The Farmers Weekly Podcast

Defra has finally unveiled the budget for its flagship Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme – but is £240 million enough to meet demand from farmers?
Former Natural England agriculture head Geoff Sansome gives his verdict – and explains why thousands of farmers could still be left in limbo when existing agreements expire.
We also bring you an exclusive interview with new Red Tractor chief executive Paul McLaughlin, who responds to criticism of the farm assurance scheme.
Just weeks into the role, Mr McLaughlin outlines plans for reform and explains how technology, AI and simpler audits could help rebuild trust with farmers.
Recorded at the Cereals event at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm, we discuss why this year’s show has been one of the most talked-about industry events in years.
And we hear about the NFU’s call for government support to protect growers from soaring fertiliser costs.
Finally, we meet the team behind Only Farmers – a new online platform designed to help farmers market products, share equipment, promote experiences and connect with customers.
Guests
* Geoff Sansome – former head of agriculture, Natural England
* Red Tractor chief executive Paul McLaughlin
* NFU president Tom Bradshaw
* Lisa Hogan – co-founder, Only Farmers
* Wolfe Bentinck – co-founder, Only Farmers
Chapters
00:00 SFI budget finally confirmed
01:45 Geoff Sansome on whether £240m is enough
05:41 Industry reaction to the SFI announcement
09:02 Exclusive: Red Tractor chief executive Paul McLaughlin
11:36 Why assurance reform is taking so long
14:05 Imports, standards and farmer frustrations
16:38 Technology, AI and the future of farm assurance
20:41 Panel reaction to Red Tractor’s plans
24:49 Cereals 2026 from Diddly Squat Farm
25:14 Has Jeremy Clarkson changed Cereals?
30:51 NFU fertiliser resilience plan explained
35:43 Markets: beef, sheep, pigs, cereals and diesel
38:34 Only Farmers: a new platform for agriculture
41:47 Can farmers benefit from Only Farmers?
43:50 Final thoughts and goodbye
Useful links
Sustainable Farming Incentive
Red Tractor
National Farmers Union
Cereals Event
Only Farmers
Natural England
Farmers Weekly
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
We love to hear from you: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This live Cereals 2026 episode tackles one big question: with high input costs and mediocre grain prices will planting cereals this autumn be financially worthwhile?
The discussion starts with markets and margins, including break-even wheat prices, grain carryover, milling wheat premiums and the risks of holding out for higher prices.
Part Two looks at how growers can reduce risk through variety choice, BYDV resistance, hybrid wheat, yellow rust resilience and AHDB decision-support tools.
Finally, we asks whether the public and politicians really understand farming — and how Clarkson’s Farm has changed the conversation about food security and farm profitability.
Guests
Andrew Williamson – Shropshire farmer and NFU Combinable Crops Board vice-chair
Andrew Dewing – Dewing Grain chief executive and grain trader
Clare Leaman – NIAB cereal variety specialist
Sacha White – AHDB crop protection scientist
Patrick Galbraith – Daily Telegraph rural affairs writer
Charlie Ireland – Ceres Rural and adviser to Clarksons Farm
George Badger – Ceres Rural and adviser to Clarksons Farm
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
Live from Cereals 2026 at Diddly Squat Farm.
01:15 – Are cereals still worth drilling?
Andrew Williamson outlines the pressure on arable margins.
04:12 – Grain markets and break-even prices
Andrew Dewing assesses wheat values, cost of production and selling opportunities.
05:30 – Feed prices and livestock links
Hugh Broom looks at what low grain prices mean for livestock producers.
09:04 – Fertiliser costs and possible support
The NFU’s call for help if fertiliser prices spike.
11:44 – Feed wheat, milling wheat and risk
Louise Impey and the panel discuss whether milling wheat still stacks up.
16:37 – Grain marketing strategy
When should growers lock in prices for harvest 2026 and 2027?
19:20 – Growing a cost-effective crop
Claire Lehman and Sasha White join the discussion.
20:10 – BYDV-resistant varieties
Why barley is moving faster than wheat on BYDV tolerance.
21:30 – Hybrid wheat
Could new hybrid wheat varieties change the market?
23:13 – Yellow rust resistance
How breeders are responding to resistance breakdowns.
24:24 – AHDB’s new BYDV tool
Sasha White explains how the tool can help growers decide whether spraying is worthwhile.
28:28 – Decision support and SFI tools
How AHDB is helping growers weigh up complex agronomic and business choices.
32:04 – Resilience over yield
Why variety choice is increasingly about consistency and risk management.
34:45 – Does the public understand farming?
Patrick Galbraith, Charlie Ireland and George Badger join the final panel.
35:52 – Telling farming stories in national media
How farming issues are explained to non-farming audiences.
37:17 – Behind the scenes at Diddly Squat
What Clarkson’s Farm gets right about farming life.
42:27 – Food security and public awareness
Why the link between shoppers and producers remains fragile.
44:32 – Reasons for optimism
Mixed farming, SFI, land opportunities and long-term business thinking.
49:09 – How farming is perceived
Patrick Galbraith on public sympathy, politics and why farming should keep pushing its case.
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
We love to hear from you: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Defra confirms England’s Sustainable Farming Incentive will reopen for applications on 30 June – but only for some farmers, and with questions over budget.
Farm business adviser Katie Hilton explains the key changes in SFI 26, including land use caps, no-till rules and revised payment rates.
We also examine a High Court ruling which could mean lower meat inspection charges for abattoirs, processors and livestock producers.
And royal recognition for Open Farm Sunday which celebrates its 20th anniversary – we find out why even small events can help reconnect the public with farming.
Podcast guests:

