0:00:30 > 0:00:34Hello, and welcome to another episode of Home Ground.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Tonight, Gavin and I have a host of interesting stories
0:00:37 > 0:00:41celebrating the richness of rural life right across Northern Ireland.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Here's what's coming up on the show.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Its nickname is "sea vomit".
0:00:48 > 0:00:50You can see why.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54And it's a major threat to marine life in Strangford Lough.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I turn history hunter in the Ring of Gullion,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00digging to discover our ancient past.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Don't be doing this to your gardens at home!
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And when I offered to help move cattle,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09I didn't think it would involve islands and a barge.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- Is it time for me to get out of the way?- Yeah,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14- that's about the height of it! - Honesty - I like it!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21You may not think that fish or deer poaching would be
0:01:21 > 0:01:23high on the agenda for the police,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26but according to the PSNI, crime against wildlife
0:01:26 > 0:01:28is a really serious issue,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30as Ruth found out when she spent the day
0:01:30 > 0:01:33with their wildlife crime officer.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Wildlife crime is a problem in Northern Ireland.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Poisoning, poaching,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50cruelty, trapping - they all happen in our countryside.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Today, I'm in County Tyrone at Baronscourt
0:01:53 > 0:01:57to meet the PSNI's wildlife liaison officer Emma Merideth,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00their very own pet detective.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Emma's not a police officer.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Rather, she's a civilian who advises the PSNI on any wildlife crime
0:02:09 > 0:02:13they encounter. Today, she's here to talk about deer poaching.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Who's got a set of antlers in the back of their work truck?!
0:02:18 > 0:02:21So, this allows us to show officers, police officers,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23just the size that a deer really is.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26The three types of deer we have in Northern Ireland
0:02:26 > 0:02:29is your red deer, your fallow and your sika.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31This one is from a red stag. Here in Baronscourt,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33they have sika deer and, again,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36this'll give you an idea of the actual size of one red stag.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39It's not the type of thing you could just drag off yourself.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42This one, in particular, is totally illegal
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and, again, the poor animal will go through quite a lot of suffering...
0:02:45 > 0:02:47'But it's not just deer poaching.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'Her job covers a very wide remit.'
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Even if a badger sett was maybe destroyed
0:02:54 > 0:02:58or maybe a bird of prey being illegally poisoned or shot,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01deer poaching would come under that remit.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Trade in endangered species can come into it,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07people trading on the internet, of endangered species,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and as well as that, maybe even bat crime can come into it,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12fish poaching can come into it...
0:03:12 > 0:03:14- Fish?!- So all this type of wildlife crime.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Police can even have a link in there as well.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So, all this is basically classed as a wildlife crime.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22That's what I would advise on.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25We like to say that all of our officers are wildlife officers
0:03:25 > 0:03:28within the police service, and we pride ourselves on that
0:03:28 > 0:03:29because they're investigators
0:03:29 > 0:03:32so they are trained to investigate a crime,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and wildlife is just one of those crimes.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Baronscourt has been working closely with the PSNI
0:03:41 > 0:03:43over a number of years.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45- How are you doing? - Welcome to Baronscourt.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- So, can you guarantee some deer today?- No guarantees
0:03:48 > 0:03:51but we'll do our best. If you want to hop in...
0:03:51 > 0:03:55It's one of the largest private estates in Northern Ireland
0:03:55 > 0:03:57and they have hundreds of deer.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Sika deer are elusive and live in the thick, forested parts
0:04:01 > 0:04:06of the estate, but it wasn't long before we managed a rare sighting.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Some of these animals are culled each year
0:04:14 > 0:04:16under strictly controlled licences
0:04:16 > 0:04:19but, unfortunately, they're a prize catch for poachers,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22who often shoot and steal to order.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Gosh, that was amazing to see, wasn't it?
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Aw, what a treat. Do they do this all the time for you?
0:04:30 > 0:04:32We train them daily(!)
0:04:32 > 0:04:36So, I mean, they are incredible animals.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39How big a problem has poaching been?
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Is it increasing at all?
0:04:41 > 0:04:44We've seen an increase over the past number of years,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46but it is largely in line
0:04:46 > 0:04:48with the increase in the value
0:04:48 > 0:04:50of venison as a product, as well,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54so there's a greater incentive for people to acquire the materials
0:04:54 > 0:04:57to sell it into the local market, or any market they can get it into.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00So, it's not just going to be guys down the pub saying,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03"Do you fancy a venison steak?"
0:05:03 > 0:05:06No. How big it is, I'm not quite sure
0:05:06 > 0:05:09but a lot of it is probably peer to peer.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10But whatever way it happens,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13any sort of illegitimate source of venison
0:05:13 > 0:05:16is not good from a business point of view,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19as well as from an ethical point of view.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Have you seen a difference since PSNI have been involved?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24It does spike from time to time.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Maybe it's the same individuals who have decided
0:05:27 > 0:05:29that they've got an order to fill
0:05:29 > 0:05:33or they're just determined to get what it is they want to get.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35But, no, since we've been working with the PSNI,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38we've got now a procedure in place
0:05:38 > 0:05:40and the awareness, I think, has been raised
0:05:40 > 0:05:43both within the public and further afield.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- I think that has had a positive impact.- Hmm.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50So it's out on patrol with the PSNI in the local area.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53They're appealing for information from the public
0:05:53 > 0:05:55about deer poaching.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58The deer can be just used for by the person hunting it
0:05:58 > 0:06:00and just used for their family,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02but it can also be going into
0:06:02 > 0:06:05the local food chain, to local butchers, to restaurants,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and it's believed that deer carcasses at the moment
0:06:08 > 0:06:10can sell for about £90,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13so that's criminals getting £90 per carcass, for free,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16which they shouldn't have. It's illegal.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Is wildlife crime harder to solve
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and tackle than other crime
0:06:20 > 0:06:22because of the scale of the countryside
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and the variety of the crimes?
0:06:24 > 0:06:26No. Not necessarily, Ruth.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Within the PSNI, a crime is a crime,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31whether it be a wildlife crime or not.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34If it's a crime, then police will actually investigate it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37So it's, very simply, that people ring the 101 number,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40an officer is assigned, that officer then can seek any advice,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42support and assistance from myself, or my office,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46and then they investigate it, just like any other crime.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49So don't think you're going to get away with it...
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- Definitely not!- ..because the pet detective's after you!
0:06:56 > 0:06:58As a designated marine nature reserve,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Strangford Lough is brimming with marine species,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03but, as I've been finding out,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07a new invader is a major threat to aquatic life there.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18'Today, I'm just outside Killinchy on the shores of Strangford Lough.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23'I'm meeting Tim Mackie and his team to help tackle a foreign invader.'
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- Tim. How are you?- Grand. - Nice to see you.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Shall we go and take a look? - Will do.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- You'll be needing one of these. - Probably.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36- Well, Tim, you've an invasion on your hands here.- Yes, we do indeed.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40This is the only known location in Northern Ireland
0:07:40 > 0:07:44of a colonial sea squirt called Didemnum vexillum,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46or as we call it D-vex.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50- It's also referred to as marine vomit, unfortunately.- Nice(!)
0:07:50 > 0:07:54It has an unfortunate habit of just carpeting everything
0:07:54 > 0:08:00it comes into contact with and displacing native species.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03'Sea vomit was first discovered in 2012
0:08:03 > 0:08:05'and Tim and his team monitor it closely
0:08:05 > 0:08:08'and aim to stop it spreading any further.'
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Well, this is the live feed coming from the pole-cam
0:08:12 > 0:08:15that Ron has there and you can see a group of mussels
0:08:15 > 0:08:16and some plumose anemones here,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19but also you can see sort of the pendulous bit at the bottom.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24That sort of grey vomit like coating is a bit of D-vex
0:08:24 > 0:08:27and that's the kind of stuff that we'll be going into the water
0:08:27 > 0:08:29to try and remove now.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31We'll take it away and get it incinerated
0:08:31 > 0:08:34so it doesn't have the chance to spread any further.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36- So there's lots of other types of life in the?- There is indeed.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40And presumably this sea vomit is taking over and that's a big threat?
0:08:40 > 0:08:44It is. You know, originally from Japan,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48as a lot of these invasives tend to be, from eastern Asia,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51where the climate is very similar so that they get here
0:08:51 > 0:08:53and everything suits them very nicely.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57But unfortunately our native species have never had to deal with
0:08:57 > 0:09:01these things, so in particular the likes of D-vex exudes a toxin,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04so it grows very quickly.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07It can grow from a 50p size to a dinnerplate size in six weeks.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11It will overgrow and smother the native species
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and by the fact that it has a toxicant in itself,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18other things won't try and grow over it because they're repelled by that.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20So you're underwater gardeners?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22We're going to do a bit of weeding today.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25That's effectively what we'll be doing, yeah.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- There's nothing else for it - get the suit on.- That's it.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37'It took a while and a bit of help
0:09:37 > 0:09:41'but eventually I was ready to get into the water and under the boat.'
0:09:45 > 0:09:46What we're going to try
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- and do is peel a bit off.- OK.
0:09:48 > 0:09:49Try and get it
0:09:49 > 0:09:50as intact as possible.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52We don't want bits drifting off
0:09:52 > 0:09:53- with the current.- Yeah.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55So I'll let you do the intricate stuff
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- and I'll just rip off the sticking plaster.- Yeah, perfect.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04'It didn't take long to get some of the invading sea vomit.'
0:10:07 > 0:10:09What about that? Is that a mixture?
0:10:09 > 0:10:12It is, but that's sometimes the way that we have to remove it.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Would that be right? It was all tied together.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18So you have the D-vex leading up onto a piece of breadcrumb sponge
0:10:18 > 0:10:21but you needed to take the whole lot out there because it's overgrowing
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- the sponge.- I'm a natural.- You're natural, yeah. Gardener of the year!
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'And it kept coming.'
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Oof!
0:10:37 > 0:10:38That's heavy, boy!
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Ugh!
0:10:46 > 0:10:49It's really... It's really draining.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51You're using muscles that you're not usually using.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53I haven't used a lot of muscles at the best of times,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55but that was heavy work.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58We'll get you out of this and we'll show you what you've peeled off.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02- There's so much of it down there. - It's... Yeah, there's a lot of it.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05'Time to inspect today's catch.'
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Well, Tim, we've a lovely shopping basket of goodies here.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Well, this is some of your handiwork here.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13As Hugh told you earlier on, you get the feel for things
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and if I get you, now you've got your gloves off,
0:11:16 > 0:11:17to actually feel the difference
0:11:17 > 0:11:20between this which is a breadcrumb sponge,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23which isn't what we were looking to peel off, but...
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- Whoops!- No, no, in...- Aha!
0:11:26 > 0:11:29You see, on that side, it has been coated. Now feel the difference.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33- Feel that. It feels sort of... more rubbery.- Yeah.- And you can't...
0:11:35 > 0:11:37No, you can't separate the two.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- The only option there was to remove the entire cluster...- Yeah.- OK.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44..whereas this sheet here, this plaster, like you described it,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- has come off in one fell swoop. - That was a belter.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51That is a large piece and again by bringing it off, it's not allowing
0:11:51 > 0:11:55it to fragment, to be swept up the lough and recolonise somewhere else.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And what kind of influence can that have on this whole area?
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Potentially, a devastating influence.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03We're fortunate in that it's restricted to where...
0:12:03 > 0:12:08this locality, but, like I say,
0:12:08 > 0:12:13if that was to carpet the entirety of the bottom of Strangford Lough,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16we would lose one of the jewels in the crown
0:12:16 > 0:12:18in Northern Ireland's marine ecosystem.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21It has the potential to interfere with agriculture,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23as well as the biodiversity of the lough.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26What's the endgame here? What happens?
0:12:26 > 0:12:29The endgame is we keep trying to do this for as long as we can.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33The ultimate endgame is we don't get any more introductions.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36The best way to stop this is to not have it in the first place.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39And in the short-term, a lot of hard work for you guys.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Short-term - hard work. No option for it.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47'And so the fight against the invader, sea vomit, continues.'
0:12:54 > 0:12:56I'm in South Armagh, close to the Ring of Gullion,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59an area steeped in myth and legend.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01But we're not interested in the folklore today,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05more the history of the people who lived here thousands of years ago.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Today, these P5 children from St Mary's primary school
0:13:15 > 0:13:18are partaking in an historic classroom.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24- If we look over here, you see that circular area of bushes.- ALL: Yeah!
0:13:24 > 0:13:26That's another rath.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29You see over there on the horizon, where all the trees are standing up?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- ALL: Yeah!- That's another rath.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34That's a very impressive rath, by the way, if you ever go there.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38So if you follow me, kids, and we'll go into the fort. OK?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41We're carrying out a series of archaeological investigations
0:13:41 > 0:13:44at a number of sites around the ring of Gullion area,
0:13:44 > 0:13:45so we've come here to the Corner Hove,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- just outside Crossmaglen, South Armagh.- Mm-hm.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49And we've selected this site.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51This is what we call a rath site
0:13:51 > 0:13:53or a ringfort, OK?
0:13:53 > 0:13:57And the dates are around about the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th century,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- a period we call the early medieval.- Yeah.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03So what we have is we have circular earth work with a bank
0:14:03 > 0:14:07and a ditch and we're standing in the interior of the fort here
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and what we've done is we've excavated a couple of trenches,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14just to try and get a feel of what the archaeology is doing here.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16This is Rhuari. Say hello to Rhuari.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17ALL: Hello, Rhuari!
0:14:17 > 0:14:22Archaeologists are obsessed with looking at the ground.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25So what sort of things might be find if we're lucky?
0:14:25 > 0:14:26If we are lucky,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29we'd be expecting in these trenches here to find the remains
0:14:29 > 0:14:32of people's houses, the hearths that they sat around at the night-time.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Those are particular focal points that we'll be looking for.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37The kids just love coming out and getting dirty,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and finding worms and stones in the ground.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42It's great to see their enthusiasm, I think.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I kind of see myself in it, even though I'm 34.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46CHATTER
0:14:46 > 0:14:49And I think it's about time I get my hands dirty
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and join in the dig.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53INDISTINCT SPEECH
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- SHE GASPS - Let's see!
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Pop her in there. Look.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Good lad.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Super duper.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06- Patrick?- Yeah.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Did you know much about archaeology before today?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12See... Not that much.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16But I'm really interested in it.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Do you think you're going to be an archaeologist?
0:15:19 > 0:15:20- Maybe.- Maybe?
0:15:20 > 0:15:25- I'll stay with the farming. - SHE LAUGHS
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Well, all this great digging is being done along with
0:15:28 > 0:15:30a heritage scheme centred around the Ring of Gullion
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and it's no coincidence
0:15:32 > 0:15:34that it's all happening in this neck of the woods.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39It's said of South Armagh, "Kick any stone and you uncover history."
0:15:39 > 0:15:41And it's certainly true of this area.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46We are so lucky that we have history from 4,500 years ago
0:15:46 > 0:15:48right up to modern history.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52We have dolmens, we have cairns and, on top of Slieve Gullion,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54just about five miles that way,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58we have Ireland's highest surviving passage tomb as well.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00So, from that, we have history going right through
0:16:00 > 0:16:03to the early Christian period.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- Think of the history right where we're standing.- Absolutely, yeah.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10So, this ring fort, going back 1500 years,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13but even just before that you have the story of the Tain Bo Cuailgne,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15and that would have been the Cattle Raid of Cooley,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and you would have had CuChulainin running round these hills.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21You would have had Queen Maeve coming up from the south...
0:16:21 > 0:16:23with her armies around here.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25You have the Dorshey, which is the gateways,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27from Ulster and Leinster.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29You would have had the Black Pig's Dyke running into Monaghan,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32so the place is just absolutely littered with history
0:16:32 > 0:16:33and archaeological sites.
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Archaeology is great
0:16:36 > 0:16:40because you get to learn the history before the historians, so to speak.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43The historians who teach us history get their information from us,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47so we're constantly rewriting the rules, basically, of history.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Every site, we find something different.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53We learn about how people used to live - slightly different -
0:16:53 > 0:16:55so we're adding to that information.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00'The dig's been going on all week and there's been a very
0:17:00 > 0:17:02'exciting find - a hammerstone -
0:17:02 > 0:17:06'which means that man has been using this site for even longer
0:17:06 > 0:17:07'than we expected.'
0:17:07 > 0:17:09It's yellow!
