a combination of climate change, and giving the plants time to adapt to their new surroundings. Presented and produced by Fiona Clampin

For most sheep farmers, wool doesn’t pay. Shepherds often shear their sheep for the animals’ welfare, but don’t make any money from the wool. More often than not, it actually costs them money. However, one couple in Somerset are reviving the textile tradition and making it pay. Andy Wear and Jennifer Hunter from Fernhill Farm have three thousand sheep. They graze the flock on a network of farms across the Mendips, following regenerative principles - boosting soil health by rotating the grazing, and cutting out herbicides and fertilisers. Jen is a Nuffield Scholar, she travelled the world researching sustainable wool production. The textiles business began as a means of earning money in winter, when the farm wasn’t making money from its holiday lets and events business. With selective breeding and marketing, wool now accounts for 40% of the income from their flock. Andy is a record-breaking shearer and he’s created a shearing barn where he runs courses. His purpose-built shearing stand, inspired by systems in New Zealand and Australia, doubles up as a stand for bands and festivals in the summer.

Amy Bateman is a professional photographer and past winner of British Life Photographer of the Year. She also runs a sheep and beef farm along with her husband, so she's ideally placed to document the huge changes taking place in UK farming post Brexit. Over the last two years she's taken stunning photos and conducted frank interviews on 40 very different farms around her home county of Cumbria culminating in an exhibition and book that paint a fascinating portrait of a modern diverse industry. Caz Graham meets Amy to talk about the project, see the pictures and meet some of the farmers who are featured. Presented and produced by Caz Graham

Step into the Brundish countryside to explore the UK's only licensed forge with young entrepreneur and blacksmith Paul Stoddart. Kingdom Forge is a blacksmithing and engineering workshop. Paul and his team design and create high quality metalwork using a combination of traditional and modern techniques. They're regularly commissioned for film and TV; they run workshops to teach people of all ages & keep the traditional craft alive. Tread through orchards (once owned by Aspells) to find out how cyder making has helped expand and take their business in a new direction. Walk through the brewery and bar to find out how they grow, brew and serve their own cyder from within the forge. Hear how Paul teaches hundreds of blacksmithing students each year whilst creating a totally unique experience, never achieved before in the UK. Presented and produced by Anna Louise Claydon