The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
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11/09/2025 Corn belt farmers, seeds for future forests, bioacoustics
We've discussed the impact of President Trump's trade policy on producers here in the UK, we now turn our attention to American farmers, who are being hit by retaliatory tariffs imposed on American products by countries around the world. The American Soybean Association says that exports to China have practically halted after China imposed an extra 20% tariff in response to American tariffs on Chinese goods. China is instead importing soya from South America because it's cheaper, just as it did during President Trump’s first trade war in 2018. Low prices for US corn and soybean, combined with rising costs are already placing pressure on farm incomes. And with record high yields predicted for the upcoming harvest, some forecasters are warning of an over-supply of crops without a customer, potentially adding further downward pressure on US grain prices.Woodland creation is one of the most important ways of helping us meet our climate change targets, and that starts with seeds. But they're not always easily available, sometimes British supply is short or not up to scratch, leading to a reliance on less genetically appropriate imports, which carry a risk of pests and diseases. To solve that problem, the domestic production of seeds is being expanded at Forestry England’s new Tree Seed Processing Centre in Cheshire. And keeping an ear on on farmland birds is becoming easier with the use of AI.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
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10/09/25: A reset for farming and government? Licences to burn peatland, Corncrakes on Lewis
Could the reshuffle be an opportunity to reset the relationship between farmers and the government? The National Farmers Union President is optimistic, on the Union's Back British Farming day. Unlicensed burning of vegetation on moorland in England where there's a deep layer of peat will be banned, DEFRA has confirmed. Land managers will have to apply for burning licences for land where 30cm of peat lies beneath the surface, previously licensing only applied to 40cm of deep peat. Environmentalists believe the move will safeguard peatland habitats and stored carbon. Landowners are angry at the decision, and argue that fewer controlled precautionary burns will increase the fuel available for wildfires - which themselves release more carbon into the atmosphere. And, efforts to increase numbers of the elusive Corncrake in the Western Isles.Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling
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09/09/25: More school meals using more British produce? The Nightjars of Cannock Chase
Free school meals are set to be extended to families on Universal Credit from September next year. A new report says serving more free school meals could create a great opportunity for British farmers, to supply the extra fruit and vegetables needed. The report commissioned by Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming, warns that the opportunity could be missed unless action is taken to improve procurement of British produce in school catering. We discuss why successive government promises on procuring British food for the public sector have proven difficult to put into practice. And hooded eyelids, camouflaged feathers, and a strange unearthly call: the Nightjars of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire.Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling
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08/09/25: Biosecurity at the borders, Forage Aid grants, farmland birds.
MPs deliver their verdict on measures to prevent meat and dairy products being imported illegally into the UK. The report published today by the Commons' Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee is unlikely to make comfortable reading for DEFRA. The Addington Fund countryside charity is opening its Forage Aid grant scheme in response to feed shortages caused by the drought conditions experienced in some parts of the country. And, there are signs that declines in some farmland bird species are slowing thanks to agri-environment schemes.Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling
New Zealand