30/06/25 Bluetongue restrictions, telecoms leases, regenerative agriculture

Farming Today

From July, livestock going from England to Wales or Scotland must be tested for bluetongue, and farmers are warning the new system could be "catastrophic" for their businesses. The virus is spread by biting midges. It doesn't affect humans but can cause fever and lameness in cattle and sheep. From July 1st, the whole of England will become a bluetongue restriction zone, meaning livestock can move freely around. Governments in Cardiff and Edinburgh, however, have decided that animals coming from England must test negative for the virus before they're allowed in.

Farmers renting land for mobile phone masts may be about to lose money. The government is considering changing the rules, which would allow companies to re-write rental agreements and potentially impose rent cuts retrospectively. The guidelines are part of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, part two. There were changes to the rules in 2017 which, critics say, caused a lot of problems. The Country Land and Business Association or CLA thinks the new proposals will make things worse.

All week, we're talking about regenerative agriculture. It's a way of farming which aims to restore and protect soils. Regen methods include farming without ploughing, using cover crops so fields are never left bare, growing a range of crops, and using animals to fertilise the ground. But there is no one definition of "regenerative". Professor Andy Neal, a soil microbiologist at Rothamsted Research, explains why he thinks that's a good thing.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney