09/01/2024 Managing flood water; Starlings and animal feed; The cost of cheap food

As farmers contemplate thousands of hectares under water, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology reports that Autumn rainfall, between September and November for the UK last year was 22% above average, followed by a December which saw 70% above average rainfall for central & northern England and eastern Scotland.  The government's announced help is available for flooded businesses and properties but farmers cannot insure against flooded crops and some have said they'll stop growing food on land that's repeatedly flooded. We speak to an expert about how farmers and government can better deal with flooding in the future. All week we're exploring the topic of animal feed. Today we hear from a farmer who's invested £30,000 in cages to protect his cattle feed from starlings. Giant flocks of the birds have been eating the grain Bryn Jones near Oswestry feeds his dairy herd. He estimates it's already saving him tens of thousands of pounds in lost feed and is helping protect his herd from disease - and improving the milk yield of his cows. We often hear that people want their food to be welfare friendly, sustainably produced and farmers to be paid fairly for it. Last year the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, or FFCC, launched a citizens' panel made up of a representative cross-section of the public, to hear what they want from government policy, to make healthy food available to all. We speak to Guy Singh-Watson, founder of the organic veg food box company Riverford, and Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of FFCC, which carried out the survey. Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer = Rebecca Rooney