16/03/24 Farming Today This Week: Badger culls, food labelling, religious slaughter

Badger culling could continue indefinitely in England under new government proposals which reverse earlier pledges to begin to phase out badger culls from next year. The Government says culls are working in helping to reduce TB in cattle. Now ministers say that in high risk and edge areas, which covers much of southwest and central England, culling could continue until the Chief Veterinary Officer deems that the situation has improved, at which point badger vaccination would be introduced. A consultation on the proposals has just been launched. The Badger Trust describes this as 'another appalling attack on a protected native species'.New rules on food labelling could be introduced to give more information about how and where its produced, but some farmers say it'll be costly and complex. Sheep farmers are benefiting from a spike in prices as Ramadan and Easter are both celebrated this month. Both events traditionally look to lamb as their meat of choice on these occasions, and farmers, processors and retailers, have all geared up for a busy time. We answer listener questions about religious slaughter, and the difference between stunned and non-stunned killing methods.The writer Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare have long been advocates for helping young people learn more about farming and the countryside, so much so that they set up Farms for City Children nearly 50 years ago. It gives kids from urban schools a week helping to run the farm and learning about both farming and nature. For one of their latest projects, they’ve teamed up with the Woodland Trust to involve primary school children in planting trees inside what they call roundels.Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.