29/04/21 - Imports from the EU, a global farm sustainability metric and the Scottish election

A new report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee criticises the fact that checks on food imports from the EU still haven’t come into force. The need for health certificates on imports like meat and milk will start in October, with in-person inspections on animal products due from January 2022. The report also calls for a digital system to make the new checks on imports quicker.

In just over six months, world leaders will be meeting in Glasgow for the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, and farming’s contribution to climate change will be on the agenda. But it’s hard to manage emissions from agriculture unless they're being measured, and that’s why the Sustainable Food Trust has brought together leading UK retailers, farming organisations, banks, investors and charities to develop a Global Farm Metric - a common international benchmark, to measure the sustainability of food and farming. We find out more.

And, we continue our look at the 6 May elections, finding out what the hot rural topics are on the campaign trail in Scotland.

Presented by Caz Graham
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons