Farming Today

Farming has one of the worst fatality rates of any industry sector in the UK and new research suggests the true number of health and safety incidents on farm is even higher than reported. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) says 30% of farmers wouldn't log an incident because they fear inspections or legal consequences, and 34% think near misses aren't serious enough to report.

The National Drought Group, which ...

Heatwave conditions are particularly testing for dairy cows, and dairy farmers. Figures from the industry body, the AHDB, showed a 34 million litre reduction in milk arriving at British processors in June this year, compared to the same time last year, with the record temperatures the main cause. The UK is not alone, drops in milk production in Germany and France are bringing one small glimmer of hope. There are signs that the long...

Tinderbox conditions see wildfires across the country and farmers harvesting at night to avoid the heat.

We visit the Great Yorkshire Show, the latest stop on the Farming Today summer roadtrip. We've been at the Balmoral in Northern Ireland and the Highland in Scotland, next week we'll be in Builth Wells for the Royal Welsh. We've using the shows as an opportunity to look at agricultural policy; its devolved so each of the four nat...

Farmers from across the UK have come to Harrogate to show off their livestock at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate. We hear from champion sheep breeders, competitive sheep shearers and pedigree cattle owners striving for a rosette. We also speak to farmers, the Defra secretary of state and the National Farmers Union president about the latest government policies designed to support agriculture.

Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Re...

The poultry industry is calling for animal welfare and food production to be prioritised, as pressure increases on water supplies. This follows the closure of a chicken processing site in Devon due to a lack of water.

All week we're looking at England's post-Brexit farm payment schemes, which reward farmers to farm more environmentally. We hear concerns that money will be tight and many farmers may miss out.

And retail prices of c...

A new trade deal is signed with Switzerland: it's welcomed by farmers, but will it go any way to combat a significant downturn in food and drink exports, while imports are on the rise?

The Farming In Protected Landscapes scheme is part of the new system of farm payments being developed in England to replace the old EU subsidies. We hear how hill farmers are using it to help keep their business afloat.

How a crackdown on deer can help...

Tinderbox conditions on fellsides and moorland have led to wildfires across the country. We hear from farmers in the centre of the blaze.

This week we're looking at England's post-Brexit farm policy. The Sustainable Farming Incentive is the main subsidy scheme, which rewards farmers for environmental actions. It's up and running again after it was abruptly suspended in March last year, and Defra has just announced that 75% of the fu...

Pig farmers in Scotland have welcomed a £2m emergency support package from the Holyrood Government, but say it's not enough to stop them losing money. An outbreak of African Swine Fever in Spain has led to an oversupply of pork across Europe which is significantly driving down wholesale prices. Farmers in Scotland and across the rest of the UK say they're losing thousands of pounds a week.

We’re visiting some of the UK&rsquo...

How practical would it be to grow our food underground? It’s a question being investigated by researchers at the University of Shefffield who are growing crops more than a kilometre below ground-level in a working mine near Whitby.

The Environment Agency has produced its first ever annual report into agriculture and water in England. Taking data from the last five years, it assesses the impact of agricultural pollution from f...

How practical would it be to grow our food underground? It’s a question being investigated by researchers at the University of Shefffield who are growing crops more than a kilometre below ground-level in a working mine near Whitby. They’re collaborating with Farm Urban, a company that specialises in vertical farming, but usually going up vertically rather than down; and they reckon this is the world’s deepest vert...

The Environment Agency has produced its first ever annual report into agriculture and water in England. It takes data from the last five years, to assess the impact of agricultural pollution from farms, and how water availability is being managed. Over the last five years there've been 19,018 inspections and 49 serious category one pollution incidents caused by farming. Non-Compliance with water regulations has dropped, but 40% of ...

It seems we might have started a particular conversation about the very dry harvest in parts of the country. We spoke to a farmer, whose feed barley was a third drier than it should be. As a result, his crop was going to weigh less which means he'd get less money for it. Now he is considering adding moisture to the grain, after it leaves storage. We ask an arable expert whether that's something we'll see in future, and whether it's...

Farmers who graze their livestock on what’s called Common Land in England were being excluded from the government’s new farming environmental support schemes - not because they didn't qualify, but because the Rural Payments Agency's computer system wasn’t up to the job of processing their applications. However, campaigners say that the system's being changed and commoners will now be able to apply.

Changing sea tem...

We speak to the Environment Secretary about the government's new farming roadmap for England. It's 25 year plan and ministers say it'll give farmers the long-term clarity they need and access to the tools, technology,  skills and supply chains 'to innovate, invest and grow with confidence for generations to come.' We find out what farmers at the regenerative farming event Groundswell think of it, and discuss food security and ...

A new code of practice for the controlled burning of moorland in Scotland, which was due to be published on 1st July is being delayed, amid protests from gamekeepers that it won't work. Muirburn, as the controlled burning is known, is used by many gamekeepers to manage sensitive moorland to enable habitat for grouse, for shooting on many estates. Gamekeepers say it also reduces the vegetative load, which helps prevent wildfires. ...

The organic certification body, the Soil Association, is warning it may withdraw from the farmed salmon sector unless higher standards are met. The organisation says while current standards are being satisfied, that's not driving the improvments in the industry that they want to see. They cite high fish mortality, unacceptable levels of sea lice, and the use of harmful chemical treatments. The industry body says its salmon farme...