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Farming Today: Welsh National Parks, Agriculture GCSE, Sheep Health

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07/02/2018

Welsh National Parks, Agriculture GCSE, Sheep Health

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Welsh National Parks, Agriculture GCSE, Sheep Health

Are Welsh national parks being short-changed, compared to their English cousins?

The Welsh government is accused of cutting the budgets of its national parks, while the budgets of beauty spots in England are protected. And should there be a GCSE in agriculture?

The Welsh Government has been accused of imposing big cuts on its national parks, while the budgets of beauty spots in England are protected. By 2020 the funding given to Wales's three national parks - that's Snowdonia, the Pembrokeshire Coast, and the Brecon Beacons - will have fallen to its lowest level since 2001. The Chief Executive of Snowdonia national park has described the situation as "frightening". The Welsh government, meanwhile, says it has given the parks two years' notice of the cuts, and is considering offering extra money for priority projects.

Last year, Countryfile presenter Adam Henson started the ball rolling on the debate about bringing in a GCSE for agriculture. Later today the MP for Outer York, Julian Sturdy, will take up the baton. He's leading a debate about the idea at Westminster Hall in the House of Commons this morning. Anna Hill asks him why.

And we report on a seven-year project to find out whether the way farmers look after their ewes affects their long term breeding performance and profitability. "Challenge Sheep" will track 9000 sheep on 13 farms up and down the country, from Northumberland to South Devon.

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