27/09/21 - Labour's "rural renaissance", ancient grains, jobs in food and farming

A "countryside renaissance" plan will be launched by the Labour party at its conference. What they’re calling a "ground breaking strategy" for rural England would replace what Labour describes as the "floundering" rural proofing approach of the current Government, if Labour won the next election. Charlotte Smith hears from the Shadow Environment Secretary, Luke Pollard. Many older crop varieties fell out of favour as they just can’t compete commercially with the yields from more modern varieties. Some have been lost but others are being kept going by enthusiasts. We meet the Swedish man, scything ancient Hebridean grains. And the food and farming sector is keen to attract new people in, to fill the staffing gaps created by Brexit and Covid in the short term, but in the longer term to bring in new ideas. This week on Farming Today, we’ll be looking at the opportunities available, the barriers which stop people taking them, and meeting some of the young, and older, people making growing food their career. We start with Ben Thompson - who manages the Agri-Tech Centre at Hartpury University and Hartpury College. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons