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21/03/23 Henry Dimbleby stands down from Defra; Mussels; Bovine TB in people.

Henry Dimbleby's vision for Good Food Bill.
Mussel farmers struggle with post-Brexit rule changes.
Number of people catching bovine TB is increasing, researchers testing farmers.

The government's "Food Tsar" Henry Dimbleby has resigned as the lead non executive director at DEFRA after what he called an "insane" lack of action on obesity. His National Food Strategy was comprehensive but many aspects of it were ignored. This week he publishes a book called "Ravenous", which pulls together his blueprint for government, the food industry, health and land use. He's calling for a Good Food Bill.

All week we're talking about the future of the shellfish industry including crabs, lobsters, shrimps and bivalves, like mussels. One of the leading growers of mussels in Wales is Deepdock Mussels based along the waters of the Menai Strait off Angelsey. The company says since Brexit, the water monitoring for cleanliness is interpreted differently by the UK government than EU member states, and it puts them at a disadvantage.

We often talk about bovine TB affecting cattle, but researchers from the University of Bristol are trying to understand why the incidence of people catching the bovine strain of TB are increasing and whether farmers are particularly at risk. 20 years ago there were about 20 cases of bovine TB in people a year - more recent figures record about 40 cases a year and in the South West in particular, show about 8% of all cases of TB in people are caused by the bovine strain, known as M. bovis. Heather Simons went to an event where farmers were doing a blood test as part of the research project - in return for a free lunch.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

13 minutes

Broadcast

  • Tue 21 Mar 2023 05:45

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