Farming Today

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Farming Today: 23/12/19: Livestock market carols, Sheep as pest control.

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23/12/19: Livestock market carols, Sheep as pest control.

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 23/12/19: Livestock market carols, Sheep as pest control.

A livestock market near Dundee turns festive to help combat rural isolation.

We visit the livestock market near Dundee which is trying to combat rural isolation by holding a carol concert and inviting the neighbours in.

Christmas can be a difficult time of year. Feelings of isolation and loneliness are sometimes magnified, especially in rural areas where farmers often work alone. It's a problem that's recognised by churches and rural welfare charities. At a livestock market near Dundee they got together to hold a carol concert and invited the rural community to bring along their neighbours for a night of singing, mulled wine and food. We hear how it went.

We learn about a project which is exploring the possibility of using sheep as an alternative to chemical pest control. Cabbage stem flea beetle is a problem for farmers growing oil seed rape, but research has shown that letting sheep eat the foliage can help keep pest numbers in check.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Emma Campbell.

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23/12/19: Livestock market carols, Sheep as pest control.

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