Farming Today

Charlotte Smith is in Devon to reflect on the impact of the 2001 Foot and Mouth crisis 25 years on. Highly contagious foot and mouth disease was confirmed at an Essex abattoir on 19th February 2001. The outbreak which followed led to the slaughter of 6.5 million cattle, sheep, and pigs and cost the UK economy an estimated £8 billion. The emotional cost to farming families was incalculable. Charlotte speaks to the then South West Regional Director of the National Farmers Union, Anthony Gibson, who recalls the 'cataclysm' which hit the farming community. Farming Today's Caz Graham remembers the smell of burning pyres and disinfectant on the air in Cumbria, the worst hit county. She hosted a nightly phone in on BBC Radio Cumbria during the crisis, where callers would share their grief and anger. Charlotte visits Phil Heard's farm on Dartmoor, which got caught up in the controversial 'contiguous cull' policy, in which farms neighbouring confirmed outbreaks of Foot and Mouth would also have their animals compulsorily slaughtered.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling

The Environment Agency and Met Office are warning of more rain and unsettled weather continuing into March at least. And that’s going to delay essential farm jobs even longer - crops not planted, slurry not spread. For contractors who rely on this work, the forecast is another blow. Their national body - the National Association of Agricultural Contractors - has been meeting in Cornwall to discuss the situation. Its chair Matt Redman told Caz Graham the rain is stopping vital work, and when it finally clears there will be less time to complete the work, putting extra strain on staff and machinery.
The UK is facing an acute shortages of vets, particularly in farm animal and public sector roles. A survey last year suggested that more than 40 % of ‘large animal’ vets have considered leaving their jobs, and replacing them will be difficult - many undergraduates who study veterinary science have limited exposure to farmers and agriculture, and choose to specialise in other parts of the profession. Will Golding is a graduate of the University of Nottingham’s vet school and knew from the off that farm vet practice was the career for him.
Not having access to a large animal vet makes farming - or crofting - impossible. So when the last vet on the Hebridean Island of Tiree retired and no one came forward to take over the practice, islanders realised they’d have to take matter into their own hands. This week they’ve opened what’s thought to be UK’s first ‘not for profit’ community owned vets.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced in Bristol by Sally Challoner

Thirty four tonnes of illegal meat and animal products were intercepted over the course of January, at Dover docks. The Port Health Authority says it's the highest monthly total they have ever seized. Meanwhile, also in January, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority discovered 300 kilos of illegal pork at Harwich. It was found wrapped in foil and packed into suitcases. The chair of the Commons Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee, Alistair Carmichael, gives his reaction.
We’re talking about farm vets all this week on the programme. Until 1999 UK veterinary practises had to be owned by vets but now 60 per cent of practises are owned by companies - some of them large. In Staffordshire, farm vet Ellen Widdowson decided to set up her own independent practice, with a colleague, after her previous employer was bought by a corporate group.
The Home Office has said it’ll no longer give special temporary access to the UK for overseas sheep shearers. The National Association of Agricultural Contractors says the concession is essential to the farming industry, and the decision could compromise animal welfare. The association estimates the 75 or so overseas shearers, who mainly come from New Zealand and Australia, would shear up to 1.5 million sheep during their time in the UK.
Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Sarah Swadling

Livestock worrying cost UK farmers nearly two million pounds last year, a ten percent increase on the year before. Farm insurers NFU Mutual, who published the figures, say that’s in spite of many pet owners believing their own dogs are incapable of injuring or killing farm animals.
This week we're exploring the role of the farm vet and today we're out on the round with a cattle vet in Wiltshire.
More than two hundred thousand new hedgerow trees are being planted this winter, as part of the Campaign To Protect Rural England's Hedgerow heroes Initiative. BBC South East Today's Chrissie Reidy went along to see planting at the Birling Estate in Kent.
Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Sarah Swadling

There'll be a bigger splash of bright yellow across the countryside later in the spring, at least compared to last year. Signs are that, after a 40 year low in planting, Oilseed Rape is starting to come back into favour with farmers. Many had moved away from it because of pest problems, the chemical used to combat the Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle was banned in the UK in 2010. Low prices for other crops have made oilseed rape a more appealing prospect.
Our subject for the week is farm vets. The UK is short of vets who want to work on farms and indeed those who want to work in the Government's animal health services, where the vacancy rate is about 25%. With the University of Cambridge considering closing its vet course and a survey last year suggesting that more than 40 per cent of farm vets have considered leaving their jobs: what's the future? Charlotte Smith discusses the reasons for a shortage of vets, and what could be done about it, with the president of the British Veterinary Association.
We also hear from a panel of experts discussing the potential risks and benefits of Artificial Intelligence for vets and farmers.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling