Agriculture news

• 21/10/26 Wildfires report, pear harvest, planting plans

  21-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  A report by MPs says this year's wildfires exposed severe weaknesses in our ability to tackle them, and that immediate action must be taken to ensure an effective response next year.The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee heard more than 1,300 wildfires broke out this year - the highest number on record. It says the government needs a national strategy.This week we are looking at top fruit. It has been a tough year for many growers, a difficult spring followed by an extremely hot and dr
  
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• 20/10/26 Abattoirs, strawberry glut, apples and other top fruit

  20-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The decline in abattoirs across the UK has been an issue for many years. A new coalition of more than 150 organisations, has sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for urgent government action. The Sustainable Food Trust, Soil Association, Rare Breeds Survival Trust and other groups claim the UK’s abattoir network has fallen to around 200, from roughly 2,500 in the 1970s. In Scotland crofters are about to benefit from a new initiative which could solve some of the probl
  
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• 19/10/26 Defra secretary on organic farming and sustainable farming incentive; cider apples

  19-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Over the next nine years the government would like to see the amount of land farmed organically in England treble, from 3.4% now to 10% by 2036. It's part of the new Organic Action Plan for England which the government says will 'open up opportunities across the sector'. Demand for organic food is growing, the UK market is worth £3.9 billion a year and ministers aim to reduce the amount of imported organic food.While the ambition in the strategy has been welcomed, it's been already been cr
  
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• 17/10/26 Farming Today This Week: The Future of Farming

  17-10-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  As The Archers marks its 75th anniversary, Farming Today is looking ahead to the next 75 years of British farming.All week we’ll be imagining how agriculture could change, from how land is used to what crops we grow, using what technology and how the identity of farming itself could shift.We hear from Jeremy Clarkson, Sir James Dyson and Helen Browning, amongst others.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
  
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• 16/10/26 What will a farmer be?

  16-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring the next 75 years of farming, we visit Harper Adams University's farm to meet the next generation looking to build a future in the industry, and ask: what will it mean to be a farmer in the decades ahead.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
  
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• 15/10/26 Succession

  15-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Over the past 75 years, the pattern of land ownership in the UK has changed dramatically. Farm businesses have grown larger, more farmers now own at least some of the land they work, and those who rent it are often doing so on shorter-term agreements. At the same time, there's growing interest from corporations, investors and lifestyle buyers, all competing for a stake in the countryside.As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring the next 75 years of farm
  
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• 14/10/26 Homegrown

  14-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Climate change is already reshaping the way farmers think. Wetter winters, hotter summers, and new pests and diseases are creating fresh challenges. At the same time, global instability, from conflict to trade disputes, has highlighted the fragility of food supplies.As part of our special week exploring the next 75 years of farming, today we're asking: what should Britain be growing in the future? We visit the John Innes Centre in Norfolk, one of the world's leading plant science institutes, whe
  
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• 13/10/26 Tech

  13-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  As part of a special week marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers and exploring what the next 75 years could hold for farming, today we look at how technology and AI could transform the way food is produced. At Place UK, one of the country's biggest soft-fruit growers, automation and robotic harvesting are already being trialled, to help cope with labour shortages and rising costs. We hear from Sir James Dyson, a major investor in farm robotics and AI, and from farmers in Northern Ireland wh
  
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• 12/10/26 Land Use

  12-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  As The Archers marks its 75th anniversary, Farming Today is looking ahead to the next 75 years of British farming. All week we’ll be imagining how agriculture could change, from how land is used to what crops we grow, using what technology and how the identity of farming itself could shift.Today we’re in Inkberrow in Worcestershire, the village which inspired Ambridge and asking: what will we be doing with the land we currently farm over the next 75 years? We hear from Jeremy Clarkso
  
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• 10/10/2026: Harvest, Bird flu, Farm boundaries

  10-10-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The official estimates for England's harvest 2026 are in, and the figures from the governnment show that its the smallest harvest of both barley and oats since 2012. Wheat saw a small increase with losses in the South and East offset by a better harvest further North, and oil seed rape had a better year with a 6 per cent increase in yield.We hear from farmers who suffered in the droughts.This week we've been exploring farm boundaries - from hedges and stone walls to barbed wire.We hear from peop
  
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• 09/10/26 Drought aftermath, Cornish hedges, SNP conference, AI and farming

  09-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The official estimates for England's harvest 2026 are in, and they don't make happy reading. Provisional figures from the government show that it's the smallest harvest of both barley and oats since 2012. Wheat saw a small increase with losses in the south and east offset by a better harvest further north, and oilseed rape had a better year with a 6% increase in yield.All week we're talking about boundaries, the fences and walls which define farms and fields. Traditional Cornish hedges are an ea
  
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• 08/10/2926: Fly tipping, History of barbed wire, Energy from heat

  08-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Half of farmers say they've had rubbish fly tipped on their land, and the majority of those asked say the problem is getting worse. These are the results of a survey of 512 farmers in England and Wales by the National Farmers Union - which is campaigning for more and stronger deterants to tackle the problem. The latest government figures show a 9 per cent year on year increase in fly tipping reported by local authorities in England between 2023/4 and 2024/5. There’s an old saying that good
  
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• 07/10/26 Sugar beet, flagstone walls, dairy show.

  07-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  After months of negotiations, British Sugar and the National Farmers Union have agreed a price for sugar beetfarmers for 2027/28. It's lower than last year, with a one-year contract paying £28.50 per tonne for up to half of the contract tonnage. This compares with £30 a tonne for up to 65% on the current crop, and that's lower than the year before.So the price is falling. Sugar beet is grown mainly in Eastern England and all the crop is processed by British Sugar, sold under the bran
  
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• 06/10/26 Rural connectivity, dry stone walls, Conservative party conference.

  06-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The Farmers Union of Wales says it's very concerned about new rules under the Telecommunications Act, which they say could see rental incomes cut by 90%.The FUW estimates that a revaluation of thousands of existing agreements could affect 15,000 masts, and if the changes put off farmers going into mast agreements, connectivity in rural Wales could be hit. We hear from a sheep farmer in Radnorshire, who's had a mast on his land for more than 20 years but the rent for it has been halved.As we cont
  
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• 05/10/26 Pig industry in crisis, beating the bounds, Green Party conference

  05-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Pig farmers say they're losing thousands of pounds a week as prices fall, but costs, particularly of feed, are rising. Processors have given notice to some farmers, saying they no longer want to buy their pigs. The National Pig Association is warning an oversupply this autumn could push prices down further. All this week we'll be looking at the hedges, fences and dry stone walls that mark out fields and how they've shaped the farming landscape.In some parts of England and Wales, including in cit
  
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• Farming Today This Week: food industry whistleblowers, red diesel, disease resilience, apprenticeships, Shetland wool, demo farm

  03-10-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  An anonymous group of senior executives from retailers and food suppliers is warning that 'short term thinking' in the industry is driving up food prices and that farmers are being left to face the financial risks of an increasingly umpredictable supply chain.Diesel prices hit an all time high this week, with drivers paying almost £2 a litre, according to the RAC. The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies of fuel, pushing up prices. Farmers don’t get their fuel fr
  
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• 02/10/26 Food industry climate whistleblowers, farm apprenticeships, Plaid Cymru conference

  02-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  An anonymous group of senior executives from retailers and food suppliers is warning that 'short term thinking' in the industry is driving up food prices and that farmers are being left to face the financial risks of an increasingly unpredictable supply chain.This week we’re talking about how young people can find a career in agriculture, and the apprenticeship route is a popular one, especially for students from family farms who are needed to work at home to keep the farm going but also n
  
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• 01/10/26 Red diesel; Labour party conference; getting into farming; the sound of worms.

  01-10-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Diesel prices hit an all time high this week, with drivers paying almost £2 a litre, according to the RAC. The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies of fuel, pushing up prices. Farmers don’t get their fuel from filling stations, they buy it in bulk and use what’s called “red diesel” - it’s dyed red and is much cheaper - with less fuel duty to pay because it’s only for use in off-road machinery. Industry surveys estimate farmers are pa
  
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• 30/09/26 Nitrogen in soil, organic veg scheme, student bursaries.

  30-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  New research shows that improving the nitrogen-cycle in the soil can significantly reduce emissions. The study took in evidence from around the world - the international research team analysed 2,235 comparisons from 210 experimental sites. We speak to one of the report's authors Professor Simon Willcock director of sustainable farming systems at the University of Reading.A project in Cardiff has been helping low income households buy organic fruit and veg. Around 120 shoppers received a Planet C
  
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• 29/09/2026: Precision breeding, Community farm, Mentoring on farm

  29-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  UK scientists leading research on precision breeding - or genetic editing - say uncertainty around the law in England could put investors off and jeopardise our competitive edge. The technology has rapidly taken hold of plant breeding and development, and has been used to develop vitamin D-rich tomatoes, and bananas that don’t turn brown.But there are still many questions surrounding the technique, for farmers, for trade and consumers too. A judicial review this summer found flaws with the
  
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• 28/09/2026: Disease resilience, getting young people into agriculture

  28-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The new president of the British Veterinary Association is calling for more resilience against disease outbreaks. As the UK battles a huge outbreak of the livestock disease Bluetongue, and there are warnings of a new pig disease in the Netherlands and Denmark, Dr Gwen Rees says as a profession, vets need to make sure they are ready to act. It comes following National Audit Office reports warning that Defra’s animal disease response plans leave the UK’s food security vulnerable to maj
  
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• 26/09/26 Farming Today This Week: 'shambolic' and 'disheartening' SFI application process; pulses; heating oil costs

  26-09-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  'Shambolic', 'disheartening' and 'carnage' - some of the words being used by farmers to describe the application process for England's biggest farm environmental scheme that opened, and closed, on Tuesday. This is the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which pays farmers for environmental work, like planting hedges or improving soil. On Tuesday, the total budget available was £253 million, it was a first come, first served system, with thousands of farmers applying and in six hours all the mon
  
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• 25/09/2026: Heating oil costs, Bluetongue lessons, Beans as chicken feed

  25-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The millions of people in rural areas who rely on oil to heat their homes have seen prices rise by 40 per cent in the past two months alone. They're not covered by the energy price cap, set by the regulator OFGEM, which limits the increase that most will see this winter because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.More than a third of households have no access to mains gas but instead rely on fuels like LPG or heating oil.The Government body which works to safeguard animal health and publi
  
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• 27/09/26 'Shambolic' and 'disheartening' SFI application process; British baked beans

  24-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  'Shambolic', 'disheartening' and 'carnage' - some of the words being used by farmers to describe the application process for England's biggest farm environmental scheme that opened, and closed, on Tuesday. This is the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which pays farmers for environmental work, like planting hedges or improving soil. On Tuesday, the total budget available was £233 million, it was a first come, first served system, with thousands of farmers applying and in six hours all the mon
  
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• 24/09/26 'Shambolic' and 'disheartening' SFI application process, British baked beans

  24-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  'Shambolic', 'disheartening' and 'carnage' - some of the words being used by farmers to describe the application process for England's biggest farm environmental scheme that opened, and closed, on Tuesday. This is the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which pays farmers for environmental work, like planting hedges or improving soil. On Tuesday, the total budget available was £233 million, it was a first come, first served system, with thousands of farmers applying and in six hours all the mon
  
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• 23/09/2026: Bluetongue, Defra funding, Growing pulses

  23-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Vets in the South West are testing breeding rams to see if the disease bluetongue has caused infertility. One vets practice in Devon said of the 500 rams they've tested, a quarter were a cause for concern.One farmer we spoke to has had to buy in extra rams to replace those found to be temporarily infertile.There's a warning the breeding season could be delayed, leading to fewer early lambs next year.
  The second window of funding for environmental schemes on farms has opened - and closed within h
  
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• 22/09/26 Potato yields, Pulse growing

  22-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  UK potato growers could be facing losses of almost £170 million because of this summer’s heatwaves and drought. That’s according to new analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a not-for-profit organisation which looks at the impacts of climate change.Add that to crop losses across Europe’s main potato growing countries - Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands - and we could be looking at 3.5 million tonnes fewer potatoes getting into the shops.We're
  
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• 21/09/2026 Pulses, SFI 'haves and have-nots', agricultural advisor training

  21-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  More beans please - should the UK be growing more pulses?The Food Foundation looked into the potential for these crops and concluded that the UK could and should be growing more of them.Farmers may have to prepare for disappointment as England's biggest environmental scheme re-opens for applications this week. This is the Sustainable Farming Incentive, the SFI, which pays farmers for environmental work. New analysis suggests that while 40,000 farmers are expected to apply for the SFI there is on
  
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• 19/09/2026 The role of farming co-ops, Shepherd protests in Bucharest, International sheep dog trials

  19-09-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  This week, we've been taking a closer look at agricultural co-ops, from very small-scale cooperative working up to huge dairy co-ops. Across Europe, it’s widely recognised that farmer collaboration can give agriculture a stronger voice in the food supply chain.   We look at how they are working in different parts of the UK and ask if there is scope for more co-operative working.The BBC's Central Europe correspondent, Nick Thorpe, reports from Romania, where thousands of shepherds
  
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• 18/09/2026: Lib Dem Party Conference, Glutinous Snails, BBC Awards finalists, The Farmers Wife on stage.

  18-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Party conference season is underway and so we'll be catching up with the rural and farming policies of the main parties around the UK over the next few weeks. The Liberal Democrats open their meeting in Brighton tomorrow. They're renewing their call for the government to protect food security by funding more on-farm reservoirs, so farmers can cope with increasingly frequent drought and deluge. The Lib Dem's Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs spokesperson, Tim Farron, tells us how the party wou
  
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• 17/09/26 Farmer protests in Romania, sheepdog trials, Scottish arable cooperative.

  17-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  There have been violent clashes during big farmer protests in Romania. Thousands of shepherds have been demonstrating in the capital Bucharest about an extension to a ban on the export of live sheep. We speak to the BBC's Central Europe correspondent to find out why.The battle to find the best sheepdog handler in Britain and Ireland has been won by a Welsh hill farmer for the second year. After a three day competition in the Cotswolds, he's been named the 2026 International Sheepdog Society Supr
  
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• 17/09/26 Farmer protests in Romania, sheedog trials, Scottish arable cooperative.

  17-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  There have been violent clashes during big farmer protests in Romania. Thousands of shepherds have been demonstrating in the capital Bucharest about an extension to a ban on the export of live sheep. We speak to the BBC's Central Europe correspondent to find out why.The battle to find the best sheepdog handler in Britain and Ireland has been won by a Welsh hill farmer for the second year. After a three day competition in the Cotswolds, he's been named the 2026 International Sheepdog Society Supr
  
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• 16/09/26 Young trees in drought, wildfires, agricultural cooperative.

  16-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Farmers have been assessing the damage done by the summer's severe drought, but it's not just low crop yields they've had to face. Woodlands have also suffered, especially younger trees which haven't had time to get fully established, which can take up to five years. In 2024-25 just over 10 million individual trees were planted in England. How many of those have died? And what can farmers do if they've planted trees using grant money but now have thousands of dead saplings on their land? We spea
  
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• 15.09.26 Calls for a rural reset, how to harvest small scale arable, dairy co-operative.

  15-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett has told the government to 'reset' it's rural policy, and 'learn from its mistakes' with inheritance tax. Speaking at an event launching the Countryside Alliance's 'Campaign for The Countryside', he said the government should also “set aside pro­pos­als to ban trail hunt­ing” and he warned that “for our coun­tryside to be sus­tain­able, it requires a listen­ing gov­ern­ment.” We speak to t
  
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• 14/09/26 Calls for more farm co-ops, Hereford cattle dispute, flax and hemp

  14-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  We hear calls for more ‘cooperative working’, to give farmers a louder voice in the food supply chain.When is a Hereford cow not a Hereford cow? How a dispute about breed purity has ended up in the High Court.And cultivating hemp and flax for building materials is now the focus of a trial project on a number of farms in Dorset.Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
  
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• Farming Today This Week 12/09/26 Bluetongue disease, Kelso Ram Sales, sheep rustling, farming without fossil fuels, Wild Summit.

  12-09-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The number of bluetongue cases since the first of July in the UK has now topped a thousand. That’s nearly three times the number of positive cases for the whole of the previous year to that date. How are farmers feeling about the UK’s largest ever outbreak of this livestock disease?There have been fears that livestock movement restrictions imposed to try to halt the spread of the outbreak could disrupt this autumn’s big sheep sales, which play a critical role in the shepherding
  
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• 11/09/26 Bluetongue disease, sheep rustling, Kelso sheep sales

  11-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The number of bluetongue cases since the first of July in the UK has now topped a thousand. That’s nearly three times the number of positive cases for the whole of the previous year to that date. How are farmers feeling about the UK’s largest-ever outbreak of this livestock disease?There have been fears that livestock movement restrictions imposed to try to halt the spread of the outbreak could disrupt this autumn’s big sheep sales, which play a critical role in the shepherding
  
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• 10/09/26 Sustainable dairy farming; Falkland salmon; tractor fuel from willow.

  10-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  UK dairy cows produce around 15 billion litres of milk every year and each litre comes with an environmental cost: methane and greenhouse gas emissions; energy and water use; and potential pollution. Scotland’s Rural College, SRUC, has completed a study looking at what the dairy sector needs to do to improve sustainbility and reduce its impact on the environment, while staying resilient and profitable. The report was commissioned by The Dairy Roadmap, an industry-wide initiative to improve
  
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• 09/09/2026 UK's self-sufficiency in food; bio-gas production on farm; Shetland's food.

  09-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Britain is producing less food now than 30 years ago, with lower levels of self sufficiency in 10 out of 11 key food stuffs grown by UK farmers. That’s according to a new report from the National Farmers Union which argues that food production been overlooked as a national priority by successive governments. The UK's biomethane network says producing green energy could offer an "incredible opportunity" for farmers. The National Energy System Operator- or NESO -is responsible for planning a
  
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• 08/09/2026: Spy in the tractor cab? Surrey hops, The Experimental Farmer

  08-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  A Westminster think tank has warned that internet-connected technology has the potential to be used by China to spy on the UK food system. The Coalition on Secure Technology describes itself as a cross-party group of policymakers and experts. It says that components which allow devices like tractors and crop monitoring drones to connect to mobile networks could present a security risk, with the majority of these 'Internet of Things' modules being made in China.Think of English hop growing and yo
  
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• 07/09/26 Government call for evidence on gamebirds, farming without oil

  07-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Every year, huge numbers of pheasant and partridge are raised across the UK for shoots, with around 40 million released into the countryside. Now the Government is launching a call for evidence to understand the welfare and environmental impact of the birds, which are kept in enclosures before their release.As farmers decide how they're going to manage next year's crops, the cost of fertiliser and fuel will be in the mix. But what if you could farm without fertiliser or diesel? This week we'll b
  
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• Farming Today This Week 05/09/26 Bluetongue; food security; data centres; river DNA testing; corncrakes; dung beetle vet.

