Farming Today Folgen

Mackerel will soon be disappearing from the shelves of Waitrose as the supermarket says it's 'taking a stand against overfishing'. In September last year the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), recommended that North-east Atlantic Mackerel catches should be cut by 70% to help rebuild stocks to a sustainable level. But four countries which fish for Mackerel in the North East Atlantic cut their quota for 2026 by just 48% compared to the previous year. As a result, Waitrose has decided to suspend sourcing from the end of April. Fishing organisations in Scotland say they are disappointed and feel they have been unfairly penalised because - they say - the UK has led the way in trying to secure sustainable fishing for Mackerel.Anna Hill reports from a Cromer seafood processor who's experiencing a drop in the availability of Crabs following fishing disruption due to wind farm construction. It's been a worrying winter for poultry farmers, with cases of avian flu in England, Scotland and Wales. The Pirbright Institute's Head of Avian Virology updates us on what he describes as the 'third worst ever' epidemic of high pathogenicity bird flu in the UK, and reflects on what might lie ahead over the spring and summer. Cambridge University's vet school will not be closing after all. The University's governing body has rejected proposals to cease taking new entrants.Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Sarah Swadling

The farming minister says changes announced this week will help make farms more resilient. Angela Eagle speaks to us about the government's biggest environmental scheme, England's Sustainable Farming Incentive, which is getting an overhaul. The other UK nations have different schemes. Reaction has been generally welcoming, with some buts...Farmers and landowners are calling for a new arrangement which would allow them to take rubbish illegally fly tipped on their land to landfill sites free of charge. At the moment they have to foot the bill for any clean up. This comes as new government figures for England show a nine per cent increase year on year in the number of incidents local councils have to deal with. We hear an update on the illegal waste site cleanup at Hoad's Wood near Ashford in Kent.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Environment Secretary has revealed more details of the rebooted Sustainable Farming Incentive in England, at the National Farmers Union Conference. It'll include an annual cap of £100,000 and fewer options. Smaller farms of between 3 and 50 hectares will be able to apply in June, as will larger farms who haven't previously been signed up to one of the Environment Land Management schemes. Everyone else will be able to apply in September. The President of the NFU, Tom Bradshaw, told the conference that that a failure to build farming resilience would put food security, and national security at risk. Some of the delegates reflect on resilience and confidence in their own businesses: we hear from a pig farmer, wheat and potato grower, and a young dairy farmer. Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Sarah Swadling