17/09/26 Farmer protests in Romania, sheedog trials, Scottish arable cooperative.

Available for 29 days

There have been violent clashes during big farmer protests in Romania. Thousands of shepherds have been demonstrating in the capital Bucharest about an extension to a ban on the export of live sheep. We speak to the BBC's Central Europe correspondent to find out why. The battle to find the best sheepdog handler in Britain and Ireland has been won by a Welsh hill farmer for the second year. After a three day competition in the Cotswolds, he's been named the 2026 International Sheepdog Society Supreme Champion. All this week we’re looking at the work of agricultural cooperatives. In Scotland more than 50 farm coops serve around 25,000 members on everything from supply chain development, to branding and quality assurance. One of them is Scottish Agronomy, established in 1984, and now offering cropping advice to more than 200 members across Scotland and northern England. Each year they run crop trials across 30,000 plots, and it’s the sharing of their findings, knowledge and expertise, they say, that keeps them ahead of the game. Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney