Badger Cull, Countrywide, Sprouts

Why support from vets for the Government's controversial badger cull is faltering. We hear from John Backwell, President of the British Veterinary Association. He says that the BVA still supports "targeted humane culling of wildlife reservoirs" as part of controlling Bovine Tuberculosis, but leaked minutes from its Ethics and Welfare Committee showed that some members felt the "fragile consensus" supporting badger culling no longer exists.

One of the UK's leading suppliers of products and services to the rural community has announced it's no longer going to be selling seed or livestock feed in bulk, and it's cutting its staff by 10 percent. Countrywide Farmers is selling off its dairy, nutrition and agronomy divisions to its competitors. Their Chief Executive John Hardman tells Anna Hill why the growth in the size of farms meant they wanted to buy in bulk, and they Countrywide weren't able to compete.

The sprout industry in the UK is estimated to be worth more than £50M a year - most of which is made in just a few weeks around Christmas, when normal production has to increase ten-fold. All this week, we're exploring the world of brassicas, and the Brussels sprout has a special place, because it is specifically grown for our Christmas dinners. I've been to meet John Mason at one of the country's largest growers, Lincolnshire Field Products, which has about 7 thousand acres of brassicas.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Mark Smalley.