08/12/20 - AHDB 5 Year Strategy, quagga mussels and exotic brassicas.

Farming Today

• Episode: 08/12/20 - AHDB 5 Year Strategy, quagga mussels and exotic brassicas.
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:13:38
• Published: 2020-12-08 07:00

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which provides marketing and technical support to farmers, has published a new five year strategy. The AHDB is paid for through a compulsory levy on all farmers, with some paying thousands of pounds a year. The new strategy includes providing more tailored services to individual sectors, better communication and variable levy rates. The move comes after criticism from some growers, who believe the AHDB does not serve their needs, and want to stop paying. We hear from AHDB Chair, Nicolas Saphir, and one of the farmers who started a petition over the levy. The quagga mussel is a tiny shellfish, native to the Ukraine, which was first discovered in the UK, 6 years ago. It's now an invasive species spreading through rivers and canals. It breeds quickly, blocking pipes and drains and causing damage which can cost water companies millions of pounds. We find out more about the latest outbreak on the River Trent in Lincolnshire. And Mazuma, Mabuna, Namenia and Sessantina are all types of brassica, although you may not have heard of them before. We visit an organic market garden in Wiltshire where brassica salads and kales are the backbone of the business at this time of year. Presented by Anna Hill Produced for BBC Audio by Heather Simons