Farming Today

04/09/24 - NI water quality, farmer clusters and potato machinery


Listen Later

Less than a third of Northern Ireland's surface waterways are in good ecological condition, and targets to improve them by 2027 are likely to be missed. That's the conclusion of a damning report by the Office for Environmental Protection, which criticises lack of leadership at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. The report says that despite a draft plan to manage waterways being drawn up back in 2021, it still hasn't been finalised, let alone implemented.

We visit one of the farms that's joined the Environmental Farmers Group, which was set up back in 2022 to bring large groups of farmers together in co-operatives, to bid for public and private finance to fund environmental projects across large areas. Nearly six hundred farmers across England have joined so far.

And the future of the potato industry in the UK faces many challenges. The crop is expensive to grow, especially as the weather becomes more volatile. It also needs clean land, so a gap of about six years is needed between crops, to avoid the spread of disease. We hear about the latest technological solutions to some of these issues as they go on show at an event in Lincolnshire.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Farming TodayBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

54 ratings


More shows like Farming Today

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,912 Listeners

The Archers by BBC Radio 4

The Archers

1,086 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

375 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

860 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,070 Listeners

Wake Up to Money by BBC Radio 5 Live

Wake Up to Money

52 Listeners

Money Box by BBC Radio 4

Money Box

43 Listeners

The Martin Lewis Podcast by BBC Radio 5 Live

The Martin Lewis Podcast

77 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,579 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,804 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,750 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,026 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

48 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

282 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

260 Listeners

Scotland Outdoors by BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland Outdoors

254 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

157 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

40 Listeners

The Plodcast by Our Media

The Plodcast

109 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

275 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,237 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,029 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

795 Listeners

The Farmers Weekly Podcast by Farmers Weekly

The Farmers Weekly Podcast

12 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,007 Listeners