11/06/24 - Graphene from slurry, bluetongue and vet recruitment
In a world first, methane from slurry on a dairy farm in Somerset is being broken down and turned into hydrogen gas and graphene.
In a world first, methane from slurry on a dairy farm in Somerset is being broken down and turned into hydrogen gas and graphene. The farm involved is Worthy Farm, which hosts the Glastonbury Festival. It already has an anaerobic digester which uses slurry from their dairy cows to make methane which is used to make electricity, and now also used to make graphene. We find out how it all works.
Last year tens of thousands of sheep in the Netherlands died after contracting bluetongue - a virus transmitted by biting midges. Famers in England are being warned to be vigilant for signs of the disease, and scientists at the Pirbright Institute in Surrey are studying midges to try to predict what might happen this summer.
And a shortage of vets means recruiting can be a challenge - and it can be even harder for practices in remote areas. We visit from practice in Fort William in the West Highlands who are finding it difficult to recruit a new member of staff.
Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for 大象传媒 Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
Last on
Broadcast
- Tue 11 Jun 2024 05:45大象传媒 Radio 4
Podcast
-
Farming Today
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside