9/5/2025 UK trade deal with USA and what it means for British farmers
The UK and the US have announced a trade deal between the two countries. President Trump hailed it as an agreement which will 'dramatically increase' access to UK markets for American farmers involving he said billions of dollars and singling out ethanol - where the UK tariff on American imports will be removed, and beef, where a reciprocal agreement has been made. The UK ban on American chlorine washed chicken and hormone treated beef continues. The UK government says it opens up a new market for British farmers while keeping up welfare and environmental standards on imports.Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
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07/05/25 - India Trade Deal, gene edited potatoes and green finance
A former Government trade advisor says the new trade deal with India could be good news for UK farmers. The deal comes after three years of negotiations and includes reduced tariffs on exports of products including whisky, lamb and salmon.Many potatoes end up getting wasted because of bruising and discoloration. We hear from a potato producing company in Lincolnshire where they're hoping gene editing can produce a bruise-resistant spud.And a select committee of MPs is urging the Government to do more to encourage private investment in schemes which restore nature. A report from the Environmental Audit Select Committee says new regulations should be introduced to enable landowners to realise their natural capital while protecting the farmers' ability to grow food.Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons
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6/5/2025 Drought warnings in Scotland, seed potatoes, asparagus
Scottish farmers are being warned to prepare for a possible summer drought. SEPA, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued a water scarcity alert as 17 river catchments are so low. In England the Environment Agency says two thirds of rivers are below normal or lower for the time of year. This week we're digging into the world of potato production - none of which would be possible, of course, without healthy, disease-free seed to get the crop started. Growing seed potatoes is a high-value, tightly regulated, specialist sector, and in the UK it's largely concentrated in Scotland where the disease risks are lower thanks to a cooler climate. Europe was a key market for Scottish seed, but Brexit changed all that. The EU's plant protection rules mean the trade is no longer allowed. However growers haven't given up on resuming exports and efforts continue. The asparagus season is underway, traditionally, the spears of this tender crop are only picked from 23rd April, St George’s Day, to 21st June, the longest day of the year. It’s crucial for growers to have their best produce ready at the right time. Not only that, getting it to market and making sure it’s quality is perfect can pay real dividends when supplying top end restaurants and catering. We join one grower who welcomed the whole supply chain to his farm to see how the asparagus they buy from him, is grown.Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
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03/05/2025 Farming Today This Week: sandeel ruling, vets call for ban on farrowing crates, offshore wind farm, pulses
A challenge to Britain's ban on commercial fishing for sandeels in the North Sea has been partially upheld. The ban was introduced by both the English and Scottish governments in March last year because of concerns that so many sandeels were being fished that seabirds along the UK's East coastline were losing out. But Danish commercial sandeel boats said it threatened their future, and that claimed the move was discriminatory and disproportionate. They then took the case to the EU's Permanent Court of Arbitration, which upheld the ban in Scottish waters, but not the English one. The British Veterinary Association and the Pig Veterinary Society have issued a new joint statement calling for farrowing crates to be banned. Farrowing crates are the small pens that 60% of sows in the UK are kept in around the time they give birth to ensure they don't roll on and crush their piglets. New research published this week suggests that a spray, which boosts the equivalent of a plant's blood sugar, could improve wheat yields by 12%.Conservation groups in Scotland are urging ministers to reject plans for an offshore windfarm which the developer predicts will kill tens of thousands of seabirds.We grow some pulses in the UK and most go into animal feed for the high protein, things like beans and peas and even lupins. There is a drive to grow more pulses for feed here in the UK to replace imported soya, and research into the best options for British farmers is underway.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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02/05/25 Gene-edited pigs, pea genome, agricultural transition
Gene-editing technology which makes pigs immune to a highly infectious virus, developed at Edinburgh University’s Roslin Institute, has been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration. The virus causes a disease called PRRS or Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, which causes premature births in pigs as well as other painful symptoms and costs the pig industry billions. Current legislation doesn't permit its use in the UK. We speak to one of the scientists who's been working on the project for more than seven years.All week we’ve been taking a closer look at pulses, the dried seeds of crops like beans, lentils and peas, for both human and animal food. In the UK the peas we eat are generally frozen or fresh but dried peas are a major source of protein to millions of people around the world. Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have been working with researchers in China, the USA and France to uncover the genome of 700 different varieties of pea, from many different countries, to help develop better commercial varieties.The sudden suspension of England's biggest environmental scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, earlier this year was met with horror and disbelief by farmers and environmentalists alike - we preview a special documentary which charts the transition of agricultural policy from the old EU farm subsidy system and the Common Agricultural Policy to the new 'public money for public goods' approach that we have in England today. Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
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