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Farming Today: Fracking, wild boar, badgers and livestock markets

13/03/2014

Fracking, wild boar, badgers and livestock markets

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Fracking, wild boar, badgers and livestock markets

MPs prepare to debate the badger cull in the House of Commons. With Anna Hill.

Farming and countryside news. As the future of the badger cull will be debated in the House of Commons, Anna Hill hears from one of the backbench MPs who secured the debate.

MPs will debate the future of the badger cull in the House of Commons later today. A cross-party group of backbench MPs has secured the debate, which will look at both sides of the argument surrounding the controversial cull. MPs will then be invited to cast their votes on its future. The Labour MP for Huddersfield Barry Sheerman tells Farming Today that he wants the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to consider using alternatives to culling in order to tackle the disease. However Defra says that in all other instances of the disease around the world, the problem has always had to include controlling the disease in wildlife.

Livestock markets used to be part of the the lifeblood of many town centres. But increased traffic and urban congestion have forced many of them to relocate out of town. Helen Mark finds out about two markets, Beeston Castle near Tarporley, and Chelford market near Macclesfield, which plan to join forces, merge and move out of town.

And Jules Benham finds out how the Forestry Commission is using military-grade thermal imaging cameras to count wild boar in the Forest of Dean.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Jules Benham.

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