All week we're assessing the state of the shellfish industry. Brown crabs are a lucrative catch for Northern Ireland's fishermen but concern about a decline in numbers has led to the fishers themselves calling for tighter rules about their extraction. Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has introduced measures limiting the size of crabs which can be landed and now it has gone further, banning fishermen from catching immature, soft shelled crabs. The charity Buglife, which supports invertebrates including crabs and lobsters, welcomes the scheme in Northern Ireland but is calling for improved protection measures for brown crabs around the rest of the UK. They say crab numbers have plummeted, and unlike fish, there are no quotas governing how many crabs can be caught.

A multi-million pound oat processing plant will open later this year in Northamptonshire. The new company called Navara brings together a consortium of the growing group Frontier, Anglia Maltings Holdings, and cereal store specialists Camgrain. The plant will supply oats for cereal companies and possibly oat milk processors. It says it will have the capacity to be the biggest factory of its kind in Europe.

Presenter = Anna Hill

Producer = Rebecca Rooney