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Farming Today: 13/01/24 German farmer protests; Fairness in supply chain; Soy and insects in animal feed; Mid-winter British strawberries.

13/01/24 German farmer protests; Fairness in supply chain; Soy and insects in animal feed; Mid-winter British strawberries.

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 13/01/24 German farmer protests; Fairness in supply chain; Soy and insects in animal feed; Mid-winter British strawberries.

German farmer protests, fairness in supply chain, animal feed and British strawberries.

With blockades at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, we find out what is going on with farmers in Germany.

Farmers in Germany have been protesting about plans to cut subsidies on diesel. The cuts were introduced to fix a budget row after the German's government's budget was ruled illegal. The proposal has now been watered down so the subsidy on agricultural fuel will be gradually phased out but that's done little to reassure farmers.

The long running row over wild camping on Dartmoor continues. One of the landowners has won the right to appeal to the Supreme Court over a ruling, from the High Court, that wild camping is allowed on Dartmoor. He argued that camping shouldn't be allowed because it isn't 'open air recreation' - which is permitted under the Dartmoor Commons Act. 

Increasing the supply of green energy is one of the major targets for the UK to reach its climate commitments. Wind and solar farms both contribute to that but getting the power to where its needed means more pylons and underground cabling being built, often through rural areas and that's causing concern. 

All week on Farming Today we've been looking at animal feed. Soya has become a staple in feed - it's high protein and relatively cheap, but it's imported and can come from areas of deforestation so farmers are looking for alternatives.  We visit a feed-manufacturer in Aberdeenshire producing a soy-free animal feed, using oil seed rape as a source of protein. Insects are another possible source of protein. Farmers in the EU can now use them in animal feed, but it's not yet allowed here in the UK. We've been to the labs of FERA Science in York to meet scientists researching the use of insects in animal feed.

Robots and AI technology at the heart of a vertical farm in Lincolnshire growing British strawberries mid winter.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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13/01/24 German farmer protests; Fairness in supply chain; Soy and insects in animal feed; Mid-winter British strawberries.

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