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Farming Today: Soya milk, Elderflowers, Cereals event, World farming

16/06/2017

Soya milk, Elderflowers, Cereals event, World farming

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Soya milk, Elderflowers, Cereals event, World farming

A European Court ruling means non-dairy products like soya milk will have to be renamed.

This edition looks at soya and tofu rebranding, the elderflower harvest, the UK's biggest arable event, and the digital revolution and farming.

When is milk not really milk? The European Court of Justice has ruled that, in principle, only milk that originates from animals can be marketed as milk. The same applies to other dairy products such as cheese, cream and butter. There are some exceptions (including peanut butter and coconut milk) but the decision would mean food companies selling soya milk will have to re-brand it within the EU. 

The elderflower harvest is well underway which is good news for anyone who loves the cordial and presse made from the flowers. In Leicestershire the family-run Belvoir Fruit Farm has been making elderflower drinks for more than thirty years but the enterprise only started as a way of farm diversification. 

Protecting crops from pests, disease and weeds has been a major talking point at the arable industry's big annual gathering. The Lincolnshire village of Boothby Graffoe has been hosting 24,000 visitors at the Cereals 2017 event. They've been discussing crop protection options ranging from chemicals to a variety of alternative approaches. 

The World Farmers organisation has a new President. Dr Theo de Jager is an avocado and Boer goat farmer from South Africa and he's been telling Farming Today that his priority is to unite big and small farms through new technology.

Presented by Charlotte Smith.
Produced by Vernon Harwood.

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