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Farming Today: Slurry, alpacas and county shows

US secretary of agriculture, EFRA Committee reports, haricot beans

30/05/2018

Slurry, alpacas and county shows

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Slurry, alpacas and county shows

Steffan Messenger asks if enough is being done to prevent river pollution from farms.

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside, including river pollution, the County Tyrone slurry spill, alpaca protection and the changing face of agricultural shows.

Storing manure and farm waste near rivers and water courses is being questioned by a dairy specialist. Dr Partha Ray from Reading University's School of Agriculture has investigated the impact that livestock farming has on the environment. It comes as an investigation is underway into a pollution spill in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland which has seen 100,000 gallons of slurry escape, leading to the death of fish on a 15 mile stretch of river.

There's a call for a change in the law to give greater protection to the UK's alpaca herds. The South American mammals are bred mostly for breeding and for their wool but they aren't legally classified as 'livestock' in the same way as sheep. It means that when attacked by dogs a criminal prosecution isn't possible and only civil action can be brought against pet owners who fail to control their pets. 

All over the UK the summer agricultural show season is underway. But can the model of providing education and entertainment for every type of visitor continue in the 21st century? Ollie Allen has just retired after 22 years as the Devon County Show Secretary and she tells Farming Today that agricultural events must adapt to survive. 

Presented by Steffan Messenger
Produced by Vernon Harwood.

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