18/12/25 Loss leaders, small ducks, historic houses

We ask why veg is always a loss leader at this time of year, and whether farmers suffer as a result. For the price of a first class stamp you could buy 21 kilos of carrots if you head to one of the discount supermarkets. The stamp would cost you £1.70, the carrots are on sale at 8p for a kilo. Who takes the hit?Extreme weather events mean it’s become hard to predict how farmed poultry will turn out come Christmas. We meet an organic farmer in Devon whose birds are smaller following the hot, dry summer. And should the old grand houses that dot our countryside be regarded as vital heritage which must be preserved? Or are there other ways of dealing with them? All this week we’re looking into what the future may hold for historic buildings in rural areas. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Sally Challoner.

Village churches are as much a part of our rural landscape as trees and hedgerows. However according to a recent survey by the National Churches Trust, as many as nine hundred of Britain's countryside churches are in danger of closing in the next five years. We visit a church in North Cumbria where the farming community is determined to save it. We also speak to the National Churches Trust about their fears for the future of small rural churches.There's also discussion of the latest government changes to planning regulations.Producer: Rebecca Rooney

The Prime Minister has told a select committee he is aware of the pressure farmers are facing because of the government's plan to reimpose inheritance tax on them. However, despite close questioning from his own MPs, he made no commitment to change. Sir Kier Starmer was in front of the Liaison Committee which is made up of all the Chairs of the House of Commons Select Committees, who head up investigations into government departments. The countryside charity the CPRE, says it's concerned that most new housing is being built on green-field sites. It fears the government will create urban sprawl as it tries to fulfil its manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the next parliament.All week on Farming Today we’re talking about the rural heritage buildings that make up our countryside, everything from old farm barns to country mansions. All of these buildings will need maintenance and repair, but there's only one centre in the UK teaching NVQ Level 3 qualifications, in Heritage Construction skills. We visit the Tywi Centre in Carmarthenshire,.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Caz Graham talks to the President of the Irish Farmers Association, Francie Gorman, about the journey he's embarking upon from Dublin to Brussels by tractor as part of a Europe wide protest. Farmers are concerned about Common Agricultural Policy reforms, which could see the budget ringfenced for farm subsidies cut by around 20%. They're also angry about the potential impact of a trade deal between the EU and the South American bloc MERCOSUR, which could mean an increase in beef from Brazil and other cheap imports. An environmental group in Northern Ireland plans to demonstrate the benefits of nature friendly farming on a 90-acre hillside farm it’s recently bought in County Fermanagh. The Ulster Wildlife Trust says the new Fedian Nature Reserve is a rare example of farmland largely free of chemical or fertiliser inputs.Traditional rural buildings are rich with history and a unique record of how farming and country life has changed over the centuries. But many are under threat; they’re expensive to maintain and often not practical for modern use. Throughout this week we’re going to be hearing about efforts to preserve them, and we start in Nottinghamshire where an old farmstead has been repurposed as The Walks of Life Museum in Tuxford. Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling

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

The Food Standards Agency has agreed to a public consultation on the fees it takes from abattoirs. They are charged by the FSA for their official vets and meat hygiene inspectors who monitor food safety and animal welfare. The smallest abattoirs already get a 90 percent discount, but under the new system being proposed that reduction would benefit more businesses. We’ve been exploring the world of rare and native livestock breeds all this week, and they don’t come much rarer than the Ancient Cattle of Wales. There are only around 200 of them left. Earlier this year they were added to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist, and now the Ancient Cattle of Wales Society is on the case, trying to reverse the decline in numbers by promoting the breed. And we meet a couple of retired tenant farmers who now go around the country offering holiday relief for farmers, who struggle to leave their livestock for holidays. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Sally Challoner.

The Colorado Beetle which is a major threat to potato crops has been officially eradicated from the UK. It was last identified on a farm in Kent in 2023. It's distinctive, with orange and black stripes and can completely strip the leaves off potatoes and other leafy plants like tomatoes and aubergines. Farmers are being asked for their views as part of a consultation to ensure fairness in the supply chain for arable crops. Defra wants to hear from growers, processors and industry bodies over the next eight weeks as part of fair dealing reforms. It says it aims to give producers stronger protections against unfair practices.Donald Trump has announced a 12 billion dollar farm aid package. It comes against a backdrop of the trade dispute with China, and other countries too, over tariffs which have severely disrupted soya bean exports and hit farming profits. What does it mean for the UK?All week we've been talking about rare breeds of livestock, 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, in 2023 he scooped gold in the British Pig Association New Pedigree Breeder of the Year, the youngest person ever to do so. His passion for pigs began when he received four piglets as a Christmas present seven years ago, now his whole family’s involved.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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 thirteen 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. 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. All this week we're talking to farmers with rare livestock breeds. Today, we're on the Isle of Lewis where passionate rare breed crofter Paul Rowlston has spent years collecting and preserving rare breeds of Scottish livestock, at the north end of the island. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner.

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 2000 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, where Ofgem identified a particularly large cluster of off-grid households, says the government should do more to help. Despite higher than average rainfall across some of the country, other areas are still in drought, following the exceptionally dry and hot summer. The National Drought Group has reported that record breaking rainfall in November helped the Midlands move out of drought, but parts of Sussex remain in drought.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. All week we're catching up with rare and native reeds. Longwool sheep of which there are several breeds, are on the priority list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. There are just 99 registered flocks of the distinctive Lincoln Longwool and the number of sheep has declined to around eight hundred.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Governments of the UK need to do more to support native farm animal breeds. That's the view of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust which says that while there have been many warm words about the importance of rare and native breeds, clarification is needed on what the post-Brexit support schemes will offer. And the Trust says government funding should be given to the national gene bank.The sprout harvest in Scotland is in full swing, with hundreds of tonnes being cut for Christmas. Has it been a good sprout year?  A new project in Northern Ireland is using vets to help farmers look after their health. The ‘Nip It In The Bud’ campaign was launched at a veterinary conference.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.