The Bramley apple growers of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, are very proud of their geographical protected status or PGI as it is known. So how has this year's growing season been for them and their ongoing battle with apple scab? McIvors Cider and Bramley orchards cover a hundred acres. Kathleen Carragher met owner, Greg MacNeice. A report for BBC Radio 4's Farming Today Broadcast September 2025 [audio...
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An innovative experiment has been using drones to disperse native tree seeds across rocky moorland in the Scottish Highlands. The project, funded by the University of Edinburgh and supported by the Scottish rewilding charity, Big Picture, seeded three hectares on a hillside landholding, on the Moidart peninsula, west of Fort William. One year on and landowner, Ed Townley, says a sampling survey has revealed encouraging...
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The Ardnamurchan and Morvern area, in the west coast Highlands of Scotland, is remote, with scattered villages and an ageing population. Several years ago, NHS Highland closed the area's only care home which prompted the setting up of a local charity, Urram, to help provide a range of health and social support services. Kathleen Carragher caught up with chairman, James Hilder and transport manager, Tracey...
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Kathleen Carragher travels to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides to find out how transhumance, the summer migration of livestock, lasted in one area of the island into the 1970s. An extended feature for BBC Radio 4's Farming Today Broadcast August 2025 [audio mp3="https://www.yamal.co.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FT-Summer-on-the-Shielings-TX-Bank-Holiday-Monday-August-25th-0545-0557.mp3"][/audio] ...
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The BBC's Ireland correspondent, Chris Page, reports on how Ireland has become one of the wealthiest countries in the European Union and why its riches are now under so much threat from Donald Trump's tariff policies. A 30 minute documentary for BBC Radio 4's Currently strand Broadcast June 2025 [audio mp3="https://www.yamal.co.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Irelands-Pot-of-Gold-TX.mp3"][/audio] Presenter: Chris Page, BBC Ireland Correspondent Archive Research: Peter Stewart Audio Engineer: Kris McConnachie Executive Producer: John...
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When James Colston took on the management of Arisaig Farms in the west Highlands of Scotland, over 30 years ago, he never imagined he'd become obsessed by the wonderful world of a small endangered butterfly species, the Chequered Skipper. Its survival is just one benefit of decades of work, encouraging and protecting tree growth on the 10,000 acre hill farm. The key to James's approach is...
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Kathleen Carragher visits the Hebridean Isle of Eigg to meet Sarah Boden who is making big changes on her hill farm. A 20 minute documentary for BBC Radio 4's On Your Farm Broadcast March 2025 [audio mp3="https://www.yamal.co.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/OYF-Eigg-tx-Bounce02.mp3"][/audio] Presenter: Kathleen Carragher Audio Engineer: Ilse Lademann Producer: John Deering ...
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Sarah Boden runs a farm on Eigg, in the Hebrides. While currently planning major changes, she's determined to continue the environmental friendly initiatives she has introduced, as she told our reporter, Kathleen Carragher. A report for BBC Radio 4's Farming Today Broadcast March 2025 [audio mp3="https://www.yamal.co.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Eigg-FT-fEATURE.mp3"][/audio] Reporter: Kathleen Carragher Producer: John Deering...
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Scotland's new Agriculture Act now requires every farmer and crofter to complete an annual Whole Farm Plan in order to claim their basic support payments. The aim is to identify where and how they can make their businesses more sustainable and environmentally friendly. While there is a lot of advice available from the agricultural advisory services, the Whole Farm plan has caused confusion and uncertainty...
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Creel fishemen on the west coast of Scotland have joined forces with a marine conservation charity to try to reduce the numbers of whales, dolphins and basking sharks getting entangled in the ropes they currently use at sea. They’ve conducted trials of a ‘sinking rope’, which, they say can reduce the risk of entanglement by as much as 80 per cent. The trials were funded by...
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