Farming Today

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Farming Today: 20/06/23 Wildfires; rural broadband; giant hogweed and sheep.

20/06/23 Wildfires; rural broadband; giant hogweed and sheep.

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 20/06/23 Wildfires; rural broadband; giant hogweed and sheep.

Experts say number of wildfires set to increase in future, how can land be manged to help?

How climate change is affecting wildfires in the UK.
Rural broadband and the communities in Wales still waiting after a provider went bust.
Using sheep to manage giant hogweed.

Over the last fortnight fire crews across the UK have been tackling wildfires as dry weather and high temperatures combine. Experts says they're going to become more frequent. We ask how land can be managed to help avoid them in future.

Rural communities often lack a decent broadband connection. Under the government's levelling up agenda there is a commitment to connect parts of rural Britain to ultra fast broadband, through Project Gigabit. As part of the scheme, homes and businesses can apply for up to £4,500 to help to cover installation costs. The money is applied for on behalf of the customer by a broadband supplier, often a smaller, independent network provider but many of them are under financial pressure. People living in West Wales are now calling for urgent action because the company that was supposed to connect them, went into administration.

All week we're looking at sheep. Farmers in Scotland having been taking part in a trial where sheep are used to control giant hogweed - an invasive alien plant which can overwhelm native plants by its vigorous growth. Its sap is also toxic to human skin, leaving blisters and long term sensitivity to UV. Sheep however love nibbling it and are being used to stop it spreading.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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20/06/23 Wildfires; rural broadband; giant hogweed and sheep.

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