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Farming Today: Pig semen, a bee map, crofting row and delays in subsidy payments

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29/09/2016

Pig semen, a bee map, crofting row and delays in subsidy payments

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Pig semen, a bee map, crofting row and delays in subsidy payments

Exploring the growing pig semen exporting business for UK agriculture.

Exploring the growing pig semen exporting business for UK agriculture and the mustard farmers working together to help pollinators.

Exporting pig semen is a growing business for UK agriculture. Deerpark Farm in Northern Ireland now ships frozen pig semen to more than a dozen countries - and it's not just commercial breeds, the company is also a gene bank for traditional British varieties such as the Gloucester Old Spot, Tamworths and Saddlebacks. Conor Macauley reports from Northern Ireland.

The NFU's Uplands Forum says that delays in the Rural Payments Agency getting the money to farmers is causing serious financial hardship. As we reported there were many problems in calculating and paying farmers subsidy for 2015, and some English farmers whose claims cover shared common ground are still waiting for their money, ten months after it could have been paid. The RPA acknowledges that making these payments has been 'complicated' and 'challenging' but says that more than 12,000 outstanding claims have been completed and top up payments worth more than 22 million pounds have also been made. 

Eighteen mustard farmers in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire have joined together to create a map to show gaps between areas of bee friendly plants on their land. To encourage more bees and biodiversity they'll put in more nectar and pollen rich plants in boundaries and hedgerows. Anna Hill went to find out more.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Emily Hughes.

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