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
10/06/26 New bovine TB strategy for England, cereals
A cattle vaccine to protect livestock from bovine TB could be in use on farms in England by 2030. That's one of the aims outlined in a new strategy for the eradication of bovine TB. The government commissioned it and has just released the details. We hear from the farmer who chairs the Steering Group behind the strategy which aims to get rid of the disease on farm by 2038.This week we are looking
09/06/26 Flood funding, cattle cull, cereals
Somerset's to get an extra £50m investment to help the county deal with flooding. The government is giving the money to the county council who will work in partnership with local drainage boards, communities, the Environment Agency and the Somerset Rivers Authority. Farming Minister Angela Eagle says it will enable farmers to better withstand the growing threat of floods.Nearly 300 cattle in Scotl
08/06/26 Brown or white eggs? The outlook for cereal farmers
How do you like your eggs? Brown or white? Sainsbury's has announced it's switching to white eggs for environmental reasons.With high prices for energy and fertiliser but not for their crops, and after another dry spring, we ask how arable farmers in the UK are doing.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
06/06/26 - Farming Today This Week: Dartmoor ponies, water voles and land-based jobs
Dartmoor is famous for its semi-wild hill ponies that roam across the moorland. But concerns have been raised by the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association that new agri-environment schemes will require such a steep drop in the numbers of grazing livestock in the area that up to 93 percent of the ponies will be lost. We hear from the association's Secretary, Joss Hibbs.Next year will be the last that farm
05/06/26 Dartmoor ponies, upland economics, Open Farm Sunday
Concerns have been raised that new agri-environment schemes will require such a steep drop in the numbers of grazing livestock that 90% of Dartmoor ponies will be lost. We’re talking about upland farming all this week, and this morning we hear how the phasing out of the old EU farm payments are affecting English hill farmers, with two generations of a Lake District farming family.It’s twenty years
04/06/26 High Court rules the Food Standards Agency overcharged abattoirs, hydropower funding, upland farmer groups
A judgement from the High Court yesterday ruled that the Food Standards Agency has been 'unlawfully' charging abattoirs too much and that it wasn’t transparent enough about what it was charging for. The ruling comes after a legal challenge by the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers.Developers of small-scale hydro-energy projects say the industry’s missing out on investment because of a heav
03/06/26 EU trade agreement, peat restoration and water voles, Scottish uplands
The government has published fresh guidance for farmers and food businesses to help them prepare for the new sanitary and phytosanitary - or SPS - agreement between the UK and the EU. It's expected to take effect in a year's time. It's supposed to make trade easier, with fewer checks and less paperwork, but there are still many points in the agreement to iron out. Peatlands are one of the most v
02/06/26 Rural skills gap, upland farming in Wales, Future Countryside.
A new report says there should be plenty of opportunities for young people to take up training and jobs in land-based work - but there's a 'skills squeeze'. The study by Lantra, a charity which provides training and qualifications in land-based industries, says jobs are available but not being filled.All week we're taking a closer look at upland farming across the UK. In Wales more than half the c
01/06/26 Cost of wildfires, methane from sheep, upland farming
The latest analysis of wildfires shows that last year the UK recorded its highest burned area on record, including the country's first documented ‘megafire’ in Scotland, that's a fire which covers more than 10,000 hectares. Researchers from the University of East Anglia led a team of international scientists looking into last year's fires round the globe, they say wildfires are getting more extrem
30/05/26 - Farming Today This Week: pig supply chain problems, hot weather impacts and singing farmers
Its been a record breakingly hot week across much, though not all, of the UK, and that's brought probems for farmers, with crops struggling and livestock at risk of overheating. We ask what more extreme weather means for the future of British farming.Independent UK pig farmers face an uncertain future according to the National Pig Association, which this week called for long-term committements fro
29/05/26 Water abstraction, food inflation, local food systems.
Water is a main topic of conversation amongst farmers at the moment - because it's in short supply. Memories of the wet winter have been dried out by the recent hot weather and those growing crops or indeed relying on grass to feed their animals are all talking about rain which hasn't materialised. Environment Agency figures show that rainfall across England last month was 38% of the long term ave
28/05/26 Rural crime, restoring signposts, Welsh food project
A new report shows that the cost of rural crime has fallen. Insurer NFU Mutual paid out £41.5 million in claims in 2025, compared to £44.1 million in 2024. However the theft of quad bikes has risen - and police warn that rural crime is organised and carried out by international criminal gangs.They are a relic of a world long before Sat nav or even A to Zs, the black and white fingerposts which gui
27/05/26 Heatwave and water shortages - the impact on farming, Scottish farm co-operative.
It’s been unseasonably hot over the last few days across much of the UK. Extreme heat means extra concerns for livestock farmers. The Irish government has issued guidance advising farmers not to transport animals in the hottest part of the day, and vets and farmers will be looking out for symptoms of heat stress in all livestock. We visit a dairy farmer in Cumbria to find out how his herd is farin
26/05/26 Mounting pressure for Scottish pig farmers, funding for rural churches, selling farm produce at markets
Pig farmers in Scotland say 10% of their national herd has gone to waste because there's oversupply in the market. They're asking their government for help.Churches across England can now apply for cash to get their leaky roofs fixed, or their stained glass windows repaired, under a new government grant scheme launched this month. This week we are looking at local food systems. While many of us g
25/05/26 - The History of Crofting
Crofting is embedded in life in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, but it's an unusual form of farming, with a family plot rarely able to provide a full living. Many crofters need additional employment to make ends meet. So, where did crofting come from, and how has it survived? This year marks 140 years since the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886 was brought in to protect the rights of cr
23/05/26 Farming Today This Week: red diesel, Gulf trade deal, Climate Change Committee report, regen tenancies, flowers.
The cost of growing our food is still higher than before the conflict in the Middle East. To counteract some of that, the government's laid out a "Great British Savings" bonanza aimed at making life a little less expensive for everyone. There'll be cuts to tariffs on more than 100 food imports sold in supermarkets and fuel duty on red diesel will be reduced by a third. We visit a strawberry growe
22/05/2026 Gulf trade deal, tax cut on red diesel, cuts to tariffs on food imports, flowers, farmers going out of business
We ask what the latest government cost of living measures mean for farmers.How a Fenland farmer must decide whether to keep on his struggling family farm.We've been talking flowers all week: the cut flower market in the UK is worth around £2.2 billion but the bulk of flowers sold in supermarkets and florists don’t come from British farms.The BBC Food & Farming Awards are back and this year we’
21/05/26 Drought report, impact of Middle East war on berry growers, farm flower garden.
'The taps could run dry' - that's the warning from a new report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Environment and Climate Change. The report, in response to last year's drought, says water supplies need to be better managed to overcome the contrary challenges of drought and flooding, which it says are both a consequence of climate change.Farmers have just had some respite from hikes in fue
20/05/26 Climate Change Committee report, EU alignment, flower grower hub.
The Climate Change Committee has published a new report about the consequences of a 2% rise in global temperatures and what the UK needs to do about it. The CCC, which reports to UK government on adapting to climate change, says that by 2050, 92% of homes are likely to overheat, peak river flows will be up to 45% higher, and water supply shortfalls could exceed five billion litres per day. It po
19/05/26 Pollution from moorland burning, Duchy of Cornwall regen tenancies, tulips.
Researchers at Leeds University say a new study shows deliberate burning of moorland for grouse shooting leads to an additional half a million people, on average, being exposed to unsafe levels of particulate pollution - that's on top of the pollution cause by wildfires. The study was co-authored by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which is calling for a licensing scheme for control
18/05/26: Grow more British flowers, new hands at the wheel of Red Tractor, hare coursing crackdown
Today is final judging day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, ahead of the show's opening to the public tomorrow. This year, the Great Pavilion will include a mini flower farm, to promote British production. The display's been created by 8 growers from the organisation Flowers From The Farm. It says, after years of the market being dominated by cheaper imports, interest in British flowers is burgeoni
16/05/26 Farming Today This Week: too many pigs, new strategy to tackle animal disease, call for caged eggs ban, Balmoral Show
Too many pigs, not enough space: farmers struggling to sell their livestock.New strategies for tackling the spread of animal disease. We ask, how much is being done to stop it getting here in the first place.Vets' organisations are calling for a ban on imports of eggs produced by caged hens, and a phasing out of the legal 'enriched colony' cages in the UK.And prize winning sheep at the Balmoral S
15/05/2026 Balmoral Show, Northern Ireland
The Balmoral Show near Belfast is Northern Ireland's biggest agricultural show. It's held over four days and attracts more than 100,000 visitors. This year there are record numbers of livestock entries. We speak to some of them, including breeders who've brought backed the traditional Irish Moiled Cattle back from the brink.
Presented by Louise Cullen and produced by Rebecca Rooney.
14/05/26 New strategy to combat pig disease, farming issues in the King's Speech, sepsis risk for farmers
New strategies for tackling African Swine Fever. We ask how much is being done to stop it getting here in the first place.Yesterday the King delivered his speech outlining what the Government hopes to achieve in its next parliamentary session, no matter who is at the helm. How much was in there for farmers?A campaign has been launched to raise awareness of sepsis among farmers. Presented by Anna
