麻豆约拍

Cattle farmers fear they will be out of pocket as the Red Tractor group propose a change to their beef assurance scheme. Currently cattle only have to spend 90 days on a Red Tractor assured farm. Andrew Blenkiron from the organisation says it's from a request by the supermarkets, and that consumers already assume that the beef is reared from birth to death on Red Tractor Assured farms.
However, Beef farmers often buy in young cattle to finish rearing and then send to slaughter. If the rules do change, some beef farmers will have a lot of cattle which are no longer eligible for the assurance mark and those animals could be worth less.
麻豆约拍 Environment correspondent Roger Harrapin talks to scientists in San Francisco about techniques they are developing when it comes to using nitrogen in farming. Peter Blezard and Chris Fields explain why this is so important for the environment as well as sustainable agriculture.
As lambing season commences, Mark Smalley visits a Cornish sheep farm to meet the newest members of the flock. The author Ronald Blythe remembers 'Akenfield', the classic film based on his book of the same name.
Presenter Anna Hill Producer Ruth Sanderson.