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27/03/25 Chancellor's spring statement, pullets, nitrogen inquiry.

The chancellor focuses on building new homes and growth in her spring statement - what does that mean for farming and rural communities?

The Chancellor's spring statement has drawn a mixed reaction from the rural community. Farming itself wasn't mentioned as such, Rachel Reeves focused on the government's agenda for growth and plans to build more homes. We speak to a professor from Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy to assess what it means for agriculture and rural communities.

All this week we're looking at eggs, and today we focus on the farms which supply laying hens. We visit a pullet rearer which supplies egg producing farms with four million birds a year.

The House of Lords Environment Committee is investigating nitrogen pollution in waterways and the air. It's been hearing evidence from the Office for Environmental Protection, a government body set up to ensure compliance with environmental laws. They're investigating Defra after Defra gave advice to farmers which didn't comply with the Farming Rules for Water - the regulations which aim to stop farmers causing pollution to waterways from fields and slurry.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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