23/09/21 - Lamb exports to the US, NI subsidy hike, sewage sludge and glasshouse gas use

Farming Today

• Episode: 23/09/21 - Lamb exports to the US, NI subsidy hike, sewage sludge and glasshouse gas use
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:13:41
• Published: 2021-09-23 07:00

British lamb may still be years away from American plates, despite news that the USA is to lift its ban. The Americans banned UK lamb along with sheep genetics in 1989, blaming BSE. The prime minister has now announced that ban will be lifted, calling it a 'solid incremental step on trade'. The National Sheep Association has welcomed the news, saying there is a strong market for British sheep semen and embryos in the US, but it warns it will take time to work through the details before exports to the US can actually start. Farmers in Northern Ireland are getting £15 million pounds extra money. We hear from the agriculture minister, Edwin Poots, who has announced the addition to this year’s single farm payment. Mr Poots also says he is trying to tackle the labour shortage in abattoirs, by lobbying the Home Office for permission to bring butchers from the Philippines to work in Northern Ireland. As part of our week's focus on muck, we learn how human sewage is turned into a product that can be spread on farmers' fields. And, with gas prices up by 250%, farmers growing veg under glass are reconsidering their plans. Gas is used to heat glasshouses, so costs are skyrocketing. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons