11/05/24 Farming Today This Week: Sandeels, funding for robotic pickers, crisis of confidence for farmers, European roadtrip.

Farmer confidence is at an all time low: that's according to a new survey published this week by the National Farmers' Union. It says the wet weather has had an impact, but farmers also point to worries about the future of their businesses.

The Government’s announcement that the seasonal worker visa scheme is being extended for five years has been welcomed by farming organisations. It comes as part of Defra's response to an independent review into labour shortages in the Food Supply Chain which was published last summer. The Government had said it would respond to it last year.

The RSPB says it is "vital" that a UK ban on fishing for sandeels in the North Sea remains in place. The ban, which stops sandeel trawlers fishing in English and Scottish sections of the North Sea, came into effect in April following a long campaign by conservationists concerned about declining seabird populations, particularly puffins and kittiwakes. Fishermen in Denmark are supporting a challenge by the European Union to the UK ban, claiming they have lost half of their fishing grounds because of the new restrictions.

Cornish journalist and farmer, Stuart Oates, has been taking a European road trip in his fairly ancient land rover, peering over as many hedges as possible. From mangoes in spain to rice in Portugal, he started at the heart of the global wine industry in France. In the UK wine production has become a thriving business, but in Bordeaux things aren't looking so good. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.