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Farming Today: Antibiotics, Cider production, GM salmon, Sheep dip poisoning

20/11/2015

Antibiotics, Cider production, GM salmon, Sheep dip poisoning

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Antibiotics, Cider production, GM salmon, Sheep dip poisoning

Sheep farmers push for recognition of the effects sheep dip may have had on their health.

Sheep farmers meet to push for recognition of the effects they say exposure to sheep dip has had on their health. Could agriculture do more to control the use of antibiotics?

Farmers who believe exposure to sheep dip has damaged their health have been meeting the Farming Minister George Eustice, to push for recognition of their problems. Until 1992, the use of sheep dip containing organophosphates was compulsory. It meant hundreds of sheep farmers were repeatedly exposed to the chemical, and many now believe that caused neurological damage and long-term health problems. Charlotte Smith hears from Paul Wright, who used to farm on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border. He's now retired, for health reasons.

Antibiotics have been in the headlines this week, with the frightening discovery of bacteria which have become resistant to the "drug of last resort". Should the farming industry be doing more to cut down its usage of antibiotics? Charlotte hears from the two organisations with views on the subject: the Alliance to Save our Antibiotics, a campaign group which aims to limit antibiotic use in UK farming, and RUMA - the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance.

Genetically modified salmon has been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration. The Atlantic salmon has been modified with genes from other fish, so that it grows more quickly than other farmed salmon. Helen Briggs from the BBC's science team explains what the development means.

And as we conclude our week-long look at alcohol production on UK farms, Sally Challoner finds out how the cider harvest has been going.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Emma Campbell.

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