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Farming Today: 26/08/22 - Fertiliser, food prices, reviving a Scottish island

26/08/22 - Fertiliser, food prices, reviving a Scottish island

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 26/08/22 - Fertiliser, food prices, reviving a Scottish island

Fertiliser and carbon dioxide, food prices, reviving farming on a Scottish island.

The impact on farming of a temporary halt in production of fertiliser and CO2 in the UK; how the increase in prices is affecting farmers; reviving farming on a Scottish island.

There's a warning of welfare problems for livestock sent to slaughter, as the supply of carbon dioxide - which is used for stunning the animals - is once again drying up.  It could lead to issues on farms as a rising number of pigs and poultry can't be sent to the abattoir. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of the manufacture of ammonia - and the UK's last remaining ammonia plant is no longer going to produce it. CF Industries says the cost of operating is too high, so for now it's going to import ammonia instead, and - as the gas is a by-product of ammonia production - it won't be making CO2. This will also have an impact on the supply and price of fertiliser. 

All this week Farming Today has looking at the causes and consequences of rising food prices. A survey from the Nat West bank reveals that 99 per cent of the 252 farmers they asked say they're facing above inflation price rises on at least one main input - things like energy, fuel, feed or fertiliser. Some are planning to grow less or change what they produce in the coming year to limit their losses. Many had agreed prices with their customers before the rise in energy prices, for instance, and so will be looking for much higher prices next season. We speak to a livestock farmer in Somerset. 

In 2018 the island of Ulva, which sits off the coast of the Isle of Mull and had a population of just five, was bought by a community group for around £4.5 million. Plans to restore the housing on the island are well under way and the population has doubled to ten. But now the island’s farmland has to be brought back to life, too. We hear from the man tasked with doing just that. You can hear the full story on On Your Farm on BBC Sounds.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Sally Challoner

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