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Bird 'Flu Threatens Europe's Poultry Farms

Europe's poultry farmers are slaughtering millions of birds to stop avian 'flu spreading.

Chicken, duck and geese farmers in France and Hungary have been hit the hardest by the H5N8 strain of bird 'flu, which is threatening a meat industry worth billions. We hear how millions of birds are being slaughtered to prevent the spread of avian influenza, with outbreaks detected in countries from Ireland to the Middle East and Africa. We get analysis of the threat to the poultry industry from Dr Matthew Stone, deputy director general at the World Organisation for Animal Health in Paris and Dr Juan Lubroth, chief veterinary officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome.

President Donald Trump's decision to overturn the Stream Protection Rule, which was designed to limit the ability of US coal mining companies to dump waste into nearby waterways, has provoked criticism. Amid claims it could damage the US coal industry we get the views of Erin Savage, from an environmental group in Charlottesville, Virginia and Luke Popovich, vice-president of the National Mining Association in Washington.

Cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast have been on strike today to protest about tumbling prices for their crop, which is a major export earner for the world's biggest producer of the commodity. Our correspondent in Abidjan, Tamasin Forde, tells us how the cocoa farmers want financial support from the Ivorian Government.

The world is always on the hunt for new sources of energy, other than coal, gas and oil. Renewable green sources like solar and wind are taking off, but there is also a focus on using grass to create electricity. A company in Britain has secured permission to build what would be the country's first grass-fed power station. As the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s Mike Johnson reports.

Are you a "zombie pedestrian"? The kind of person who steps out into the road without looking, because they are too absorbed in the contents of their smartphones. It is a phenomenon that is seen as a growing cause of accidents around the world, however a company in the Netherlands has a solution - traffic lights installed in the pavment. Mark Hofman, from HIG, explains about how the Dutch sidewalk lights work.

(Picture: Geese at risk of bird 'flu in Hungary. Getty Images.)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Thu 16 Feb 2017 18:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Thu 16 Feb 2017 18:32GMT