17/03/25 Covid anniversary and its legacy on farms. Biosecurity and keeping diseases at bay.
It's five years since the first covid lockdown - for farmers it was in some senses business as usual, they carried on growing their crops and tending their livestock, but as high streets and restaurants shut, online shopping became the norm and there was a surge in demand for locally produced food. We catch up with a couple in Oxfordshire who struggled to keep up when demand for their veg boxes soared. However the pandemic changed their business for good, and they think made it more resilient and efficient. We also speak to British Growers who helped start "Pick for Britain". The campaign aimed to get people on furlough out in the fields to harvest fruit and veg because overseas seasonal workers had had to go home. This week we're looking at biosecurity - keeping out disease, at the border and on farm. As concerns over foot and mouth in Europe are on the rise, after a couple of outbreaks, we speak to the Animal and Plant Heath Agency. They work to prevent plant and animal disease getting into the country and to contain and eradicate any cases of disease that are found.Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney
It's five years since the first covid lockdown - for farmers it was in some senses business as usual, they carried on growing their crops and tending their livestock, but as high streets and restaurants shut, online shopping became the norm and there was a surge in demand for locally produced food. We catch up with a couple in Oxfordshire who struggled to keep up when demand for their veg boxes soared. However the pandemic changed their business for good, and they think made it more resilient and efficient. We also speak to British Growers who helped start "Pick for Britain". The campaign aimed to get people on furlough out in the fields to harvest fruit and veg because overseas seasonal workers had had to go home.
This week we're looking at biosecurity - keeping out disease, at the border and on farm. As concerns over foot and mouth in Europe are on the rise, after a couple of outbreaks, we speak to the Animal and Plant Heath Agency. They work to prevent plant and animal disease getting into the country and to contain and eradicate any cases of disease that are found.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney
