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Farming Today: 03/08/21 - Rural crime, Pathogen project, Sheep markets

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03/08/21 - Rural crime, Pathogen project, Sheep markets

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 03/08/21 - Rural crime, Pathogen project, Sheep markets

New tactics are being employed to commit rural crimes, according to a new report.

Criminals are employing new tactics to commit rural crimes according to a new report out today, including using silent electric scooters to carry out surveillance.

A new report out today highlights that criminals are employing new tactics to commit rural crimes, including using silent electric scooters to carry out surveillance, or placing tracking devices on valuable farm machinery. Jim Papworth, a farmer in Norfolk, was a victim of GPS theft and says he will struggle to keep these devices under lock and key. Dr Kate Tudor from Northumbria University says that social media is also increasingly being used to identify potential targets.  

A three year project is being launched to genetically track pathogens from farm to fork. The project will use the latest DNA-sequencing technology and environmental sampling, to track pathogens in food, and also try to trace microbes which are resistant to antibiotics.

For sheep week Rebecca Rooney is at an auction in Cirencester to find out about prices, and to see how farmers are coping without being able to stay and see their sheep being sold.    

Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer in Bristol: Toby Field

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