Farmers in England will be paid up to £100,000 to give up farming, in a bid by the Government to free up land for those who want to start new farming businesses and to allow others to expand. The Government has now published details of its Lump Sum Exit Scheme, part of the shake-up to farming policy since the UK left the EU. The payment will be based on the average direct payments that were made to the farmer for the years 2019 to 2021.

Plant-based milk alternatives are all over the place nowadays. You could be forgiven for thinking we must be buying less cows milk and fewer dairy products, but that’s not the case according to findings from the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board. Supermarket sales of dairy hit record levels in 2020 because we were staying at home due to lockdowns but their research shows 2021 sales are still well up on pre-pandemic ones. We ask how this fits with the growth in vegan milk alternatives.

All this week we’re taking a look at the health of our livestock markets. More than 11 million animals were sold through auction marts in England and Wales in 2020, including online sales. For many markets it was the first time they'd live-streamed auctions on a webcam and taken online bids from buyers watching at home, a move driven by the Covid lockdowns. With restrictions easing, some marts have decided to stick with it.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.