09/11/24 Farming Today This Week: Saltmarshes, Treating Sheep Disease, Budget Reaction

The budget for agriculture in Scotland comes from the UK Government - but as of two weeks ago, it’s no longer ring fenced. The change has attracted criticism from farming groups. But the DEFRA Secretary, Steve Reed, has defended the decision, saying his Government believes in devolution, and that comes with the power to decide where money is spent. We hear from Scotland's Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Mairi Gougeon.A change to the Suckler Support Scheme in Scotland aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making calf production more intensive. It’s being introduced as part of the country’s new Agriculture Act, and it’s rooted in the idea that more efficient beef farming means less carbon and less methane. Some beef farmers, however, fear it could have an impact on animal welfare as well as some farm incomes.And "Farmer Time" is an initiative set up by Cambridgeshire farmer, Tom Martin, which connects teachers with farmers, so children can have regular catch ups with a farmer. So far ten thousand pupils have enjoyed lessons enhanced by their own ‘class farmer’ through a live video-link and the initiative is one of our three finalists in the "Farming for the Future" category of this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards.Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Heather Simons

The Advertising Standards Authority has issued guidance to advertisers to make sure consumers aren't misled about the term "regenerative agriculture".Scotland's first minister John Swinney says inheritance tax changes in the budget are causing unacceptable levels of stress among farmers in Scotland.We’re discussing farming in Scotland all this week. The new agriculture act now requires every farmer and crofter to complete an annual whole farm plan in order to claim their basic support payments. The plan is a series of audits to measure things like the carbon footprint and biodiversity, and the aim is to identify where and how farmers can make their businesses more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The first reports are due next May and while a lot of advice is available from the agricultural advisory services, the whole farm plan has caused confusion and uncertainty for some farmers.The Wildlife Trusts have bought a chunk of the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland, now they've begun a £30 million appeal to buy the rest. We ask what it means for food production and the tenant farmers who live and work there.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

A new tool is being used by the seafood sector to collate carbon emissions data from all along the supply chain - from farming catching the fish in the wild, all the way through to processing and packing.The Scottish Government is consulting on a new Crofting Bill, aimed at making it easier for people to get into crofting and to support things like peatland restoration and environmental work on crofts. We ask crofters on the Western Isles what they make of it.And a 'sheep industry task force' has been set in Northern Ireland, to help farmers work with Government. Under the post-Brexit plan in Northern Ireland, there's funding for beef and arable and environmental schemes, but there's currently little specific sheep support, and some sheep farmers say they could go out of business.Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

Bird flu is back in the UK. Two years ago a strain of the virus called H5N1 caused outbreaks across the world, killing millions of birds, on poultry farms and in the wild. In America, that same strain has infected dairy cows on nearly 500 different farms, and in some cases also been passed on to humans. The UK has just seen its first avian flu outbreak of the winter in a commercial poultry flock in the East Riding of Yorkshire, but this time the strain's been identified as H5N5. What difference does that make, and should UK dairy farmers be worried?Scotland’s new Agriculture Act came into force in June. NFU Scotland says it got what it wanted from the Act, but with much of the legislation aimed at improving the environment, and with little detail as yet, there are still concerns over what the changes will actually mean.And as the UK apple harvest draws to a close, growers are reporting that although the wet weather's made picking difficult, the crop is high quality this year. Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

On the programme this week, we investigate concerns over plans for new saltmarshes near the Hinkley C nuclear power plant. Upland sheep farmers tell us why they're struggling with the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme. We visit the islands of Lewis and Harris to look at a new approach to treating sheep disease. And there's further reaction to the Budget: farmers explain their opposition to new inheritance tax plans and the Secretary of State, Steve Reed, responds. And farming tax advisor, Rob Hitch, gives his view on what the changes might mean.Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Heather Simons at BBC Audio Bristol

