Animal products from Germany were still getting into the UK days after the Government banned imports in response to cases of Foot and Mouth there. That's according to evidence given to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee of MPs as they started a new enquiry into animal and plant diseases. We have the latest from the first session.

The future of councils farms in England is being thrown into uncertainty by the proposed reorganisation of local authorities - according to one Devon councillor. It comes after many rural councils facing financial problems have chosen to sell some, or all, of their farms.

And scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have discovered a special genetic signal, which allows crops to take up more nutrients from soil, without needing so much chemical fertiliser.

Presented by Anna Hill

The Prime Minister has been with EU Leaders in Brussels intending to 're-set' the UK's position with the EU. The Government is seeking a veterinary agreement with the EU to free up trade in food and animal products - something some farmers and food businesses have been calling for.

We visit the author of the Rock Review into Tenant Farming - Baroness Kate Rock is herself a tenant, farming 450 hectares of arable and a small beef herd with her father in Dorset.

And under the new system of farm payments in England, farmers can be paid for improving their soils. But how to do it depends on local geology. We visit a farm in the Brecklands on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, where growing crops in the sandy, stony soils can be difficult at the best of times.

Presented by Anna Hill

Silage is the preserved chopped grass or other crops that farmers feed to livestock through the winter. The more good-quality silage you can harvest and store yourself, the less money you need to spend on bought in feed. There’s also a real pride in producing a great crop of silage. The Westmorland Agricultural Society runs an annual hotly contested silage competition. The entries are lab analysed and the best four farms in each category get a personal visit from the judge. We visit a prize winner.

All this week we'll be looking at the current state of tenant farming. 14% of farms are rented, and many of those who own their own land also rent some, so about 30% of farmed land in England is tenanted. The Rock Revie, commissioned by the last government, made a number of recommendations to improve things for farmers who rent, from more protection from landlords wanting to take land back, to the appointment of a commissioner, a recommendation accepted by this government.

The fashion industry has come under scrutiny in recent years for the impact it has on the environment. Here in the UK, some textile producers are now turning to so-called 'slow fashion', which aims to ensure full traceability in textile supply chains.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

There are a lot of different things we want land to deliver - growing food, producing green energy, supporting wildlife and supplying space for new homes. The Government has released a new Land Use Framework to help decide what should go where.

A new analysis of the planned inheritance tax on farm businesses suggests over 75% of commercial farms in England and Scotland could be impacted. Farmers are being urged to seek advice.

And 5 years since the UK left the EU we assess the progress towards new farm payments systems in each part of the UK.

Presented by Charlotte Smith

After the the UK Health Security Agency confirmed a case of avian flu in a person, what does it mean for farmworkers on poultry units?

As avian flu outbreaks in farmed poultry continue, we visit a free range egg farm that's under housing orders, with the chickens shut indoors. New rules mean eggs from previously free range birds that now have to be kept inside can still be sold as "free range" for the duration of the housing order. Before, after 16 weeks inside, eggs would have been labelled as "barn eggs".

And how is the role of out The Environmental Land Management Scheme going? That's the new system of farm payments that is replacing the old EU payments in England since Brexit.

Presented by Anna Hill

A patch of commercial forest has been left "flattened" by Storm Eowyn and looking like "a bunch of giants have gone in there and played rugby" according to one farm manager in Scotland. We catch up on how the clear up is going.

Since the Budget in October, farmers have been coming to terms with the introduction of inheritance tax on their businesses. Many are now trying to work out how much money they might owe the Government when the changes come into force next year. So what does that mean for the agricultural valuers doing the sums?

And we catch up on progress towards the introduction of the Sustainable Farming Scheme - due to start being rolled out across Wales in 2026, after years of negotiation between farmers, environmentalists and the Welsh Government. This is the farming policy and payments that will replace old EU payments: to gain access to the funding under the new rules, farms will have to sign up to 12 so-called universal actions. These range from soil health planning and habitat maintenance, to "continuous professional development". 

Presented by Anna Hill

As the climate warms, UK farmers may be able to start growing new crops - from oranges to okra. That's according to a new study from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of East Anglia which looks at the future suitability of more than 160 existing and new food crops in a warming climate.

We visit the new International Barley Hub in Dundee, where scientists are exploring the genetic diversity found in their collection of ancient barley varieties for traits that could be beneficial on modern farms.

And it’s five years since the UK left the EU. For farmers that meant leaving the EU Common Agricultural Policy and transitioning to new policies which are being drawn up by the different UK nations, since agriculture is devolved. We ask how it's going.

Presented by Caz Graham

This week, the Government has refused emergency use of pesticides shown to harm pollinators for the first time.

What’s the future for US agriculture if farm workers with no documents are deported?

And will the collective voice of the supermarkets make a difference on inheritance tax for farmers?

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The dispute over the proposed inheritance tax on farms continues, with the UK's farming unions planning what they call a "Day of Unity" to demonstrate their opposition to the plans. Meanwhile, the supermarkets have added their voice to the argument, with many big players asking the Government to reconsider the tax. DEFRA Secretary, Steve Reed, argues "stable finances are the foundation of the economic growth needed" and has outlined a "new deal for farmers" that would help them become more profitable.

Farmers will not be allowed to use neonicotinoid pesticides on sugar beet crops this year, after an application for emergency use was turned down by the Government for the first time. Environmental groups have welcomed the decision, but the NFU says it could leave farmers unable to protect their sugar beet crops from virus yellows - a disease spread by aphids.

The UK is launching a Grain Verification Scheme to help identify grain that's been stolen from occupied areas of Ukraine. It uses chemical analysis to determine where grain was grown and a specialist database.

And we go out with a second generation sheep scanner, and discover the key to successful scanning isn’t just sophisticated equipment - you also need spray paint, a sturdy notepad and a lot of teamwork!

Presented by Caz Graham

Climate change is altering the number, variety and distribution of plants and animals around the coast of Scotland according to a new report from NatureScot. It’s good news for some sea-snails and barnacles, but not so good for blue mussels and the wildlife that feeds on them. Scientists have been surveying changes in 50 species at 167 locations around the Scottish coast to assess the impact of minute increases in sea temperature.

This week we’re looking at the jobs that fill up farmers’ days in January when there’s not much to harvest and there’s not much growing. Today it’s muck spreading. We visit a beef farm in the Scottish Highlands where the farmer's been cleaning out the cattle sheds, and using the muck to fertilise the fields. However farmers can’t just spread as much muck as they want, anywhere, at any time and because agriculture is a devolved power there are different regulations across different parts of the UK. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones or NVZs are designated in England and Scotland to add additional protection to water courses, and there are broader controls in place across both Wales and Northern Ireland. We talk to a senior lecturer in soil and environmental science about who can spread what, where and when.

Presenter = Caz Graham