Farming Today
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. This BBC Radio 4 podcast covers agricultural policy, rural affairs, and food production in the UK.
Episodes
22/08/26 Solar power - a panel discussion exploring the issues around solar development in the countryside.
It’s been a summer of drought, extreme heat for much of the UK, lots and lots of sunshine, and all week on Farming Today we’ve been talking about solar energy, from large scale solar developments to roof top panels on farm buildings. It's a topic that raises blood pressures: some rural communities feel that too much good growing land is being turned into an industrial landscape as solar panels mar
21/08/2026: Drought farmer, biodiversity on solar farm, choral work
We revisit a vegetable farmer who told us during the second drought in June that he was having to use extra water to try and get his crops established. Will Shakeshaft from Greens of Soham says he's had hardly any rain since then, and his potatoes and beetroot are struggling, with yields and quality down.
A new report using information gathered over 12 years shows that biodiversity can thrive alo
20/08/26 Salmonella in eggs, bees in drought, roof-top solar
The UK Health Security Agency is investigating the outbreak of salmonella that’s led to confirmed cases in more than 200 people, and the death of one person. Initial findings suggest it could be linked to imported eggs. Salmonella is extremely rare in UK produced eggs - all laying hens have to be vaccinated against it, and there’s a ‘passport’ system ensuring that all hens, eggs and feed are full
19/08/2026 Village agricultural show
Caz Graham is at the Hawkshead Show in the Lake District, to see why local shows like this are so important to rural areas.
All over the UK, through the summer months, communities come together for village shows. There are hundreds of them, each reflecting the distinct flavour of the farming, food, local customs and the people of the villages and towns they’re held in.
Produced by Sally Challone
18/08/2026 Bluetongue, solar farm row, vineyards
Supplies of the vaccine for the livestock disease Bluetongue are in short supply after a large outbreak in the south west of the UK. A mild winter, hot dry summer, and the midges - which cause the disease - moving into densley populated livestock areas, have all contributed to the worst ever outbreak, which has now affected Wales and Scotland too. We speak to the president of the Sheep Veterinary
17/08/2026 Drought aid, Solar farms
The Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a package of measures to help drought-hit farmers in England, saying food production is national security. It will give more flexibility for farmers in environmental schemes, and easier access to water. More details will also be announced today about plans to help farmers build reservoirs on farm. The NFU says it's a start, but action needs to be taken
Farming Today This Week: New drought package for farmers, bluetongue, brassica crisis, hot salads, B12 peashoots, cherries.
The Prime Minister's due to announce a package of support to help farmers in England cope with the drought. The measures will include putting an extra £50 million of Defra's budget towards this year's Sustainable Farming Incentive and offering up to £15 million for on-farm reservoirs, to enable farmers to store water in the winter which they can use in the summer. As well as drought and heat, live
14/08/2026 Brassicas, cherries, salad
Brassica growers are warning their crops are in crisis after the relentless heat has left them stunted or dying in the ground. The British Growers Assocation says crops including cauliflower and broccoli are half the size they should be, putting prices up.
We meet growers at Tebay services on the M6 in Cumbria. The company has been working with the horticulture and mental health charity Growing We
13/08/26 Bluetongue in sheep, growing more UK fruit and veg, B12 in salads
Bluetongue, the livestock disease that is transmitted by midges, is spreading, especially in the south west. It affects farm animals including sheep and cattle. It doesn’t affect people, but it can be very painful and fatal to livestock. Annual bluetongue statistics are counted from July to June, the so-called bluetongue season. Since the end of June this year, there have already been more cases t
12/08/2026 Controversial cattle cull, impact of drought on fish stocks, salads.
Feelings are running high amongst farmers in Northern Ireland over a cull of 51 cattle. It was carried out in June by a humane slaughter team from the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs in County Tyrone. The government said it was a final resort after a court ordered that the farmer who owned them should be ‘deprived of the ownership of all farmed animals’ because of a previou
11/08/2026 Impact of bluetongue on farmers, harvest in Europe, glass house salads.
