03/02/21 Shortage of farm workers, importing breeding stock post-Brexit, agro-forestry

Farming Today

• Episode: 03/02/21 Shortage of farm workers, importing breeding stock post-Brexit, agro-forestry
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:13:24
• Published: 2021-02-03 07:00

Farmers are worried about recruiting enough permanent staff now that we've left the European Union. The National Farmers' Union says many jobs fall through the gaps in the Government’s points-based immigration system, and farms could close as a result. The government says British workers should be trained up instead. As we heard yesterday on the programme, the future of imports and exports of live breeding animals between the EU and the UK hangs in the balance. Ports on both sides of the border have to install specialist facilities for animal inspections under the new Brexit agreement, by the 1st of July. Portsmouth City council was hoping to build a facility for the trade but yesterday afternoon it decided to pull out because of a shortfall in funding. All this week we're looking at agro-ecology. Growing trees in pasture and arable systems is one way of farming in this more sustainable way. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.