Farming Today

Half of farmers say they've had rubbish fly tipped on their land, and the majority of those asked say the problem is getting worse. These are the results of a survey of 512 farmers in England and Wales by the National Farmers Union - which is campaigning for more and stronger deterants to tackle the problem. The latest government figures show a 9 per cent year on year increase in fly tipping reported by local authorities in England between 2023/4 and 2024/5.

There’s an old saying that good fences make good neighbours and all this week on Farming Today we’re looking into a slightly leftfield subject, the boundaries farmers use between their own farms and others, and, within their own farm. Fencing - or hedging or walls - are crucial to farmers. Today - the fence that tamed the American ‘wild west’, still used by farmers across the world today - barbed wire.

A company from Shropshire has invented a new material which it claims could save chicken farmers thousands of pounds. Zero Charge Technologies wants to harness the waste heat generated in chicken sheds to produce free electricity. It says it can do this with a substance called Delta T- an alternative to solar panels - which can also be fitted on roofs, and will generate power from waste heat day and night.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.

After months of negotiations, British Sugar and the National Farmers Union have agreed a price for sugar beet farmers for 2027/28. It's lower than last year, with a one-year contract paying £28.50 per tonne for up to half of the contract tonnage. This compares with £30 a tonne for up to 65% on the current crop, and that's lower than the year before. So the price is falling. Sugar beet is grown mainly in Eastern England and all the crop is processed by British Sugar, sold under the brand Silver Spoon. The crop is planted in the spring and harvested between October and February. Earlier this year British Sugar announced it would close its oldest processing plant at Cantley in Norfolk next February. We speak to the NFU Sugar Beet Chair who negotiated the deal.

This week we're looking at boundaries - ways of enclosing land to de-mark ownership and keep livestock in, or out! Different regions make use of whatever material is available , and in the far north of Scotland farmers traditionally used a very particular style of stone dyke that can bring to mind the upright flat slabs you're more likely to see in graveyards. We visit a farm in Caithness to find out how these flagstone boundaries were made and maintained nowadays.

Dairy farming has faced one of its most challenging years: heatwaves and drought have affected the cows and the grass; milk prices have fluctuated; and bluetongue disease has hit herds too. There's plenty to discuss as hundreds of dairy farmers head to The Dairy Show at the Bath and West showground.

Presenter = Anna Hill

The Farmers Union of Wales says it's very concerned about new rules which they say could see rental incomes cut by 90%. The FUW estimates that a revaluation of thousands of existing agreements could affect 15,000 masts, and if the changes put off farmers going into mast agreements, connectivity in rural Wales could be hit. We hear from a sheep farmer in Radnorshire, who's had a mast on his land for more than 20 years but the rent for it has been halved.

As we continue our look at boundaries this week, we turn our attention to one of the most familiar and admired feature of our countryside - the dry stone wall. The tradition of constructing walls without mortar dates back centuries, but most existing walls date from the 18th and 19th centuries when large tracts of land were enclosed for livestock. The Dry Stone Walling Association estimates there are approximately 70,000 miles of dry stone walls in the UK but just a few hundred people with the skills to repair, maintain and build new ones. We meet one of them, in the Cheviot Hills of Northumberland.

The Conservatives have said they'll get rid of Natural England and the Environment Agency if they win the next election. The Environment Agency is responsible for prosecuting those who break regulations on water quality and environmental standards and Natural England was set up to protect wildlife and landscapes. Wildlife and environmental campaign groups have reacted strongly to the idea that these agencies should be abolished, arguing there needs to be more regulation, properly funded. We speak to the shadow farming minister at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

Presenter = Anna Hill

Pig farmers say they're losing thousands of pounds a week as prices fall, but costs, particularly of feed, are rising. Processors have given notice to some farmers, saying they no longer want to buy their pigs. The National Pig Association is warning an oversupply this autumn could push prices down further.

All this week we'll be looking at the hedges, fences and dry stone walls that mark out fields and how they've shaped the farming landscape. In some parts of England and Wales, including in cities, communities come together every few years to mark their parish boundaries in what's known as the beating of the bounds.

It's party conference season, so as part of our look at the food, farming and environmental policies that political parties around the UK are offering, we hear from the Green MP Adrian Ramsay.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

An anonymous group of senior executives from retailers and food suppliers is warning that 'short term thinking' in the industry is driving up food prices and that farmers are being left to face the financial risks of an increasingly umpredictable supply chain.

Diesel prices hit an all time high this week, with drivers paying almost £2 a litre, according to the RAC. The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies of fuel, pushing up prices. Farmers don’t get their fuel from filling stations, they buy it in bulk and use what’s called “red diesel” - it’s dyed red and is much cheaper - with less fuel duty to pay because it’s only for use in off-road machinery. However, industry surveys estimate farmers are paying an average of 40% more for their red diesel than this time last year.

The new president of the British Veterinary Association is calling for more resilience against disease outbreaks. As the UK battles a huge outbreak of the livestock disease Bluetongue, Dr Gwen Rees says as a profession, vets need to make sure they are ready to act.

Apprenticeships are a popular route into agricultural careers, especially for students from farming families who are needed to work in the family business but also need to develop their knowledge and skills.

FarmED in the Cotswolds is a demonstration farm experimenting with different crops, techniques and rotations. It wants people to explore how we can produce enough food, while restoring nature, adapting to climate change and keeping farmers in business.

Knitters from around the world have flocked to Shetland for a celebration of wool, knitting and textiles. The star of the show: the Island's unique Shetland sheep.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

An anonymous group of senior executives from retailers and food suppliers is warning that 'short term thinking' in the industry is driving up food prices and that farmers are being left to face the financial risks of an increasingly unpredictable supply chain.

This week we’re talking about how young people can find a career in agriculture, and the apprenticeship route is a popular one, especially for students from family farms who are needed to work at home to keep the farm going but also need and want to develop their knowledge and skills.

The Plaid Cymru conference starts in Llandudno today, the party has been in power in Wales since the Senedd elections in May. In the latest of our interviews on the farming, food and environmental policies the political parties around the UK are offering, we hear from Plaid MSP and Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, LLyr Griffith.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Diesel prices hit an all time high this week, with drivers paying almost £2 a litre, according to the RAC. The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies of fuel, pushing up prices. Farmers don’t get their fuel from filling stations, they buy it in bulk and use what’s called “red diesel” - it’s dyed red and is much cheaper - with less fuel duty to pay because it’s only for use in off-road machinery. Industry surveys estimate farmers are paying an average of around one pound 18 pence per litre - 20p more than in July, a rise of more than 40% on this time last year.

The Labour party conference has come to an end. The headlines were full of big announcements on the National Care Service and reforming the pensions triple lock.

All week we’re talking about how young people can get into farming, through education, farm placements, apprenticeships and for some, through sheer determination! 23 year-old Nikita Fineran from the Isle of Wight fits into that bracket. Her goal is to have a farm of her own one day where she can breed sheepdogs.

Earthworms are an indicator of soil health - but how can a farmer know whether worms are in the soil without digging a hole in a field? Well, apparently….by listening to them. Scientists are using bio-acoustics to record the sounds of invertebrates under ground. They're deploying AI to analyse what different creatures sound like and help farmers work out what's beneath their feet.

Presenter = Caz Graham

New research shows that improving the nitrogen-cycle in the soil can significantly reduce emissions. The study took in evidence from around the world - the international research team analysed 2,235 comparisons from 210 experimental sites. We speak to one of the report's authors Professor Simon Willcock director of sustainable farming systems at the University of Reading.

A project in Cardiff has been helping low income households buy organic fruit and veg. Around 120 shoppers received a Planet Card - which gave them £11 a week to spend with organic veg producers. The pilot scheme cost around £19,000 and was funded by an alliance of charities and not-for-profit organisations - led by Food Sense Wales and Sustain.

All week we've been exploring the different ways young people can get into farming. For those who want to take up a degree in agriculture it can be daunting to find the right route, especially if you're not from a farming background. The Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association has linked up with the John Innes Foundation bursary award, to give students a helping hand to take up agriculture at degree level; not only funding 50% of tutition fees, but also contributing to rent and living expenses.

Presenter = Anna Hill

UK scientists leading research on precision breeding - or genetic editing - say uncertainty around the law in England could put investors off and jeopardise our competitive edge. The technology has rapidly taken hold of plant breeding and development, and has been used to develop vitamin D-rich tomatoes, and bananas that don’t turn brown. But there are still many questions surrounding the technique, for farmers, for trade and consumers too. And there are questions around the regulation of precision breeding. Earlier this year, there was a successful challenge to the lawfulness of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025.  Following a judicial review, a High Court judge ruled that the ministerial decision-making process leading to the regulations on mandatory labelling and traceability had been unlawful.

We visit what's widely thought to be the UK's first comunity owned farm, in Shropshire. Siblings Charlotte and Ben Hollins set up a crowd funding enterprise when their landlord told them they'd have to buy the farm or leave, after their tenant farmer father died. Twenty years on it's thriving.

And this week we're looking at the different ways that young people are accessing a career in agriculture. The charity, Countryside Learning Scotland, has launched a two year programme to encourage new entrants into rural employment in the Perth and Kinross area.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.

The new president of the British Veterinary Association is calling for more resilience against disease outbreaks. As the UK battles a huge outbreak of the livestock disease Bluetongue, and there are warnings of a new pig disease in the Netherlands and Denmark, Dr Gwen Rees says as a profession, vets need to make sure they are ready to act. It comes following National Audit Office reports warning that Defra’s animal disease response plans leave the UK’s food security vulnerable to major supply disruptions.