20/08/26 Salmonella in eggs, bees in drought, roof-top solar

The UK Health Security Agency is investigating the outbreak of salmonella that’s led to confirmed cases in more than 200 people, and the death of one person. Initial findings suggest it could be linked to imported eggs. Salmonella is extremely rare in UK produced eggs - all laying hens have to be vaccinated against it, and there’s a ‘passport’ system ensuring that all hens, eggs and feed are fully traceable. Although the vast majority of eggs we buy to cook with at home are British, eggs and egg products used in restaurants and other food services can often be imported to reduce costs. Not all of the countries they come from enforce the same production standards as the UK, The British Egg Industry Council says there needs to be a stricter testing regime for imported eggs. We eat around 40 million eggs a day in the UK, and import five million of those. We speak to an expert about how you begin to track down where a salmonella outbreak might have come from.

Beekeepers are warning that the lack of rain this summer could have long term consequences for their bees, which are vital pollinators for many crops.

Roof-top solar on agricultural buildings - we visit a dairy farm and ice cream producer in Derbyshire where it's making a big difference to electricity bills.

Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney