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Farming Today: Climate change report, Lab closures, Broiler chickens

01/04/2014

Climate change report, Lab closures, Broiler chickens

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Climate change report, Lab closures, Broiler chickens

The latest report on climate change is released. What will changes mean for agriculture?

A new report on climate change warns of an increased risk of floods and changes to crop yields and water availability. Anna Hill asks what challenges may lie ahead for farmers.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its latest report. It warns that the effects of a changing climate are likely to be 'severe, pervasive and irreversible'. They include a higher risk of floods, and changes to crop yields and water availability. But some have criticised the report for being too negative and alarmist. We ask what the changes may mean for agriculture.

Two animal health laboratories close their doors today, as part of cuts to animal health surveillance in the UK. The labs at Luddington in Warwickshire and Preston in Lancashire are among those affected by the decision to shut down half the UK's animal health labs. The Royal College of Pathologists, backed by the British Veterinary Association, is calling for a review of the decision.

And it's estimated that 60 billion broiler chickens are produced globally every year, with increasing demand for meat from emerging economies like China leading to changes in the way chicken meat is produced. Farming Today talks to the president of the American company Cobb, which is the biggest supplier of chicken in the world.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Emma Campbell.

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