19/03/25 - Rural pubs, avian flu biosecurity and nurdles on beaches

Rural communities could find it increasingly difficult to save their local pubs following the decision to shut down a government grant scheme. The Community Ownership Fund, which helped groups to buy local assets such as pubs and parks, was set up as part of the Conservative government's levelling up programme. The Labour government closed the scheme earlier than originally planned.Poultry keepers across the UK must follow strong biosecurity measures to try to prevent the spread of avian flu. We hear what that means on the ground for farmers, and hear from a vet who says it is having an impact.And millions of tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles have been found washed up on the east coast of England - leading to concerns about their impact on seabirds and marine life. The Coastguard has said it's likely the nurdles came from the collision involving a tanker and a cargo ship in the North Sea, off East Yorkshire last week. Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons

Mar 19, 2025 - 07:01
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19/03/25 - Rural pubs, avian flu biosecurity and nurdles on beaches

Rural communities could find it increasingly difficult to save their local pubs following the decision to shut down a government grant scheme. The Community Ownership Fund, which helped groups to buy local assets such as pubs and parks, was set up as part of the Conservative government's levelling up programme. The Labour government closed the scheme earlier than originally planned.

Poultry keepers across the UK must follow strong biosecurity measures to try to prevent the spread of avian flu. We hear what that means on the ground for farmers, and hear from a vet who says it is having an impact.

And millions of tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles have been found washed up on the east coast of England - leading to concerns about their impact on seabirds and marine life. The Coastguard has said it's likely the nurdles came from the collision involving a tanker and a cargo ship in the North Sea, off East Yorkshire last week.

Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons