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Farming Today: 09/08/2012

09/08/2012

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 09/08/2012

The price of tea rises due to poor harvests and bad weather conditions.

The price of tea has risen due to poor rains in India and frost in Kenya. The British bee population will decline as queen bees struggle to mate in the cold weather.

Dry conditions and frosts have hit tea production in Kenya. In Sri Lanka and India a relatively dry monsoon is also resulting in a smaller tea harvest. This means that the cost of wholesale imported tea has risen by over 40% in the past year.

The British Bee Keeping Association says queen bees are struggling to mate in the cold weather. This means that the bee population will fall and hives will be lost.
Each year the UK produces around 5 and a half million tons of Barley which is used for animal feed and the malting industry. Only the premium barley goes to make Scotch Whisky. Moira Hickey visits the Benromach distillery in Forres to find out how small-scale distilleries can be a boon for local farmers.

Farming Today is presented by Charlotte Smith and produced in Birmingham by Ruth Sanderson.

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09/08/2012

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