Farming Today

10/04/2025 Wildfires and managing moorland, farmed salmon, early asparagus


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Firefighters across the country have been tackling more wildfires this week - from the Mourne mountains in Northern Ireland to the Scottish Highlands and North Yorkshire moors. These fires in rural areas are difficult to fight. In the Mournes more than 140 fires have been reported in the past few days and firefighters say most were started deliberately. Various countryside organisations, including the Countryside Alliance and the CLA alongside farming unions have been raising awareness of the dangers of wildfires and ways of preventing them. The Ulster Farmers Union is calling for more grazing and controlled burning in some protected areas to reduce the risks.

We're focusing on farmed fish this week and salmon really dominates this sector. It's not without its critics who say production is at the expense of the environment and fish welfare. However the industry in Scotland says its continuing to change and improve. We visit an island site owned by Norwegian fish farmer MOWI which believes that farming in deeper more remote waters will help solve some of the problems.

The first asparagus of the season is one vegetable that's widely anticipated and valued and one Scottish farm has found a way of edging ahead of most of the others by making use of redundant fruit polytunnels.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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