Farming Today

Mar 07 2025 25 ep. 15 mins 21.9k
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The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

  Science
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08/03/25 Farming Today This Week: Impact of US tariffs on global agri-trade, Sir James Dyson, supply chains, cost of bird flu

Mar 07 2025 25 mins  
The American President Donald Trump wants farmers in the US to produce more for the domestic market as the rows over import tariffs continue. So what might this all this mean for them, for us and for global trade? For This Natural Life, this week on on BBC Radio 4, Martha Kearney visited Sir James Dyson on his farm in Somerset to hear what the natural world means to him, and how th

07/03/25 - Rural connectivity, farmers co-ops and farming on an island

Mar 06 2025 13 mins  
Broadband speeds in rural areas are 26% slower than they are in urban areas and there are still parts of the country that have no mobile phone access at all. That's according to the Government, which has recently launched it's new ‘Digital Inclusion Action Plan’ to try and change that picture. They’re also looking to improve the digital skills of the 7.3 million people who th

06/03/2025 - What do Trump's tariffs mean for global agri-trade?, James Dyson's farm, sustainable potatoes

Mar 05 2025 14 mins  
American farmers are being urged to produce more by their president. Mr Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on goods, including agricultural produce, from Canada and Mexico, and both countries are imposing retaliatory tariffs on American goods. As is China, which is the biggest market for US agriculture products. So what might this all this mean for them, for us and for global trade? F

05/03/2025 - Pig supply chain, blossom watch and a charity farm for women

Mar 04 2025 13 mins  
New rules for the pig supply chain are due to be introduced this Spring to help even-up what DEFRA describes as a 'power imbalance' between farmers and processors. The rules have been developed after a crisis in the industry caused by a combination of Brexit and Covid - when back in 2021, a shortage of staff at processing sites left farmers unable to send their pigs for slaughter,

04/03/25 - The cost of avian flu, apple supply chain and soy-free dairy cow feed

Mar 03 2025 14 mins  
Bird flu continues to hit poultry farms across the country with 49 cases in England, 2 in Northern Ireland and 1 in Scotland. We hear from one farmer about the hidden cost of having an outbreak - from £10,000 worth of wasted eggs to the loss of the next 2 years of business.We visit a distribution centre for the AGPO growers’ co-operative based in Kent, where apples and pears are

03/03/25 - Solar farms on tenant farms, the wisdom of retired fishermen and supply chain fairness

Mar 02 2025 11 mins  
The Tenant Farmers Association says the Government's decision to allow a solar project on farmland in Yorkshire is 'crushing' for farmers who rent land. Harmony Energy can now build a solar farm with battery storage on land owned by the Fitzwilliam Trust near Malton. The tenant farmers who currently farm there have campaigned for the past four years to halt the project.Fishing is f

01/03/25 - Farming Today This Week: NFU Conference, Climate Change Committee report, bulbs for methane, beavers, ploughing.

Feb 28 2025 25 mins  
The re-introduction of inheritance tax on farm assets dominated this year's National Farmers Union Conference in London. The Union President told delegates farming is facing its biggest crisis of confidence in his lifetime. Facing a frosty reception, the DEFRA Secretary Steve Reed announced a new Farm Profitability Unit to be set up with the department, but told farmers he couldn't

28/02/25 - Trade rules, native bulbs and high beef and lamb prices

Feb 27 2025 14 mins  
The DEFRA Secretary told Farming Today the Government will be looking into ways to prevent cheap imports of crops grown in countries which allow the use of chemicals that aren’t authorised for use in the UK. But how easy will that be? We ask a trade expert.There’s been a flying trade for beef and sheep this spring. The price for what’s called ‘dead weight’ cattle is at it

27/02/25 Climate Change Committee report, daffodil bulbs to reduce methane, illegal waste.

Feb 26 2025 14 mins  
The Climate Change Committee has called for a transformation in agriculture in its latest report. The CCC advises the UK government on ways to reduce emissions in order to meet net zero by 2050. Its 7th report sets out a plan from 2038 to 2042, and recommends a 27% drop in the number of cattle and sheep, and that we all eat less meat. It wants to see more woodlands, more peatlands

26/02/25 - NFU Conference 2025: Inheritance tax, technology funding, farm profitability

Feb 25 2025 14 mins  
The re-introduction of inheritance tax on farm assets dominated this year's National Farmers Union Conference in London. The Union President told delegates farming is facing it's biggest crisis of confidence in his lifetime. Facing a frosty reception, the DEFRA Secretary Steve Reed announced a new Farm Profitability Unit to be set up with the department, but told farmers he couldn'