Livestock farmers in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset are at the centre of the current outbreak of bluetongue and cases are rising rapidly. Bluetongue can be fatal to animals like sheep and cattle but doesn’t affect humans, it’s spread by midges, and makes animals lethargic and lame as well as causing birth defects or spontaneous abortions. The Farming Community Network has a 24 hour help line: we ask
10/08/2026 Financial planning, farming in drought, salad
The finances of farming in and after a heatwave.And salad - endless sunshine and no rain isn't ideal for many crops, so prices are up as UK supplies tighten and some companies are even importing.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
Farming Today This Week: Bluetongue cases continue to rise; impact of climate change on this year's harvest
Farmers are being 'strongly urged' to vaccinate sheep and cattle to protect them from the rapid spread of bluetongue. The UK's chief vet says vaccination is the only way to deal with the disease. There are now more than 200 farms with cases in the UK, more than double the number this time last week. The vast majority are in England, with most in the South West. In Wales there've been five. There
07/08/2026 Resilient crops for a changing climate, planting in a drought, Sheeted Somerset cattle
In the light of this summer’s dismal harvest, we hear of work to make the UK’s arable crops more resilient in a changing climate.With the hot dry weather continuing in much of the country, not to mention the situation in the Strait of Hormuz making diesel and fertiliser prices volatile, some farmers are already scratching their heads about what best to grow for next year’s harvest. And a beautiful
06/08/26 Bluetongue cases on the rise, vaccination and testing for the disease. Harvest in Perthshire.
Farmers are being 'strongly urged' to vaccinate sheep and cattle to protect them from the rapid spread of bluetongue. The UK's chief vet says vaccination is the only way to deal with the disease. There are now 130 cases, more than double the number this time last week. The vast majority are in England, with most in the South West. Wales has four cases, there are none in Scotland or Northern Irelan
05/08/26 Scottish first minister on farming resilience; the cost of drought; harvest in Cumbria
Scotland's first minister John Swinney has been speaking about the future for Scottish farmers and crofters while touring the country visiting summer agricultural shows. This hot dry summer hasn't hit farmers in Scotland quite as hard as southern England, but some areas are now considered to be in what Scotland terms 'water scarcity'. We speak to him about support for farmers and the government's
04/08/26 Wheat harvest, waste whey, sheep farmers at risk from disease
Official figures show the harvest this summer is the earliest in England for 20 years. All week we're following farmers around the country as they bring in their crops. We visit a farmer in Northamptonshire who thinks this year's harvest will put him in the red.When cheese is made, it produces curds and whey. There are two types of whey, sweet and salty. The sweet is often used for protein ingredi
03/08/26 Wildlife in drought, harvest 2026
The drought is hitting nature; the Wildlife Trusts warn that rivers, lakes and wetlands are under immense strain, leaving animals struggling to survive. Harvest 2026 has been the earliest in England for at least 20 years and yields have suffered from the heat and a lack of water, leaving farmers counting the cost. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
Farming Today This Week 01/08/26 Drought, water abstraction, food inflation, bluetongue, young Cornish dairy farmer.
The whole of Wales and half of England are now officially in drought. For farmers the impacts are huge. There are concerns about a shortage of feed for livestock and cereal yields are down. The Environment Agency in England says it will step up controls on how much water can be taken from rivers and groundwater. The National Farmers Union has called for a more modern abstraction system, saying we'
29/07/26: Cairngorms wildfire two weeks in, South Wales hare coursing, wildflower seed farm
The fourth heatwave of the year in the UK is still making the daily farming jobs a struggle for many. But this year the dry weather and heat have also created the conditions for significant wildfires across the country. In Scotland a wildfire started 2 weeks ago in the Cairngorms National Park. It's thought to have damaged around 25 square kilometres of natural forest and hillsides, although the
31/07/26 Calls for a food system change, the reality of farming in drought, pressure on rivers
As drought spreads across the UK we hear calls for our water and food systems to change. The lack of water, the miserable harvest and an unpredictable geo-political situation add up to expose the fragility of the UK's food system according to a cross section of supermarkets, food producers and campaigners who've written to the new Prime Minister. They want Andy Burnham to introduce a Good Food Bi
30/07/26 Drought, food inflation, bluetongue
Half of England is now officially in drought. The Environment Agency says it will enhance its monitoring of water levels and crucially for many farmers, step up controls on how much water can be taken from rivers and groundwater. The BBC's local radio stations have been devoting the day to agriculture and as part of this Farmwatch the BBC has been looking at the price of food and how much of what
28/07/26 Campylobacter in chickens, community market garden, research anniversary
New research shows campylobacter - which causes gastro-intestinal illness in humans - is becoming more resistant to antibiotics as the number of intensive chicken farms increases. The research, led by scientists at Oxford University, found the number of strains of the bacterium was growing globally, with evolution advancing the most effective of them.This week we’re celebrating Farmwatch, where ou
27/07/26: Fresh produce checks, hot lettuce, BBC Farmwatch.
The UK's fresh produce trade body has written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham asking him to scrap proposed border checks on fruit, veg and flowers, which it claims could cost the industry £300 million. The controls are included in the reset of our trading relationship with the European Union, currently under negotiation. The checks for pests and diseases would affect imports to the UK from outside
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