Farming Today

Britain’s pubs and bars will be busy with Boxing Day drinkers enjoying a seasonal pint or two today. But how many will give a thought to the way the beer they’re enjoying arrived in the store room or cellar? In this festive programme, Vernon Harwood visits one of the last breweries in the country to continue the tradition of delivering beer by horse-drawn dray. Hook Norton Brewery in Oxfordshire owns a trio of magnificent Shire horses named Brigadier, Balmoral and Cromwell who live in stables on site and graze the fields nearby. They have become local celebrities and crowds of spectators gather every time they appear in public to pull the brewery dray, loaded with kegs of ale, through the winding village lanes.At the start of the 20th century Shire horses were a common sight in the British countryside as well as in our towns and cities. Around a million Shires worked the fields as plough horses, pulled canal barges and omnibuses, transported goods and carried passengers for the railway companies, among many other tasks. But those days are long gone and it’s almost impossible to see heavy horses genuinely employed to do a job of work today. The Shire Horse Society says only 250 foals are born each year which puts the breed firmly at risk of extinction. So why is the brewery so passionate about keeping its Shires, who looks after the animals and what are the advantages of delivering a horse-powered pint?Produced and presented by Vernon Harwood.

Farms for City Children was set up by the writer Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare 50 years ago. They were both young teachers and wanted to help children connect with farming and the countryside. We find out how their vision became a reality and hear from children visiting their farm in Devon. Produced and presented by Fiona Clampin.

With a military pipe band and trumpet fanfares, Caz Graham joins pensioners at the Royal Hospital Chelsea for their Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses, a festive tradition where dairy processors and farmers present cheese for the Hospital’s Christmas celebrations. It dates back to the late 1600s when Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned by King Charles II to build a sanctuary for soldiers "broken by age and war". He asked the dairies of London to give cheese every Christmas to the veterans who became known as the Chelsea Pensioners.Caz meets the Hospital’s Governor to hear about the origins of this ancient ceremony, farmers whose milk goes into some of the cheeses, and some of the pensioners taking part, including Andy Kay, the Chelsea pensioner who cuts the first slice of a huge 25kg Montgomery cheddar with a ceremonial sword.There's also the latest news on the government's proposals for inheritance tax on farm businesses.Produced and presented by Caz Graham.

We hear from both sides of the hunting divide about the Government's plan to ban trail hunting in England and Wales. Trail hunting was introduced after hunting foxes, and other animals, with hounds was banned under the 2004 Hunting Act. It involves hounds following an animal scent based trail. The Government and anti-hunting campaigners argue that the practice is being used by some as a smokescreen for intentional, illegal, hunting of foxes. They say the current law needs to be changed urgently. The Countryside Alliance says there's no evidence that the Hunting Act is unenforceable and that those who hunt illegally are prosecuted.We drop in at a lunch organised to combat social isolation at Christmas for older people in the Highlands. And, how much trickier has Christmas tree production been due to this year's summer drought?Presenter: Anna Hill Producer: Sarah Swadling

Colony cages for hens and pig's farrowing crates are to be phased out as part of the Government's animal welfare strategy which is launched today. Trail hunting and snares will be banned while new laws on livestock worrying will be introduced. Ministers say it's the most ambitious such strategy in a generation.We hear reaction to the Batters' Review of profitability in farming. It was published last week and makes 57 recommendations to government and, as she put it, calls for 'a total recalculation' of farming's economic importance to England.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.