Farming Today - 12/11/2026 Organic salmon, solar farm plans, bird flu, parsnips.
Download 12/11/2026 Organic salmon, solar farm plans, bird flu, parsnips.
The organic certification body, the Soil Association, is withdrawing from the farmed salmon sector. They cite high fish mortality and welfare and environmental standards. The farms can still be certified, but not to the higher standards The Soil Association says it represents.
DEFRA has announced that it’s imposing a national housing order across England for all poultry and captive birds in flocks of more than 50. It’s also declared an England-wide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone taking effect immediately with mandatory biosecurity measures for all bird keepers, to help reduce the risk of the disease spreading.
The government has vetoed plans for what would have Britain’s biggest solar farm. The Botley West solar farm was planned for three sites in Oxfordshire much of it on the Blenheim Estate. The £800 million pound project would have been capable of powering some 330,000 homes, according to the developers but there’s been strong and heated local opposition. The government decision follows several years of consultations and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says the proposals were rejected because "substantial" harm would be caused to greenbelt and heritage assets, as well as negative impacts on the landscape.
It’s peak season for root vegetables like swedes, beetroot, celariac and parsnips. We grow around 15 thousand tonnes of parsnips in the UK and after the summer's drought and multiple heat waves it's been a difficult year for producers.
Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
Published on Thursday, 12th November 2026.
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