Farming Today

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11/09/26 Bluetongue disease, sheep rustling, Kelso sheep sales Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

The number of bluetongue cases since the first of July in the UK has now topped a thousand. That’s nearly three times the number of positive cases for the whole of the previous year to that date. How are farmers feeling about the UK’s largest-ever outbreak of this livestock disease?

There have been fears that livestock movement restrictions imposed to try to halt the spread of the outbreak could disrupt this autumn’s big sheep sales, which play a critical role in the shepherding year. One of UK’s biggest is Kelso Ram Sales, taking place later today in the Scottish Borders.

The National Sheep Association estimates that every year around 200 farmers are affected by sheep rustling. We hear from Laura and Sean Robinson in Cumbria, who realised they’d become victims of sheep rustlers with both rams and ewes missing from one of the fields they rent next to the busy A66.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

10/09/26 Sustainable dairy farming; Falkland salmon; tractor fuel from willow. Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

UK dairy cows produce around 15 billion litres of milk every year and each litre comes with an environmental cost: methane and greenhouse gas emissions; energy and water use; and potential pollution. Scotland’s Rural College, SRUC, has completed a study looking at what the dairy sector needs to do to improve sustainbility and reduce its impact on the environment, while staying resilient and profitable. The report was commissioned by The Dairy Roadmap, an industry-wide initiative to improve the environmental footprint of the whole dairy supply chain by 2030.

The farming of salmon divides opinion - supporters in Scotland say it’s worth more a billion pounds to the economy but others argue it’s responsible for environmental damage, pollution and disease that spreads into wild salmon. Those same arguments are now playing out on the other side of the Atlantic in the Falkland Islands. Salmon aren’t native to the waters around the islands, but plenty of other fish are, and concerned locals are demanding a referendum over plans to introduce the commercial farming of this non-native fish.

Lots of farmers are using renewable energy like solar, wind and biomass for powering some aspect of their farming practice, but one of the most stubborn challenges is how to power tractors. An electric tractor trying to do heavy work like ploughing would simply run out of battery after a few hours and take hours to charge but new advances in gasifying biomass means a low emission alternative to diesel has become an option. We visit a farm in Nottinghamshire which is trialling production.

Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

09/09/2026 UK's self-sufficiency in food; bio-gas production on farm; Shetland's food. Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Britain is producing less food now than 30 years ago, with lower levels of self sufficiency in 10 out of 11 key food stuffs grown by UK farmers. That’s according to a new report from the National Farmers Union which argues that food production been overlooked as a national priority by successive governments.

The UK's biomethane network says producing green energy could offer an "incredible opportunity" for farmers. The National Energy System Operator - or NESO - is responsible for planning and operating the country's energy network. It says biomethane could form a crucial part of the UK's energy mix, strengthening energy security and reducing greenhouse gasses.

Could you survive a month without going to the supermarket to buy food? That's the challenge being taken up by one islander on Shetland. He's living off nothing but local produce for a month.

Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

08/09/2026: Spy in the tractor cab? Surrey hops, The Experimental Farmer Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

A Westminster think tank has warned that internet-connected technology has the potential to be used by China to spy on the UK food system. The Coalition on Secure Technology describes itself as a cross-party group of policymakers and experts. It says that components which allow devices like tractors and crop monitoring drones to connect to mobile networks could present a security risk, with the majority of these 'Internet of Things' modules being made in China.

Think of English hop growing and you might think of Kent or Herefordshire, but Surrey was once famous for its hops, too. Now the only remaining commercial hop garden in Surrey has finished its final harvest. Climate change and economic pressures have made it unviable for Hampton Estate, at Puttenham, to carry on producing the traditional Fuggles hops that add bitterness to real ales.

All week we're exploring whether agriculture could become fossil-free, and asking how much progress farmers are making to reduce their fossil fuel use. Paul Baker icalls himself The Experimental Farmer on social media. He's been looking at soil microbes and how they can be made to work harder, so their nutrients are more available to crops, cutting the need for artificial fertilisers.

Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Sarah Swadling

07/09/26 Government call for evidence on gamebirds, farming without oil Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Every year, huge numbers of pheasant and partridge are raised across the UK for shoots, with around 40 million released into the countryside. Now the Government is launching a call for evidence to understand the welfare and environmental impact of the birds, which are kept in enclosures before their release.

As farmers decide how they're going to manage next year's crops, the cost of fertiliser and fuel will be in the mix. But what if you could farm without fertiliser or diesel? This week we'll be finding out how far the UK is moving towards fossil-free farming.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farming Today This Week 05/09/26 Bluetongue; food security; data centres; river DNA testing; corncrakes; dung beetle vet. Sep 05, 2026

Show notes

As the UK experiences its worst ever outbreak of the livestock disease bluetongue, we find out how government vets and scientists are coping as they deal with thousands of cases. The trade union which represents them says morale is low and the workload is mountainous. They say more long term strategic planning is needed and better pay to address staff shortages.

How well prepared are we for a major threat to our food security? Not quite well enough, according to the National Audit Office report on resilience in England’s food supply chain.

Plans for data centres on farmland in Scotland.

Finding out exactly what species are in a river can be challenging, but environmental DNA sampling is a relatively new tool which can help. It can detect the presence of rare or invasive species by analysing genetic material in water.

The farm vet with a passion for dung beetles. She's teaching livestock farmers how to use fewer medicines to help protect the ecosystems and insects on their land.

There are only around eleven hundred calling male corncrakes in the UK, but that number may be about to grow.

Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

04/09/26 National Audit Office report on food security resilience, corncrakes, late strawberries Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

How well prepared are we for a major threat to our food security? Not quite well enough, according to the National Audit Office, which is publishing a report later today on resilience in England’s food supply chain.

Why strawberry growers have found their plants are still producing healthy, even bumper crops much later than usual.

There are only around eleven hundred calling male corncrakes in the UK, but that number may be about to grow.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

03/09/2026 Scientists dealing with bluetongue, Lough Neagh sampling, Normandy food producers. Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Scientists in Northern Ireland are using DNA methods to help identify the exact source of pollution in Lough Neagh. It's the fourth summer in a row that the lough has been blighted by blue green algae.

As the Bayeux Tapestry goes on display at the British Museum in London, BBC Radio 4 has a range of programmes inspired by the Normans. We hear from food producers in Normandy whose apple harvest and cheese making have been affected by drought and climate change.

Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

02/09/2926 Data centres on farmland, harvest in Uist, River Tweed. Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

The many pressures on land use are coming into sharper focus in Scotland where opposition is growing to a series of large AI data centres planned across the central belt, between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The ruling Scottish National Party’s national council is calling for a moratorium on building them. Most of the centres are to be built on open countryside, and farmers are among the people who have raised concerns. However the boss of one data centre company claims the centres could bring a boost to horticulture by using the heat they generate to warm glass houses.

While farmers across much of the UK are counting the cost of a poor harvest, it's a different story in The Outer Hebrides. We speak to a crofter from Uist who's just had one of his best years yet.

The state of the UK's rivers has been making the news - if not pollution, then drought, and, earlier this year, flooding. The Tweed is one of the world's most famous salmon rivers, flowing eastwards across the Scottish borders and Northern England. We've been finding out how conservationists and farmers are working together to ease the pressure climate change is putting on the river.

Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

01/09/26 Crisis loans, pasture for drought resilience, river DNA testing Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Farming groups from around the country are pressing for what they are calling 'a government-backed, interest-free Keep Britain Growing Loan' which they say will help farmers maintain cashflow and fund next season’s crop production.

How using pasture sown with a diverse mix of grasses, legumes, and deep-rooted herbs and rotational grazing can help in times of drought.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

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