Farming Today This Week

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Farming Today

Magazines & Reviews

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

BBC Radio 4 FM

Farming Today: 08/04/23 Farming Today This Week: Government plan for water; Red Tractor; pigs; eggs and trade deal; Dartmoor camping; skylarks

08/04/23 Farming Today This Week: Government plan for water; Red Tractor; pigs; eggs and trade deal; Dartmoor camping; skylarks

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 08/04/23 Farming Today This Week: Government plan for water; Red Tractor; pigs; eggs and trade deal; Dartmoor camping; skylarks

New plan for water, Red Tractor, pigs, eggs, Dartmoor camping, skylarks and blackbirds.

New government plan for water. Red Tractor defends its environmental credentials. Pigs. 
Eggs and trans-Pacific trade deal. Wild camping on Dartmoor. Skylarks and blackbirds.

The government’s announced its new plan for water in England.  Critics say it's a rehash of previous policies, but the farming minister says there will be £10 million more funding for constructing reservoirs on farms and better irrigation systems and nearly £34 million pounds to help livestock farmers improve their slurry storage. 

River Action is making a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about Red Tractor after an internal Environment Agency Report concluded Red Tractor membership was 'not a good indicator of environmental protection'. The charity says Red Tractor ads are misleading as they claim to be a world-leading standard and their environmental standards aren't good enough. Red Tractor says that the analysis of the data is misleading and insists farms that belong to its scheme fare much better in inspections than those that don't. 

National Pig Association welcomes a government plan to ensure fairness and transparency in the pork supply chain. 

Egg producers fear UK animal welfare standards will be undermined by the latest post-Brexit deal agreement, the CPTPP. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, whose members include Mexico, Canada and Japan, will have quotas for imports of ‘sensitive’ products like beef and lamb, but not eggs. The industry says 99% of Mexico’s eggs come from caged birds, a method of production banned in the UK in 2012.

Dartmoor National Park Authority has been granted permission to appeal against a High Court decision in January that led to wild camping being banned. 

Recordings of skylarks and blackbirds.

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Farming Today

08/04/23 Farming Today This Week: Government plan for water; Red Tractor; pigs; eggs and trade deal; Dartmoor camping; skylarks

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4