Farming Today

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Farming Today: 13/09/2023 Flea beetle; sugar beet; robotic fruit pickers

13/09/2023 Flea beetle; sugar beet; robotic fruit pickers

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 13/09/2023 Flea beetle; sugar beet; robotic fruit pickers

Flea beetle destroys oil seed rape; Sugar beet harvest; Robotic pickers on fruit farm.

Flea beetle decimates oil seed rape crop. Will this year's sugar beet harvest or 'campaign' be better than last year? Fruit growers using robotic pickers to harvest apples.

This year the warm and still weather has led to a surge in flea beetles, which can destroy oil seed rape, while it's still in the early stages of growth in the fields. Farmers used to rely on neonicotinoid chemicals to protect the plants and kill flea beetle larvae, but they have been banned.  We speak to a farmer who's been spraying his crop at night to try and tackle the pest, but now he's having to re-sow much of his crop, some of it by drone.

This year's sugar beet harvest, known as a 'campaign', has just started.  The harvest last year was poor and the cost of processing sugar-beet rose dramatically. Farmers and businesses which want to use British sugar in their products are hoping for a better season this year. 

Picking apples has always been labour-intensive, but things are changing with the development of new machinery to aid - or even replace - pickers. One such machine is called the REVO and it’s being used this year by a major grower in Kent. Adrian Scripps has 250 hectares and produces up to 200 million apples a year from its orchards near Tonbridge, it's invested in a fleet of harvesting platforms.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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13/09/2023 Flea beetle; sugar beet; robotic fruit pickers

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