21/12/21 - The end of Farmdrop, avian flu, and parsnips for Christmas

Farming Today

• Episode: 21/12/21 - The end of Farmdrop, avian flu, and parsnips for Christmas
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:13:39
• Published: 2021-12-21 07:00

Farmers have been left picking up the pieces after the online Grocery company, Farmdrop, suddenly ceased trading last week. It specialised in connecting small scale farmers, growers and independent businesses with customers. As many as 450 suppliers will be affected by the company’s collapse. Some farmers are owed tens of thousands of pounds, others delivered large orders of meat just hours before learning the company had gone into administration. The UK is facing its largest ever outbreak of avian flu. More than sixty cases have been confirmed across the country since the start of November with more than 2 million domestic birds infected. The Government’s Chief Vet has told us the high level of infection on farms this year is down to higher than normal infections in wild birds. And parsnips are a key ingredient of Christmas dinner...which makes it a busy time of year for parsnip farmers! Presented by Caz Graham Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons