23/04/20 - British farm workers, run-off, vets and coronavirus

Farming Today

• Episode: 23/04/20 - British farm workers, run-off, vets and coronavirus
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:13:25
• Published: 2020-04-23 07:00

British fruit and vegetable farmers say travel restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus mean there will be a lack of seasonal labour to harvest crops this summer. The Government has launched it's Pick for Britain campaign, and tens of thousands of people have registered an interest, but Farming Today listeners have been in touch saying that they’ve applied for work on farms, without success. Charlotte Smith looks into what's really going on. Once the new agriculture bill becomes law the water quality of rivers is likely to be defined as a ‘public good’, so something farmers will be able to claim public money to improve. Run off is one of the issues here: in simple terms its when rain runs off fields into streams and rivers taking with it soil and chemicals from fertilisers and pesticides. We hear some of the latest advice for farmers and land managers about how best to prevent it. And our latest Farming Today Audio Diary comes from a farm vet in South Wales. Presenter - Charlotte Smith Producer - Heather Simons Studio Manager - Nick Ford