大象传媒

Poultry farmers are appealing to the government to include them on a list of industries which would get help paying their energy costs. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme is being replaced by the Energy and Trade Intensive Industry Scheme - but agricultural producers are not included in either. Poultry production has declined recently, partly due to avian flu but also because of the huge rise in the cost of heating, ventilating and feeding indoor chickens for meat. The indoor vegetable industry is also asking the government for help with energy costs.

While Scotland is battling with the snow, farmers in East Anglia and the South West are still hoping for more rain. East Anglia in particular had the driest February since 1959 and the third driest on record, and for a region where three quarters of the land produces grain and vegetables, lack of rain can have a serious impact nationwide. We visit the Euston Estate near Thetford to hear how low water levels have changed what they are growing.

One of the big issues facing the dairy farming sector is pollution. Slurry that's not stored properly can pollute both air and rivers. Last year two thirds of dairy and beef farms in one region of England were found to be causing pollution, when the Environment Agency inspected 187 farms in Devon between 2016 and 2020. The EA report concluded that dairy farmers were taking a calculated business risk not to invest to stop pollution because the chances of being fined are so tiny. The Environment Agency has committed to introducing a system of environmental permits for dairy and beef farms to clamp down on pollution incidents, but the industry is worried. We visit a dairy farmer in Somerset.

Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Rebecca Rooney