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Farming Today: Fishing legislation, Mountain rescue technology, Brassica disease test, Cooking sprouts

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12/12/2017

Fishing legislation, Mountain rescue technology, Brassica disease test, Cooking sprouts

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Fishing legislation, Mountain rescue technology, Brassica disease test, Cooking sprouts

What do the latest plans for post-Brexit UK/EU 'alignment' mean for British fishermen?

As the fishing industry meets in Brussels to set quotas, we ask what the latest plans for post-Brexit 'alignment' between the UK and EU might mean for British fishermen.

EU fishing industry representatives are gathering in Brussels this week, for the annual Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting - which sets 2018 catch limits for commercial fish stocks in the Atlantic and North Sea. This is matter of divvying up a pre-agreed total catch for the EU, so although member states might gain or lose a few percentage points, it's unlikely to bring any major changes. However there is of course an imminent change to the status quo, in that the UK is preparing its own fisheries policy to come into play post-Brexit.
With that in mind, last week the EU's Fisheries Committee emphasised the importance of continued cooperation with the UK after March 2019. But how does that tie in with the British fishing industry's pledge to 'take back control'? And could that ambition be affected by the new plans for UK-EU 'alignment' post-Brexit?
Anna Hill put the question to Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation.

This weekend saw snowfall right across the UK - picturesque for some, a pain in the neck for many and for a few, downright dangerous.
Brecon Mountain Rescue has had its busiest year on record for the second year running. Now it's looking into how new technology can help improve their services, and trialling drones and sonar technology to help in rescue efforts - as BBC Wales' Will Fyfe reports.

Brussel sprouts are a festive staple and traditionally they've been regarded rather as the Marmite of vegetables: you either love them or hate them. But nowadays, chefs are coming up with all sorts of exciting new ways to serve this seasonal veg - making the soggy, over-boiled sprout a thing of the past. As Farming Today is focusing on brassicas all this week, including sprouts, we asked The Food Programme's Sheila Dillon to share her top tip for serving sprouts in style.
Continuing with the Bassicas theme, crop scientists have discovered that the technology behind home-pregnancy tests can be used to detect threats to these vegetables. Known as a 'lateral flow device', this test can pick up infectious spores in the air and act as an early disease warning system. 
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board is trialling the tech with brassicas such as sprouts, broccoli and cabbages. Lucy Taylor went to the Warwick Crop Centre in Wellesbourne, to meet AHDB Senior Scientist, Cathryn Lambourn.

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