As drought spreads across the UK we hear calls for our water and food systems to change. The lack of water, the miserable harvest and an unpredictable geo-political situation add up to expose the fragility of the UK's food system according to a cross section of supermarkets, food producers and campaigners who've written to the new Prime Minister. They want Andy Burnham to introduce a Good Food Bill for England.The environmental charity, River Action, says too many businesses are taking water from rivers, and the Government should review the abstraction licence system. It says that trillions of litres of water are being taken from rivers, lakes and aquifers every year and that as pressure on resources grows, the UK needs a fully funded water resilience plan.The drought is causing problems for livestock farmers; grass doesn't grow in scorched fields so they're having to look at other ways of feeding their animals. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
Folgen von Farming Today
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Folge vom 31.07.202631/07/26 Calls for a food system change, the reality of farming in drought, pressure on rivers
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Folge vom 30.07.202630/07/26 Drought, food inflation, bluetongueHalf of England is now officially in drought. The Environment Agency says it will enhance its monitoring of water levels and crucially for many farmers, step up controls on how much water can be taken from rivers and groundwater. The BBC's local radio stations have been devoting the day to agriculture and as part of this Farmwatch the BBC has been looking at the price of food and how much of what we pay goes to farmers. According to the Consumer Price Index from May this year, families are paying 9% more for beef products, 2% more for bread rolls and 8% more for bagged salad than they were 12 months ago. However, producers at the start of the food chain say the extra cash doesn't end up in their pockets.Cases of the cattle and sheep disease bluetongue are on the rise: there have been 24 in the UK since the beginning of the month, the majority in the South West of England and three in Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland haven't had any cases. The disease is spread by midges and can have a devastating impact on livestock from spontaneous abortions to birth defects and death. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney