04/06/26 High Court rules the Food Standards Agency overcharged abattoirs, hydropower funding, upland farmer groups
About this episode
The episode discusses a High Court ruling on the Food Standards Agency's charges, investment issues in hydropower, and challenges faced by upland farmers in the UK.
A judgement from the High Court yesterday ruled that the Food Standards Agency has been 'unlawfully' charging abattoirs too much and that it wasn’t transparent enough about what it was charging for. The ruling comes after a legal challenge by the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers. Developers of small-scale hydro-energy projects say the industry’s missing out on investment because of a heavy focus on wind and solar. Scotland in particular has long been a pioneer of cheap hydro-electricity, but companies say the current contracts to supply power are squeezing them out of the market. All week we’re hearing about the current challenges facing upland farmers right across the UK and how they’re dealing with them. Farming in the hills can be an isolated, even lonely, business. But a group of farmers scattered across the uplands of Shropshire have joined forces to pool ideas. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton. With thanks to British Pathé Archive.
People in this episode
Host: Caz Graham
Topics covered
- Food Standards
- Hydropower
- Upland Farming
- Legal Judgement
- Investment Challenges
Keywords
- Food Standards Agency
- abattoirs
- hydropower
- upland farmers
- legal challenge
- Scotland
- Shropshire
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Food Standards Agency, Association of Independent Meat Suppliers
Places: Scotland, Shropshire
More episodes of Farming Today
- 06/06/26 - Farming Today This Week: Dartmoor ponies, water voles and land-based jobs
- 05/06/26 Dartmoor ponies, upland economics, Open Farm Sunday
- 03/06/26 EU trade agreement, peat restoration and water voles, Scottish uplands
- 02/06/26 Rural skills gap, upland farming in Wales, Future Countryside.
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