Farming Today Folgen

An emergency by-law has been passed in Cornwall, to restrict the number of boats coming in to take advantage of the ongoing bloom of octopus on the south coast. It's been described as a 'gold rush' as huge sums are being made - Brixham fish market recently experienced a record catch of 103 tonnes - worth £400,000. But the octopus are also causing problems - eating crab and lobster and devastating that industry locally. It's hoped the new by-law will help those stocks recover. The Royal Highland Show is taking place this week, so we're taking a closer look at Scottish agricultural policy. It's devolved, so the Scottish government has developed new post Brexit farming and environment schemes which we'll talk more about later in the week - but one aspect is it's support for organic farming. The latest figures, from the UK government show a 115% rise in Scottish land farmed organically in 2025, accross the UK there was a 7.3% rise. The organic certifiying and campaigning group The Soil Association says political backing and the scrapping of an upper limit on farm size for organic grants has helped. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.

The budget for the scheme which pays England's farmers for environmental work is revealed - but is it enough?With production costs rising following the war in the Middle East, the National Farmers' Union is calling for government support with the price of fertiliser.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Department for Envrionment Food and Rural Affairs has announced how much money it’s making available to farmers in England through the Sustainable Farming Incentive - or SFI - for 2026. It’s something farmers and environmental organisations have been keenly anticipating. There’s a total budget of £240 million pounds., with the first application opening later this month. The SFI is the DEFRA ‘public money for public goods’ scheme that pays for farming in ways that protect and benefit the environment, support food production and improve productivity. Some farming and conservation groups say the budget isn't big enough.And all this week we’re talking about growing cereals, things like grain and oats. The latest figures just out from the industry body the AHDB, that’s the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, show that UK farmers are growing less barley than they have for the last 16 years, while oilseed rape and wheat have climbed back from last year’s lows. The Eden Valley in Cumbria is possibly better known for its livestock than its crops. But over the past couple of years, father and son Thomas and Harry Ewbank have been bucking that trend. Guided by local agronomist, Steven Gate, they've abandoned ploughing in favour of what’s called ‘one-pass drilling’, and they’ve expanded their range of crops to maximise yields and increase sustainability.Presented by Caz Graham and produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sally Challoner.