0:00:30 > 0:00:31Hello, and welcome to
0:00:31 > 0:00:33another episode of Home Ground -
0:00:33 > 0:00:34the programme bringing you
0:00:34 > 0:00:36a taste of life in the countryside.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Yes, tonight, Gavin and I
0:00:37 > 0:00:38have a host of stories
0:00:38 > 0:00:40from across Northern Ireland -
0:00:40 > 0:00:44from people with a real passion for all aspects of rural life.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Here's what's coming up on tonight's show.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Horses were once the engines driving our farming industry,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57and, in Ballycastle, this traditional method is thriving.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Every year, tonnes of plastic is dumped into our seas.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Ruth finds out the impact this is having on our marine life.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10By 2050, there'll be more marine plastic in the ocean
0:01:10 > 0:01:11than fish, by weight.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17And I've got my binoculars ready to see how farmers are helping
0:01:17 > 0:01:19to protect our local bird population.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28But first, I'm here in County Armagh
0:01:28 > 0:01:31to meet one farmer who diversified into flowers,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and, ever since, his business has been blooming.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Springtime brings Mother's Day, Easter and flowers -
0:01:46 > 0:01:47lots of flowers.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Here at Greenisland Flowers in County Armagh,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54it's the middle of the tulip season,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58and approaching their busiest time of year,
0:01:58 > 0:01:59so I'm here to give a hand.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03What kind of scale are we talking about here?
0:02:03 > 0:02:04I've planted about four.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06- Obviously... - Yeah, well, you wouldn't...
0:02:06 > 0:02:07There's quite a lot happening.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09If you were on per plant, I think you'd be in trouble -
0:02:09 > 0:02:14but what we're doing is, we're planting about 150,000 a week.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17- Wow.- So, we have to do that every week, as we go along,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and that's just tulips.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22And we'll do that from October right through to, I think,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24in about three weeks' time we finish, in April.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27The most striking thing is, there's no soil,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29which completely surprised me.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Yeah, well, for this - it is a very new system of growing.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39A lot of tulips in the past have been grown in fields,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and also in soil and crates.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46This is a new system now, forcing tulips, where they want to...
0:02:46 > 0:02:50The Dutch are very good at getting everything mobile,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52so whenever you grow something in a box,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54it means that you can move it about.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56With growing them in soil,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58you have certain levels of disease and so on
0:02:58 > 0:03:00that comes along with that.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03For us, it cuts out that level of disease.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05That's why we're just looking, the odd one -
0:03:05 > 0:03:07it's keeping these right
0:03:07 > 0:03:09so that we don't put the diseased ones into the box,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13and whenever we're going through the crates later on,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16in the house, we can pull out the diseased ones which are there,
0:03:16 > 0:03:17which have been missed.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Is that one a bit soft or is that all right?
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- That one's OK. - It's all right.- Yeah.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- I thought the joy of farming was getting dirty.- Yeah!
0:03:26 > 0:03:29I...I don't know what the joy of farming is, at the minute.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34These bulbs will now spend between two and four weeks
0:03:34 > 0:03:35in the cold store.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37This tricks the bulbs into thinking it's winter,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and encourages them to grow.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Then it's into the greenhouse, and after another few weeks,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45they look like this -
0:03:45 > 0:03:46almost ready to pick.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51The good thing about them is, they're in the water.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55So, if we want to pick that one,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59it's not just ready for picking yet, but it's not far off it.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01If we were to give this maybe another...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04probably until tomorrow, this would be not far off it.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The Dutch guys would probably pick them at this stage,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09but because we're very, very close to Lurgan market,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12we'll leave them just that bit longer,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14because the energy is filling the flower up,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17so what we're trying to do with them
0:04:17 > 0:04:19is give them as best chance as possible
0:04:19 > 0:04:23to have a nice, big, full flower whenever they get into the shop.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25If this one's been picked by mistake,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28the great thing about growing in water,
0:04:28 > 0:04:29you can put them back in again.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32So, it's all about timing and all about conditions
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- and getting the balance right.- Yes.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36As you can see, the screens are closed...
0:04:36 > 0:04:39closed over a wee bit today, because of the sun,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41which is a thing that we don't normally see.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43- Well, this wee lad seems to have found it...- This pot here, yeah...
