Farming Today

02/10/20 Farmers warn of labour shortages, seaweed for livestock feed, report says national parks should plant more trees

Farming Today

Farmers are warning of labour shortages after efforts to get farming roles included on the list of skilled jobs where there is a national shortage of workers have largely failed. They say dairy farms in particular may face problems. We’ve been talking about seaweed all week and as more research is done into the methane emitted by cattle and sheep, scientists are beginning to think that feeding to seaweed to livestock could reduce their carbon footprint. One particular type of red seaweed is currently being trialled at two farms in Ireland. England’s national parks aren’t doing enough to combat climate change and should more than double their woodlands - so says Friends of the Earth which is publishing research which it says shows that more trees could be planted without damaging important ecosystems or high grade farmland. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

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