Farming Today

Village churches are as much a part of our rural landscape as trees and hedgerows. However according to a recent survey by the National Churches Trust, as many as nine hundred of Britain's countryside churches are in danger of closing in the next five years. We visit a church in North Cumbria where the farming community is determined to save it. We also speak to the National Churches Trust about their fears for the future of small rural churches.There's also discussion of the latest government changes to planning regulations.Producer: Rebecca Rooney

The Prime Minister has told a select committee he is aware of the pressure farmers are facing because of the government's plan to reimpose inheritance tax on them. However, despite close questioning from his own MPs, he made no commitment to change. Sir Kier Starmer was in front of the Liaison Committee which is made up of all the Chairs of the House of Commons Select Committees, who head up investigations into government departments. The countryside charity the CPRE, says it's concerned that most new housing is being built on green-field sites. It fears the government will create urban sprawl as it tries to fulfil its manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the next parliament.All week on Farming Today we’re talking about the rural heritage buildings that make up our countryside, everything from old farm barns to country mansions. All of these buildings will need maintenance and repair, but there's only one centre in the UK teaching NVQ Level 3 qualifications, in Heritage Construction skills. We visit the Tywi Centre in Carmarthenshire,.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Caz Graham talks to the President of the Irish Farmers Association, Francie Gorman, about the journey he's embarking upon from Dublin to Brussels by tractor as part of a Europe wide protest. Farmers are concerned about Common Agricultural Policy reforms, which could see the budget ringfenced for farm subsidies cut by around 20%. They're also angry about the potential impact of a trade deal between the EU and the South American bloc MERCOSUR, which could mean an increase in beef from Brazil and other cheap imports. An environmental group in Northern Ireland plans to demonstrate the benefits of nature friendly farming on a 90-acre hillside farm it’s recently bought in County Fermanagh. The Ulster Wildlife Trust says the new Fedian Nature Reserve is a rare example of farmland largely free of chemical or fertiliser inputs.Traditional rural buildings are rich with history and a unique record of how farming and country life has changed over the centuries. But many are under threat; they’re expensive to maintain and often not practical for modern use. Throughout this week we’re going to be hearing about efforts to preserve them, and we start in Nottinghamshire where an old farmstead has been repurposed as The Walks of Life Museum in Tuxford. Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling

Despite the impact of avian flu, which has been devastating for some turkey farmers, the industry says there will not be a shortage this Christmas. Poultry farms were hit so badly in 2022 that many farmers brought in contingency plans to cope with the possibility of the disease striking them.Rural roads are significantly more dangerous than urban ones. The latest figures from the Department for Transport show that 956 people were killed in 2024, that's 72% more than on urban roads. The figures have been analysed by NFU Mutual insurance, and it's now calling for more specific training for driving on rural roads, especially for those who break the law.The Spanish region of Catalonia is still coping with the arrival of African swine fever, which was first diagnosed in wild boar on November 28th. There have now been 13 confirmed cases in wild boar, and 80,000 pigs are having to be slaughtered as a precaution. The authorities are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility.Thousands of people are still not connected to the National Grid and rely on generators for power, according to the energy regulator. Ofgem estimates up to 2,000 properties in the UK are still off-grid. Some have been asked to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds if they want a connection. Now a charity in Northumberland says the government should do more to help.All week, we've been talking about rare breeds of livestock and at just 15 years of age, Sebastian Carr is quite the celebrity in the world of rare breed pigs. He's won awards for his herd of Saddlebacks. His passion for pigs began when he was just eight and he received four piglets as a Christmas present.Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Food Standards Agency has agreed to a public consultation on the fees it takes from abattoirs. They are charged by the FSA for their official vets and meat hygiene inspectors who monitor food safety and animal welfare. The smallest abattoirs already get a 90 percent discount, but under the new system being proposed that reduction would benefit more businesses. We’ve been exploring the world of rare and native livestock breeds all this week, and they don’t come much rarer than the Ancient Cattle of Wales. There are only around 200 of them left. Earlier this year they were added to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist, and now the Ancient Cattle of Wales Society is on the case, trying to reverse the decline in numbers by promoting the breed. And we meet a couple of retired tenant farmers who now go around the country offering holiday relief for farmers, who struggle to leave their livestock for holidays. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Sally Challoner.