0:17:09 > 0:17:11We know it's a hammerstone because it's made of quartz.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Quartz is quite a hard material.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14But this end of it - it's bashed.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- You can see little marks... - So they've been...
0:17:17 > 0:17:20..where people have continuously... bang, bang, bang.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23It dates to prehistoric time, probably during the Neolithic,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25probably about 5,000 years ago,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29and it's a tool that prehistoric man was using to strike flint to
0:17:29 > 0:17:33get nice sharp bits that they would then turn into arrow heads or knives
0:17:33 > 0:17:35or scrapers, so that has been...
0:17:35 > 0:17:37So far, that's been the star find.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Well, thankfully, the rain held off for our dig,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46here in South Armagh today,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49but let's see what the forecast has in store for the week ahead.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Raising cattle are a common sight in our countryside,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11but what happens when you need to move your herd,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14not from field to field but island to island?
0:19:14 > 0:19:15I've been to find out.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26The old barge, here at Ringdufferin on Strangford Lough,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30serves as a reminder of how they used to move between the islands.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34But this is how they do things today.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39This is Cuan Brig, the barge owned
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and operated by the National Trust.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Once a fortnight, it helps farmers transport livestock
0:19:45 > 0:19:47and equipment around the islands on the lough.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53And while that may seem like a lot of effort,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56it's necessary, as grazing cattle on islands is essential
0:19:56 > 0:19:59to maintaining this environment.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08Without this boat, essentially, islands can't be managed effectively
0:20:08 > 0:20:13because if you don't have livestock on these maritime cliff
0:20:13 > 0:20:16and coast grasslands, you start to lose the biodiversity
0:20:16 > 0:20:21interest, and eventually they scrub over and become woodland.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24So, if you want to maintain the nature conservation
0:20:24 > 0:20:27interests of the grassland, you have to graze it.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32The guys farming on the lough and on the fringes of the lough,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35for some of them, this is a critical part of their system
0:20:35 > 0:20:36and their regime.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39And if they weren't able to graze
0:20:39 > 0:20:42the islands on the lough that they currently do,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44their business would be compromised.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48So...it's important in terms of keeping farming going on the lough.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Today, we're helping a farmer move cattle from one island on to
0:20:54 > 0:20:56another, and the pressure is on.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01You're battling the whole time with tide,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and tide is critical to this whole operation today.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09And if the round-up takes too long...that's the end.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14We can only load livestock on the barge when the tide is coming in...
0:21:14 > 0:21:15and we've got floatation.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18So once the tide turns, if we put animals onto this barge,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21the barge runs aground, game over, you're stuck.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26The initial pressure is to get them into the handling pen,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28but then, once they're in the handling pen,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30you've got to get them onto the barge.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34And, instinctively, they don't feel comfortable coming onto the boat...
0:21:34 > 0:21:37And you've got to coerce them on, so...
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I'm not sure I'll be much help, but I'll try.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42You're in a red coat, which is a good start!
0:21:42 > 0:21:44- It's half the battle.- Yeah. Yeah.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50This is our first destination, Island Taggart.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Oisin Murnion has been grazing cattle
0:21:55 > 0:21:59on three islands on Strangford Lough for over ten years.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Today, he and his family are rounding up their herd of Galloway.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07We push them right round that side
0:22:07 > 0:22:10and they come up back, thinking they're getting away again
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and they come back onto a field that we have a corral system in
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and a fence and a whole pile of things, and we push them down
0:22:16 > 0:22:20into the corrals and shut the gate on them.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- That's the plan.- That's the plan.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Does the plan always work?
0:22:24 > 0:22:26It does if everybody's in the right place.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30- Teamwork?- Teamwork, but it doesn't if somebody goes to the wrong place,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35so we have to be very careful and not spook them.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38It's like moving a cattle herd in the Wild West, literally.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- And you're John Wayne?- I'm not John Wayne, I'm Oisin Murnion.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46But all joking aside, it's a serious business today.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48- It needs to work for you, doesn't it?- It has to work.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51We only get a couple of opportunities to get the cattle off
0:22:51 > 0:22:53and we need to move them, you know?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- Good luck. Saddle up, partner. - Oh, thank you very much.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08So it's a race against time to round up the cattle
0:23:08 > 0:23:09and get them on the barge.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I'll catch up with them at the far end of the island.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22These Galloway are particularly hardy animals,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26foragers that will graze on any type of pasture.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29They've been on this island for almost two years
0:23:29 > 0:23:33and a general lack of human contact makes them almost feral.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35But on schedule, they've been rounded up.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37HORN BEEPS
0:23:37 > 0:23:38HORN BEEPS
0:23:38 > 0:23:42The best system to move cattle is actually to go slowly
0:23:42 > 0:23:44instead of trying to go fast, you know?
