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Farming Today: 15/12/21 - Seasonal workers, Shropshire by-election, vegan cheese alternative

US secretary of agriculture, EFRA Committee reports, haricot beans

15/12/21 - Seasonal workers, Shropshire by-election, vegan cheese alternative

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 15/12/21 - Seasonal workers, Shropshire by-election, vegan cheese alternative

UK farmers are planning to grow less fruit and veg, because of a lack of labour.

UK farmers are planning to grow less fruit and veg, because of a lack of labour. Will more visas be made available for next year?

This year, 30 thousand seasonal workers were allowed to the UK under a pilot scheme to pick fruit and veg. The National Farmers Union wants the scheme to be made permanent and the number of visas raised to at least 55,700. Meanwhile a Home Office Minister has told the EFRA Committee the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme will be turned into a 3 year scheme with 30,000 visas available for next year and the year after, decreasing to 28,000 in the third year. He confirmed it would include visas for work in non-edible horticulture.

North Shropshire has had Conservative MPs for the best part of 200 years - but the manner of Owen Paterson’s recent departure means the outcome of tomorrow’s by election for his replacement, is less than certain. We hear what the hot topics will be in this rural constituency.

And legally, terms like milk, cheese, cream and yogurt are protected so they can only be used for the associated dairy products and not to describe non-dairy produce. We hear about a vegan alternative to cheese made from cashews. 

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

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