Farming Today

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Farming Today: 31/05/06 Australia trade deal; drone spraying; medicinal cannabis

31/05/06 Australia trade deal; drone spraying; medicinal cannabis

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 31/05/06 Australia trade deal; drone spraying; medicinal cannabis

Australia trade deal comes into force. Drone spraying licence. Growing medicinal cannabis.

Australia trade deal comes into force. Using drones for spraying weeds. Growing pharmaceutical-grade cannabis.

The first of the UK’s post Brexit trade deals are coming into force from 1 June. Some farmers are concerned the deals with Australia and New Zealand will lead to the UK being flooded with cheap imported meat, but analysis say markets with Japan and China are far more important for Australian beef farmers and New Zealand isn't using up all its existing quotas for exporting lamb. We speak to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board  which has been looking at the impact of these deals on UK agriculture.

For the first time the Government has given permission for the aerial spraying of weeds with pesticides by commercial drones. It’s not on farms at this stage, only on railway bridges and it’s been sanctioned by the Health and Safety Executive.  However using drones in British Agriculture is gathering pace. Our reporter has been to watch a practical demonstration at an international conference near York.

All week we're looking at a niche sector of the agricultural world - farming crops and using animal products for medical purposes. Since 2018 it’s been legal to use cannabis under prescription in the UK, for certain conditions including epilepsy, and around 25,000 patients are thought to be using it.  A few companies have been working through complex and demanding regulations to produce the drug for the UK market. We visit one of them - Hilltop Leaf in southern Scotland.

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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31/05/06 Australia trade deal; drone spraying; medicinal cannabis

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