03/04/25 Extreme risk of wildfires, review of environmental regulations, Rathlin Island, hunting turtle doves
Firefighters are warning of the 'extreme risk' of wildfires in Scotland. The fire service has issued its third warning this year after fires in hills near Glasgow and in Aberdeenshire. It says after a spell of warm weather there is plenty of dry vegetation which can act as fuel for fires, and is urging people not to light fires outside this week. Government plans to streamline environmental regulation to speed up house building and boost economic growth risk causing irreversible damage to nature, according to green groups. On Monday we talked about 'operation turtle dove' and the UK farmers who've been growing habitats and food for the birds, which summer here after wintering in West Africa. It's a project that's helped increase their numbers by 40%. Much of the turtle doves' success has been down to a ban in Europe on shooting them as they migrate across the continent. But because of the population increase, this week the ban has been lifted. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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02/04/25 Housing shortages in Scottish islands, Farming Minister quizzed on farm support, tree planting.
This week we're taking a closer look at the rural lives of islanders around our shores. A survey by the Young Islanders Network found the biggest concern for young people in Scotland’s islands, is housing – or a lack of it. We speak to people about some of the problems they've faced - and some of the solutions.The Environment Food and Rural Affairs select Committee of MPs has been grilling the farming minister Daniel Zeichner about the repercussions of suspending the Sustainable Farming Incentive, or SFI, which gives payments to farmers for environmental work. Thousands of farmers have already joined, but it was abruptly closed to new applicants on 11th March. Trees are being planted on Dartmoor to help alleviate flooding. A team lead by the National Park Authority is using a method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki which plants a wide variety of native species close together to encourage rapid tree growth.Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
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01/04/25 Review of agricultural pollution rules in Wales, ban on burning peat, island ferries
An independent review has backed controversial muck-spreading regulations for farms across Wales, but said improvements are needed. Stricter rules on spreading and storing manures have been phased in since 2021, against a backdrop of fierce opposition from the farming industry. The Welsh government says it will implement all the recommendations in the study in full, though some will take longer to deliver. A ban on the burning of heather on deep-peat land could be extended to cover a wider area of England. Conservation groups have called for heather-burning on peat land to be stopped altogether, but representatives of the game shooting industry claim that controlled heather burning can encourage development of sphagnum moss and be used as a firebreak to prevent the spread of wildfires.All this week we're visiting islands and hearing about the advantages and challenges of living in some of the UK's most beautiful places. For communities on the Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland ferries are essential, and for crofters who have livestock, the ferry service is an essential part of their farming business. However getting animals on and off the island by boat isn't always predictable.Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
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31/03/25 Lifeline for Guernsey dairy farmers, wartime farm survey, turtle dove conservation
Guernsey dairy farmers have welcomed a decision to increase the support they receive from government.An ambitious plan is underway to digitise wartime farm records and make them available online. A ban in Europe on shooting turtle doves, and work by farmers in England to provide both habitats and food has resulted in a 40% increase in populations. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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29/03/25 Farming Today This Week: Bird flu in a sheep; Egg production; Red Tractor review; Chancellor's spring statement.
Bird flu has been found in a sheep for the first time. DEFRA said the case in Yorkshire was on a farm where avian flu was present in captive birds. One ewe tested positive and has been culled, but her lambs and the rest of the small flock of sheep were negative. Surveillance of mammals for avian flu has been stepped up, partly because in the United States many dairy cattle and even some dairy workers have gone down with the disease. We speak to the chief vet.Avian influenza is at the forefront of egg producers' minds at the moment. All week we've been taking a closer look at egg production, including a free-range egg producer in Wales. We also visit a farm which supplies pullets, which then grow into laying hens. For every female chick which grows into a pullet, there's a male chick, which will never lay eggs and isn't wanted by egg producers. In the UK these chicks are gassed at one day old, but in Europe techniques are being used to sex the chicks before they're hatched, whilst still in the egg.Red Tractor has pledged to improve communications with farmers and simplify its audits as part of its response to an independent review. The review, published earlier this year, recommended more than 50 changes. The Chancellor's spring statement has drawn a mixed reaction from the rural community. Farming itself wasn't mentioned as such, Rachel Reeves focused on the government's agenda for growth and plans to build more homes. We speak to a professor from Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy to assess what it means for agriculture and rural communities.Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
Ireland