Labour shortages have long been a problem for agricultural businesses, but there may be some light at the end of the tunnel - with an unexpected rise in the number of teenage girls opting for farming as a career choice. Rural colleges in Scotland are reporting that around half of all agricultural students are now girls. We meet some of the latest intake. Farmers and food processors are under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, in the face of climate change.  Pilgrims, which produces nearly 30 percent of all UK pork on more than 300 farms, says it's made significant cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in its processing factories, while increasing sustainability on its farms. Anna Hill talks to the company's head of sustainability to find out what they've been doing to decarbonise the operation. A Lake District tweed is being made using wool from the flock of sheep at the RSPB’s Wild Haweswater site. The design was inspired by a ‘re-wiggled’ river. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Emma Campbell

02/01/24 Girls studying agriculture, Decarbonising pork production, Tweed

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Science

This week as the Prime Minister sets the date for the General Election, we ask what farmers will be looking for.
And as antidote to all the politics, we bring you flowers. All week we've been taking time to enjoy the blooms, inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

25/05/24 Farming Today This Week: The Chelsea Flower Show; what farmers want from a new government

Farmers from different parts of the industry say what they want from the next government. A woman who swapped a life in the luxury hospitality business in Jamaica for mushroom farming on Scotland’s west coast. And an arable farm which specialises in growing flowers for the British market. Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Alun Beach

24/05/2024: Farmers on the election, Mushroom farming, Growing flowers

The date's been set for a general election. Some would argue all the main political parties have been wooing the farming and rural vote for months now, Rishi Sunak was the first PM in 16 years to appear at the NFU conference this spring, Labour’s promising a rural crime strategy and the Lib Dems say they’d put an extra billion pounds into farming budgets.  According to the Rural Service Network 40% of constituencies are rural, and that rural vote will be a key battleground, especially in the light of the recent local elections where the Conservative party had its worst results in years.  The wet weather we’ve experienced this year has been a real challenge for farmers and that's affected flower growers too.  As part of our week-long look at the flower-growing industry in the UK, we’ve been finding out how the weather’s affected this year’s daffodil harvest with a visit to a grower in Cornwall. Changes to planning law came into effect this week making it easier for farmers to convert unused farm buildings into new homes and new businesses like farm shops. It means buildings can be altered to create up to 10 homes, without planning permission. Some are worried that this is going to push up the value of land with farm buildings, and price smaller farmers and new entrants out of the market.  Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

23/05/24 General election and rural vote; Daffodils; New planning rules and land values.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show a record number of people are not employed due to long term sickness. The Government's launching a new task force with the aim of getting people who are off work and on benefits, back on the payroll. The Prime Minister has suggested they could they be persuaded to get out into the fields to pick fruit and veg. The wet weather is impacting farmers across the country - and flower growers are being hit too. For many of those exhibiting this week at the Chelsea Flower Show, the heavy rain has meant losses of precious stock. Some haven't been able to exhibit this year at all.   And animal welfare organisations have welcomed a ban on exports of some live animals from Great Britain for slaughter and fattening, which has come into law this week. Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses are covered by the ban - but animals can still be exported live, for breeding and competitions. Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

22/05/24 - Farm labour, flower growers and live export ban

Changes to planning law will allow more freedom for farmers and landowners in England to convert unused buildings into new homes, or new businesses like farm shops. The relaxed rules make it possible to alter buildings to create up to 10 homes, without planning permission. In addition, the amount of floorspace that can be changed from agricultural to commercial use has been doubled. When you pick up a potted rose in a garden centre do you think about how long it's taken to get there? At Whartons Gardens Roses, based on the Suffolk / Norfolk border, it takes them 4 years to produce a rose, from land cultivation, through growing the root-stock and bud grafting. They produce 1 and a half million rose plants each year for garden centres across the UK.  And at this time of year, as dairy cows are out eating the lush spring grass the industry normally sees a glut of milk, known as the Spring Flush. But this year, its been more of a Damp Squib, as the persistent heavy rainfall has left some pasture struggling to grow, and milk production is reportedly a million litres a day less than expected. Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

02/01/24 Girls studying agriculture, Decarbonising pork production, Tweed

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