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Farming Today: TB-Resistant Cows, Chick Sexing, Birds of Prey

04/03/2015

TB-Resistant Cows, Chick Sexing, Birds of Prey

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, TB-Resistant Cows, Chick Sexing, Birds of Prey

The development of TB-resistant cows in China and the challenge of sexing chicks.

The development of transgenic TB-resistant cows in China and why the UK currently has a shortage of chick sexers, who distinguish the gender of day-old chicks. With Anna Hill.

Scientists in China have produced a herd of genetically engineered cows that are better able to ward off bovine TB infection. This development is still very much in its early days, but the resistance has been successfully passed on to the offspring of the transgenic cows. We hear from Professor Mike Coffey of Scotland's Rural College who specialises in dairy cattle breeding, and is researching how to breed naturally for reduced susceptibility to TB.

The UK is facing a shortage of 'chick sexers'! even though it can attract a salary of up to forty thousand pounds a year. The British Poultry Council has called for this skilled job to be added to the government's list of occupations with a chronic shortage of staff. In the past that request has been refused. Their chief executive Andrew Large tells us what the job involves.

All this week on Farming Today we're looking at predators and the effect they have on both farmed and wild animal populations. Today we're considering raptors - birds of prey. Every species of raptor in the UK - from buzzard to golden eagle, is protected under law. Despite that, cases of poisoning of raptors still occur, often because the birds have been targeted for killing game bird chicks, which can threaten the work of gamekeepers running shoots. Bob Elliot, Head of Investigations at the RSPB, tells us that he's concerned at the number of illegal killings of birds of prey.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Mark Smalley.

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