04/11/25 Seasonal workers, seed merchant, farm profitability.

The government's announced the number of agricultural seasonal workers visas allowed for the UK for next year. 41,000 visas will be made available for horticulture and 1,900 for poultry. It's slightly lower than the current allowance, but the National Farmers Union has welcomed the announcement, saying it has been made in good time, so farms can organise recruitment ahead of next year's harvest. However the NFU says if the horticulture sector is to grow, it will need more workers in the future - and it is still waiting for details of a five-year plan from the government.

All this week, we are talking about seeds. Today we visit a seed merchant who specialises in grass and wildflower mixes for environmental schemes. We hear how the business is affected by checks at the EU border and uncertainty over agri-environment schemes.

How can farms stay profitable? And if the answer is by providing something other than food, what are the implications for domestic food production? After warnings that UK food production could drop by almost a third by 2050, we speak to a farmer who's moved away from growing fruit and cereals to diversify into a range of businesses to keep the farm afloat.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney