Farming Today

19/04/25 Farming Today This Week: wildfires, British farm standards, EU meat imports ban, vertical farms, sheep shearing


Listen Later

If you're travelling in mainland Europe this Easter and thinking about possibly bringing back some local delicacies, think again. Following outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Germany, Hungary and on its border with Slovakia, restrictions on the food you're allowed to bring in, have changed significantly. You are now not allowed to bring in meat or dairy products from any EU country, except for poultry. So how great is the potential for cured meats or cheeses in your suitcase to transmit foot and mouth?

Some of the UK's rarest wildlife is being "torched alive" and pushed closer to extinction after weeks of intense grass fires, conservationists have warned.

There has been a bit of talk about trade deals this week, with the the US Vice President JD Vance talking about a prospective UK/US agreement, and that's making farmers nervous. They worry that agreements risk undermining them and this week raised concerns over a deal with India, saying it mustn't allow imports of cheaper food, produced to lower standards.

The company behind one of the UK's biggest vertical farms has closed. The Jones Food Company which ran indoor farms in Scunthrope and Gloucestershire, as well as a development centre in Bristol, called in the receivers after failing to find new investors. Vertical farms grow crops, mainly herbs and salad leaves, inside on shelving, using special lights to create a warm humid atmosphere which reduces growing time in comparison with conventionally grown crops. But with a number of companies going bust in recent years, is this a viable way to grow food?

And as spring is springing, we talk sheep shearing in West Dorset.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

...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

7,589 Listeners

The Archers by BBC Radio 4

The Archers

1,076 Listeners

The Archers Omnibus by BBC Radio 4

The Archers Omnibus

390 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

890 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,051 Listeners

Money Box by BBC Radio 4

Money Box

33 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,470 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,880 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,766 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,043 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,090 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

286 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

261 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

158 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

35 Listeners

The Plodcast by Our Media

The Plodcast

105 Listeners

Open Country by BBC Radio 4

Open Country

85 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,184 Listeners

The Farmers Weekly Podcast by Farmers Weekly

The Farmers Weekly Podcast

13 Listeners

The Knepp Wilding Podcast by Knepp.co.uk

The Knepp Wilding Podcast

14 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,633 Listeners

Rewilding the World with Ben Goldsmith by Ben Goldsmith

Rewilding the World with Ben Goldsmith

52 Listeners

Rare Earth by BBC Radio 4

Rare Earth

12 Listeners

FED by Farmers Podcast by FED by Farmers

FED by Farmers Podcast

31 Listeners