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18/03/25 - Hare coursing, xylella and soil microplastics
Farmers who've had illegal hare coursers on their land are warning it’s only a matter of time until someone is killed. Hare coursing involves betting on dogs chasing hares, and police say those taking part are often involved in criminal gangs and are using more and more extreme tactics.Xylella is a bacterial infection in plants spread by spittlebugs. It hasn't yet arrived in the UK but has had a serious impact on olive trees in the Mediterranean. Imported plants are being checked at the border to try to prevent the disease getting here, but preparations are also being made in case it does. We visit a secure lab to speak to some of the scientists involved.And a new study has found that after 4 years of applying sewage sludge to farm land, the amount of microplastics in the soil had risen by 1,450%. Researchers from the James Hutton Institute and Robert Gordon University looked at soil samples from an experimental field in North Lanarkshire. Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons
Farmers who've had illegal hare coursers on their land are warning it’s only a matter of time until someone is killed. Hare coursing involves betting on dogs chasing hares, and police say those taking part are often involved in criminal gangs and are using more and more extreme tactics.
Xylella is a bacterial infection in plants spread by spittlebugs. It hasn't yet arrived in the UK but has had a serious impact on olive trees in the Mediterranean. Imported plants are being checked at the border to try to prevent the disease getting here, but preparations are also being made in case it does. We visit a secure lab to speak to some of the scientists involved.
And a new study has found that after 4 years of applying sewage sludge to farm land, the amount of microplastics in the soil had risen by 1,450%. Researchers from the James Hutton Institute and Robert Gordon University looked at soil samples from an experimental field in North Lanarkshire.
Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons
