The latest news about food, farming and the countryside
Latest episodes
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27/10/2026: CO2 Consultation, Solar Robot Weeder; Rat Catcher
The government should suspend the consultation it launched yesterday on phasing out the use of carbon dioxide in the slaughter of pigs, according to AIMS - the Association of Indep…
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26/10/26 Consultation to end painful pig slaughter, pest control, farmers' choir
A consultation on phasing out the use of carbon dioxide in the slaughtering process for pigs is launched today. The vast majority of pigs in the UK are stunned using CO2 but last y…
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Farming Today This Week 24/10/26 Wildfires; agri-environment schemes; orchards & agroforestry; pumpkins; winte…
Wildfires have been on the political menu this week with a report from MPs criticising the lack of a National Wildfire Strategy, followed by wildfire summits in England and Wales,…
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23/10/26 Wild fire summit, Farming for the Future award winner, picking plums by rowing boat
A wildfire summit is being held today in Westminster, bringing together government departments and agencies to work out plans to address future fires.We announce the winner of the…
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22/10/26 Grazing and arable, apples and agroforestry, BBC Food & Farming Awards
Farmers in Scotland have been taking part in a four year scheme to get more arable farmers to have sheep on their land. Instead of leaving fields bare over winter, cereal growers h…
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21/10/26 Wildfires report, pear harvest, planting plans
A report by MPs says this year's wildfires exposed severe weaknesses in our ability to tackle them, and that immediate action must be taken to ensure an effective response next yea…
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20/10/26 Abattoirs, strawberry glut, apples and other top fruit
The decline in abattoirs across the UK has been an issue for many years. A new coalition of more than 150 organisations, has sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for urgent…
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19/10/26 Defra secretary on organic farming and sustainable farming incentive; cider apples
Over the next nine years the government would like to see the amount of land farmed organically in England treble, from 3.4% now to 10% by 2036. It's part of the new Organic Action…
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17/10/26 Farming Today This Week: The Future of Farming
As The Archers marks its 75th anniversary, Farming Today is looking ahead to the next 75 years of British farming.All week we’ll be imagining how agriculture could change, from how…
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16/10/26 What will a farmer be?
As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring the next 75 years of farming, we visit Harper Adams University's farm to meet the next generatio…
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15/10/26 Succession
Over the past 75 years, the pattern of land ownership in the UK has changed dramatically. Farm businesses have grown larger, more farmers now own at least some of the land they wor…
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14/10/26 Homegrown
Climate change is already reshaping the way farmers think. Wetter winters, hotter summers, and new pests and diseases are creating fresh challenges. At the same time, global instab…
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13/10/26 Tech
As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring what the next 75 years could hold for farming, today we look at how technology and AI could tran…
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12/10/26 Land Use
As The Archers marks its 75th anniversary, Farming Today is looking ahead to the next 75 years of British farming. All week we’ll be imagining how agriculture could change, from ho…
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25 min ↗
10/10/2026: Harvest, Bird flu, Farm boundaries
The official estimates for England's harvest 2026 are in, and the figures from the governnment show that its the smallest harvest of both barley and oats since 2012. Wheat saw a sm…
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09/10/26 Drought aftermath, Cornish hedges, SNP conference, AI and farming
The official estimates for England's harvest 2026 are in, and they don't make happy reading. Provisional figures from the government show that it's the smallest harvest of both bar…
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08/10/2926: Fly tipping, History of barbed wire, Energy from heat
Half of farmers say they've had rubbish fly tipped on their land, and the majority of those asked say the problem is getting worse. These are the results of a survey of 512 farmers…
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07/10/26 Sugar beet, flagstone walls, dairy show.
After months of negotiations, British Sugar and the National Farmers Union have agreed a price for sugar beet farmers for 2027/28. It's lower than last year, with a one-year contra…
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06/10/26 Rural connectivity, dry stone walls, Conservative party conference.
The Farmers Union of Wales says it's very concerned about new rules which they say could see rental incomes cut by 90%. The FUW estimates that a revaluation of thousands of existin…
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05/10/26 Pig industry in crisis, beating the bounds, Green Party conference
Pig farmers say they're losing thousands of pounds a week as prices fall, but costs, particularly of feed, are rising. Processors have given notice to some farmers, saying they no…