23/01/25 Climate change impact on Scottish marine life, muck spreading and the rules around it.

Climate change is altering the number, variety and distribution of plants and animals around the coast of Scotland according to a new report from NatureScot. It’s good news for some sea-snails and barnacles, but not so good for blue mussels and the wildlife that feeds on them. Scientists have been surveying changes in 50 species at 167 locations around the Scottish coast to assess the impact of minute increases in sea temperature.

This week we’re looking at the jobs that fill up farmers’ days in January when there’s not much to harvest and there’s not much growing. Today it’s muck spreading. We visit a beef farm in the Scottish Highlands where the farmer's been cleaning out the cattle sheds, and using the muck to fertilise the fields. However farmers can’t just spread as much muck as they want, anywhere, at any time and because agriculture is a devolved power there are different regulations across different parts of the UK. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones or NVZs are designated in England and Scotland to add additional protection to water courses, and there are broader controls in place across both Wales and Northern Ireland. We talk to a senior lecturer in soil and environmental science about who can spread what, where and when.

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney