21/01/2023 Farming Today This Week: Report into mass shellfish deaths; Second homes; Rural crime; Fertilisers.

Fishermen on England's North East Coast say they're no further forward after an independent panel of scientists concluded there is no one clear cause of the deaths of thousands of crabs in the area. Fishermen blamed dredging at Teesside for releasing chemicals which killed the crabs but the panel considered that 'exceptionally unlikely' and believe it may be a pathogen. Cornwall Council has approved plans for second home owners to be charged double the council tax. And if they leave those second homes empty and unfurnished for a year, they’ll be charged triple. A farmer says his attempts to keep joy riders and poachers off his land have been thwarted by planners. Colin Rayner who farms near Heathrow, put concrete blocks and old tyres across gates to stop vehicles. He says he's been threatened with legal action by Buckinghamshire County Council as they say the barriers breach planning laws. All week we've been talking about fertilisers. Russia is a top exporter of fertilisers and the chemicals used to make them and war in Ukraine has caused supply issues and driven up the price of natural gas, which is a key part of fertiliser production. As a result European fertiliser production fell by 70 per cent last year. We hear from the head of one of one of the world's biggest fertiliser firms, YARA, who's accused Vladimir Putin of 'weaponising food'. We also look at some of the alternatives to traditional granular fertilisers. Some growers believe cover crops, planting beans and clover which fix nitrogen in the soil, are the answer to improved soil health and fertility. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney