Farming Today This Week

Farming Today this week visits a farm in Cheshire and an ancient wood in Staffordshire to see how the new proposed route for HS2 will affect farmers, landowners and wildlife.John Keleher and Pat Mather own a chicken farm and stud in Pickmere, Cheshire, the route for the HS2 will go directly through their farmhouse and land. They say they are completely devastated.One transport economist says the route is necessary for Britain as our infrastructure has reached capacity and in the long term it will balance the North/South economic divide.Meanwhile in Staffordshire, the HS2 will cut through an ancient wood in Whitmore. Its owner Edward Cavenagh-Mainwaring accepts that modern progress must happen but queries whether the planned route is the best one. Farming Today approached the Department of Transport but no one was available for interview.Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Ruth Sanderson.