Latest news with #FarmingToday
BBC News
17-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Snettisham bird flu case prompts call to house poultry nationwide
More avian flu outbreaks has led to calls for poultry and kept birds across Britain to be housed indoors, to prevent further Norfolk, a second outbreak this season was confirmed in Snettisham, near Hunstanton, on Sunday, leading to a 3km (1.8-mile) monitoring zone being put in place. Housing orders have already been brought in for 32 affected areas across to the BBC's Farming Today programme, Gary Ford from the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, said: "In our view, there is sufficient evidence to extend the housing order across GB."The government's chief vet said it was monitoring the disease and any risk to more areas. Housing orders have come into force in parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire, along with places further afield including Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and follows the discovery of dead wild birds affected by the H5NI virus and one case of H5N5. 'Farmers are absolutely worried' Chief vet, Dr Christine Middlemiss, said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had so far decided against a countrywide order, "because we haven't seen either the level of infection or any infection in wild birds in the other areas, nor have we picked up cases there. "So the risk in those other regions is lower."Dr Middlemiss said it was keeping matters under constant review and regularly sampling wild birds for disease. She said a number of outbreaks had also occurred in premises where birds were already Mr Ford said he wanted a stronger response to "get ahead" of the disease, and called for a "proactive approach"."Because farmers are absolutely worried and concerned that this dreadful disease could visit their farm," he said."We've got to do the right thing for the birds, our flocks and the farmers themselves." Dr Alan Atkinson, of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) based in Thetford, Norfolk, said the charity had noticed more cases of bird flu in more species over the past three years."Last summer, we saw relatively little bird flu in wild bird populations," he said."But recently, in the past few weeks, we've seen a real uptick in the number of particularly wildfowl - so geese, ducks and swans and gulls - which are being found dead or sick with avian flu."Dr Atkinson said the virus had been having a major impact on seabirds, adding it was "difficult" to contain among wild birds. "Where we might be able to do something about it is in breeding colonies," he said."And one thing that has been trialled is the removal of carcasses on a regular basis, to try and limit the spread."He said the charity was hoping affected wild bird species, such as great skewers that have seen populations decimated by 50%, would be able to seabirds with "very large mortality" rates included terns, gulls, gannets and kittiwakes, he said. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scrapping the licence fee will force the BBC to excel
I have always argued that Britain deserves a national public broadcaster fit to showcase to the world the best of Great Britain. We produce some of the finest talent there is. From the film and television industry, to theatre, sport and news broadcasting – British excellence can and should be broadcast. Yet it is fair to ask whether the public broadcaster is fit for purpose. Could the concept be improved? Is the funding model sustainable? Does there need to be more scrutiny of impartiality? One of the most disturbing developments is the increasing politicisation of the BBC. For a football pundit, on a taxpayer-funded salary of £1.3 million, to rant about immigration policy on social media and compare it to 'Nazi Germany', is unacceptable. Not only was such an episode outrageous, but it tested the public's patience and detracted from all the good work the BBC can do. Take the sports coverage the BBC airs. This includes all kinds of pursuits from grassroots rugby to indoor bowls. The boffins at other media networks may think giving airtime to these various sporting codes is commercially unviable, which is entirely their prerogative as the pursuit of profit defines all they do. But a sport can only grow if it can be promoted, and that entails it being seen. A public service broadcaster can meet this need. The Wimbledon championships, broadcast around the world, epitomise this. The sporting talent, the insightful commentary, the strawberries and cream, and the Wimbledon whites are a fixture of the English summer and are wonderfully showcased by the BBC. Wimbledon was first televised on the BBC in 1937 and has been so ever since, making the tournament the longest-running partnership between a sporting event and broadcaster. And what about the joy of listening to the BBC's Test Match Special? Listeners receive hours of information and entertainment thanks to a charming mix of humour and expert analysis. The promotion of the British countryside and rural living is also a great BBC endeavour. Programmes like Countryfile, Landward, and Springwatch all celebrate our natural world. Meanwhile, Farming Today remains important for those of us with an interest in agriculture. All of this is exported around the world. So, too, is the BBC World Service, which provides a trusted news source to places which crave just that. The BBC is capable of world-class work, but that doesn't mean a discussion about future funding is not needed. In a technologically savvy world, where most have a smartphone in their pocket or multiple devices in the one household, the appetite to consume content has increased. New entrants in the market have soaked up this demand in the form of streaming services. Yet according to the latest Westminster speculation, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is now thinking of slapping the licence fee on people who never view live TV and only watch the likes of Netflix or Disney+. A new report, 'Outdated, Outpaced and Out of Touch', from Defund the BBC, suggests that the Corporation finds itself at a critical juncture, perhaps facing an 'adapt or die' moment. Increasingly the taxpayer questions the value in continually pumping money into a BBC which does not reflect their viewing habits. The TV licence is, for all intents and purposes, another tax many are unenthusiastic about paying. So how can we guarantee 'our' BBC and enhance the product on offer for Britons in a world of endless technological disruption? The BBC has enough talent to be able to compete fairly in today's streaming world. Surely the final destination must be a BBC which reflects the expectations of the public in both value and product, and above all, offers British excellence. For only then will it survive for another century and beyond. Sir John Hayes is MP for South Holland and The Deepings. He is the chairman of the Common Sense Group of Conservative MPs Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Anne makes rare comment about surprising HGV licence in unearthed interview
The Princess Royalis renowned for her down-to-earth personality, quick wit and impeccable sense of style. Aside from carrying out key royal engagements, Princess Anne is a royal fan favourite thanks to her outdoorsy lifestyle and penchant for animals. She was the first member of the royal family to have competed in the Olympics Games at the 1976 Montreal Games and is also known for raising an array of dogs, chickens, sheep and cattle at her rambling Gatcombe Park estate. But did you know that King Charles's sister boasts a rather unusual qualification that no doubt comes in handy when she's making changes to her family's working farm? As per the royal family's official website, the keen equestrian has a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) licence, which according to , she's held since 1974. To top it all off, she also became the first royal to add the qualification to her repertoire of skills. She spoke about her rare skill back in 1985 during a BBC interview with Terry Wogan. When asked what she could do if the monarchy was ever abolished, Anne revealed that she'd have to work "even harder on the farm," before adding: "Out of necessity, I qualified as a heavy goods vehicle driver, on the basis of if one didn't have a farm to work on or there was no other alternative, both my husband and I have heavy goods vehicle licenses." The mother-of-two continued: "His is a HGV one and mine is a HGV three so it seemed like a very logical way of earning one's living. There is in fact quite a demand for good horse box drivers, we know one end of a horse from another, we thought we could probably crack that one between us." Anne's family farm is located at her sprawling Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire. The estate boasts a whopping 730 acres and is home to several rare breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs. Indeed, according to the royal family's website, the farm is home to 230 Wiltshire horn ewes, 14 white park cows, six Highland cows and two Gloucester Old Spot sows. During a 2014 interview, Anne spoke to BBC show Countryfile about the running of her family's farm. "Being able to take on a place like this – for me, I've got to make it work," she said. "This is not something that comes free, this has got to pay its way, otherwise I can't stay here." Anne has previously spoken about backing genetically modified crops and livestock, saying that having GM livestock on her farm "would be a bonus." During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme in 2017, she said: "GM is one of those things that divides people but surely if we are going to be better at producing food of the right value, then we have to accept that genetic technology is going to be part of that." Reflecting on GM animals, she continued: "I have rare breeds of livestock, so genetic modification would be a bonus, if I could just find a way of making them a little more robust in terms of survivability."
