10/10/2026: Harvest, Bird flu, Farm boundaries

The official estimates for England's harvest 2026 are in, and the figures from the governnment show that its the smallest harvest of both barley and oats since 2012. Wheat saw a small increase with losses in the South and East offset by a better harvest further North, and oil seed rape had a better year with a 6 per cent increase in yield. We hear from farmers who suffered in the droughts. This week we've been exploring farm boundaries - from hedges and stone walls to barbed wire. We hear from people restoring ancient boundaries, and learn about the history of barbed wire from the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma. The first cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in kept poultry have arrived in the UK - and as migratory wild birds start to arrive to overwinter here, poultry farmers are being urged to improve biosecurity. The case was reported in a backyard flock on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. Last winter free range flocks had to be kept inside to try to protect them from infection, and the UK Chief Vet says anyone farming poultry must now review and improve their biosecurity. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sally Challoner.