24/02/2022 Farming Rules for Water and rising farm costs - Publication Date |
- Feb 24, 2022
- Episode Duration |
- 00:13:40
Last year, the Environment Agency released it’s interpretation of the Farming Rules for Water, which aimed to protect waterways from pollution by restricting what farmers can spread, and when. But those rules are confusing farmers who have been prevented from spreading in the autumn. So, the government’s agreed to make the rules clearer and will announce any changes in the spring. We spoke to Emma Howard Boyd who chairs the Environment Agency about what she wants to see.
We’ve heard about the inflation costs famers are facing, but for horticulture, the key issue is labour - the cost and the supply of it. We spoke to Ali Capper, chair of the National Farmers’ Union’s Horticulture & Potatoes Board about these rising costs.
And if it’s costing you more to produce food, how can you negotiate getting a better price from the retailer? David Miles is Director of The Retail Mind and a former Commercial Director at ASDA, who told us farmers shouldn’t be afraid to ask for more.
Presented by Anna Hill
Produced by Heather Simons for BBC Audio