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Episode details

Radio 4,20 May 2026,14 mins

20/05/26 Climate Change Committee report, EU alignment, flower grower hub.

Farming Today

Available for 28 days

The Climate Change Committee has published a new report about the consequences of a 2% rise in global temperatures and what the UK needs to do about it. The CCC, which reports to UK government on adapting to climate change, says that by 2050, 92% of homes are likely to overheat, peak river flows will be up to 45% higher, and water supply shortfalls could exceed five billion litres per day. It points out that the cost of doing nothing is far greater than acting now, and it proposes investment of around £11 billion a year, split evenly between public and private funding. We ask what it means for farmers. The prospect of closer ties with the European Union continues to make political headlines, and farmers are watching closely as the government works towards EU re-alignment and a new sanitary and phytosanitary or SPS agreement which should ease trade in food and agricultural goods between the UK and the EU. The House of Lords European Affairs Committee has been hearing what an SPS agreement could mean for farmers, the meat industry and ports. All week we're celebrating British flowers - locally grown flowers account for a tiny fraction of the UK market even though we spend some 2.2 billion pounds on cut flowers. We visit a flower grower who is trying to change that, connecting local producers and florists and promoting home-grown flowers via the South Yorkshire Flower Hub. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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