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
11/11/26 Red Tractor standards; cattle cull inquiry; bird flu in Scotland; carrot harvest.
Red Tractor, the label which sets standards for a lot of food you see in the supermarket, has been reviewing all its criteria for farmers. It's published the last raft of proposals for consultation. The beef, lamb and dairy sectors have already been considered. This final tranche covers four sectors; pigs, poultry, fresh produce, and sugar beet and other crops. A review of a cull of 51 cattle in f
10/11/26 Food waste, regen root veg, school milk.
Waste, whether that's in food, farming or other industries, is the focus for COP31, the climate change talks being held in Turkey. Tens of thousands of delegates will meet over the next 10 days, and they'll be discussing ways to reduce the impact of waste on the planet and trying to agree new targets. The Waste and Resources Action Programme, or WRAP, is calling on the COP to formally recognise t
09/11/26 Midges and bluetongue; COP31 food & farming; root veg.
Great Britain has seen its worst ever outbreak of the livestock disease bluetongue this year, described to MPs earlier this week at the Environment Food and Rural Affairs committee as “a major animal welfare crisis”. Across Great Britain there’ve been ten times more cases - that’s farms affected by the disease - in the 2026 ‘bluetongue season’ than there were last year, leading to a severe shortag
07/11/26 Farming Today This Week: Bovine TB strategy; UK-EU Trade deal; regional mayors; farm reservoirs; bullrushes.
England has formally adopted a new bovine TB policy which aims to eradicate the disease from the country by 2038.The UK and EU have agreed a draft deal on removing checks from food and agriculture products. A 200 page document outlines details for sanitary and phytosanitary, or SPS regulations. It's part of closer alignment between the UK and the EU and is due to be discussed at a summit later thi
06/11/26 Mayors in rural areas, record October sunshine, recharging chalk aquifers
Six months today voters in Cumbria will go to the polls to vote for the county's first elected mayor. Mayoral Strategic Authorities are central to the Government's policy of devolving more power and funding out of Westminster and into the hands of people who live and work in the English regions. Cumbria will be the first predominantly rural strategic authority with others to follow, including Nor
05/11/26 New bovine TB strategy, smart ponds, investment in ag tech
England has a new bovine TB policy: today the Government formally adopts plans it set out in the summer which aim to eradicate the disease from the country by 2038.All this week we are looking at the way we manage water, and farmers are increasingly keen to save water on farm in the winter to use in the summer. While building small reservoirs is one option, another is to create networks of so-call
04/11/26 UK-EU trade deal and what it will mean for food producers. Farm reservoirs and water management.
Food producers and farmers have been giving their reaction to a draft deal on EU trade re-alignment. The document outlines the details for sanitary and phytosanitary, or SPS regulations, and is expected to be discussed at the EU Summit planned for November 20th. When Brexit came into force six years ago, the SPS agreement was pivotal to many UK food export businesses. Shellfish producers, seed pot
03/11/26 Farm reservoirs, rainwater harvesting, quinoa.
Too much water, too little water: UK farmers have experienced both extremes in the last few years. All week we're hearing about on-farm water management. Heavy rain in the North West of England means that the region is no longer classified as being in drought, but 82% of the country remains in drought. England still needs at least 120% of average rainfall for the next six months, to be considered
02/11/2026 Water management, milk price cut
After the UK's hottest summer on record and widespread drought, the Met Office is now warning of a heightened risk of wet and stormy weather this autumn. From drought to flooding, these extremes are raising urgent questions about how we manage water for food production. That's what we're looking at this week.We visit a group of graziers in Powys, hoping to tackle the issue by creating wetlands on
31/10/2026: Aphids, Rothbury Estate, Caged Hens, Pests
The worst ever recorded infestation of aphids has made 85% of the UK's salad crops unusable, according to the British Leafy Salads Association. Milder winters mean the aphids aren't being destroyed and larger and larger so-called 'blooms' are being experienced. It's meant turning to European imports earlier in the year.
Government plans to phase out cages for laying hens could put British producer
30/10/26 Caged hens, Rothbury Estate, mole trapping
Government plans to phase out cages for laying hens could put British producers at a disadvantage, if the UK continues to allow imports of eggs from caged birds. That's one of the conclusions of a new report from the Animal Welfare Committee which advises government. It warns that while cage free systems are better for hens, the transition to barn eggs, where hens are free to move about but not to
29/10/2026: Aphids, Laser bird scarer, Budget reaction
Commercial salad farmers have seen record numbers of aphids in 2026, not just here in the UK but in all of Europe’s major salad growing areas too. Up to 85% of the UK crop has been affected, leading to more being imported from Europe, earlier in the season.
This week we're looking at pest control on farms. Birds cause substantial damage, including taking fruit crops. We meet a vineyard owner who'
28102026: Budget asks; EFRA committee; Pest control
We hear from the president of the National Farmers Union on what farmers would like in today's budget. Tom Bradshaw calls for scrapping Inheritance Tax for farms, and adequately investing in a resilient food and farming sector.
We also hear from the Farming Minister Stephen Morgan who faced questions from the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee. He promised to improve the system f
27/10/2026: CO2 Consultation, Solar Robot Weeder; Rat Catcher
The government should suspend the consultation it launched yesterday on phasing out the use of carbon dioxide in the slaughter of pigs, according to AIMS - the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers. It's written to the Secretary of State warning that the move could put British producers at a disadvantage, as other countries - including the EU where the vast majority of pig meat imported into t
26/10/26 Consultation to end painful pig slaughter, pest control, farmers' choir
A consultation on phasing out the use of carbon dioxide in the slaughtering process for pigs is launched today. The vast majority of pigs in the UK are stunned using CO2 but last year the government announced plans to move away from using the gas, following an independent report which said that the practice causes pain, respiratory distress and fear in conscious pigs and should be replaced. The Na
Farming Today This Week 24/10/26 Wildfires; agri-environment schemes; orchards & agroforestry; pumpkins; winter strawberries.
Wildfires have been on the political menu this week with a report from MPs criticising the lack of a National Wildfire Strategy, followed by wildfire summits in England and Wales, and an announcement from the Prime Minister of ‘initial steps to improve our response’. Andy Burnham announced £45 million of extra funding to better equip firefighters and said military aircraft would be available to he
23/10/26 Wild fire summit, Farming for the Future award winner, picking plums by rowing boat
A wildfire summit is being held today in Westminster, bringing together government departments and agencies to work out plans to address future fires.We announce the winner of the BBC Food and Farming Awards' Farming for the Future winner, Bronagh O’Kane.And picking plums by rowing boat: the Tregothnan estate in Cornwall has a very unusual micro climate on the Fal estuary, allowing a rare variety
22/10/26 Grazing and arable, apples and agroforestry, BBC Food & Farming Awards
Farmers in Scotland have been taking part in a four year scheme to get more arable farmers to have sheep on their land. Instead of leaving fields bare over winter, cereal growers have been planting cover crops, things like oats or turnips. They then invite a shepherd to graze sheep on the fields. The sheep farmer gains extra grazing, and for the arable farmer, the sheep help fertilise the soil, k
21/10/26 Wildfires report, pear harvest, planting plans
A report by MPs says this year's wildfires exposed severe weaknesses in our ability to tackle them, and that immediate action must be taken to ensure an effective response next year. The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee heard more than 1,300 wildfires broke out this year - the highest number on record. It says the government needs a national strategy.This week we are looking at top fr
20/10/26 Abattoirs, strawberry glut, apples and other top fruit
The decline in abattoirs across the UK has been an issue for many years. A new coalition of more than 150 organisations, has sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for urgent government action. The Sustainable Food Trust, Soil Association, Rare Breeds Survival Trust and other groups claim the UK’s abattoir network has fallen to around 200, from roughly 2,500 in the 1970s. In Scotland crofters
19/10/26 Defra secretary on organic farming and sustainable farming incentive; cider apples
Over the next nine years the government would like to see the amount of land farmed organically in England treble, from 3.4% now to 10% by 2036. It's part of the new Organic Action Plan for England which the government says will 'open up opportunities across the sector'. Demand for organic food is growing, the UK market is worth £3.9 billion a year and ministers aim to reduce the amount of importe
17/10/26 Farming Today This Week: The Future of Farming
As The Archers marks its 75th anniversary, Farming Today is looking ahead to the next 75 years of British farming.All week we’ll be imagining how agriculture could change, from how land is used to what crops we grow, using what technology and how the identity of farming itself could shift.We hear from Jeremy Clarkson, Sir James Dyson and Helen Browning, amongst others.Presented by Charlotte Smith
16/10/26 What will a farmer be?
As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring the next 75 years of farming, we visit Harper Adams University's farm to meet the next generation looking to build a future in the industry, and ask: what will it mean to be a farmer in the decades ahead.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
15/10/26 Succession
Over the past 75 years, the pattern of land ownership in the UK has changed dramatically. Farm businesses have grown larger, more farmers now own at least some of the land they work, and those who rent it are often doing so on shorter-term agreements. At the same time, there's growing interest from corporations, investors and lifestyle buyers, all competing for a stake in the countryside.As part o
14/10/26 Homegrown
Climate change is already reshaping the way farmers think. Wetter winters, hotter summers, and new pests and diseases are creating fresh challenges. At the same time, global instability, from conflict to trade disputes, has highlighted the fragility of food supplies. As part of our special week exploring the next 75 years of farming, today we're asking: what should Britain be growing in the futur
