Rural social care, Young farmers in Wales, Avian flu, Macbeth tourism, Food & Farming Awards

Farming Today

• Episode: Rural social care, Young farmers in Wales, Avian flu, Macbeth tourism, Food & Farming Awards
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:13:40
• Published: 2018-01-26 07:00

Rural communities are facing a "crisis" in social care, according to a new report from Rural England. Significantly more older people live in rural areas in comparison with cities; 20% of the rural population is 65 or over, compared with 16% in urban areas. The report found a severe lack of support for elderly people in the countryside, and says the government must adapt its approach to fit these areas. Charlotte Smith speaks to Jo Lavis, one of the report's authors; and Sue Bradley from Age UK North Craven. The Welsh government is looking for bright young farmers to help develop future agricultural policy, as part of fresh efforts to regenerate the agricultural sector. The Rural Affairs Secretary Lesley Griffiths made the announcement at the annual Farmers Union of Wales farmhouse breakfast in Cardiff Bay this week; BBC Wales Environment Correspondent Steffan Messenger reports. The Welsh Government has declared the country an avian flu prevention zone, describing the move as a "precaution" after the discovery of infected wild birds in England. An England-wide prevention zone was announced last week, after avian influenza was detected in wild birds in Dorset and Warwickshire. The regulations mean all keepers must follow certain guidelines to reduce the chance of infection moving from wild birds into farmed birds; those guidelines are available on the Defra website. All week Farming Today's been talking about farm diversification - how farmers make the most of their land with new business ventures. Tourism has become a key source of income for many farmers, via animal encounters, campsites and outdoor pursuits. But it helps if you can offer something unique. For one farm near Forres in Moray, that something is a link with a certain King of Scotland and three witches. Macbeth's Hillock lies on land farmed for nearly a century by the family of Roy McConnachie and is reputed to be where Macbeth and Banquo met the witches. Now, the family wants to make more of the site's history - with five 'glamping pods' scheduled to open in May. Moira Hickey went to visit, in a bid to separate fact from fiction. Nominations for the 2018 BBC Food and Farming Awards close on Monday - so if you want to put someone forward, or nominate yourself, then you'd better get cracking! Titles up for grabs include Best Food Producer, Best Drinks Producer and the BBC Cook of the Year - and of course the Farming Today Future Food Award, which recognises innovation, ambition and forward-thinking in the food supply chain. All details on how to nominate your food and farming heroes are available on the BBC website. Presented by Charlotte Smith; produced by Lucy Taylor.