* Katie Hilton, director, Cheffins
* John Royle, NFU chief livestock policy adviser
* Rachel Risdon, Devon farmer and Open Farm Sunday host
Chapters
00:53 – Sustainable Farming Incentive
12:59 – High Court ruling on meat inspection charges
17:18 – Why small abattoirs matter to livestock farmers
24:19 – Listener feedback on Red Tractor reform
27:32 – Farmers Weekly Podcast Live at Cereals
30:23 – Sainsbury’s white eggs and trailer safety
33:53 – Market prices
36:16 – Open Farm Sunday celebrates 20 years
40:23 – Why public engagement matters
43:11 – Closing remarks
Useful links
Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance
Cheffins
National Farmers Union
Association of Independent Meat Suppliers
British Meat Processors Association
Food Standards Agency
Open Farm Sunday
LEAF
Tilly Pass trailer safety
Farmers Weekly stage at Cereals
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
We love to hear from you: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, farmers report delays receiving payments from soil carbon scheme Agreena – with some growers saying they are owed thousands of pounds.
We examine the latest Farm Assurance Review and ask whether Red Tractor and other schemes can deliver fairer treatment for UK grain producers facing competition from unassured imports.
We review Harvest, the new book by former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters.
And we visit the Green Farm Collective’s Soil to Slice conference in Harrogate, where farmers, millers, wholesalers and bakers are working together to build more value into regenerative supply chains.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and headlines
00:51 Agreena payment delays spark farmer frustration
09:40 Farm Assurance Review – what happens next?
19:56 Minette Batters’ new book Harvest
25:29 Sugar beet with a clover understorey
28:33 Rural crime falls by 21%
33:53 Markets: lamb breaks £9/kg, diesel dips below £1/litre
36:48 Soil to Slice: building value through regenerative supply chains
47:15 Podcast wrap-up
Guests
* George Dunn, Chief Executive, Tenant Farmers Association
* Michael Kavanagh, Green Farm Collective
* Verity Megginson, Yorkshire regenerative farmer
* Natalia Spinetto, Director of Impact & Strategy, Collective Food
* George Herbert, Hobbs House Bakery
Useful links
* Agreena
* Tenant Farmers Association
* Red Tractor Assurance
* Green Farm Collective
* Collectiv Food
* Hobbs House Bakery
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
We love to hear from you: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, police pledge tougher action on hare coursing after an Essex farmer suffers almost 200 incidents in eight months.
The government unveils plans to slash tariffs on 100 food items imported into the UK. We examine the impact of food price controls on UK farmers.
Beef sector leaders call for fairer pricing as the market eases ahead of the Beef Expo industry showcase at Melton Mowbray livestock market.
And we meet the farmer testing “firewater” – a Defra-funded ADOPT project aiming to make nitrogen from air, water and electricity.
Guests
Tom Bradshaw – NFU president
Neil Shand – chief executive, National Beef Association
Hugh Brown – chief executive, Gillstream Markets / Melton Mowbray Market
Matthew Register – Essex farmer
Robyn Munton – NFU vice-president
Tim Ellis – farmer involved in the Firewater ADOPT project

Chapters
01:04 – Food tariffs and price caps
01:43 – Tom Bradshaw warning
03:24 – Food import controls analysed
14:36 – Beef market analysis
27:30 – Hare-coursing crackdown
30:34 – Red diesel thefts and fuel duty
34:30 – Markets update
36:46 – Fertiliser from air and water

Useful links
Targeted food tariff cuts
NFU update on hare-coursing sentencing guidelines
NBA Beef Expo 2026
Adopt Project on firewater
Farmers Weekly Market Prices
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
We love to hear from you: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.