Farming Today is having to adapt in the face of coronavirus, with Anna Hill presenting from her home. But how are rural businesses coping? We hear from a Gloucestershire pub and a Norwich farm shop. And should the phasing out of Basic Payments be delayed? We visit one of the new Environmental Land Management Scheme trials and hear concerns about the timeframe for change. Presented (from home) by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

Farming Today

18/03/2020 - Rural businesses adapt to the coronavirus and the future of ELMS

Should all forms of caging be banned in farming? We hear a vet's opinion. A trend-forecasting company says there's a growing awareness among consumers of the environmental impact of products. The farming secretary, George Eustice, sets out plans for the new Environmental Land Management Scheme - or ELMS. Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Calls to ban caged farm animals, consumer trends, ELMS

As the Coronavirus pandemic unfolds, we look at what Ireland's doing to support farmers and agriculture workers affected by Covid 19. The Irish Government's promised to pay 300 Euros a week to the self-employed. They'll be able to claim two weeks of illness benefit if they are medically required to self-isolate. Unpacking the Agriculture Bill: as it makes its way through parliament, Caz Graham talks to Dr David Rose from Reading University's School of Agricultural Policy and Development to find out what it will mean for farmers. An oyster hatchery in Cornwall which hopes to boost stocks of native oysters and keep fishing traditions on the River Fal alive. BBC Radio Cornwall's Julie Skentelbery has been speaking to oyster fisherman, Chris Ranger, who is currently raising funds to start the hatchery... Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Rebecca Rooney

16/03/20 Coronavirus compensation for the self-employed in Ireland; the new Agriculture Bill; breeding oysters

The Free Range Egg Producers Association say hens that lay brown eggs are more aggressive than hens that lay white eggs. Birds have their beaks trimmed to prevent them from hurting each other, but beak trimming is considered by many animal welfare groups to be a cruel practice. The government would like to phase it out, but some farmers are concerned that would mean more serious 'hen-pecking' and are calling on consumers to change to white eggs to help improve welfare. We investigate the claims. It's lambing season and adverts for lambing assistants are popping up all over social media, because finding labour to help in the lambing sheds isn't easy. We visit a sheep farmer busy lambing his two thousand ewes near Stratford on Avon. He enlists around 20 vet students to help each year, as well as additional paid staff, but finding them is getting increasingly difficult and it could mean downsizing his flock. And we go out at night, surveying birds on a farm in south Staffordshire. Members of the Belvide Bird Ringing Group are using thermal imaging cameras to catch and ring species like skylarks which are hard to get hold of using more traditional methods like mist nets. Usually only about 200 skylarks a year are ringed across the whole of the UK but with this high tech kit, the team ringed 400 on just one farm. Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Heather Simons

Farming Today This Week

As the UK moves from the containment phase to the delay phase for coronavirus, the major players in the UK's supply chain, from farmers to big retailers, are working on emergency plans to feed Britain as the virus spreads. Meanwhile, the American agriculture secretary Sonny Purdue has postponed his planned visit to the UK next week. Charlotte Smith gets a round-up of the latest coronavirus situation. Scientists at Rothamsted Research are investigating the differing impacts which different sheep farming systems have on the environment. We visit their research farm in Devon to find out more. Plans for a national forest running the length and breadth of Wales have been announced by the Welsh Government. The aim is to connect existing woodlands, so that people - and wildlife - can travel from one end of the country to the other through trees. But farming unions are concerned. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Emma Campbell.

13/03/20 Coronavirus and food supplies; Welsh national forest; Environmental impact of sheep

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