Farming Today
Rásarupplýsingar
Farming Today
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside
Nýlegir þættir
174 þættir
Farming Today This Week: electric shock collars, taking carbon out of agriculture, UK-EU reset, new entrants, Wagyu beef
Electronic Collars are to be banned under new rules for the RSPCA's Assured scheme for dairy cows. The collars are used instead of fencing, and make n...
06/02/2026 National Farmers' Union of Scotland Annual Conference, seed production, new tenant farmers
The National Farmers' Union of Scotland holds its annual conference and calls for more funding to improve profitability.
All this week we've bee...
05/02/26 EFRA Committee report on EU/UK agri-food trade deal, seed science, starting out in agriculture
MPs are calling on the Government to have a ‘national conversation’ on the new EU/UK agri-food trade agreement, so farmers don't end up disadvantaged....
04/02/26 The cost of decarbonising agriculture, young farmers in Northern Ireland, new entrant crofters
A new report published by the think tank The Resolution Foundation says the government's goal of 'net zero' across the UK, could force less profitable...
03/02/26 Ban of electric shock collars for cows, grey squirrels, new egg business
The RSPCA is updating its welfare standards for dairy cattle under its RSPCA Assured scheme. The changes come into operation this April and include: m...
02/02/26 Scottish Environment Bill, Ramblers report, new entrants.
Scotland has introduced legislation to set legal targets on nature restoration and halt the loss of biodiversity. The Scottish Government says this wi...
31/01/26 Farming Today This Week: Sustainable Foods 2026, extreme weather and rural resilience, octopus bloom
Sustainable Foods 2026: a conference in London which brings together big food companies, supermarkets, producers and scientists in a drive to transfor...
30/01/26 Extreme weather and rural resilience, biochar, rare breed cattle
The weather has dominated life for many this month, from storms and flooding in South West England to snow and rain in parts of Scotland, flooding i...
29/01/26 Sustainable food and what that means for farming
Sustainable Foods 2026 - a conference in London which brings together big food companies, supermarkets, producers and scientists in a drive to transfo...
28/01/26 Octopus, gene-edited oilseed rape, sheep dog training
Warmer waters have brought large number of octopus to coastal waters around the South West over the past year. Now, the University of Plymouth has pub...
27/01/2026 Heating rural homes, vertical farm, cost of nature-friendly farming
The Government's new Warm Homes plan has been set up to help people switch to eco-friendly heating systems for their homes, such as air source heat pu...
26/01/26 Timber security, feoijas, basic income for farmers.
Forestry experts are warning that the UK needs to plant more trees for timber. We import around 80% of the timber we use, but there are fears of a sho...
Milk prices, farm profits, winter feed
UK dairy farmers are living through what's been called the sharpest milk price drop in history. We look at the causes with dairy analyst Chris Walkl...
22/01/2026 Geopolitical factors in milk prices, sunflowers for feed, Mercosur vote, river restoration
The effects of volatile international markets are currently being felt in the bank accounts of UK dairy farmers. Milk prices paid by processors starte...
23/01/26 Illegal meat, farm incomes, winter feed on the Western Isles
The smuggling of illegal meat is on the rise. Farmers are worried it could bring animal diseases into the UK. Europe has seen outbreaks of both Africa...
21/01/26 Minette Batters at Efra Committee, animal protein, organic feed
Civil servants should spend more time on farms, to understand the problems they face. That's according to Baroness Minette Batters, who's been facing...
20/01/26 Water sector reforms and farming, forage shortage, glyphosate
The government is promising a complete overhaul of the water system, which it says will protect households from disrupted water supplies and bring in...
19/01/26 Mercosur trade deal between Europe and South America, winter feed.
After 25 years of negotiations, the European Union has signed the Mercosur trade deal. Farmers across Europe have been out on the streets protesting a...
Environmental Regulation, Cheese, Storm Goretti
This week two watchdogs published reports on the Government's performance on the environment. The Office for Environmental Protection warned that, unl...
16/01/2026 Cambridge University vet school, artisan cheese, barrister farmer
Students and staff are campaigning against recommendations to end vet training at the University of Cambridge. The recommendation comes from the Scho...
Spending watchdog on environmental regulation, NI agri environment, cheddar in Somerset
The National Audit Office, the public spending watchdog, has published a report looking at efficiency and effectiveness in England's environmental reg...
12/01/26 New approach to upland farming, vintage Land Rovers, cheese
A new approach to working with England's upland communities has been announced by the Government, starting with Dartmoor and then Cumbria.
Clubs...
14/01/26 Sustainable Farming Scheme in Wales, cheese exports, Lamma machinery show.
The Welsh government has implemented its Sustainable Farming Scheme or SFS. There are three levels for farmers to join: first, Universal Actions which...
13/01/26 Environmental targets, Scottish agricultural policy, goat's cheese.
Wildlife and environment groups say this government could become the first to break the law by missing targets to restore nature. The Office for Envir...
Farming Today This Week 10/01/26: The Oxford farming conferences
Thousands of people have descended on Oxford this week for two farming conferences. We report from The Oxford Farming Conference, where the Defra Secr...
09/01/26 Politics, protests and Charlotte Church at the Oxford Farming Conferences
The Defra Secretary of State spoke at the Oxford Farming Conference with new announcements for England's environmental farm payments, while protesting...
The opening of Oxford Farming Conference 2026
At the opening of the Oxford Farming Conference 2026, Charlotte Smith previews the government's latest announcement on England's largest environmental...
07/01/26 Cereals, solar farms, farmer wellbeing.
Uncertainty about whether a farm will break even, let alone make a profit, is concerning arable farmers, according to Dame Minette Batter's recent rep...
06/01/26 Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme, row over Scottish agri-environment policy, climate resilience.
The Welsh Government's Sustainable Farming Scheme has come into force. It replaces the Basic Payment Scheme which has been phased out since the UK lef...
05/01/26 Growing resilience and transforming our farming system, raw milk vending
Growing resilience and transforming our food and farming system, the two themes of the two farming conferences happening in Oxford this week. We will...
03/01/26 Farming Today This Week: Farms for City Children at 50, horse-powered pints, mart tradition, 18th century farmer diary
A round up of seasonal offerings from Farming Today.
The charity Farms for City Children turns 50 this year. Set up by writer Michael Morpurgo a...
02/01/26 Wildlife or Pest? The Wild Goats of Langholm Moor
Controlling wild goats is proving tricky in Scotland's border country. While herds can damage trees and outgrow their food supply, these fierce yet en...
01/01/26 Isaac Fletcher's Farming Diaries
Historians in Cumbria are publishing extracts from the diary of an 18th century yeoman farmer.
The writings of Isaac Fletcher, who farmed at Mo...
31/12/25 Cider Apple DNA
Sarah Swadling finds out about a quest to save our hidden cider orchard heritage using DNA testing.
Work is being carried out in orchards to DNA...
30/12/25 The Luck Penny
Farmers at Rathfriland market in County Down still practise an old tradition when livestock changes hands. Farmers selling their animals hand money ba...
The Longhorns of Salisbury Plain
Elise Sutton is a new entrant to farming, but the herd of Longhorn cattle she looks after have a blood line that goes back 85 years. The Stoke herd, w...
27/12/26: Anna Hill's 30 years on Farming Today
This year, Anna Hill marked her 30th anniversary as a presenter of Farming Today. Talking to her fellow presenter Charlotte Smith, Anna reflects on t...
Horse-powered Pint
Britain’s pubs and bars will be busy with Boxing Day drinkers enjoying a seasonal pint or two today. But how many will give a thought to the way the b...
25/12/25 Farms for City Children - 50 years of Michael & Clare Morpurgo's charity.
Farms for City Children was set up by the writer Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare 50 years ago. They were both young teachers and wanted to help ch...
24/12/25 The Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses
With a military pipe band and trumpet fanfares, Caz Graham joins pensioners at the Royal Hospital Chelsea for their Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses,...