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Everything slow, everything calm? They are a bit jumpy, aren't they?
0:23:47 > 0:23:49- They are a wee bit jumpy. - As we can see.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Is that just the type of the breed,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52or the nature of them being out here for so long?
0:23:52 > 0:23:54It's probably the fact that they're penned there
0:23:54 > 0:23:55and they're wanting out.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59This is a tough job here, so it is, now.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01The cattle don't like going down into the water.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04They have to step into the edge of the water there,
0:24:04 > 0:24:05sometimes when the tide comes in.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07The tide's coming in here at a foot an hour.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10It comes in quite fast, you might not notice.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14It doesn't seem very much, but if you're stuck in the mud,
0:24:14 > 0:24:15it'd be coming in awful fast.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17- Time for you to get the game face on, then?- Mmm.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19And me to get out of the way!
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- Yeah, that's about the height of it. - Honesty, I like it.- Hmm.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27This is a delicate operation.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30This is probably the most stressful point of the day
0:24:30 > 0:24:32for everyone involved and for the cattle.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36They're jumpy and let's hope they just get aboard OK.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41As expected, they don't want to get on board.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45These cattle can be dangerous
0:24:45 > 0:24:49and, all the time, Oisin is battling the incoming tide.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Finally, success and relief.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02We'll go up to Pawle Island with the load of cattle
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and let all the cows off,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07then we have to divide them two bull calves
0:25:07 > 0:25:10from the other cow and put the cow off as well,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13then take them two calves home.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- It's never easy. - It's a tough job, so it is.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Working with cattle is hard work, it's for hard men.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21You need hard men and women.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29This style of conservation farming is worth the effort
0:25:29 > 0:25:30for those involved.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33The landowners have their ground maintained
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and farmers get access to land on which to graze cattle.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Just your average day, Anne-Marie, out on the ocean waves?
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Well, that's a typical day, except it went well.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Sometimes it can go badly
0:25:47 > 0:25:50and it doesn't work, but today it worked,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53- so...- It's definitely a lifestyle choice, it's hard work.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55It can be, yeah.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58It can be kind of tense, just going out to do all that and just hoping
0:25:58 > 0:26:03that it'll go well and you achieve what you set out to do that day.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07- If not, you go back and do it again. - There was a definite atmosphere
0:26:07 > 0:26:09in the pen when everybody was...
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Well, the animals were...and you were starting to get worried.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Yeah, it wasn't going well.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Then we all stopped and had kind of a team meeting,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19changed the strategy and next thing,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21just all onto the boat, so it went good.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Who's the calm head in it all?
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- You?- Not, it's not me!
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I don't know who, I don't know who.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I'm the one that would nearly lose it, you know?
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Quicker than anybody.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Pawle Island is our final destination
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and the new home for Oisin's cattle.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42After all the stress of the day,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45how did it feel to finally see them run off the boat
0:26:45 > 0:26:46and away onto the island?
0:26:46 > 0:26:47I love that part.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51I love to see them jumping off the boat, I love to seem them just...
0:26:51 > 0:26:54They're not stressed and everything's done.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57There's still two more to unload and that'll be it.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01- Home for a lie down and a rest. - Yeah.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05By the end of the day, you're ready to go in and just sit down, yeah.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12It's been a unique day for me,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14but it's all in a day's work for Oisin,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16his family and the Cuan Brig.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22That was quite some day, Gav.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Yeah, a long day and a lot of effort to look after both the cattle
0:27:25 > 0:27:27and the local ecology,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- but I think worth it.- I think you did a great job.- Thanks.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- Anyway, that's it for this episode. We'll see you next week.- Bye-bye.