10/10/2011

Wild boars are being trialled on one Scottish estate to try to control the spread of invasive bracken. The fern, if left unchecked can be detrimental to livestock, rare birds and plants. Reporter Moira Hickey visits the Dundreggan Estate near Loch Ness, owned by the charity Trees for Life. It is decided to bring in the pigs as part of a plan to restore the Caledonian pine forest and native woodland in the Highlands.

Currently £3.5 billion is given out to farmers, landowners and businesses in the UK each year in support payments from Europe. Ahead of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms this week, Oliver Lee, an Agricultural Business Consultant at Andersons explains how the subsidies are calculated at the moment, what changes are expected and what that could mean for farmers around the country.

New figures from the Met office say it's been one of the warmest Septembers in the last 100 years. The rainfall across the country has varied widely. Some parts of Scotland have seen 150% of the average rainfall, whilst in the English Midlands farmers there have been battling with the seventh dry month in a row. Charlotte Smith talks to an English and Scottish farmer about how they are coping with the weather and how it has affected their businesses.

Presenter: Anna Hill; Producer: Angela Frain.