03/06/25 - Welsh Environment Bill, small abattoirs and smart cattle tech

Farming Today

A new law which is intended to protect nature and reverse the loss of wildlife has been introduced by the Welsh Government. The Environment Bill aims to allow members of the public to challenge organisations in Wales, including councils, on environmental issues such as water pollution. If passed, it will set up a new Office of Environmental Governance, to enforce environmental law, and Ministers in the Senedd will have to set targets to reduce pollution and manage ecosystems.

We visit Down Land Traditional Meats in West Sussex, where the owner says increasing financial strain and red tape is putting the future of small abattoirs at risk. The closure of abattoirs has been a long standing trend - in the 1970s the UK had 2 and half thousand abattoirs...but that had dropped to just 203 by 2023.

And we find out about a high-tech cattle handling crate that incorporates software to monitor animals. It can minimise manual handling by drafting animals - where a herd is separated into smaller groups - by itself.

Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons