0:00:02 > 0:00:05Across some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes
0:00:05 > 0:00:07of the British Isles...
0:00:07 > 0:00:10This is not a bad office, is it? You know, look at it.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14..Scotland's farmers carve a living.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Everything has a time and a season.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Nature doesn't stop.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21- Breeding sheep and cattle... - There's a lot of old friends here.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24They've come to the end of their working life. Quite a sad day.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27Wait a second!
0:00:27 > 0:00:29..bringing new life into the world.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33And battling with the elements.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35HE WHISTLES
0:00:35 > 0:00:37They're all cute in their own way,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41and especially if they end up on your plate as a lamb chop. Yum.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Over a year, five very different families
0:00:44 > 0:00:47let cameras onto their farms...
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Hell of a size of nuts on him.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52..and into their lives, to share their struggles...
0:00:52 > 0:00:54I don't know why you won't go forward, missus.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Do you need to do this?
0:00:56 > 0:00:57..and their triumphs...
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Look at my baby.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02He's alive!
0:01:02 > 0:01:06..as they try and turn a profit in testing economic times.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08That's just depressing, that, really.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10There's cause for celebration.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12- What do you think?- Gorgeous.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14And a time to reflect.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I feel sad that I haven't provided the next generation
0:01:17 > 0:01:19to carry on here.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20But it's never dull.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22I'm not letting go!
0:01:22 > 0:01:24It's not a job, it's a way of life.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29SHEEP BLEAT, DOG BARKS
0:01:37 > 0:01:40It's autumn, in Scotland.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43The days are getting shorter,
0:01:43 > 0:01:48and on the farms, preparations are underway for the onset of winter.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Autumn can be sometimes the most beautiful time of year -
0:01:53 > 0:01:55the colours can be stunning -
0:01:55 > 0:01:58but because I don't like winter,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00it spoils my enjoyment of autumn,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03because I know what's coming round the corner.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08The autumn's pretty frantic because of timescales to get to
0:02:08 > 0:02:12and things that have to be done, so it is a busy time of year.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Sybil and George and Macpherson farm 2,000 sheep
0:02:17 > 0:02:22in 15,000 acres of rugged mountain terrain in the west of Scotland.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27They work two farms -
0:02:27 > 0:02:30one they rent
0:02:30 > 0:02:32and the other Sybil owns
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and has been in her family for five generations.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I was extremely fortunate to be born into a farming family.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43I'll never forget how lucky I am to have the opportunity to farm.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45It's something that I...that I love.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I don't farm because I think I'm ever going to be rich,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53especially not in this part of the world,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56but I do farm because I passionately enjoy it
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and I do think that we are producing something very meaningful,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02not only as custodians of the land,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05but also in the type of food which we produce.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- Shall we make some cheese ones, as well?- Er, whatever.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14The first important job of the autumn
0:03:14 > 0:03:17is to bring down their sheep from the hills
0:03:17 > 0:03:19where they've been living wild all summer.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Busy time, because we take all the sheep in off the hills,
0:03:23 > 0:03:24make sure we're only keeping those
0:03:24 > 0:03:27that we want to keep for the winter and for breeding on,
0:03:27 > 0:03:28we only keep those that are
0:03:28 > 0:03:31able to withstand the Argyllshire winter.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Right, have we got everything?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36I don't want... I have gone before without the sugar.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38That would be a disaster.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Today they're going to gather a flock of 500 sheep
0:03:42 > 0:03:44scattered over six square miles.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46In, in, in!
0:03:49 > 0:03:51So they're taking their best dogs
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and enlisting the help of friends Jake and Arthur.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56There we are.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- Now, no scrapping.- No. - DOGS BARK
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Will, that's directed at you.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05DOG BARKS
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Arthur's a real mountain man, he's very fit and agile.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Jake, who's been gathering much longer than any of the rest of us
0:04:12 > 0:04:16in that he's been a shepherd around this area for a long time.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19The plan is to head to the top of the hill and spread out.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- Come on, come on! - HE WHISTLES
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Come on up. Perfect day for gathering sheep.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Sybil, Jake, Arthur and their dogs
0:04:29 > 0:04:32will approach from one end on foot,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36while George will advance from the other side on his quad bike.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41If all goes well, they'll meet in the middle
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and drive the whole flock towards the loch
0:04:43 > 0:04:45and along the glen to the farm.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48It really is
0:04:48 > 0:04:49just us in a line
0:04:49 > 0:04:52making the sheep aware that
0:04:52 > 0:04:55we're coming behind them, so they'll start to move the right way.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57The important thing isn't to have dogs
0:04:57 > 0:04:59flying about all over the place, it's about
0:04:59 > 0:05:02us, the shepherds, being in the right place behind the sheep,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04making a bit of noise. Hey, hey, hey, hey!
0:05:06 > 0:05:09It's a job that takes some skill.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13A lot of being able to gather hills is to do with having sheep sense
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and understanding what they're likely to do,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18what their capabilities are, how fast they can run,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22and using your head, and being tactical,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25as well as actually having tremendous dogs.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29You can get away with quite a lot if you can read the situation.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Trying to control sheep
0:05:30 > 0:05:35used to living wild across such difficult country has its risks.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39The terrain's quite steep and there's a lot of peat bogs,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42underground water channels that you could lose yourself in.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46I do get a bit tense at gatherings in case anything goes wrong because,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48well, it's dangerous ground, it's pretty important to try
0:05:48 > 0:05:50and get it right, and I do worry.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Hello, George. - RADIO BEEPS
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- Hello, George? - RADIO BEEPS
0:05:57 > 0:06:02Remember to keep your finger on the button when you're speaking to me, darling.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04'Get your finger out, DARLING.'
0:06:04 > 0:06:07OK, we're slow, sorry, we're coming now, quickly.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Now the entire party must synchronise their efforts,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14or the sheep could escape
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and if any of the weaker ones are left behind,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20they won't survive the harsh winter months.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22We're working as a team here, we're all in a line,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24there's Sybil above me and then Jake.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27George is further forward than us this morning,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31so we have to go quickly to catch up, otherwise the line,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33the sort of sweep line, is broken.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Come on, come on. Whoa, whoa!
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Together for 17 years and married for 12,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Sybil and George are used to working as a team.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45We get on extremely well together.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47I know how incredibly lucky I am
0:06:47 > 0:06:52that we can work all day and very seldom a cross word.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I've seen you with sheep and I think I've got more patience than you a lot of the time.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- Ooh! - HE LAUGHS
0:06:58 > 0:07:00- Getting a domestic here. - LAUGHTER
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Aye, right on the top of the hill.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06After three hours' hard graft, the worst is behind them.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Two hours should take us home, so, we should be fine, eh?
0:07:09 > 0:07:10THEY WHISTLE
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Now it should be fast work driving the sheep down
0:07:15 > 0:07:17to the holding pens on the farm.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24No, it's a pleasure, this is the best part of our job.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26It's a fantastic office.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28SHEEP BLEAT
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Do you want me to open the gate?
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Please!
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- Eh?- Please!
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Finally, the sheep are in.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Tomorrow they'll need sorting.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'At this time of year it's important to look through
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'all the sheep. If there's anything a bit dodgy...'
0:07:49 > 0:07:50Come on, ladies.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'..you can either treat it and it hopefully recovers,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55'or else decide that that sheep's not really fit
0:07:55 > 0:07:59'for living out here any more, in which case she has to go market.'
0:07:59 > 0:08:02For now, it's time for a break.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Now we're at the post-gather party.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08It's tradition in the west coast when you come in off the hill,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13you get a dram and a beer, and, er, we're very much into tradition.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15HE LAUGHS AND WHEEZES
0:08:15 > 0:08:17I think it went very well.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20Great.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23If Sybil's happy, I think we should be rejoicing.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27- It's not often, is it?- No. - I'm always moaning and groaning.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29There's usually something, aye.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Mm-hm. But, no, I've got nothing today.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34We're happy, we're delighted.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35I'll just dunk my biscuit.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44COWS LOW
0:08:47 > 0:08:51In the north-east of Scotland, Martin Irvine and his family
0:08:51 > 0:08:56rent a 240-acre farm where they rear pedigree Limousin bulls.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00BULL GROANS
0:09:00 > 0:09:03He has a herd of 168 cattle.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05We've got Iceman and Imperial.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08These will be my two superstars. Come on.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12They're just big pets, really.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Originally imported from France in the 1970s,
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Limousins are the most popular beef breed in the UK,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24and Martin makes most of his money selling his bulls for breeding.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Everybody thinks, "Oh, I'd be worried about a bull,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31"be scared of a bull," but, to be honest, I'd be more worried
0:09:31 > 0:09:34about the heifers and the females, to be honest.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Martin only had eyes for his cattle,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46until Mel appeared on the scene.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I first met Mel, would've been the Royal Highland Show,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54about two years before we started going out.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56This little blonde comes across and
0:09:56 > 0:09:59she's standing behind my pen of bulls
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and first thing she says to me, she likes Aberdeen Angus.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04And me being a Limousin man, that was just a no-go.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06You know, he's very confident in himself.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10And I just thought that he was a bit of a...
0:10:10 > 0:10:12big-headed sort of person.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15We bumped into each other a couple of times at Young Farmers,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17dances, discos, and started speaking.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23He came up to me after a few drinks, and said,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27"Since when did you get so hot?" And I thought, excuse me?
0:10:27 > 0:10:28MEL LAUGHS
0:10:28 > 0:10:31It was, I think a couple of days after that she came round to mine,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35showed her the bulls and round the farm and stuff like that, and...
0:10:35 > 0:10:38just kind of found our way from there, really.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Together for five years, and now engaged,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Mel, a farmer's daughter, has also brought sheep into Martin's life.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51She bought their first flock last year.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I doubled my money on them, which was really great,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57and Martin being a sheep hater and he hated sheep
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and told me that he just can't stand sheep,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03went on to thinking, "Oh, this is actually quite a good idea."
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Martin's embraced Mel's new enterprise
0:11:08 > 0:11:12and they recently invested in eight promising young males,
0:11:12 > 0:11:13or tups, for breeding.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Hell of a size of nuts on him.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Today Mel will find out if she chose well.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28She's going to introduce the tups to the ewes.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31This is the exciting part for me. I love this part of the year, so,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33it's always something that I've liked.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36At the other farm that I grew up on, I was putting the tups out with Dad
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and you just sort of stand and make sure that they're all going
0:11:39 > 0:11:43to do their job, or fingers crossed, so, I just love it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Whatever happens the next five weeks,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49depends how good a spring we'll have at lambing, so,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- this is the important bit. - Lots of babies, hopefully.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Watch this wet bit.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00First, she needs to round up the tups - 14 in all.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Come on. Where are you?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05It's in here. Just a nice little paddock away from everything else.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09This is the bachelor pad where all the boys are.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Good boy.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11Come on, then!
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Her plan is to split them into small groups across different fields
0:12:17 > 0:12:20so all the ewes get an equal slice of the action.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Watch!
0:12:25 > 0:12:28For Mel's tups to earn their keep across
0:12:28 > 0:12:31the five-week mating season, they'll each be expected
0:12:31 > 0:12:33to get 50 females pregnant.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Wouldn't be a bad life being a tup. Kind of get to chill out all year
0:12:40 > 0:12:42and there's five weeks of the year it's just bliss.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44So, they're away to get...
0:12:44 > 0:12:46sex for the next five weeks.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- They're away to MATE.- They're away to mate for the next five weeks.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Some of the ewes will actually come to the tups.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01They'll be in season there.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- They're ready.- They're ready, they know what's going on.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06The boys have been at the job before,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08they'll know what's going on. They'll be...
0:13:08 > 0:13:10To prepare the tups for their grand entrance,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Mel uses a thick oily paint called raddle,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17so she can keep track of the ewes that have been mated.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19So, when it comes to lambing, you're looking for the one
0:13:19 > 0:13:23with the red bums cos when the tup jumps to the ewe...
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- It leaves a mark.- It'll be on her bum and her back.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29That's where the pain or raddle will rub off.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30Slap it on.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34So, that's him got his war paint on.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Girls!
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Come on!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- Right, boys.- Come on, girls!
0:13:41 > 0:13:42He knows what he's doing.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45It's showtime for the tups.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51It's quite good watching all the tups run away
0:13:51 > 0:13:53chasing all the women.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56They let you know they're in the mood, they're excited.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01So, this is tupping time.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Now, that ewe that's standing,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I would say that she's probably ready to be served.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15That's it. That was it.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17I feel pretty good when I see this, like.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Some folk might think it's a bit creepy, standing them there
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and doing their job, but this is what we've bought them for.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27This is what they're going to do.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30That's the only thing that they need to do,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32is stay alive and make babies.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Look down there, we've got a girl with a red bum here,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39another one with a red bum, another one with a red bum.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41So far so good.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45But in the next field, with virgin ewes, or gimmers,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48it's not so straightforward.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50These girls haven't seen tups before.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53So, they might not know what's going on.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56They're all running away at the moment,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58but we'll just walk these boys up.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08So, that's him on and that's it done.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11So, that was literally two seconds
0:15:11 > 0:15:15and that gimmer has now got a red mark on her bum.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17He's going to have a rest for about five minutes
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and then probably he'll have another go.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23It'll just literally be two pumps and a squirt, really.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30The new tups seem to be up to the job, and, with any luck,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33come springtime, Mel will increase the size of the flock
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and their income.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38And there goes another one.
0:15:38 > 0:15:39Done.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Where there's a willy, there's a way!
0:15:49 > 0:15:53In the north of Scotland, near Inverness, John Scott runs
0:15:53 > 0:15:58a successful farming business rearing sheep, beef cattle
0:15:58 > 0:15:59and producing crops.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07The farm he owns stretches across a thousand acres
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and has been in the family for over 100 years.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I'm the fourth generation to farm here.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21It's important to me to leave the farm in as good,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23if not better heart, than we were handed.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Dad handed it over in a fairly good condition to us
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and we're building on that and expanding and improving
0:16:29 > 0:16:31things for the next generation.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Since taking over the farm, with the help of wife Fiona,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40he's taken on more land and tripled the size of their sheep flock
0:16:40 > 0:16:45to over 4,000, improving the legacy for their four children.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Having four kids focuses the mind a little bit.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Not only have I got to provide for the ones that want to farm,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57we need to provide for the ones that don't want to farm.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I would have said James is pretty keen on farming -
0:17:00 > 0:17:02he's certainly showing all the signs of wanting to
0:17:02 > 0:17:04follow in our footsteps - and that'd be fantastic.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Archie's a strong possibility
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and I would have said Izzy is a strong possibility, too.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Whereas, Lexie, no, she's not going to be a farmer, you can tell now.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I see her, I don't know, be a teacher, I think.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21So, yeah, we've got to just expand, I think, and see where it goes.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Today, John's taking his eldest, 13-year-old James,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28to an important sheep sale.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Shouldn't really be skiving off school, but tells us
0:17:32 > 0:17:34all his mates are off today.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38It's work experience, so that's the reason.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44We do feel that it's important for part of his education that he
0:17:44 > 0:17:47gets the experience of these sales.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51It's been fairly obvious from a young age that he's very keen
0:17:51 > 0:17:55on farming, and especially sheep, so the more we can expose him to
0:17:55 > 0:17:58these type of events and get him involved in them, the better.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00He's 13.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03When I was 17, I started buying the livestock for the farm,
0:18:03 > 0:18:04so that's only four years away.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07So he has to, in the next three or four years,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11pick out the relevant skills required to start buying livestock.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14I would love to follow my dad's footsteps cos he's just...
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He's done so much for the farming industry
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and I'd like to be a bit like him and do more for it.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And he has promised that he will make up the time and work hard
0:18:27 > 0:18:32at school the next few days to catch up on anything.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34- All the homework will be done on time.- Yeah.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37So, yeah.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46John's here to buy gimmers and he's asked James to help him choose.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Can you smell it?
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Yeah.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52I love the smell of the auction marts.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56It's coming up to mating season and John needs new blood
0:18:56 > 0:18:59to replace the older females who can no longer breed.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01- AUCTIONEER:- Three- and four-year-olds.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03The three- and four-year-olds.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06With most of his income made selling lamb meat to supermarkets,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09to get a healthy crop next spring,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11he needs to keep investing in good stock.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14118, at 118.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18James has been coming to auctions since he was a baby
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and should know what to look for.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Bad on the feet.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- AUCTIONEER:- ...and they've been on the hill all summer.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26They're proper hill gimmers.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Well, I'm sure James is learning much as yet, picking up bits
0:19:29 > 0:19:31and pieces all the time. You learn anything yet?
0:19:37 > 0:19:38Gimmers coming in again.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43That's the type of gimmers that I would like to have.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45180, 150.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47It's a seller's market.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Everyone's after new stock and the prices are high.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51140.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Dugan Hill, number one.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57No way at that money.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Just out of my budget, I'm afraid.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05They're working to a budget of £126 per gimmer,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and James spots a batch that looks promising.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I think they'll grow well.
0:20:11 > 0:20:17They've got a bit more growing to do, but I think they'll do well.
0:20:17 > 0:20:1998, 98, 100.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21102, 103.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24John approves and joins in on the bidding.
0:20:25 > 0:20:2715, 18,
0:20:27 > 0:20:2920...
0:20:30 > 0:20:32..five, five, eight.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Bid 138, bid 138, bid 138.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41138, John Scott Fearn.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Just bought 61 gimmers there at 138 which
0:20:43 > 0:20:47is slightly more than I'd ideally like to pay,
0:20:47 > 0:20:52but it's the trade of the day, so, yeah, I need the sheep.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I think they had a bit of potential about them.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56I had my advisor with me.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Just honest sheep.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00James has chosen well.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Would you like a bit of tablet?
0:21:02 > 0:21:03Yes, please.
0:21:14 > 0:21:1830 miles off the west coast of Scotland, in the Outer Hebrides,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20is the remote island of Lewis.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Sandy Granville moved here 12 years ago,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33leaving behind his career as a criminal barrister in London
0:21:33 > 0:21:35to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather
0:21:35 > 0:21:37who used to be a crofter on the island.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Sit.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46With his wife Ali, they own two crofts -
0:21:46 > 0:21:49small agricultural plots of land - where they rear
0:21:49 > 0:21:53a dozen Highland cattle and 100 blackface sheep.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59They sell their beef and mutton online
0:21:59 > 0:22:01to their customers across the UK.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Our meat is very special indeed.
0:22:04 > 0:22:10Because of the diet of our animals, and the time they have,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and they've lived pretty much wild all their life.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17We always give a warning.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18"Danger,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22"eating this meat could spoil your palate for the ordinary stuff."
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Their speciality is wedder mutton -
0:22:29 > 0:22:33the meat of a two-year-old castrated male sheep - a Lewis delicacy.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36The difference between lamb and mutton
0:22:36 > 0:22:41is the difference between veal and really good beef.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45If you want a proper grown-up taste, you've got to have a proper
0:22:45 > 0:22:48grown-up animal to get your meat from.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Mutton is becoming particularly fashionable
0:22:53 > 0:22:57and Sandy likes to provide a bespoke service to his customers,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59hand-delivering the meat himself twice a year.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Today he's setting off on a four-day road trip.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08We're going into town, into Stornoway,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11then going on the ferry and have a nice, quiet two or three
0:23:11 > 0:23:17hours there before going down near Inverness and onto Glasgow.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Tomorrow we'll go on down to London making deliveries all the way.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25It's a 1,600-mile round trip during which
0:23:25 > 0:23:30Sandy will deliver 300 kilos of beef and 150 of mutton
0:23:30 > 0:23:32to eight loyal customers.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36To ensure it arrives in perfect condition,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40he's converted the back of his jeep into a makeshift fridge.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42This is the car chiller...
0:23:43 > 0:23:47..and we've got gel ice packs to go all round everything.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Unless we get a heatwave, that's going to stay beautifully chilled
0:23:51 > 0:23:53until it's delivered.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00This delivery will bring in £4,000 -
0:24:00 > 0:24:03a big chunk of their yearly income.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04Sit down, Doyle!
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Get out of it, you silly sod.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Sandy also wants to spread the word about the quality
0:24:13 > 0:24:14of Lewis' meat.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Selling our meat to the outside world could be the salvation
0:24:19 > 0:24:23of old-fashioned crofting on the island, because if we don't manage
0:24:23 > 0:24:27to revitalise that, there will be no sheep on the hills in a few years.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Sandy's first hurdle in getting this prized meat to
0:24:32 > 0:24:35the outside world is getting it off the island on the ferry.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42It's always a great relief, because if the weather turns here,
0:24:42 > 0:24:47and the ferries don't run, you're left with a ton or two of meat,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51wondering whether you're ever going to get it across and deliver it.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Sometimes we have gales here that last for days.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Today, the weather's on his side.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I've downloaded quite a few episodes of In Our Time
0:25:13 > 0:25:15that I'm going to listen to in the course of this journey.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It's great leaving Lewis occasionally and seeing
0:25:19 > 0:25:24some trees, and I'll be back before the whole experience palls on me.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Coming into Ullapool. This is the end of Scotland.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Good fish and chips here. Quite busy with fishing boats.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Nice sailing country.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Keen to get ahead, his meat delivered in perfect nick,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Sandy was first on the ferry, but it means he'll be last off.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53So we'll just wait patiently while
0:25:53 > 0:25:56everybody else gets off and goes on their way.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58We won't be tempted to start overtaking people because
0:25:58 > 0:26:02we know there's another 100 cars in front of them.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Although once the traffic's clear he has been known to put his foot down.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Well, I have been stopped a couple of times.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16I paid the penalty, but I did sell some mutton to one of the
0:26:16 > 0:26:17policemen who pinched me.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Sandy's mission to deliver the mainland from inferior meat
0:26:24 > 0:26:28is back on track, but to stop it from spoiling,
0:26:28 > 0:26:29he must now stay on schedule.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36North of Aberdeen,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40pedigree bull breeder Martin is on his way to meet fiancee Mel.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46With just seven months until their big day,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49the couple are also thinking about starting a family.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Mel, she just sees a baby and she lays an egg!
0:26:52 > 0:26:53She's like that, she's very broody.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56She's just biting at the bit, she's ready to start a family,
0:26:56 > 0:26:57and so am I, I suppose.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01I don't want to be an old dad. I'll be 30 at the end of this year.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Just hoping for boys, to be honest.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07We need more boys to work on the farm.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Mel and Martin are not regular church-goers,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15so have decided on a humanist minister to perform their ceremony.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23Hi, Angie.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Today they must agree their wedding vows.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Have you had a wee look at vows? Vow ideas?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Marked down a few things that I would like,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37I haven't even shown him!
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- I've never seen this before. - This is very usual.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45It has to be said that the bride does usually take the lead with...
0:27:45 > 0:27:48You'd better read it cos you haven't read it.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53So, when you arrive, what's quite nice is if you sort of say
0:27:53 > 0:27:57thanks to your dad, probably give him a cuddle or a kiss.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58You might shake his hand
0:27:58 > 0:28:00and then actually about how you greet one another.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It's just good to have thought about it
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and agree that maybe you kiss her on the cheek,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07maybe kiss her hand or maybe you just hug or just say hello.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- Squeeze her bum. - I knew you were going to say that.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13- I knew he was going to say that! - It's up to you guys.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18A kiss on the cheek or something like that.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Yeah, we'll think of something.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Would you like me to introduce you at the end of the ceremony as Mr and Mrs?
0:28:24 > 0:28:25Yes.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- Mr and Mrs Irvine! - Oh!- Mrs Irvine!
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Martin and Mel will tie the knot over their own personal vows.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Each time I drape it I might say something like,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41may your marriage be blessed with love.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42By chance,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46the minister's using ribbons the couple are very familiar with.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47What other qualities?
0:28:47 > 0:28:51May your life be blessed with expensive bulls that will wear this ribbon.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54- You don't want to be blessed with expensive bulls. - Yeah, cos that means money.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59- What Martin does as a living is breed bulls.- Ah, OK, OK.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02And they wear this ribbon around their neck when we sell them.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- This is exactly the same ribbon. - Yeah, exactly the same.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06- Really.- Yeah, exactly the same.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09So, let's say I've finished that
0:29:09 > 0:29:10and then I would create the knot.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15- That was good.- Went really well.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Feel relaxed and ready for it now.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20- Yeah, it's starting to get real, isn't it?- Yeah. Very much.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Too real.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37In Argyll, Sybil and George also have an important day ahead.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Come round here, Tib. Tib! That'll do.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Having gathered in their flock,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46they're now rounding up the older females who would struggle to
0:29:46 > 0:29:49rear lambs through the harsh winters on the mountains.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53It's a very difficult day. Our old friends, the sheep
0:29:53 > 0:29:56that we've had, have come to the end of their working life here.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59So, we're selling them on and hopefully somebody from a low ground
0:29:59 > 0:30:02farm will like them and buy them and they'll have another couple
0:30:02 > 0:30:04of years of breeding elsewhere.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08But, for us, they've reached the age where they have to leave the hills.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10As I say, it's a day tinged with sadness -
0:30:10 > 0:30:13a lot of old friends here
0:30:13 > 0:30:16and, as I say, what sad day.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21That'll do, Tib. That'll do, Tib. That'll do, Tib. That'll do.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28The ewes are six years old
0:30:28 > 0:30:31and should continue to breed for another two years on a lowland farm
0:30:31 > 0:30:35where the terrain is less harsh and the winters milder.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36OK!
0:30:36 > 0:30:40But if Sybil can't find a buyer, she'll have no option
0:30:40 > 0:30:41but to send them to slaughter.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44We can only keep them to a certain age,
0:30:44 > 0:30:48and it's important that we sell them when it comes their time.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52But it's sad because you know that
0:30:52 > 0:30:55you're never going to let them run wild on the hills again.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07- AUCTIONEER:- 27 bid, 27 bid. 27, at 27.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Sybil's 60 ewes will be sold at annual auction
0:31:10 > 0:31:12for blackface sheep just down the road in Dalmally.
0:31:12 > 0:31:1528, 29...
0:31:15 > 0:31:17The sale attracts buyers from all over Scotland
0:31:17 > 0:31:20and is her best chance of finding them a new home.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Sybil's ewes are next in the ring.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Still the same old churning
0:31:27 > 0:31:29and butterflies in the stomach,
0:31:29 > 0:31:30every single time.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34It's sheep that you've looked after for five years
0:31:34 > 0:31:36and they've done their best
0:31:36 > 0:31:39and because they've got a bit old you take them along and sell them.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43Obviously there are days when your heart's completely broken.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46George is a lot more able to cope with these downers than I am,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50but he's quite tolerant with me when I sit in tears.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52I don't get so emotionally tied as Sybil to them,
0:31:52 > 0:31:54and, to me, they're a working sheep.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00At most auctions, prices are in guineas -
0:32:00 > 0:32:03one guinea is one pound and five pence -
0:32:03 > 0:32:06and Sybil's set a price of 50 guineas per ewe,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09in the hope the low price will encourage buyers.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Final bid. 50, final bid, at 50.
0:32:13 > 0:32:1852, 53,
0:32:18 > 0:32:2054, 55,
0:32:20 > 0:32:2256, 57, 58, 58,
0:32:22 > 0:32:2658, 59, 60,
0:32:26 > 0:32:291, 2, 3, 4,
0:32:29 > 0:32:3064.
0:32:30 > 0:32:3164.
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Sybil's sheep have sold.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41They'll see out their days on a lowland farm just as she'd hoped
0:32:41 > 0:32:46and, as an added bonus, they've gone for 64 guineas each.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49What are you having, are you having a lager?
0:32:49 > 0:32:51They've made nearly £3,000 -
0:32:51 > 0:32:54one of their biggest pay cheques of the year.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56I'm very pleased that two boys that have bought them
0:32:56 > 0:32:59before in the past have decided to buy them again,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01so that gives us confidence that our sheep are going on
0:33:01 > 0:33:04and doing a job for someone else after we've finished with them.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07- And quite pleased with the trade, as well.- Oh, for sure, yeah.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Huge plus that we must be doing something right
0:33:10 > 0:33:13if the ewes have gone on to do right for other people.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15It's good.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33On bull breeder Martin's farm on the other side of Scotland,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35an important sale is also looming.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48He's putting four of his beloved pedigree Limousins
0:33:48 > 0:33:52into the most prestigious auction of the season in Stirling.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58This is the boys here. Two pens, so we've got Imperial, Iceman.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01This is Ironhide, the big lad, and Ice, the young boy.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05These two boys here are Imperial and Iceman.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09Since they were calves we just kinda fell in love with them, especially Iceman.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11When he was a calf, he was just a picture -
0:34:11 > 0:34:12just like a mushroom of muscle.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Couldn't wait to get a halter on him,
0:34:15 > 0:34:19get the clippers onto him, dress him up and just start handling him.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21These bulls are the cream of the crop
0:34:21 > 0:34:24and they get special attention from Martin.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26You get a bond with them.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28They know me, I know them,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31and hopefully we'll sell the whole lot,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33but, aye, I'll miss these two cos you've just got a bond with them.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36They are kind of like the apple of your eye, pretty much.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Keeping his favourites isn't an option.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43As a small family farm, the bull auctions bring in most
0:34:43 > 0:34:46of their income, but the prices are set by the buyers on the day.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50This is like payday, it means a lot.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Four bulls could be 20,000, it could be 30,000,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56it could be 10,000, you don't know.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03With so much riding on the sale,
0:35:03 > 0:35:07Martin drafts in Mel to help give the bulls a special makeover.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12This is the superstars, they get all the goodies,
0:35:12 > 0:35:16all the action, all the pampering, the washing.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18He gets loved pretty much.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Hopefully we'll sell him and he'll spend a life being a dad.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25They like a bit of TLC. They love it.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29There's a spot about... usually about here,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32they lick and they just love it.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34The tail usually goes, yep.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39And nothing's too good for Martin's bulls.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45I've just turned on the soap to come through the power washer,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and Martin is power-washing onto the bulls so it gets blown right
0:35:48 > 0:35:52to their skin and then we comb it through and then it's washed off.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55So we don't use soap - it's coconut shampoo.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00This isn't the only hairdressing trick he employs.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04So we're going to take some hair off the front of his back leg.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07We're going to take some hair off the back of his front leg
0:36:07 > 0:36:09and that'll make this space in the middle wider,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12so that's making him look longer.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19I think it's quite therapeutic, spending two hours clipping a bull,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23it's quite chilled and nice as long as he stands at peace.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29The bulls are entered into competitions at the Stirling auctions.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32If they do well, this could increase their sale price.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35You want them looking the part and they are looking the part.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Four good bulls, just hopefully we get justice for what they are
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and trade is good.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Sandy has made it to the south of England
0:36:49 > 0:36:53with his precious cargo of meat without being stopped for speeding.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00I don't suppose it does any harm at all to blast down the road at 70.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Having made deliveries in Scotland and Lincolnshire,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08he's now half way through his run and has three more stops to make.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11I don't charge for delivery.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16But, of course, I charge people enough to leave
0:37:16 > 0:37:19quite a good profit, so a good profit is essential.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24I have to resuscitate extensive crofting by making
0:37:24 > 0:37:29our products a worthwhile thing for another generation.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37A certain number of my friends bought the meat
0:37:37 > 0:37:42and friends of friends and the story has been spreading like a ripple.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46- Hi, Rupert.- Hello.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52Rupert and Anna in Reading have been loyal customers for many years.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Number two.
0:37:54 > 0:37:59When I make my deliveries, I'm as welcome as the drug dealer
0:37:59 > 0:38:01to the addict.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04They're all dying to get their Lewis meat.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Really lean. That's a really nice cut of meat.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Whoops, really bloody, as well.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Sandy's customers buy his meat by the animal.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16£175 for a wedder...
0:38:16 > 0:38:18and £400 for quarter of a cow.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Sandy comes down twice a year, we have the mutton delivery
0:38:22 > 0:38:25and then we have the beef delivery and we just use it over
0:38:25 > 0:38:26the year so we have a...
0:38:26 > 0:38:30- Do we have an animal and a half mutton animal?- Two, I think.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32And then the beef animal,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35then that will keep us going for the year, so that's all our meat.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40- Saves you from eating second-rate meat.- Yes, absolutely.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42And the meat, the mutton meat is
0:38:42 > 0:38:46so different to lamb, it's got such a nice...
0:38:46 > 0:38:50Saying it's gamey - it's kind of just too easy to say that, but...
0:38:50 > 0:38:53- I wouldn't call it gamey, just a full flavour.- Dark. Yeah.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Full, mature flavour, not the meat of little babies.
0:38:57 > 0:38:58Mmm.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Next stop, London.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10We're now haring down the M4.
0:39:10 > 0:39:16Delivery in Ealing before cutting through the centre of London
0:39:16 > 0:39:20to Chislehurst, where we have another delivery.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25So far, his makeshift cooler has been doing its job,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28but he's got two more deliveries to make
0:39:28 > 0:39:30and the traffic is building.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37We're just bumping into the traffic jams -
0:39:37 > 0:39:39that's a pity.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41It's not great news for his precious cargo.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53400 miles north,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Martin's cruising down an empty motorway on his way to the
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Stirling auctions with his own precious cargo -
0:40:00 > 0:40:01the four Limousin bulls.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05A lot of people will get hauliers or contractors to
0:40:05 > 0:40:08drive their livestock down, but when you're driving yourself,
0:40:08 > 0:40:10you can take yourself at your own speed
0:40:10 > 0:40:13and you can look after your important cargo in the back.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17He's hoping to sell the bulls for a good price,
0:40:17 > 0:40:20but before he can enter the sale,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23they must pass an inspection of vets and judges -
0:40:23 > 0:40:24the dreaded panel.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27I feel a bit nervous.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29You're worrying because it means so much.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32If you fail the panel, the bull that you were hoping to get 5,000 or 6,000 for,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34you're not going to be selling him
0:40:34 > 0:40:38and that's money you're losing, and money's important right now.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41So, yeah, kinda sick.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Get this kinda sick feeling in your tummy, and then you'll have
0:40:44 > 0:40:48that feeling right to the point of you passing the panel.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58The Stirling auctions are the most prestigious cattle sales in the UK.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02They take place three times a year across three days
0:41:02 > 0:41:05and attract buyers from across the country.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Over 800 pedigree cattle will be put on show
0:41:08 > 0:41:09and then up for sale,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12providing they have the panel's seal of approval
0:41:12 > 0:41:15to prove they're physically fit for the job.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20The vet looks at his teeth and into his eyes, see everything's
0:41:20 > 0:41:24OK there and he'll measure his testicles to see that they're
0:41:24 > 0:41:28big enough and then we walk round in a wee circle and there's a couple
0:41:28 > 0:41:31of guys that make sure that they're walking and their feet are OK.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36Animals that fail are given a red dot.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41I've seen two red dots so far. It's just... You don't wish it on anybody.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44I know what it's like to get a red dot, it's terrible.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46You thought that much of a bull and he's been rejected.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Where you were going to get 5,000, 6,000, now you can't show him,
0:41:49 > 0:41:51you can't sell him, so it's money coming in.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54It's a big worry, it's a terrible thing, getting a red dot.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58Be fine, won't it? Yeah. Good boy, yeah.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01First to face the judges is Ice.
0:42:07 > 0:42:08Thank you.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Next, Martin's brother Darren leads in Ironhide.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26I do get nervous, I get nervous for Martin.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29You know, it's part of the farm, it's just so much of a relief when we get out there
0:42:29 > 0:42:31and there's no red dot -
0:42:31 > 0:42:33it's the vet's decision, and his decision's final so...
0:42:33 > 0:42:37you've just got to take it on the chin and get on with it.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45- Both bulls pass. - They both got a clear.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47So they're through, no dots, so that's good.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51So the other two boys to go now, so I'll just take them out
0:42:51 > 0:42:54and do the same again and hope for no coloured dots this time.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59Now it's the turn of Imperial and Martin's star bull, Iceman.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Fingers crossed everything will be OK.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04I'm confident, but you never know.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07You know there could be something I've not seen, or missed.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09My cousin got one of their bulls thrown out,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12cos it had a different-size testicle.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14They had them all vetted at home
0:43:14 > 0:43:16and they passed at home, but they didn't here,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18so, you just never know.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Ironhide and Iceman make it through.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27All four of Martin's bulls will enter the sale tomorrow.
0:43:27 > 0:43:28Here comes a happy Martin.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Yeah. That's not bad, happy with that.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36Takes the pressure off, now I've got a smile on my face now.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38And the colour back in your face.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Yeah, chuffed with that.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48In London, Sandy has made it through
0:43:48 > 0:43:51the traffic and is on the final stretch of his meat-delivery run.
0:43:55 > 0:44:00Nice warm night, really - probably a bit too warm for my meat.
0:44:00 > 0:44:01His route is taking him
0:44:01 > 0:44:05through his old stomping ground when he was a criminal barrister.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Saturday night, they're all off out on their revels.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14There's just so much going on, isn't there?
0:44:15 > 0:44:18It's not something you're going to
0:44:18 > 0:44:21replicate at the Arts Centre in Stornoway.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27I always enjoy these trips.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31Especially when I'm going through London and I see the old places,
0:44:31 > 0:44:37and even the scenes of the crimes and cases I've worked on.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39After 25 years, there's plenty of these
0:44:39 > 0:44:40scattered around the place.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Sandy's last customer has arranged for him
0:44:46 > 0:44:48to leave the mutton delivery in his shed.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Despite the delays, his makeshift cooler has held out well.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58The only thing I really do miss is lovely,
0:44:58 > 0:45:02nut-brown draught bitter beer.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06When I was living in England, I never realised how spoilt I was
0:45:06 > 0:45:09having pub-fulls of the stuff.
0:45:11 > 0:45:12Tomorrow, he'll be heading
0:45:12 > 0:45:16back to Lewis, and his life rearing livestock on his croft.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22It's sometimes said that this crofting way of life is
0:45:22 > 0:45:26very hard work, and it does have its difficulties,
0:45:26 > 0:45:32but I think that I have a role in what is a dying way of life
0:45:32 > 0:45:37and many people work harder for less pleasure.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55It's the next day at the cattle auction in Stirling.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58Each of Martin's four bulls has been approved by the panel to
0:45:58 > 0:46:02enter into the sale later this evening.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06But first, there's a competition to judge the animals in each class.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09Certificates are awarded to the best in show
0:46:09 > 0:46:12and a rosette should lead to a better sale price.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16We do their tails backcombed like that - it fills up a space
0:46:16 > 0:46:18in between their legs,
0:46:18 > 0:46:20so they're bigger and they're poofier.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23It's like girls backcombing their hair to make their hair look big,
0:46:23 > 0:46:25you'll see this one coming up real nice.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Suitably primped and primed, Ironhide,
0:46:34 > 0:46:38the oldest of Martin's bulls, is going first.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40He couldn't look any better if he tried.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43What we really want is a ticket - a first, second or a third -
0:46:43 > 0:46:44that's what you want to be, really.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46The competition's strong so,
0:46:46 > 0:46:49if you get a ticket at the top end, it'll help sell him.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Ironhide is up against other Limousin bulls of a similar age.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05They'll be looking for correctness -
0:47:05 > 0:47:09so, good on their legs, nice big bum, a nice top line, a good head.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13But every judge is different - some judges might like them big
0:47:13 > 0:47:16and tall, with not so much bum, some will go for
0:47:16 > 0:47:20the smaller, with the bigger bum, so it just depends on your judge.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30It's a great result. Ironhide wins first prize.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36You couldnae get a better start.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40That's an excellent selling point for us.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46There's three younger bulls still to go.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49All 16 months old, they're going on show together.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53This is the last class, so hopefully we'll go in
0:47:53 > 0:47:56and carry on our good luck and get some tickets.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58This will be a hard class.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00It's a younger class and if they're here,
0:48:00 > 0:48:02they're here for a reason because they're good.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06Mel's showing the mushroom of muscle, Iceman.
0:48:09 > 0:48:14Darren's with Imperial and Martin's in charge of Ice.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24It's good news.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27Iceman comes first, Ice, second
0:48:27 > 0:48:30and Imperial is in fifth place.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38Chuffed with that. Darren let us down a bit, but we'll let him off.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42Never expected to have as good a day as we did, so we're delighted
0:48:42 > 0:48:45and this will look good from a selling point of view with that card
0:48:45 > 0:48:49above your pen and the bulls looking like that, so hopefully the buyers
0:48:49 > 0:48:53will start wandering in and the sale will be good and...hopefully.
0:48:55 > 0:48:56The sale starts in two hours.
0:49:08 > 0:49:13In London, sheep farmer John Scott and wife Fiona are also hoping
0:49:13 > 0:49:17to see off the competition at a national farming awards ceremony.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26We're completely out of our comfort zone,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28like a fish out of water.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30Haven't a clue where we're going,
0:49:30 > 0:49:34desperately needing to see my collie dog and some grass.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36But thoroughly looking forward to the evening.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41John's put himself forward for the UK's
0:49:41 > 0:49:43Sheep Farmer of the Year award.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Having made it to the shortlist of three,
0:49:45 > 0:49:48tonight they'll be announcing the winner.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50It's quite a prestigious thing to make the last three.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52We're delighted to be there.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55We're here to win, we're not here to make up the numbers,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58we'd love to win and if we don't we'll obviously be disappointed,
0:49:58 > 0:50:03but it's not be all and end all.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06I think it would mean a huge amount to win.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11Yeah, just to be... Just to be recognised from outwith
0:50:11 > 0:50:15your local community and actually to bring it back
0:50:15 > 0:50:18for the local community, as well, would be really good.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23It's the Oscars of the farming world and winning will bring
0:50:23 > 0:50:27industry recognition and put his farm on the map.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Whereabouts in Scotland are you?
0:50:30 > 0:50:32We're 40 miles north of Inverness.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34We get the prize for furthest travel.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37The publicity could help increase the price tag
0:50:37 > 0:50:42of the breeding stock he sells, and boost his profits.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44- ANNOUNCER:- Take your seats, ladies and gentlemen -
0:50:44 > 0:50:49this evening's presentation is about to begin.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52For John, whose mission is to expand the business
0:50:52 > 0:50:54so he can pass it on to his children,
0:50:54 > 0:50:57this title will be a step in the right direction.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02What's the bets on who's going to be presenting?
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Mystery woman, they're saying.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07It's Sue Perkins!
0:51:13 > 0:51:15All of tonight's winners
0:51:15 > 0:51:20will be featured naked in this year's Farmers' Weekly calendar.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21You were told, right?
0:51:24 > 0:51:27The sheep farming award is one of the last to be announced.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30John has a long wait ahead.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38In Stirling, the evening bull auction is in full swing.
0:51:38 > 0:51:413,200 guineas, at 3,200.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45The day is just so full-on and you're running about,
0:51:45 > 0:51:47here there and everywhere
0:51:47 > 0:51:50and it's all a build up and then you get to this point
0:51:50 > 0:51:53and you're a bit nervous, you don't know if they're going to sell.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Martin and Mel have done all they can.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59Now it's down to demand and the appetite of the buyers.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04This year, the market price for bulls has been dropping.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11Ironhide, the oldest of Martin's four bulls, is going first.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14We should be getting 5,000, 6,000 for Ironhide.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17The worst-case scenario we get 4,000.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19Worst-case scenario we don't sell him.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26This last two years, we've always been chasing
0:52:26 > 0:52:28money for some reason.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31As much money as we've been taking in, it goes out.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36So hard to know how much money's coming in
0:52:36 > 0:52:39and you're trying to keep things with the banker and keep the money in,
0:52:39 > 0:52:42it doesn't come in, you've got to wait for it, it's hard.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44The biggest fear's taking money and making money
0:52:44 > 0:52:47and if something goes wrong, you're going to be in trouble.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54It costs over £3,000 to raise a bull for sale,
0:52:54 > 0:52:58so to make money, Martin's put a reserve of 4,000 guineas -
0:52:58 > 0:53:01or £4,200 - on Ironhide.
0:53:01 > 0:53:023,500.
0:53:02 > 0:53:043,500.
0:53:07 > 0:53:08Aw Jesus.
0:53:08 > 0:53:103,800.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12It's quite good, it's a heifer's calf.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14Heifer's calf, good bull.
0:53:14 > 0:53:163,800.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21Suddenly the bidding stalls.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27Gosh, that's quiet. It's quiet in here.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Ironhide fails to make his reserve price.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34That's just depressing, really, isn't it?
0:53:36 > 0:53:39Not enough. Right, we'll go try the next three.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41I'm not looking very excited for this, really.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43Hard work, really hard work.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46This is payday for us and, you know, there's a bull that should have
0:53:46 > 0:53:50been selling for 4,000, 6,000 easy - he's unsold after
0:53:50 > 0:53:53getting first in his class, that's pretty sad, like.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57There's a sale in a month's time - I'll try him at that
0:53:57 > 0:53:58and hopefully get him sold.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04Martin must pin his hopes on his three younger bulls.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09At 16 months old, they're approaching the height
0:54:09 > 0:54:13of their reproductive prime, so the demand and prices should be high.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19Imperial is first in the ring.
0:54:19 > 0:54:214,200...
0:54:21 > 0:54:25Martin's set a reserve of 5,000 guineas per bull.
0:54:25 > 0:54:264,500. Are you all done now?
0:54:26 > 0:54:284,500 guineas.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Imperial fails to make his reserve.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Are you all done now? 4,500 guineas.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Ice doesn't hit his target, either.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43You can see there's no atmosphere, there's no buzz -
0:54:43 > 0:54:45it's hard work, really hard work.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53If he's to take home any money today,
0:54:53 > 0:54:58his last hope rests on this bull, his mushroom of muscle, Iceman.
0:55:00 > 0:55:023,200...3,500...3,800...4,000.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04The minimum he'll accept is 5,000 guineas.
0:55:06 > 0:55:095,000, then, 5,000 guineas.
0:55:09 > 0:55:105,000, 5,000 guineas.
0:55:10 > 0:55:145,000, then, 5,000 guineas.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18At last, a sale.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22We did really well at judging - we never expected - so we thought
0:55:22 > 0:55:24that would help the sale.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27The sale's just not been a good sale. It's nae the best day, but
0:55:27 > 0:55:31I'm coming home with two young bulls I'll keep till February and just
0:55:31 > 0:55:33back to work on the farm tomorrow and just get on with things.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Sold one bull, five grand, happy enough with that.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38Better than nothing, I suppose.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46In London, at the awards ceremony, John Scott is still waiting for a result.
0:55:48 > 0:55:53Sheep Farmer of the Year is one of the last categories to be announced.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Finally, it's time.
0:56:05 > 0:56:06So let's remind ourselves
0:56:06 > 0:56:09who's in contention for the Sheep Farmer of the Year.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13John's competing against two successful farming enterprises -
0:56:13 > 0:56:16one from Warwickshire...
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Sales of Greenfield Lambs at farmers' markets
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and on his website have gone from strength to strength, ensuring....
0:56:22 > 0:56:24..the other from Cumbria.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Size of flock and turnover have improved
0:56:26 > 0:56:30dramatically since John took over the management six years ago.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33And from Fearne Farm in Ross-shire, John Scott.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35APPLAUSE
0:56:35 > 0:56:40Having doubled the amount of land on his farm and tripled the size of his flock,
0:56:40 > 0:56:42could this give him the edge?
0:56:43 > 0:56:47I was very nervous on the lead up to the award being announced.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50I made a conscious decision to make sure I'd drunk plenty of water
0:56:50 > 0:56:53because if there wasn't water beside me I might have drunk beer
0:56:53 > 0:56:55and that wouldn't have been a good result.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58The winner of the Sheep Farmer of the Year is...
0:56:59 > 0:57:00..John Scott.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:57:09 > 0:57:14John has beaten his two rivals and the dozen other entrants.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20Please congratulate your Sheep Farmer of the Year,
0:57:20 > 0:57:22John Scott, ladies and gentlemen.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25That is a magnificent kilt, sir!
0:57:32 > 0:57:34In a state of shock. We've come here,
0:57:34 > 0:57:37we had high hopes of winning the Sheep Farmer of the Year Award
0:57:37 > 0:57:39and we've won it.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42Taking it home to the Easter Ross and the Highlands and it's got
0:57:42 > 0:57:43my name on it,
0:57:43 > 0:57:47but it's very much a team effort from Dad, kids, Fiona
0:57:47 > 0:57:49and all the team.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52- We're just delighted - really chuffed, aren't we?- Yeah.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56Yeah. An amazing place to come. Fish out of water.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01I'm looking forward to getting home to my quad bike and my dog.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Next time...
0:58:04 > 0:58:07Sybil must tear some families apart.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11For a few days, the cows will break their hearts
0:58:11 > 0:58:12looking for their calves.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15I must say I find it quite upsetting to listen to them.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20On Lewis, Sandy needs to get his boat back on the water.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25We use it to take sheep out to the islands and back.
0:58:25 > 0:58:26Lie down!
0:58:26 > 0:58:30And Anne struggles to keep sheep dog Jim under control.
0:58:30 > 0:58:34He hasn't worked sheep for three weeks and he's just not listening.