Countryfile: Adam discusses the threat to oilseed rape crops

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

The latest episode of Countryfile explored the farming land in the Peak District. Meanwhile, Adam Henson reported on a recent ban on the use of insecticides and the impact it is having on British farmers. While presenting the segment, Adam confessed he had fell victim to the ban and as a result had lost a lot of money.

While explaining new farming rules surrounding insecticides, Countryfile presenter Adam opened up on how it had affected him personally.

He explained the new rules had a “devastating” effect on his own crops, causing him to lose money.

Adam began: “Oilseed rape has been an important crop for us and many other farmers, but it’s vulnerable to a bug called a Flea Beetle.

“In the past, we’ve controlled this using sprays containing neonicotinoids.

“But, to protect the wider ecosystem our government has now banned the use of this insecticide, which is good news for bees.

“But, the effect on some of our oilseed rape has been devastating,” the farmer turned TV presenter explained.

He continued: “In this field, there should be a crop of oilseed rape but as you can see there’s very little crop left.

“This was planted in early September last year, so it was planted a little bit later than we had hoped.

“Then it got attacked by the flea beetle and then this Spring we’ve had some really hard frost and now the pigeons are hammering it.

“So, if you take a look at the plants, there’s just hardly anything there.

“So, we’ve made a decision to rip them out and now plant Spring Linseed,” he explained.

Adam revealed the u-turn will result in a large loss of money for him: “We have already spent quite a lot of money on this.

“£80 an acre and across this field and the one next door, that’s probably £2,000 that’s just lost money – that’s in the bin,” Adam revealed.

The Countryfile star explained that the pressure was now on to have a good crop, saying: “We are really hedging our bets on the success of Spring Linseed.

“But that doesn’t come without its risks. That can get drought out like it did last year and for farmers across the country this isn’t an unusual picture.

“We’re always sort of balancing all these challenges,” Adam explained, highlighting that this wasn’t a problem unique to his own farm.

“In my mind, we’ve just got to start looking at other alternatives and different ways of farming,” he added.

“There are new opportunities for farmers like me to earn money, in the form of the environmental land management scheme or ELMS for short.

“Under this new scheme, as well as getting paid for growing food the proposal is that farmers could also receive money for helping the environment,” Adam explained to the BBC viewers.

Countryfile returns on Sunday at 6pm on BBC One.

Source: Read Full Article