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Farming Today: 06/08/22 Farming Today This Week: Farm tenants, Veg growers, Seasonal worker folk song

06/08/22 Farming Today This Week: Farm tenants, Veg growers, Seasonal worker folk song

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 06/08/22 Farming Today This Week: Farm tenants, Veg growers, Seasonal worker folk song

Veg growers warn the sector is under pressure because of labour and water shortages.

Veg growers warn the sector is under pressure, as labour shortages, drought and rising costs continue. Plus a folk song for 'hidden' migrant seasonal workers.

The British Growers’ Association, which represents the horticulture and fresh produce industries, is warning of a potential crisis in the sector because of rising costs, water shortages and difficulties finding workers. They’ve just carried out research into carrot and broccoli production and say unless farmers get paid more for their veg, they’ll be forced to stop growing it.

As the Environment Agency declares July to have been the driest in England on record since 1935, two farmers in Suffolk tell us how their farms are affected. Is planting into dry ground worthwhile, and should they invest in new irrigation systems?

Tenant farmers manage 35% of the UK's farmed land area, and are a vital part of the food growing network, but are facing increasing challenges as land values rise. We speak to a farmer who has is losing a large proportion of the land his family have farmed for 40 years in Northumberland.  

And we hear the folk song which, it's hoped, will draw attention to the work of migrant seasonal workers. It was commissioned by researchers from the University of Leeds and Oxford, who are running a project called 'Feeding the Nation' to track the experiences of workers throughout the 2020 and 2021 harvests.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

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06/08/22 Farming Today This Week: Farm tenants, Veg growers, Seasonal worker folk song

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