Many farming families are extremely concerned about the future of their farms, after the Government introduced inheritance tax on farmland in the Budget. But there’s a lot of confusion about how much inheritance tax farmers will have to pay. We invite a tax expert to dig into the details.One of the sheep industry's most enduring health and welfare challenges is scab - an itchy condition caused by mites. It’s controlled by either injecting a dose of medicine or the traditional dipping of sheep. But increasing resistance to the injection method means more and more farmers are moving back to sheep-dip. Organophosphate dip is toxic and can harm human health and pollute waterways, and anyone buying or using sheep-dip needs a certificate of competency. Because of that, professional, mobile dipping contractors are becoming more common. We see one in action.And plants that live in coastal salt-marshes have adapted to their inhospitable environment by producing high levels of an anti-stress molecule that protects them. Now, scientists at the University of East Anglia have identified the genes that help produce the molecule and say one day it could be used to help crops cope in stressful conditions like drought.Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Heather Simons

The DEFRA Secretary has defended the Government's decision to introduce inheritance tax on agricultural assets. Steve Reed tells Anna Hill the wealthiest landowners and farmers "can afford to contribute more". It comes after inheritance tax of 20% is being brought in for farms with £2 million or more of assets. Some farmers are angry - concerned it will mean that when a farmer dies, their family will have to sell some of all of their land to pay the tax.And we visit an autumn sheep sale in Cumbria to hear why upland and hill farmers are worried about the future, despite a buoyant sheep market.Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

There's a row about a new Land Management Group for Dartmoor. There's been a lot of controversy about the state of the environment and grazing sheep there. The new group's been set up to bring together farmers, commoners and environmental groups to sort out the problems. The government's appointed Phil Stocker as the independent chair, but conservationists say he shouldn't have been given the job as he's also CEO of the National Sheep Association. We speak to Dartmoor Nature Alliance about their concerns. We ask Phil Stocker about his new role, and also about the state of sheep farming in the UK. Farmers in North Somerset say plans to create saltmarshes to offset the environmental impact of a new power station would be disastrous for their homes and livelihoods. Energy giant EDF is building a nuclear power plant - Hinkley Point C - on the Bristol Channel. To offset the number of fish that’ll be killed when it’s up and running, EDF is looking to create saltmarshes along the River Severn. It needs more than 800 acres and is considering the compulsory purchase of agricultural land.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Following the Budget, Caz Graham is in Cumbria to hear farmers' reactions to the news that inheritance tax will apply to farms from April 2026.The National Farmers' Union tells us farming is being "bled dry" and has "nothing left to give".The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner, confirmed that next year's farming budget for England remains unchanged at £2.4 billion.There was no mention of nature in the Chancellor's speech, something the Wildlife Trusts highlighted, saying "the UK Government must commit to long-term strategic funding for nature’s recovery and provide greater funding for environmental regulators".Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

As part of the budget, farmers in England have been told direct payments will be phased out more quickly than originally planned. Under the EU system farmers were paid subsidy based on the amount of land they farmed - that system is being replaced with new schemes, which are different in the four nations of the UK. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland farmers continue to get direct payments at the moment. In England the phase out started in 2021. So many farmers are already getting around half what they used to, with payments ending in 2027. In England, the biggest reductions will be for the farmers who historically got the biggest payments. We speak to an upland farmer whose old payments are ending but he says there aren't any new schemes he can apply for yet, so he's losing tens of thousands of pounds. Changes to inheritance tax and agricultural property relief were also announced in the budget. We speak to a rural property expert about what impact those changes will have. Farming unions say farmers and their families may have to sell up to pay the tax.NFU Scotland gives their reaction to the budget. All week we've been focusing on soils. A project to analyse soil health with a view to improving the environment and profitability has been taken up by hundreds of farmers. Technicians go on to farms to look at what might be done to improve the land and make it more sustainable. Lloyds Bank is paying for some of its customers to take part in the audit which is carried out by the Soil Association Exchange. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney