21/12/20 - Sugar beet processing, New uses for wool, Harvest mice

Farming Today

• Episode: 21/12/20 - Sugar beet processing, New uses for wool, Harvest mice
• Website: Farming Today
• Feed URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/downloads.rss
• Duration: 00:11:25
• Published: 2020-12-21 07:00

As the sugar beet harvest continues through the winter, a new way of processing it is being trialled which could allow more farmers to grow it. Sugar extraction is currently only done by one company - British Sugar - and is concentrated in the east of England. Most growers are within 60 miles of a processing plant. These huge factories heat the beet and get 95% of the sugar out. But we visit York University, where scientists are looking at a different way of extracting the sugar syrup which can be done on a much smaller, local scale, anywhere in the country. This year has been grim for sheep farmers looking to sell wool - the price has been so low that some have burnt or buried fleeces rather than pay to transport them. Wool produced in the UK is generally used in carpets, textiles, some clothing, and a growing insulation market. But we hear from a wool expert about some innovative new uses. And the Mammal Society is setting up a nationwide survey of harvest mice to try and find out how well they are doing in the wild. It follows on from a five-year local survey in Kent conducted that the Wildwood Trust. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons