24/03/23 - Pacific oysters, grouse moor management and precision breeding
The Duchy of Cornwall is to phase out the farming of Pacific oysters in all the estuaries it owns, meaning several oyster farms in Devon and Cornwall are now facing closure.
The Duchy of Cornwall is to phase out the farming of Pacific oysters in all the estuaries it owns, meaning several oyster farms in Devon and Cornwall are now facing closure. It comes after DEFRA introduced tighter restrictions around creating and expanding oyster farms in English waters with the aim of preventing the spread of Pacific Oysters and protecting native ones, which are now only found in a few strongholds. Pacific Oysters - the type used in oyster farms - are classed as an invasive, non-native species.
Scottish grouse moors will have to be licenced under proposals in a new bill introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill - if it's passed - will implement the recommendations of the Werritty Report, which was published in 2019 and was a sweeping review of the impact grouse moor management is having on Scotland's wildlife.
And changes to the rules around gene editing of crops take effect in England as the new Precision Breeding Act has become law. It will allow the use of gene editing to create new commercially available plant varieties, diverging from EU law. Similar rules on animals are due to be introduced at a later date.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Producer for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
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