26/02/2022 - Farming Today This Week: ELMs, seasonal worker pay, Ukraine conflict

We investigate how much fruit and veg pickers on seasonal worker visas will have to be paid this year. The topic has caused confusion among farmers and labour providers this week after it appeared the Home Office said one thing while the Secretary of State for DEFRA said another.

We hear about the law of unintended consequences - as some farmers choose not to sign up to the new Environmental Land Management Schemes in England.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is already had an impact on the price of farm commodities: grain prices are up, as are the price of oilseeds and fuel. Russia and Ukraine provide about a third of the world’s wheat exports and 15% of global vegetable oil as well as being important fertiliser producers.

And after a week of violent winds and heavy rain, farmers across the UK are clearing up. But that job can take a LONG time; the clear up from Storm Arwen three months ago is still ongoing. It’s estimated that a million trees fell in Northumberland alone and many popular woodlands there are still closed to the public.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons