Farming Today

The Scottish Government is due to make a statement this week about whether Galloway is to get a new National Park - or not. Galloway, in the south west of Scotland, was chosen from five potential locations and the first round of consultation on the plan was completed earlier this year, with its report now being considered by Scottish ministers. We hear from those in favour and against. Farmers who supply wheat to Britain’s biggest bioethanol plant have been told it may have to close unless the government intervenes. Bioethanol is added to the E5 and E10 petrol you see at the pumps to reduce its carbon emissions - it's made by fermenting wheat to make alcohol, with the leftovers being used for animal feed. Vivergo Fuels says it will be impossible to compete with subsidised American ethanol, after the recent trade agreement with the US promised to scrap tariffs on imports. And as tractors get bigger and faster, how safe are they on our roads? Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Heather Simons

All week we're looking at National Parks, last week the Supreme Court ruled that wild camping on Dartmoor is legal. Some areas, however, are dealing with anti-social behaviour and 'fly camping'. We talk to Kevin Bishop CEO of Dartmoor National Park who also sits on National Parks England about the challenges. The prolonged dry spell has had affected the growth of crops and water levels in rivers and reservoirs, but what about wildlife? We ask the British Trust for Ornithology what impact it's likely to have on wading birds and also discuss their new report which examined the impact of bird flu on wild birds like swans and barnacle geese. Plastic pollution is contaminating insects at the base of food chains, raising fresh concerns about the long-term impacts on wildlife, according to a new study by the University of Sussex. Researchers have discovered fragments of plastic in a wide range of invertebrates, which are prey for small mammals like hedgehogs. Polyester fibres, commonly shed from clothing, were the most frequently detected type of plastic and scientists think it comes from treated sewage sludge used to fertilise fields. Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Rebecca Rooney

Five years on from Brexit, the Prime Minister has re-set the UK's trade relationship with the EU, with a new, wide-ranging deal. In this programme Caz Graham looks at what it could mean for food, farming and fishing. The UK and EU will now move towards an agreement which would reduce the paperwork and border checks involved in exporting foods like fish, meat and dairy, and fresh produce like plants and flowers. It also means the export of some products to the EU which has been banned since Brexit - like many farmed mussels and oysters, as well as sausages, burgers and seed potatoes - could now resume. While many exporters have welcomed the deal, it's also lead to uncertainty over the future of Border Control Posts - facilities set up since Brexit to handle similar checks on imports. A senior civil servant confirmed this week that some such facilities could be decommissioned, and the industry want compensation. Meanwhile, another part of the deal is focussed on fishing, and allows EU boats access to fish in UK waters until 2038. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has called the deal "a horror show" - but the DEFRA Secretary told MPs this week that it's "reasonably good" for UK fishing. Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Heather Simons

Veterinary medicine is not part of the agri-trade agreement sketched out between the EU and the UK earlier this week. It's left vets increasingly concerned that some veterinary medicines won’t be available in Northern Ireland after the end of this year when a ‘grace period’ under the Windsor Framework allowing medication from Great Britain to cross the Irish sea and be sold there runs out. The warming of coastal waters means a change in the species that can thrive in them. Fishermen in the South West of England are reporting an invasion of octopuses turning up in lobster and crab pots. It's good news for some fishermen who are catching and selling the octopuses, but disastrous for others. And getting bovine TB on a farm can be a huge financial blow and the emotional impact on farmers can be devastating. We visit one dairy farmer in Pembrokeshire who's been working with the Welsh Government to improve their policies on dealing with the disease, and the emotional impact it can have. Presented by Caz Graham Produced by Heather Simons

Border post facilities set up since Brexit to handle import checks could now be scaled down or even dismantled. The UK's new deal with the EU promises progress towards an agreement to reduce the paperwork and border checks involved in trading foods like meat and dairy. It also includes a deal on fishing which would allow EU boats to fish in British waters for a further 12 years. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has called it "a horror show", but the DEFRA Secretary, Steve Reed, says it's a "reasonably good deal" for UK fishing. In its manifesto the Labour party promised to end what it described as “the ineffective badger cull". The Government now says it's working on a revised TB eradication strategy, which includes increased badger vaccination and a national wildlife surveillance programme to better understand the disease. So how much difference could that make? And a new set of targets to tackle climate change have been recommended to Scottish Government ministers, replacing those scrapped last year. A report from the Climate Change Committee suggests effectively delaying short term progress by six years, but keeping Scotland on track to meet its long-term goal of net zero emissions by 2045. Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons