23/06/25: Ag graduates, sustainable livestock, Scottish meat

Harvest has begun early in some parts of the country, combine harvesters were out in several different counties last week. The early start is really down to exceptionally low rainfall, throughout the spring and now the sunny, hot weather. Last year, the wet autumn meant planting crops then was delayed but crops planted this spring went in early. Breaking records for starting harvest isn’t always a celebration and it seems this year, yields could be significantly down, although it’s a little early to be definitive. We speak to Olly Harrison in Merseyside who's farming in an area where drought was declared in May.Regenerative farming used to be seen as niche, but as we’ll hear all this week, that’s gradually changing. With more farmers working their land regeneratively, how much of a market is there for what they're growing and the livestock they're rearing? Does the public understand what it is? That’s what farmers, buyers and industry experts have been discussing at Carbon Calling, a regenerative farming conference held in Cumbria. Agricultural shows across the country this summer are a fun day out for some, and all about showing animals for others but many also provide an important public forum to discuss the latest issues concerning farmers. At the Royal Norfolk show, this year’s big debate was about data. Farms harvest massive amounts of data, on crops, markets, carbon footprints and profitability but how that data is used, who can see it, and who owns it are serious issues all the way along the food supply chain. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

From July, livestock going from England to Wales or Scotland must be tested for bluetongue, and farmers are warning the new system could be "catastrophic" for their businesses. The virus is spread by biting midges. It doesn't affect humans but can cause fever and lameness in cattle and sheep. From July 1st, the whole of England will become a bluetongue restriction zone, meaning livestock can move freely around. Governments in Cardiff and Edinburgh, however, have decided that animals coming from England must test negative for the virus before they're allowed in. Farmers renting land for mobile phone masts may be about to lose money. The government is considering changing the rules, which would allow companies to re-write rental agreements and potentially impose rent cuts retrospectively. The guidelines are part of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, part two. There were changes to the rules in 2017 which, critics say, caused a lot of problems. The Country Land and Business Association or CLA thinks the new proposals will make things worse.All week, we're talking about regenerative agriculture. It's a way of farming which aims to restore and protect soils. Regen methods include farming without ploughing, using cover crops so fields are never left bare, growing a range of crops, and using animals to fertilise the ground. But there is no one definition of "regenerative". Professor Andy Neal, a soil microbiologist at Rothamsted Research, explains why he thinks that's a good thing.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Climate Change Committee report shows little progress on the reduction of emissions from agriculture and substantial action still needed.Many UK supermarkets have made public commitments to sourcing 100% of their beef from the UK. But in recent months some seem to be moving away from these pledges. We ask how much beef is being imported, from where, and why.A group of farmers are seeking a judicial review over the decision to re-impose inheritance tax on some farm businesses. Work has begun to clear more than 30,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from a Kent woodland, in an operation led by the Environment Agency.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The UK has once more missed its tree planting targets - provisional figures for last year show that overall the number of trees planted fell in comparison with the year before, from 20 and a half thousand hectares to just over 15 and a half thousand hectares. The Government aims for 30,000 every year. New figures from the farming industry body the AHDB show that 190 dairy farmers left the industry last year. There are now 7,040 dairy producers in England, Wales and Scotland. That's a 2.6 per cent fall from the year before. But, despite that, there has been an increase in the amount of milk produced. We ask a dairy farmer why so many are leaving.English olive oil is now a reality, after a Cornish olive grower pressed his first oil last winter. Nik Butcher claims to be the first person to bottle English olive oil commercially since the Roman times. So could English olive oil one day prove as successful as English sparkling wine? All this week we've been hearing from those about to embark on farming related careers. For many students the exams are now over and they're just waiting for the results. For others, the wait is over, and we hear from three graduates from CAFRE, Northern Ireland's College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.

The Climate Change Committee report shows little progress on the reduction of emissions from agriculture and substantial action still needed.Many UK supermarkets have made public commitments to sourcing 100% of their beef from the UK. But in recent months some seem to be moving away from these pledges. We ask how much beef is being imported, from where, and why.All week we're hearing from the next generation of young people coming into agriculture-related jobs. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Work has officially begun to create a new National Biosecurity Centre. It's being built on the existing Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) site, at Weybridge in Surrey. The whole project is costing between two and three billion pounds and is expected to take until 2033 to complete. The APHA was recently criticised by the National Audit Office, which said facilities there were not adequate to prevent or cope with contiguous national animal disease outbreaks such as foot and mouth and avian flu. However, the government says it is putting that right by the upgrade, which will ensure that the threat of animal diseases, which could be passed to humans, are prevented or dealt with efficiently. Unreliable mobile phone signal is a common complaint on many farms. Connectivity isn't just about messaging or making calls. Using apps and uploading data are an increasingly important part of everyday farming. Could part of the solution be private, portable digital  5G networks? We visit a farm thathas been trialling such a system.All week we're meeting the next generation of agricultural talent; whether it be farmers, foresters, land managers or agronomists. Thousands of young people will graduate from agricultural courses, across the UK this summer and all week, we'll be finding out what they hope to achieve, and what jobs they are looking forward to. We meet students from Moulton College in Northamptonshire who have just completed their agricultural studies.Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Rebecca Rooney

We look at what the prospects are for modern agriculture students, and what they're studying - from land management and vet science to AI and robotics. The Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers says the Scottish government should be doing more to help the sector recover from falling cattle numbers. Meat imports are putting pressure on farmers. But the government says it is committed to keeping numbers up while working to keep emissions down. And we hear about a trial to find ways of making livestock production more environmentally friendly.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.

Despite Climate Change Committee warnings, the Scottish Government says it will not reduce livestock numbers.Some good news on rural crime, but livestock theft remains high.Could a trade deal with the Gulf States open the door to low-welfare meat imports?Mud sunscreen for pigs: farmers tell us what they do for livestock and crops to combat a heatwave.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Farming Today comes from the Royal Highland Show on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The Scottish rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon has said the Scottish government will not reduce livestock numbers, as recommended by the Climate Change Committee. She told farmers Scotland would reach its net-zero targets in other ways. Robert Neill, vice president of NFU Scotland, explains how new high-frequency digital ear tags will make it easier to track cattle in Scotland.Scotland has big ambitions for its agritourism sector. Next year, it will be hosting the first global agritourism conference. We speak to the farmer who is bringing the event to Aberdeen, Caroline Millar.Thousands of animals compete in the show across four days, we catch up with the competition organiser in charge of all the logistics. Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Rebecca Rooney

Mud sunscreen for pigs: farmers tell us what they do for livestock and crops to combat a heatwave.And seaweed farms, which aren't always popular with local residents.Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.