Farming Today

Original version

BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

Magazines & Reviews

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

BBC Radio 4 LW

Farming Today: 09/01/2024 Managing flood water; Starlings and animal feed; The cost of cheap food

09/01/2024 Managing flood water; Starlings and animal feed; The cost of cheap food

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 09/01/2024 Managing flood water; Starlings and animal feed; The cost of cheap food

Managing flood water, starlings and animal feed, and the true cost of cheap food.

Planning for a future of flooded farm land; Protecting feed from starlings; Campaigners who want food to be sustainable, healthy and affordable.

As farmers contemplate thousands of hectares under water, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology reports that Autumn rainfall, between September and November for the UK last year was 22% above average, followed by a December which saw 70% above average rainfall for central & northern England and eastern Scotland.  The government's announced help is available for flooded businesses and properties but farmers cannot insure against flooded crops and some have said they'll stop growing food on land that's repeatedly flooded. We speak to an expert about how farmers and government can better deal with flooding in the future.

All week we're exploring the topic of animal feed. Today we hear from a farmer who's invested £30,000 in cages to protect his cattle feed from starlings. Giant flocks of the birds have been eating the grain Bryn Jones near Oswestry feeds his dairy herd. He estimates it's already saving him tens of thousands of pounds in lost feed and is helping protect his herd from disease - and improving the milk yield of his cows.

We often hear that people want their food to be welfare friendly, sustainably produced and farmers to be paid fairly for it. Last year the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, or FFCC, launched a citizens' panel made up of a representative cross-section of the public, to hear what they want from government policy, to make healthy food available to all. We speak to Guy Singh-Watson, founder of the organic veg food box company Riverford, and Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of FFCC, which carried out the survey. 

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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

09/01/2024 Managing flood water; Starlings and animal feed; The cost of cheap food

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4