Farming Today

Mackerel will soon be disappearing from the shelves of Waitrose as the supermarket says it's 'taking a stand against overfishing'. In September last year the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), recommended that North-east Atlantic Mackerel catches should be cut by 70% to help rebuild stocks to a sustainable level. But four countries which fish for Mackerel in the North East Atlantic cut their quota for 2026 by just 48% compared to the previous year. As a result, Waitrose has decided to suspend sourcing from the end of April. Fishing organisations in Scotland say they are disappointed and feel they have been unfairly penalised because - they say - the UK has led the way in trying to secure sustainable fishing for Mackerel.
Anna Hill reports from a Cromer seafood processor who's experiencing a drop in the availability of Crabs following fishing disruption due to wind farm construction.
It's been a worrying winter for poultry farmers, with cases of avian flu in England, Scotland and Wales. The Pirbright Institute's Head of Avian Virology updates us on what he describes as the 'third worst ever' epidemic of high pathogenicity bird flu in the UK, and reflects on what might lie ahead over the spring and summer.
Cambridge University's vet school will not be closing after all. The University's governing body has rejected proposals to cease taking new entrants.
Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling

The farming minister says changes announced this week will help make farms more resilient. Angela Eagle speaks to us about the government's biggest environmental scheme, England's Sustainable Farming Incentive, which is getting an overhaul. The other UK nations have different schemes. Reaction has been generally welcoming, with some buts...
Farmers and landowners are calling for a new arrangement which would allow them to take rubbish illegally fly tipped on their land to landfill sites free of charge. At the moment they have to foot the bill for any clean up. This comes as new government figures for England show a nine per cent increase year on year in the number of incidents local councils have to deal with. We hear an update on the illegal waste site cleanup at Hoad's Wood near Ashford in Kent.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Environment Secretary has revealed more details of the rebooted Sustainable Farming Incentive in England, at the National Farmers Union Conference. It'll include an annual cap of £100,000 and fewer options. Smaller farms of between 3 and 50 hectares will be able to apply in June, as will larger farms who haven't previously been signed up to one of the Environment Land Management schemes. Everyone else will be able to apply in September. The President of the NFU, Tom Bradshaw, told the conference that that a failure to build farming resilience would put food security, and national security at risk. Some of the delegates reflect on resilience and confidence in their own businesses: we hear from a pig farmer, wheat and potato grower, and a young dairy farmer.
Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling

It's four years today since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. It's obviously been devastating for the population; and while front line fighters and high pressure politics make the headlines, its the country's farmers who have the massive responsibility of keeping the people of Ukraine fed. The war has led to soaring prices of fuel and fertiliser - but more than that, labour shortages and continual power cuts have put massive pressure on what was an efficient and profitable industry.
We hear from Kees Huizinga, a Dutch farmer who moved to Ukraine to run a large mixed farm, just before the invasion took place. He estimates that 20 percent of farm land has been lost to the war.
We also hear from the BBC's former Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse who's seen the devastation for himself.
Several farmers in the Midlands have been giving up pieces of their land to create wetland habitats for wintering birds. Work is being carried out to make scrapes and channels on fields so they’ll attract species like the snipe and the lapwing.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner

The government's announced a new 10 year plan for controlling deer numbers in England. It estimates that a third of woodlands are damaged by deer and says immediate action is needed to protect trees and crops.
A project in the Ashdown Forest aims to persuade more people to eat venison. Deer managers are working with the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, and with apprentice butchers at Plumpton College.
BBC News NI has obtained figures showing there have been over 150 farm related accidents in Northern Ireland between 2019-2025. We hear from a musician whose career was jeopardised by a machinery accident on the family farm.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling