Farming Today - Farming Today This Week

Charlotte Smith raises a glass to the British drinks industry. More farmers are diversifying into brewing and distilling to make their businesses more profitable, despite declining alcohol consumption in the UK. And UK farmers are now adding vodka and sparkling wine alongside the more traditional whiskeys and beer. A trip to the Chase distillery in Herefordshire shows how one farmer has turned the rejects from his potato crisp business into internationally acclaimed vodka. And at Camel Valley in Cornwall, Farming Today finds out how the fizz is put into its renowned sparkling rose. For those producing traditional ales, there are other challenges. The disease Hop Wilt is attacking the famous hop varieties Goldings and Fuggles. Banks' brewery chief brewer explains that fewer and fewer farmers are planting these crops, and that the venerable Fuggles could eventually die out, meaning the taste of many brewer's beers will change. Presented by Anna Hill, produced by Melvin Rickarby.