Farming Today This Week

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Farming Today: 28/11/20 - Farming Today This Week: Bovine TB, urea fertiliser and "fostered" apple orchards.

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28/11/20 - Farming Today This Week: Bovine TB, urea fertiliser and "fostered" apple orchards.

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 28/11/20 - Farming Today This Week: Bovine TB, urea fertiliser and "fostered" apple orchards.

Caz Graham looks in-depth at Bovine TB - the emotional toll it takes on farmers, the ongoing controversy surrounding the badger cull and the hopes vested in a cattle vaccine.

Caz Graham takes an in-depth look at Bovine TB. The disease costs taxpayers around £100 million a year, and in the 12 months to August, 38,000 cattle were slaughtered because of it in England, Wales and Scotland. Meanwhile, licences for this year's badger cull in England allowed for more than 64 thousand badgers to be killed across 17 counties. We hear about the financial and emotional toll of the disease on farmers and what they can do to tackle it. We discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding the badger cull and the Government's announcement that badger vaccination would be introduced. And we hear hopes that a cattle vaccine could be just 5 years away.

A Government consultation is considering a ban on solid urea fertiliser in England. DEFRA says it's responsible for 8% of the UK’s ammonia emissions, which can be harmful to both human health and the environment. We hear from an agronomist, a farmer and a Government Minister.

And how do you "foster" an apple orchard? We take a trip to Devon to take part in the harvest.

Presented by Caz Graham
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

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28/11/20 - Farming Today This Week: Bovine TB, urea fertiliser and "fostered" apple orchards.

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