Farming Today

The major changes needed to make farming profitable - we hear from Baroness Batters on her long awaited review.Charcuterie is often a favourite over the festive season, which means this is a busy time of year for Lizzie and Andrew Baker in Ammanford in South Wales. They rear rare breed pigs on their farm and have a charcuterie and smoking business too.We’ve been taking a look at historic rural buildings this week, their cultural value and how to preserve them, and this morning we’re heading to Northern Ireland. When a local community group began the restoration of an old corn mill, in County Fermanagh, it sparked interest in a number of old mill stones long abandoned on local farms. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

We ask why veg is always a loss leader at this time of year, and whether farmers suffer as a result. For the price of a first class stamp you could buy 21 kilos of carrots if you head to one of the discount supermarkets. The stamp would cost you £1.70, the carrots are on sale at 8p for a kilo. Who takes the hit?Extreme weather events mean it’s become hard to predict how farmed poultry will turn out come Christmas. We meet an organic farmer in Devon whose birds are smaller following the hot, dry summer. And should the old grand houses that dot our countryside be regarded as vital heritage which must be preserved? Or are there other ways of dealing with them? All this week we’re looking into what the future may hold for historic buildings in rural areas. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Sally Challoner.

Village churches are as much a part of our rural landscape as trees and hedgerows. However according to a recent survey by the National Churches Trust, as many as nine hundred of Britain's countryside churches are in danger of closing in the next five years. We visit a church in North Cumbria where the farming community is determined to save it. We also speak to the National Churches Trust about their fears for the future of small rural churches.There's also discussion of the latest government changes to planning regulations.Producer: Rebecca Rooney

The Prime Minister has told a select committee he is aware of the pressure farmers are facing because of the government's plan to reimpose inheritance tax on them. However, despite close questioning from his own MPs, he made no commitment to change. Sir Kier Starmer was in front of the Liaison Committee which is made up of all the Chairs of the House of Commons Select Committees, who head up investigations into government departments. The countryside charity the CPRE, says it's concerned that most new housing is being built on green-field sites. It fears the government will create urban sprawl as it tries to fulfil its manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the next parliament.All week on Farming Today we’re talking about the rural heritage buildings that make up our countryside, everything from old farm barns to country mansions. All of these buildings will need maintenance and repair, but there's only one centre in the UK teaching NVQ Level 3 qualifications, in Heritage Construction skills. We visit the Tywi Centre in Carmarthenshire,.Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

Caz Graham talks to the President of the Irish Farmers Association, Francie Gorman, about the journey he's embarking upon from Dublin to Brussels by tractor as part of a Europe wide protest. Farmers are concerned about Common Agricultural Policy reforms, which could see the budget ringfenced for farm subsidies cut by around 20%. They're also angry about the potential impact of a trade deal between the EU and the South American bloc MERCOSUR, which could mean an increase in beef from Brazil and other cheap imports. An environmental group in Northern Ireland plans to demonstrate the benefits of nature friendly farming on a 90-acre hillside farm it’s recently bought in County Fermanagh. The Ulster Wildlife Trust says the new Fedian Nature Reserve is a rare example of farmland largely free of chemical or fertiliser inputs.Traditional rural buildings are rich with history and a unique record of how farming and country life has changed over the centuries. But many are under threat; they’re expensive to maintain and often not practical for modern use. Throughout this week we’re going to be hearing about efforts to preserve them, and we start in Nottinghamshire where an old farmstead has been repurposed as The Walks of Life Museum in Tuxford. Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling