13/01/22 - River pollution, shellfish bacteria and mussel farming

Farming Today

• Episode: 13/01/22 - River pollution, shellfish bacteria and mussel farming
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:13:26
• Published: 2022-01-13 07:00

Rivers in England are in a mess - so say MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee. Their report into water quality in rivers is published today and doesn’t make cheerful reading particularly for water companies - which are blamed for 36% of pollution and farming which is the cause of 40% with intensive livestock and poultry farms causing particular issues. The Committee recommends that in places where a river is badly affected by pollution new poultry units shouldn’t be allowed. The future may be complicated for the UK’s shellfish producers - new research shows that rising temperatures are causing a growing diversity of bacteria in our seas. The study from the University of Exeter found bacteria that could kill shellfish, as has happened in France and Australia. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons