The Scottish Government says its Hunting with Dogs Bill, passed by MSPs this week, will end illegal hunts by closing a loophole in the law. It aims to prevent packs of dogs chasing and killing wild mammals, such as foxes and hares. But animal rights organisations say the provision of a licencing scheme leaves a loophole, while land managers say the change is unnecessary and impractical. The government is clamping down on the abuse of fishing crews; so says the fishing (and farming) minister Mark Spencer. More options, improved payments, and an accelerated rollout: today more details have been released on England's 'public money for public goods' payment system, and has got a cautious welcome from farmers and conservationists. And rural transport must change drastically if local bus services are to survive. That was the message yesterday to a special one-off session of Parliament's transport committee. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

A new study has found that small-scale burning of heather on peatlands can be beneficial to ground nesting birds, and the peat itself. The practice of burning heather has been controversial - it's sometimes supported by managers of grouse-shooting moorland, but opposed by many conservationists. The study will span 20 years and is now half way through. It compares three different management techniques - controlled burning, mowing, and no-management. We speak to Associate Professor Andreas Heinemeyer, from the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York who's led the research. Experts from the Wildlife Trusts however, say peatlands are vital for carbon capture, and bogs should not be managed for heather. They say heather's a sign of peatland that's dried out and the best way to manage them is to re-wet them. They don't want any burning of vegetation on peatland at all. All week we're looking at the fishing industry. Recruiting more UK workers is a problem for the sector. A new Fishers Apprenticeship hopes to attract more young people.The programme is a collaboration between the fishing industry and South Devon College, and is open for applicants right now. We speak to a fishing company in Brixham who are looking for apprentices and South Devon College who'll be teaching them. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

All week we're taking a closer look at the UK's fishing industry. It was supposed to be a major beneficiary of Brexit. However fishing fleets across the country say although they can now catch more fish overall, current conditions mean they are still struggling. We report from Fraserburgh Fish Market where fishermen say one of the biggest problems they face is staff shortages. Scottish fishing boats were forced to leave 15 thousand tonnes of small haddock in the sea last year due to a reduction in on shore processing workers. The Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation wants the government to delay the introduction of new visas: instead of existing transit visas, which have enabled international fishermen to work on UK boats, in future they'll need a 'skilled worker' visas which includes passing an intermediate English language test. The debate around how we use land, is becoming ever more complicated, as homes, food, energy and mitigating climate change, are all pressing concerns. Recent figures show arable land prices rose 12 percent in 2022, partly due to higher grain prices following the war in Ukraine but there's also been a trend for more institutions to invest in land,. We hear from Tony Juniper, head of the Environment Agency and the Green Alliance who are publishing a report on communities and land use. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

How should we use our land? With competing priorities: housing, solar farms, food production and woodland to name but a few - who decides? Sir Charles Godfray, director of the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University, suggests that an apolitical body should look at land use, which he says will change as within a decade many processed meat products will be made with plant based meat substitutes. Disputes about sustainability and conservation, worries about attracting enough workers, and the slow pace of introducing change; just some of the issues we'll be covering this week as we look at the UK's fishing industry. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

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