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Farming Today: 13/12/2022 Land Use report; Avian flu; Cheese exports

13/12/2022 Land Use report; Avian flu; Cheese exports

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 13/12/2022 Land Use report; Avian flu; Cheese exports

A Lords report calls for a Land Use Commission. Plus avian flu and cheese exports.

A House of Lords Committee calls for a new commission to create a land use framework. Avian flu - why it's got so bad and will it ruin Christmas? A special report. Cheese exports.

A new report by the The House of Lords Committee on Land Use is calling for a commission to be set up, to organise a framework around which all uses for land in the UK can be organised. The committee believes this would provide an overview to balance the varying pressures under which land is put: to produce food; space for homes; habitat for wildlife; and areas for green energy production. It would also provide information about how effectively land is being used, and whether some land can be used for multiple purposes.

The UK is suffering its worst ever outbreak of avian flu. Millions of commercial poultry including geese, ducks, chickens and turkeys have died or been put down and wild bird populations have been badly affected too. MPs on the Environment Food and Rural Affairs committee have backed calls by farmers to change the rules on compensation, to include birds which have died before vets are able to visit the infected farms. Turkey producers are struggling and fear there may be a shortage this Christmas. 

The run-up to Christmas is a key time of year for cheese makers as sales of British cheese rise significantly - at home and abroad. It’s been a mixed year for dairy exports, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, but cheese exports have remained strong. Although the figures are below where they were before the pandemic, demand for cheddar cheese in particular is growing again.  We visit Wyke Farms in Somerset, large-scale producers of Cheddar, which export to 160 countries around the world.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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