Three of the UK's four agri-tech centres which support farm technology and innovation are merging. They are CIEL - the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock; CHAP - Crop Health and Protection; and Agri-Epi, the Agricultural Engineering Precision Innovation Centre. The fourth, Agrimetrics, which covers data will go its own way as an independent company. We speak to the science minister at the World Agri-Tech Innovation summit in London about why the government's changing them.

All week we're looking at nature writing. The Wainwright prize is awarded annually to the books which most successfully inspire readers to explore the outdoors and nurture respect for the natural world. This year's prize for conservation writing went to Guy Shrubsole for his book, The Lost Rainforests of Britain.

Presenter - Charlotte Smith

Producer - Rebecca Rooney

How have farmers and tanker drivers been affected by the collapse of a haulage company which collects fresh milk from farmers? We speak to a dairy analyst.

The north Norfolk coast and its wildlife has been the subject of one of the country's largest and most detailed biodiversity audits. The North Norfolk Coastal Group of landowners and local authorities worked with scientists at the University of East Anglia to monitor all life, from algae to eagles and produce a plan and work with farmers to protect and increase the area's special habitats.

All this week we're talking about nature writing, and author Richard Mabey could be seen as a pioneer in the genre, with books stretching back over 50 years.

Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Financial Conduct Authority has published its initial review into 'de-banking' this week - finding that some businesses, including shooting and the gun trade, feel 'unfairly affected' by some banks' decisions not to provide accounts for them.' Part of the evidence the FCA considered was a survey of members by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, BASC. It showed that 41 percent of the 325 who answered, had found difficulty with their banking, and that just over half of those people had been told by the bank "off the record", that their connection with shooting and firearms was the reason why their banking had been stopped or restricted. BASC says its members have connections with shooting and firearms through legal, legitimate and viable businesses.

A working group is being put together to work out how to combat the toxic blue green algae on Northern Ireland's biggest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh. It bloomed over the summer, has been linked with the deaths of dogs and birds and has closed some businesses on the lough. Pollution from farming - along with the weather and invasive species - have been blamed for the problem.

A survey commissioned by the organic veg box group Riverford has revealed that nearly half the fruit and veg growers who took part, fear they could close within a year, with the majority citing supermarket behaviour as the main reason.

And how to tell your manure from your slurry? We as a farmer.

Presenter by Charlotte Smith

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

Fewer trees will be planted in Wales over the next few months than planned says the forestry industry - and they are blaming the Welsh Government for delays to woodland planning and woodland creation grants. Confor, the Confederation of Forest Industries, says it comes just before the planting season and will have a huge impact this winter and beyond.

The British Poultry Council warns that it's only a matter of time before another outbreak of bird flu. Last year it had a devastating effect on some poultry farms and wild bird populations have been badly affected by the illness. Defra, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, says the risk among wild species remains high and poultry farmers are being urged to take extra care to guard their flocks from infection. We hear from one North Yorkshire poultry farming family keeping vigilant, as they prepare their Christmas flock.

Rural councils should have more power over buses - to end the 'spiral of decline' in services. The idea comes from the Local Government Association which wants more councils to have the same powers as mayors so they could then decide fares, routes and the frequency of buses.

We’ve been talking about growing booze all this week, and there is an obvious relationship between growing barley and beer. We speak to a brewer who's making beer from barley grown just three miles from his pub in Cumbria.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Campaigners say a toxic blue green algae which has covered Northern Ireland's biggest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh, is killing the wildlife and fish, and could be harmful to people. The algae's rapid growth this summer has been blamed on pollution from farms, as well as the weather, sewage and the impact of invasive species. So, to what extent are farmers the problem and what should be done?

Sainsbury's launches a premium range of beef which promises a carbon footprint 25% lower than the industry standard. The supermarket says it's taken a decade to develop. We speak to their director of agriculture to find out what that means for consumers and farmers.

The UK wine business has grown a lot in the past few years; all week we've been talking about growing booze. What's involved in creating a new vineyard from scratch? We visit a farmer in Hertfordshire who's diversified into viticulture.

Presented by Charlotte Smith

Produced by Beatrice Fenton & Rebecca Rooney

The Financial Conduct Authority has published its initial review into 'de-banking' - that's when banks decide to terminate certain accounts. The issues surrounding 'de-banking' were raised when politician Nigel Farage revealed he had been refused banking facilities. Among the evidence the FCA has considered, is a report from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. They surveyed their members and said 41 percent of the 325 who answered, had found difficulty with their banking, and that just over half of those people had been told by the bank, off the record, that their connection with shooting and firearms was the reason why their banking had been stopped or restricted.

As the war in Ukraine continues, the longer term consequences are being assessed, including the impact on farmland soil, which has been contaminated by heavy metals like mercury and arsenic. Staff from a Ukrainian university have spent a week at in the UK at the Royal Agricultural University, learning how to heal their soil back home.

All this week we’re looking at British booze, today it's beer. Malt is a key ingredient and it usually comes from barley, grown specifically for brewing. Malting barley production across the UK got back to pre-pandemic levels last year, at nearly 2 million tonnes, but the price of malting barley has risen dramatically since 2019, pushing up the price of a pint.

Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer - Rebecca Rooney

A survey commissioned by the organic veg box group Riverford says nearly half the fruit and veg growers who took part, fear they could close within a year. The report shows three quarters of the responders who felt they didn't have a long term future, point to supermarket behaviour as the main reason. Some of the accusations against supermarkets include cancelled orders for crops which have already been grown to order and failure to pay farmers within 30 days of delivery. Riverford is now launching a campaign calling for supermarkets to act, and for government to back that action.

A farmer who lost nearly three quarters of his oil seed rape because of flea beetle, re-seeds his fields by drone - the farm in Yorkshire is one of the first in the UK to use a drone rather than a tractor to sow a crop. 

 

All week we're lifting a glass to British booze, from beer, to cider and wine. Earlier this year the British Growers Association reported costs for cider producers had risen by nearly a quarter, forcing some to question if they have a future in the industry. One cider maker in Herefordshire has decided to tackle the crisis head on, investing in a state of the art restaurant on his farm to help make it more viable.

Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Every police force in the UK should have a dedicated rural crime team - the call comes from the National Rural Crime Network which comprises rural and farming groups and Crimestoppers. As we reported last month, the cost of rural crime went up by 22% last year, that's according to the insurers NFU Mutual. They put the cost of thefts and damage of things like tractors, GPS systems and power tools at nearly £50 million in 2022, up from £40 million in 2021.

It's harvest time for British hop growers - but they say that it's not a great time to be in the business. With the popularity of craft beer, you might think that hop growers would have a good market, but they say work force costs, fuel inflation and brewers holding stockpiles of hops since the pandemic mean the industry is struggling to survive. 

The world sheep dog trials have been taking place in Northern Ireland - 240 dogs and their handlers were competing in the hopes of becoming World Champion at Gill Hall country estate in Dromore.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Many small local abattoirs have been shutting down in the last decade, It's hard to pin down a precise number, but the government has announced it is setting up a £4 million small abattoir fund to ensure more don’t go out of business. These small local abattoirs play a vital link in the supply chain for farmers who want to slaughter their livestock locally and sell the meat themselves either from the farm or at farmers markets. We hear from the Royal Countryside Fund which has campaigned to save them, and also an abattoir owner who welcomes the money, but says it won't be enough to stop more from closing.

Sheep used to be a common sight on Hampstead Heath in London before grazing was phased out in the 1940s and 1950s. Now, the City of London Corporation has teamed up with community groups to bring them back, as part of a week-long trial. A small flock of five rare breed ‘Norfolk Horn’ and ‘Oxford Down’ ewes are grazing an area in the north-west of the heath.

Presenter = Caz Graham

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

This year the warm and still weather has led to a surge in flea beetles, which can destroy oil seed rape, while it's still in the early stages of growth in the fields. Farmers used to rely on neonicotinoid chemicals to protect the plants and kill flea beetle larvae, but they have been banned. We speak to a farmer who's been spraying his crop at night to try and tackle the pest, but now he's having to re-sow much of his crop, some of it by drone.

This year's sugar beet harvest, known as a 'campaign', has just started. The harvest last year was poor and the cost of processing sugar-beet rose dramatically. Farmers and businesses which want to use British sugar in their products are hoping for a better season this year.

Picking apples has always been labour-intensive, but things are changing with the development of new machinery to aid - or even replace - pickers. One such machine is called the REVO and it’s being used this year by a major grower in Kent. Adrian Scripps has 250 hectares and produces up to 200 million apples a year from its orchards near Tonbridge, it's invested in a fleet of harvesting platforms.

Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer = Rebecca Rooney