大象传媒

There is to be a badger cull in Northern Ireland as part of measures to control TB in cattle. Announcing the move the Agriculture Minister, Edwin Poots, said the cull would be only in targeted areas and will not be a wholesale removal of badgers. Farmers in Northern Ireland have been critical of the time it has taken to get this decision, but wildlife charities said the policy is unjustifiable and morally wrong, and legal challenges have already been issued against the proposed cull.

Fishers in Whitby say they鈥檙e unsure the industry will ever recover after widespread shellfish deaths along the North East Coast of England last winter. As we鈥檝e reported they鈥檙e unhappy with official explanations about what's causing the problem - but now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has closed its investigation into the deaths for a second time. It says surveys done this month found healthy catches of crabs and lobsters - but fishermen are still concerned.

And talks between Canada and the UK about a Free Trade Agreement are underway. Canada is the world鈥檚 fifth largest exporter of agricultural and agri-food products.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for 大象传媒 Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons