22/07/26 Sugar beet factory closing, new Defra secretaryfarm fires, , oil seed rape harvest, hill farming in Wales

British Sugar's factory at Cantley in the Norfolk Broads is to close, in February next year. Hundreds of farmers will now have to transport their crop much further afield for processing. The Cantley factory has been operating for more than a century, and currently processes about 120,000 tonnes of sugar every year, from beet grown by local farmers. It employs just over 100 staff.

As prime minister Andy Burnham's new cabinet members settle into their new jobs, the Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Angela Eagle, will feel quite at home. She was Farming Minister at Defra up until six weeks ago when she was transferred briefly to security - but now she's back, and promoted to Secretary of State.

This year's harvest is really 'everything, everywhere, all at once' and it's causing a logistical nightmare. Barley, oil seed rape and wheat are being harvested at the same time - and that's putting pressure on the lorries needed to get it to storage. We also hear from farmers who've been affected by big fires on their land, and how farming neighbours have played an essential role in bringing the fires under control.

All this week we're taking a closer look at Welsh Agricultural Policy. Agriculture is devolved, so it's up to each of the four nations to decide on their own post-Brexit subsidy policy. In Wales, farmers are paid under the Sustainable Farming Scheme, to bring in conservation practices alongside food production. We speak to a hill farmer to find out what's in it for her.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney