Farming Today

The Royal Highland Show hopes to welcome 200,000 visitors across four days. In this programme we report from the show, hearing farmers' views on the Scottish Government's plan for a supermarket price cap on essential food items, speaking to the new Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs and hearing about the hardest job on the showground... ice cream tasting!
Meanwhile in the south west of England, we hear about an emergency by-law that's been passed in Cornwall, to restrict the number of boats coming in to fish for octopus. The ongoing octopus bloom has been described as a 'gold rush' as huge sums are being made - two weeks ago Brixham fish market experienced a record catch of 103 tonnes, worth £400,000. But the octopus are also causing problems - eating crab and lobster and devastating that industry locally.
Presented by Caz Graham
Produced by Heather Simons

An emergency by-law has been passed in Cornwall, to restrict the number of boats coming in to take advantage of the ongoing bloom of octopus on the south coast.

It's been described as a 'gold rush' as huge sums are being made - Brixham fish market recently experienced a record catch of 103 tonnes - worth £400,000.
But the octopus are also causing problems - eating crab and lobster and devastating that industry locally. It's hoped the new by-law will help those stocks recover.
The latest Government figures show a 27% rise in the amount of Scottish land farmed organically in the year to June 2025 - that compares to a 7.3% rise across the UK as a whole. Over the past five years, the Scottish Government had the goal of doubling the area of land managed organically, and the organic certifiying and campaigning group The Soil Association says that political backing - along with scrapping an upper limit on farm size for organic grants - has helped.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.
The programme has been edited since broadcast to correct a statistic on the amount of organic farmland in Scotland.

Around 200,000 visitors will be visiting The Royal Highland Show this week. Farmers and growers will be showcasing their produce at the Royal Highland Centre on the edge of Edinburgh. There are around 6000 entries, with trophies for everything from cattle, sheep and pigs to horses, honey and gelato.
The Scottish Government made some announcements at the show too: they've brought forward plans for a Rural Renewal Bill and reiterated their plan to cap prices on supermarket essentials. Farmers are concerned about who'll pay for that. We speak to the new Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian Martin.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

After Farming Minister Angela Eagle’s reshuffling out of DEFRA, we hear why the farming industry really doesn’t like ministerial churn.
We're looking at Scottish agricultural policy all week. There’s a debate around whether land that’s used for grazing, rather than growing other crops, should be targeted to produce more environmental benefits.
Precision farming techniques and automation are getting more popular as a way to help reduce costs, but they depend on good connectivity. Something that can be a challenge in rural areas.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The owner of one of the last remaining abattoirs in the south east of England has said he's furious after a court ruled that the food regulator has been over charging for its hygiene and animal welfare checks. A number of abattoirs have been forced to close recently due to rising financial pressures. Earlier this month, a High Court judge said some of these costs, enforced by the Food Standards Agency, should never have been charged.
A new study by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, published by Natural England, suggests that the release of millions of pheasant and partridge into the countryside for shooting does not have a significant impact on the insect population in the wider environment. However, campaigners claim the releases do have a detrimental impact.
As Scotland's farmers get ready for the Royal Highland Show, we're taking a closer look at how the country has designed its own farming and rural policy post-Brexit, under its devolved powers. The changes won't be fully implemented until 2030. Like the policy of 'public money for public goods' in England, many of the changes in Scotland centre around including payments for enhancing the environment. Not all farmers have embraced the idea of including wildlife alongside food production, but farmer and writer Tom Bowser has done more than most, including releasing beavers on his farmland.
Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Rebecca Rooney