19/09/2026 The role of farming co-ops, Shepherd protests in Bucharest, International sheep dog trials

Available for 20 days

This week, we've been taking a closer look at agricultural co-ops, from very small-scale cooperative working up to huge dairy co-ops. Across Europe, it’s widely recognised that farmer collaboration can give agriculture a stronger voice in the food supply chain. We look at how they are working in different parts of the UK and ask if there is scope for more co-operative working. The BBC's Central Europe correspondent, Nick Thorpe, reports from Romania, where thousands of shepherds have taken to the streets to protest against a ban on live sheep exports. Reporter Vernon Harwood is in the Cotswolds to bring us all the atmosphere of the three-day competition to find the best sheepdog handler in Britain and Ireland. And we talk to the team behind a new play which follows a single day in the life of three generations of women on a working family farm. Presenter: Charlotte Smith Producer: Beatrice Fenton Farming Today is a BBC Audio Bristol production