18/02/26 Record month for illegal meat, independent vet practices, sheep shearers visas

Thirty four tonnes of illegal meat and animal products were intercepted over the course of January, at Dover docks. The Port Health Authority says it's the highest monthly total they have ever seized. Meanwhile, also in January, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority discovered 300 kilos of illegal pork at Harwich. It was found wrapped in foil and packed into suitcases. The chair of the Commons Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee, Alistair Carmichael, gives his reaction.

We’re talking about farm vets all this week on the programme. Until 1999 UK veterinary practises had to be owned by vets but now 60 per cent of practises are owned by companies - some of them large. In Staffordshire, farm vet Ellen Widdowson decided to set up her own independent practice, with a colleague, after her previous employer was bought by a corporate group.

The Home Office has said it’ll no longer give special temporary access to the UK for overseas sheep shearers. The National Association of Agricultural Contractors says the concession is essential to the farming industry, and the decision could compromise animal welfare. The association estimates the 75 or so overseas shearers, who mainly come from New Zealand and Australia, would shear up to 1.5 million sheep during their time in the UK.

Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Sarah Swadling