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Farming Today: Avian flu, wool mattresses and the state of British sheep farming

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30/01/2017

Avian flu, wool mattresses and the state of British sheep farming

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Avian flu, wool mattresses and the state of British sheep farming

As more cases of bird flu are reported, why is H5N8 spreading?

Poultry farmers are under pressure as H5N8 spreads. A Yorkshire bed firm buys a flock of sheep to help in the making of wool mattresses. Sheep farmers are optimistic pre-Brexit.

Cases of avian flu continue to rise despite Government restrictions on poultry farms imposed in early December. Now doubts are being cast on the role played by wild birds in the spread of the H5N8 strain.
Wensleydale sheep are a British rare breed with fewer than 1,500 breeding ewes in the UK. Now a Yorkshire bed-making company has found a new role for them by buying its own flock to help in the production of wool mattresses.
Meanwhile sheep farming is in an upbeat mood as the industry considers what effect Brexit will have. The National Sheep Association says despite concerns over future subsidies and exports, there has been a "mood for change" among sheep breeders and farmers. 
Presented by Charlotte Smith.
Produced by Vernon Harwood.

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