29/03/23 Plans to license pheasant releases in Wales; more shellfish testing; micro algae technology.

Releases of millions of game birds in Wales could be subject to licensing laws. Natural Resources Wales is advising the Welsh Government to launch a consultation about general licensing for all releases and special licences in sensitive areas. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation has called the move ' a systematic attack' against game shooting. The campaign group Wild Justice has welcomed the move.

The DEFRA Secretary has said fresh tests are being done to look for pathogens that could be affecting crustaceans off England's North East coast. Tens of thousands of crabs and lobsters were washed up dead on beaches there in the summer of 2021, and catches have been down since. Fishermen have blamed old industrial chemicals released by dredging, but a DEFRA inquiry found the deaths were 'most likely' down to a new disease or parasite. Last week we heard calls from local fishermen for the Government to open a new inquiry, after prawn catches started being affected too. The Efra committee's been told the government's now commissioning further tests.

All week we're looking at new ways of managing farm waste. Some water companies are using micro algae to eat contaminants like phosphorus and clean up waste water before it's discharged. That same technology is now being tested on livestock slurry. We hear from a pig farmer who's trialling the system on her farm to better use pig muck as fertiliser.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney