04/03/24 Local food for public sector; Rural crime; Lambing

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Wiltshire, Dorset and Cornwall are among the latest local authorities which have voted to buy from local farmers when procuring meat, dairy, fruit and veg for council-organised events. Both the government and the Labour Party are aiming for 50% of spending on public sector food to go on local and sustainable produce. We ask Professor Tom MacMillan from the Royal Agricultural University, how significant that could be for farmers. Farms with expensive machinery, miles from their nearest police station, can be easy targets for thieves. The National Farmers Union say that, nationally, rural crime rose by more than a fifth between 2021 and 2022 - costing an estimated £50 million. Thames Valley Police have been taking part in a week of action to try and prevent rural crime. It’s lambing time, a full-on time of year for sheep farmers. Last year 15 and a half million lambs were born into the UK flock by June, although that was down six per cent on the year before. We’re going to take an in depth look at lambing this week, the highs, the lows, and the measures farmers go to to ensure a good healthy crop of lambs. We start off by talking to Dr Joe Henry, president of the Sheep Veterinary Society Presenter = Caz Graham

Producer = Rebecca Rooney