Farming Today

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Farming Today: 20/05/24 Illegal waste; Environmental benchmarking; Flower industry

20/05/24 Illegal waste; Environmental benchmarking; Flower industry

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 20/05/24 Illegal waste; Environmental benchmarking; Flower industry

An update on the saga of illegal waste, dumped on an industrial scale in woodlands.

Large-scale dumping of illegal waste at a protected woodland- villagers hope the government's about to intervene.

There's an update  on the saga of illegal waste dumping at a protected woodland in Kent. The BBC has learnt that the Government is planning an emergency intervention to clear thousands of tonnes of rubbish. Locals say that as many as 30 lorries a day were illegally dumping rubbish at Hoads Wood near Ashford at the height of the problem last year. The woodland is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and is site of special scientific interest . Now one conservation group describes the site as a 'desolate wasteland' and it's estimated that a clean up operation will cost £10 million. 

170 farms are to have their carbon footprint measured to create a more accurate picture of the emissions they produce and the carbon they sequester. The project, led by the levy body the AHDB, aims to give both farmers and the rest of us, a better understanding of agriculture's environmental impact. It's a pilot scheme which will measure greenhouse gas emissions, landscape and soil carbon stocks and water run-off, as well as using soil analysis of individual farms. The AHDB hopes to see it rolled out to all farms in the future.  

It's the RHS Chelsea Flower show  and all week we're looking at flowers and plants. As a nation of gardeners we spend around £3 billion a year on plants and trees for our gardens, according to the Horticultural Trades Association.  Chelsea's a highlight in the calendar for the industry, but they're facing many challenges: from the use of peat, to the wet weather and the new inspection regime at the UK border.  


Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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20/05/24 Illegal waste; Environmental benchmarking; Flower industry

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