  05-09-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  As the UK experiences its worst ever outbreak of the livestock disease bluetongue, we find out how government vets and scientists are coping as they deal with thousands of cases. The trade union which represents them says morale is low and the workload is mountainous. They say more long term strategic planning is needed and better pay to address staff shortages.How well prepared are we for a major threat to our food security? Not quite well enough, according to the National Audit Office report o
  
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• 04/09/26 National Audit Office report on food security resilience, corncrakes, late strawberries

  04-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  How well prepared are we for a major threat to our food security? Not quite well enough, according to the National Audit Office, which is publishing a report later today on resilience in England’s food supply chain. Why strawberry growers have found their plants are still producing healthy, even bumper crops much later than usual. There are only around eleven hundred calling male corncrakes in the UK, but that number may be about to grow. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fe
  
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• 03/09/2026 Scientists dealing with bluetongue, Lough Neagh sampling, Normandy food producers.

  03-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  As the UK experiences its worst ever outbreak of the livestock disease bluetongue, we find out how government vets and scientists are coping as they deal with thousands of cases. The trade union which represents them says morale is low and the workload is mountainous. They say more long term strategic planning is needed and better pay to address staff shortages.Scientists in Northern Ireland are using DNA methods to help identify the exact source of pollution in Lough Neagh. It's the fourth summ
  
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• 02/09/2926 Data centres on farmland, harvest in Uist, River Tweed.

  03-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The many pressures on land use are coming into sharper focus in Scotland where opposition is growing to a series of large AI data centres planned across the central belt, between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The ruling Scottish National Party’s national council is calling for a moratorium on building them. Most of the centres are to be built on open countryside, and farmers are among the people who have raised concerns. However the boss of one data centre company claims the centres could bring a
  
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• 01/09/26 Crisis loans, pasture for drought resilience, river DNA testing

  01-09-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Farming groups from around the country are pressing for what they are calling 'a government-backed, interest-free Keep Britain Growing Loan' which they say will help farmers maintain cashflow and fund next season’s crop production.How using pasture sown with a diverse mix of grasses, legumes, and deep-rooted herbs and rotational grazing can help in times of drought.Finding out exactly what species are in a river can be challenging, but environmental DNA sampling is a relatively new tool wh
  
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• 31/08/2026: Wildlife corridors

  31-08-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Anna Hill travels on a safari with a difference, across North Norfolk, to discover how dozens of farmers have joined together to create connected corridors for wildlife and farming. She explores four projects funded by FiPL (Farming in Protected Landscapes), follows a 26-mile mega-hedgerow across 14 farms; a 10 mile corridor of wildflower margins along a river bed; follows a new shepherdess moving a flock of sheep across contiguous arable farms to fertilise the soil; and sees the extraordinary n
  
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• 29/08/2026: bluetongue, future crops, lavender farm

  29-08-2026 08:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  With the livestock disease bluetongue still spreading across the UK, we speak to a Dutch vet about how they coped with a massive outbreak there in 2023, and what we can learn.This week we've been looking at what crops farmers might grow in the future to cope with a changing climate - whether precision-bred crops, or turning to traditional varieties.
  And we're at a lavender farm in the Lake District.The farm uses several varieties of the aromatic herb, including those from Provence in France.
  Pre
  
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• 28/08/26 Licensing firearms and shotguns, lavender in the Lakes, gene-edited salad crops

  28-08-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  The system for licensing firearms and shotguns in England and Wales is not fit for purpose and should be replaced to ensure public safety. That’s the conclusion of a report published today by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.When Sandi Thornton started growing lavender on her 30-acre farm in the south of the Lake District, some neighbours did raise a quizzical eyebrow. Two years on, the lavender beds are getting established and there’s a
  
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• 27/08/2026: Beef imports, Miscanthus

  27-08-2026 07:00 via Farming Today
  
  
  Farmers in the UK are urging the government to ban imports of beef from Brazil amid fears that it's not produced to the same high standard. The EU and Norway have already imposed bans because of Brazil's use of antibiotics, which they fear could lead to resistance.In the US cattle farmers are angry about President Trump's plan to allow beef in tariff-free to bring consumer prices down.They say it'll undermine their industry.
  And we visit a long-running trial of miscanthus at Aberystwyth Universi
  
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