13/12/25 Farming Today This Week: turkeys; rural roads; off-grid communities; African swine fever; rare breed pigs.

Despite the impact of avian flu, which has been devastating for some turkey farmers, the industry says there will not be a shortage this Christmas. Poultry farms were hit so badly in 2022 that many farmers brought in contingency plans to cope with the possibility of the disease striking them.

Rural roads are significantly more dangerous than urban ones. The latest figures from the Department for Transport show that 956 people were killed in 2024, that's 72% more than on urban roads. The figures have been analysed by NFU Mutual insurance, and it's now calling for more specific training for driving on rural roads, especially for those who break the law.

The Spanish region of Catalonia is still coping with the arrival of African swine fever, which was first diagnosed in wild boar on November 28th. There have now been 13 confirmed cases in wild boar, and 80,000 pigs are having to be slaughtered as a precaution. The authorities are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility.

Thousands of people are still not connected to the National Grid and rely on generators for power, according to the energy regulator. Ofgem estimates up to 2,000 properties in the UK are still off-grid. Some have been asked to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds if they want a connection. Now a charity in Northumberland says the government should do more to help.

All week, we've been talking about rare breeds of livestock and at just 15 years of age, Sebastian Carr is quite the celebrity in the world of rare breed pigs. He's won awards for his herd of Saddlebacks. His passion for pigs began when he was just eight and he received four piglets as a Christmas present.

Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney