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04/11/24 Row over new chair for Dartmoor land use group, sheep, saltmarsh.

Row over chair of new land use group on Dartmoor. Phil Stocker will lead it but conservationists say he shouldn't as he is CEO of the National Sheep Association.

There's a row about a new Land Management Group for Dartmoor. There's been a lot of controversy about the state of the environment and grazing sheep there. The new group's been set up to bring together farmers, commoners and environmental groups to sort out the problems. The government's appointed Phil Stocker as the independent chair, but conservationists say he shouldn't have been given the job as he's also CEO of the National Sheep Association. We speak to Dartmoor Nature Alliance about their concerns. We ask Phil Stocker about his new role, and also about the state of sheep farming in the UK.

Farmers in North Somerset say plans to create saltmarshes to offset the environmental impact of a new power station would be disastrous for their homes and livelihoods. Energy giant EDF is building a nuclear power plant - Hinkley Point C - on the Bristol Channel. To offset the number of fish that’ll be killed when it’s up and running, EDF is looking to create saltmarshes along the River Severn. It needs more than 800 acres and is considering the compulsory purchase of agricultural land.

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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