03/05/2022 Illegal dredging, new farmers' group, lettuce harvester.

Campaigners say a fine imposed on a skipper for illegal dredging is too low and won't deter unscrupulous fishermen. A couple of weeks ago, Alex Murray was found guilty of dredging for scallops in a Marine Protected Area off Scotland’s northwest coast in summer 2019. The marine conservation charity Open Seas says the £3211.43 he received is less than a good day's catch. They are calling for tougher sentences.

A new farmer cooperative's been launched. The Environmental Farmers Group believes it's the first co-op of its kind. It's been developed by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and comprises 72 farmers over 40 thousand hectares across the Hampshire Avon Valley. It aims to deliver environmental public goods, like clean water and improved biodiversity, that are core to the government's new farming policy.

Harvesting lettuce is back-breaking and delicate work. Engineers are developing a lettuce harvesting machine to make the job easier and more appealing to seasonal workers. We visit a field demonstration of a mechanised picker on a farm in Shropshire.

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney