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Farming Today: 18/01/23 Livestock rustling and diesel theft; Fertiliser

18/01/23 Livestock rustling and diesel theft; Fertiliser

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 18/01/23 Livestock rustling and diesel theft; Fertiliser

Livestock and diesel thefts. The impact of war and new technologies on fertiliser.

Criminals steal livestock and diesel. War in Ukraine and its impact on fertiliser supplies. New technology to reduce emissions from fertiliser.

A farmer who's lost two bulls believes thieves targeted his farm, in an attempt to take the animals for meat, for the black market. NFU Mutual says livestock theft has cost around £2.5 million over the past 12 months. They say the cost of living crisis is pushing up crime, and theft of diesel has more than doubled in the past year.

The importance of fertiliser around the world has been highlighted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Russia is a top exporter of fertilisers and the chemicals used to make them. But the war has caused supply issues and driven up the price of natural gas, which is a key part of fertiliser production. The head of one of the world's biggest fertiliser firms, YARA, has accused Vladimir Putin of 'weaponising food'. 

Synthetic fertilisers emit greenhouse gases, so the industry is searching for new technologies that will make low-carbon fertiliser which is affordable.  One of the companies which has received government backing is N2 Applied. They take manure, and process it into a nitrogen rich fertiliser, whilst also reducing ammonia and methane emissions. The company says this can be done on-farm and claim their process will reduce a farm’s overall greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 per cent.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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18/01/23 Livestock rustling and diesel theft; Fertiliser

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