Farming Today

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Farming Today: 24/02/2023 Butcher shortage; Strawberries; Reintroducing wildcats

24/02/2023 Butcher shortage; Strawberries; Reintroducing wildcats

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 24/02/2023 Butcher shortage; Strawberries; Reintroducing wildcats

UK butcher shortage, all-year-round strawberries, and wildcat reintroduction.

Meat industry says butcher shortage means carcasses being sent abroad. Vertical farm producing all-year-round strawberries. Plans to reintroduce wildcats to south west.

Acute labour shortages have led to some UK meat processors moving their work abroad. Whole carcasses are being exported overseas to be butchered and distributed because they can’t get the staff to do it here. The British Meat Processors Association says that affects productivity and investment in UK plants. They want butchers to be included on the Home Office shortage occupation list so that they can recruit more workers from abroad.

Growing strawberries all year round is a challenge for British producers. We take a tour of the UK's first producer to do that. An entrepreneur has transformed a warehouse in Essex into a vertical farm. Fruit is grown on shelves reaching twelve metres up to the roof, under LED lights. The plants are pollinated by bees, while pests are controlled by predators rather than chemicals.

We've been looking at reintroductions of plants, insects and mammals all week. Wildcats are the UK's only native cat species. They look like a large stocky tabby cat, but with a black banded bushy tail. Only small numbers remain in the Scottish Highlands, and even there they are close to extinction. But Wildcats could be reintroduced to Devon, if conditions are right and local communities support the idea. Devon Wildlife Trust is investigating the feasibility of bringing back Wildcats after an absence of more than 100 years. 

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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24/02/2023 Butcher shortage; Strawberries; Reintroducing wildcats

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