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Farming Today: 10/08/2011

10/08/2011

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 10/08/2011

Farmers in Essex say planning rules prevent them producing more food for the UK.

Farmers in Essex say planning rules prevent them producing more food for humans. And the weather may have averted a predicted shortage of hay this winter. With Charlotte Smith.

Farmers in the Lea Valley in Essex say the planning system is preventing them expanding and producing more food. The UK imports 40% of the food we eat but a survey for Farming Today and Countryfile shows 88% of us believe we're too reliant on imports. Charlotte Smith meet the farmers who say they may go out of business if they can't produce more by expanding. 

Conservationists have found one of the best grasses for feeding cattle can help farmland birds survive the winter. 
They want farmers to leave areas of rye grass unmown to provide seeds for yellowhammers and buntings. 

Fears of a shortage of hay for livestock may have been overcome by a boom in supplies from the North and West of England. Recent rains have produced a second cut for producers but horse owners wanting top-grade hay may still struggle to get the stock they want. 

Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Anne-Marie Bullock.

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