Farming Today

21/02/23 Salad shortages; Wheat disease; Juniper reintroduction


Listen Later

Social media has been awash with pictures of empty supermarket shelves - where there should be salad, nothing but gaps. The problem seems to be country-wide and across all stores, from the discounters to the big supermarkets. Dr Jim Monaghan, Professor of crop science at Harper Adams, says extremes of weather in southern Spain, coupled with ferry strikes have contributed to the shortages. Some British growers haven't planted early crops under glass this season because of the high cost of energy needed to heat them. Farmers say it's time that the prices for fresh produce reflect the seasonal variation in availability.
An international investigation by scientists, to combat a new wheat disease which has devastated crops in South America and Bangladesh, has found part of the answer in grains gathered by British embassy staff from around the world, 150 years ago. Using brand-new gene data analysis called AgRenSeq, the scientists are now well on the way to tackling Wheat Blast - a fungal disease which can cause 100 percent crop loss in severe cases.
We're talking about re-introductions this week, from birds and mammals, to insects and plants. Juniper was once a familiar site on the downs of southern England, but with changes to land use and agriculture, it's now a protected species, which has all but disappeared from much of the landscape. Conservationists are working to re-introduce it on the chalklands of South Wiltshire. Matt Pitt from the charity Plantlife has been working with volunteers to plant juniper on farmland in the Wylye Valley
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
...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

7,907 Listeners

The Archers by BBC Radio 4

The Archers

1,085 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

377 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

855 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,072 Listeners

Wake Up to Money by BBC Radio 5 Live

Wake Up to Money

52 Listeners

Money Box by BBC Radio 4

Money Box

44 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

5,577 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,807 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,752 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,026 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

47 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

283 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

261 Listeners

Scotland Outdoors by BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland Outdoors

255 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

157 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

39 Listeners

The Plodcast by Our Media

The Plodcast

109 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

273 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,234 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,029 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

791 Listeners

The Farmers Weekly Podcast by Farmers Weekly

The Farmers Weekly Podcast

12 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,010 Listeners