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Farming Today: Floodplains, The Royal Bath & West, Election Manifestos

02/06/2017

Floodplains, The Royal Bath & West, Election Manifestos

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Floodplains, The Royal Bath & West, Election Manifestos

Intensive farming is blamed for almost two-thirds of the loss of functioning floodplains.

Farming on floodplains. Brexit-proofing at the Bath & West Showground. The rural vote in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It's claimed that Britain's floodplains are failing; and farming is partly at fault. That's the conclusion of a University of Salford report which states that intensive agriculture accounts for almost two-thirds of the loss of functioning floodplains. But farmers dispute the findings.
The Royal Bath and West is England's biggest Agricultural Show and thousands of spectators are enjoying this week's event. But the organisers are already preparing for Brexit with ambitious plans to create an Agri-tech and Food Innovation Centre on the Shepton Mallet showground to give small, local food and drinks producers a low-risk way of expanding their businesses. 
There are just six days of campaigning left before the General Election. In Scotland and Northern Ireland much of agricultural policy is devolved and ballot box pledges are being weighed up, now that all the political parties in those nations have published their manifestos. 
Presented by Charlotte Smith.
Produced by Vernon Harwood.

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