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Farming Today: Farmers' concerns over new land protections

Farmers' concerns over new land protections

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Farmers' concerns over new land protections

Farmers' concerns over new land protections.

Farmers' concerns over new land protections in Cornwall, and new post-Brexit checks on some food and feed will come into effect in January after being delayed for a fifth time.

Farmers on a newly designated protected site say they're being forced to sell up.  Natural England has designated 3,000 hectares of the Lands End peninsula in Cornwall as a Site of Special Scientific Interest -or SSSI - that brings in more protection for the area, and stricter rules on what farmers can and can't do.  Some who work the land affected - West Penwith Moor and Downs -  say the impact on their businesses is so bad that they're leaving. 
After multiple delays, this week the government announced it will be bringing in full post-Brexit border checks for some goods imported from the EU from January next year.  British farmers have had their produce checked as it goes across to the continent since we left the EU in 2021. leading to higher costs, and delays for exporters.  From January some animal products, plants, food and feed will need certification before entering the UK to make sure they're safe.  The news has been welcomed by safety groups and farmers, who said the fact that imported food wasn't being checked was putting animal disease protection at risk.  
It's harvest time, and arable farmers have been in a race against time to get the crops in during brief dry periods.  But it's not just wheat and barley that are being harvested.  We also visit farms where blackcurrants are being harvested for a well-known fruit cordial, and report on an experimental harvest of flax in Scotland. 
And Sarah Swadling heads to a farm in Dorset where they're trialling artificial intelligence as a way of measuring the amount of wildlife on the site.  The equipment can distinguish between different species of bee, for example, and the scientists say it could help in our bid to tackle the nature crisis.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner

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