Farm rent cuts, secret rural crime workshops, pig sector crisis, & Derek vs Derek

Tenant farmers are being urged to seek rent reductions as difficult arable economics put pressure on farm businesses – but how far should landlords go to share the pain?

This week, we examine calls for rent cuts of up to 20% and ask whether landlords and tenants need a new approach to negotiating rents during difficult years.

We also investigate the secret workshops helping farmers protect themselves against increasingly sophisticated rural crime.

Security specialist Frank Cannon explains why some crime-prevention advice is deliberately kept behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, pig producers face a difficult autumn after processors served notice on supply contracts.

Thousands of pigs could be left without a contracted buyer each week, accelerating the decline of independent production.

And finally, we head to the cinema for Derek vs Derek, a feature-length documentary following two neighbouring Devon farmers with very different ideas about the countryside: dairy farmer Derek Banbury and rewilder Derek Gow.

Derek vs Derek is directed by James Dawson and follows Derek Banbury and Derek Gow over three years. Its UK cinema release begins on 2 October 2026.

This episode is brought to you by Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction

00:59 – Should tenant farmers demand rent cuts?