Farming Today This Week

Caz Graham visits a Hereford farm where the wheat will not be used to make bread, biscuits or even animal feed this year. It is being harvested for the seeds. It is one of many farms across the UK which produce crops, fruits and vegetables purely for this purpose. The seeds will then be replanted and will multiply to produce food in the years to come. Phillip Gorringe's farm on the English-Welsh border has 900 acres of crops all grown for seeds, including barley, rye grass and peas.

Half of the 330,000 tonnes of wheat planted in the UK is bought from seed merchants and grown in this way. Paul Taylor, Chairman of the Agricultural Industry Seed Committee explains how the industry works. The rest of the wheat seeds are saved by farmers themselves and replanted in their fields. Anna Hill visits a farm in East Anglia having it's barley seed processed ready to be used again. Whilst in Scotland, famous for it's seed potatoes, Moira Hickey talks to a third generation farmer who exports his spud seeds around the world. And as scientist work on new varieties, the National Institute for Agricultural Botany explains how vital it is to develop seed strains that could double the current yield to keep up with demand for food.

Presenter: Caz Graham; Producer: Angela Frain.