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	Podcast:		Farming Today
	Episode:		18/11/23 - Farming Today This Week: Falsified soil samples, brassicas and river health
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:25:01
	Publish Date:		2023-11-18 07:00:00
	Description:		The widespread use of fake evidence in planning applications from livestock farms may have led to increased water pollution in Northern Ireland, including the toxic blue-green algae we reported on this summer in Lough Neagh. That’s according to the Belfast based investigative journalism network, The Detail. Since 2015 farmers in Northern Ireland wanting to build new sheds to house livestock like pigs and poultry have had to submit soil samples to show their land will be able to absorb the extra animal waste, or slurry, without it running off into rivers and causing pollution. The Detail’s investigation says that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency found that between 2015 and 2022, 87 percent of those samples - that’s more than a hundred - were fabricated or doctored to get around planning regulations. After weeks of heavy rainfall, we join one farmer trying to harvest sprouts in a quagmire. And presenter, Caz, braves the cold water to meet a group of swimmers as they travel from "source to sea" along the River Eden in Cumbria. Presented by Caz Graham Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons
	Total Play:		0