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Farming Today: Sea lice, Mobile abattoir, NI dairy, Westmorland Show

15/09/2017

Sea lice, Mobile abattoir, NI dairy, Westmorland Show

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Sea lice, Mobile abattoir, NI dairy, Westmorland Show

Salmon farms with high levels of sea lice will be named by the Scottish government.

The Scottish government has been ordered to release the names of fish farms with the highest levels of sea lice. Campaigners say it will give consumers a more informed choice.

The Scottish Government has been ordered to name and shame the fish farms which have the highest numbers of sea lice. Lice levels on salmon farms are controversial because they're believed to harm wild salmon and trout populations. Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland, a group that works to conserve fish numbers, had asked the Scottish Government to release the names of the most lice-ridden farms on several occasions, but the information was withheld. Now the Scottish Information Commissioner has ordered that it should be disclosed.

With milk prices now increasing, things are looking up for the dairy industry. In Northern Ireland, one dairy co-operative says the Brexit vote has also had a positive impact on business, as some big food companies are looking to avoid potential tariffs by replacing imported ingredients with UK ones. Conor Macauley visits a firm which has just invested 30 million pounds in its County Tyrone plant. 

Farming Today concludes its week-long look at slaughter - the final piece in the jigsaw of livestock production. When abattoir regulations were tightened up in the year 2000, several slaughterhouses closed their doors, unable to meet the new requirements. It means in many cases there's no local option, and journeys to abattoirs can be long and stressful for animals. In this programme, we hear about an initiative to introduce a mobile abattoir, which could slaughter livestock on the farm, cutting out the problems caused by a long journey.

And Caz Graham visits the penultimate agricultural show of this year's season. At the Westmorland Show, she meets farmers who are drawing breath after a tough year.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Emma Campbell.

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