0:04:43 > 0:04:47I'd say, this morning, this here fella would be more like this guy.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50They are very, very, very fast.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Tulips are very fast - but he'll open out now,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56with that wee bit of sun he has, but in a couple of hours' time,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59he'll close back up again as soon as it comes night.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03So, these ones here, pretty much what we're doing with these
0:05:03 > 0:05:04is, these will be ready for picking.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07So, what we're trying to do is pick them at this stage here,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- versus picking them...- Yes. - We call that a wee bit green.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Yeah, so it's like picking a green apple, whenever it should be red.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18So, that's what we're looking at, whenever we're inside picking.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- That would be perfect for us. - They are very, very similar.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23So, is this the ideal scenario for you -
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- that they're all coming at exactly the same time?- Yes.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28That is the best thing about growing in water,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32because the water's pretty much all the same.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33And look how clean that is.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35- Yeah, that's the best thing. - No dirt on that.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37That's the best thing about it, too,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39is you can see your quality by how the roots look.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41There's not too many crops you can do that in.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Like, if you're going into a field of grass, you can't really see that.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46You're only seeing the top part,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48versus, with us, we can see everything.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Between tulips and other flowers,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56they produce around eight million cut flowers a year,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58all of which go to the major retailers.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01The family business has a background in salads,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and they still grow lettuce here,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08but, in 2004, decided to diversify to add value to the business.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Was it a big gamble for you to do it?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Well, for us, everything's to do with money,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18so, for the likes of this equipment here, it's all expensive equipment,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21putting in the container system, it's all expensive.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24For us, it was good, because we had a lot of greenhouses here
0:06:24 > 0:06:28to start with for diversifying into different crops, so...
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Were there nights where you sat and wondered, "What am I doing?"
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Some nights - there's a lot of people would tell you,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36"What, are you wondering what you're doing?"
0:06:36 > 0:06:40but I think whenever they look at it and see what you have done,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42then they would go, "Aye, I can see the point in doing that,"
0:06:42 > 0:06:45but there is some times whenever you go home,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48whenever you have a crop failure, which does happen,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50and everybody knows about crop failures,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53through different ways of disease or floods or whatever,
0:06:53 > 0:06:54them's the tough days.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56The nice days are when you're standing in here,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59the sun's shining, stuff's going through the machine.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Is that the way of modern farming, almost,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03that you just have to try and move with the times
0:07:03 > 0:07:04or you're going to be left behind?
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Yeah, well, you have to move,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09you have to look at being more efficient.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10That's the big thing.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13How do you get the most out of what you have?
0:07:13 > 0:07:15So, the likes of our system, here,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17it's half an acre we have of glass,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21but we could get maybe half a million pound's worth of turnover
0:07:21 > 0:07:23going through in a few months, coming out of it,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26compared to, maybe, a bigger farm,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29so it's really condensing what you're doing
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and taking the complications out of it.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35The aim is to get these flowers to the supermarket
0:07:35 > 0:07:38and on the shelves within 24 hours.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Right, let's try and get involved here.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43I know the production line's going.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- So, you need 15 bunches.- Come on...
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- right, there's bound to be...- Yeah.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51OK, that's... Somebody throw this production line back!
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Get them straightened up.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57There is a knack to it.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Sorry!
0:08:00 > 0:08:03We're slowing it all down!
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Agh! There's a bucket!
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Seems a shame, after all the delicate work,
0:08:07 > 0:08:08to be ramming them into a bucket.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10We'll have to look at your training.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16One for the wife.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Well, I hope he saved a bunch for me.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Now, before the tractor, the horse was the backbone of the farm.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30I've been to Ballycastle
0:08:30 > 0:08:33to the annual horse ploughing championships
0:08:33 > 0:08:36to see how they're keeping that traditional alive.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43It mightn't be the quickest way to plough a field,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47but until the arrival of the diesel engine tractor to Ireland
0:08:47 > 0:08:52in the 1920s, horses were an essential part of rural life -
0:08:52 > 0:08:55but, for one day a year in Ballycastle,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58the horse, once again, is back to work.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02So, how did you get into it, Sean?
0:09:02 > 0:09:04I got into it through my father.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06My father was always involved
0:09:06 > 0:09:07with the society,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09was always involved in ploughing,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and I suppose it just seemed like the natural thing to do.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Do you recall seeing him out with the plough?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Oh, I definitely do recall seeing him out with the plough,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20anything to do with ploughing, he's just mad about ploughing, you know?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22It's just some men, older men,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24that would just be...they lived for them things, you know that way?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I was talking to my mum about it, actually,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and, you know, she recalls, as a young girl,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32seeing the men out with the ploughs,
0:09:32 > 0:09:37and just how demanding it was, how physically demanding it was.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40You have to be quite fit to work with the horses, you know that way?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43And the plough, erm,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45there's a bit of skill in the work with it too.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Every year, these horse ploughing enthusiasts
0:09:49 > 0:09:52turn out in rain or shine - rain in our case -
0:09:52 > 0:09:55to keep the tradition of horse ploughing alive.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02There's those that may say, "Look, it's from the Dark Ages,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05"why do you need to do something like this today?"
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Why is it important to keep this art alive?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10I think it's important because, like,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13there's families coming out and the young ones there,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15they're seeing horses ploughing -
0:10:15 > 0:10:16that's not something they see every day.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20And it's just something that I think people like to see,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and we just like to try and keep going.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- And we need to learn from it too. - We need to learn. Exactly.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27It would be a shame if it died out.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31'But it's not just about preserving the tradition -
0:10:31 > 0:10:36'it's a competition, going back over 150 years.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40'16 participants took part today, in five categories
0:10:40 > 0:10:42'ranging in size of plot and skill.'
0:10:42 > 0:10:46What are you looking for? What makes a winner in your eyes?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48First of all, the ploughing has to be straight.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50It has to be uniform,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52all the grass has to be covered.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55There's good local ploughmen that are very skilful
0:10:55 > 0:10:57and there's a lot of visitors today that are very skilful ploughmen,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00so the competition should be quite stiff.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02There's a vicious rumour I'm going to get involved today...
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- Oh.- How easy is it to learn?
0:11:04 > 0:11:06It'll be no bother to you.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- Have I got the muscles for it? - Oh, I think you have.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11No, you'll definitely enjoy it.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17- Hi, Sonia!- Hello, Jo.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19'Well, there's one competitor here today
0:11:19 > 0:11:22'who's caught the horse ploughing bug -
0:11:22 > 0:11:25'and she's someone who isn't used to the rain.'
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- That's not a Ballycastle accent I hear.- No, it's not, no.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Where are you from?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31I come from Spain, from Alicante.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- From Alicante to this?- Yes!
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- You didn't bring us the sunshine(?) - No.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41- And how do you come to be here in Ballycastle?- Well, I'm a vet,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and I came just looking for more farming,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47more animals, more horses...
0:11:47 > 0:11:48And green fields.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52And to get green, you have to get rain.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57'Today I'm helping Sonia plough a 4 x 12 metre plot.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59'Unfortunately for me,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02'the judges will be looking for accuracy over speed.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05'I only hope I don't mess it up on her.'
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Well, do you think you could make a horse plougher out of me?
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I think so, I think you can give it a good try, yeah.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12What do you think, Susie?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14I think Susie will be very...
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Susie is very gently, so is very experienced.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20She is 17 years old, and she's done this all her life.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Well, is it difficult?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25It's not difficult, you get the hang of it,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- and you need to know what way to do it...- Yeah.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32And you need to be strong, it's quite strenuous.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36In fact, if you have to plough an acre,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38you will have to walk 11 miles.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Well, hopefully we're in for a good day today.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I'm sure you'll do very well.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46That remains to be seen!
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- Let's go and give it a shot. - Let's go! Let's go.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54- OK, we're trying to turn the land around, OK?- Yes.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58So what we do is you need to keep this wheel
0:12:58 > 0:13:00in the land here,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04and keep it as straight as you can.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05Is that how it would have been done years ago,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07or have you adapted it slightly?
0:13:07 > 0:13:11No, no, this is the same way it was done 100 years ago.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14The plough is probably about 60, 70 years old,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16the harness are maybe 20 years old.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- Really? And still working as well as ever?- As well as ever.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22OK, well, let's crack on.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25So you're leaning down, and you've got...
0:13:25 > 0:13:29And just keep the wheel to the left there, that's the main thing...
0:13:29 > 0:13:31'So, now it's my turn.'
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Keep that wheel there. Yeah, you're doing well!
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Oh!
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- That's it.- That's it? - Keep your left hand down.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- Left hand down?- Left hand down.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41Oh!
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- OK.- You are doing good.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- OK...- Good, good.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53'This is tough work,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56'but I think I might just be getting the hang of it.'
0:13:56 > 0:13:57It's SO physical.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- You underestimate how physical it is.- Yeah.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02OK, Susie, hit it.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13- Look at that!- You're doing good. You're doing very good.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- Whoo!- That's good, perfect.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Whoa!
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Look at that, Sonia, that's a work of art!
0:14:21 > 0:14:22Absolutely.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24What would you give me out of ten for that?
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Oh, I think I'll give you a seven.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27JO LAUGHS
0:14:27 > 0:14:29I did all right in the end.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- Very good for a first time. - You're pleased?- Absolutely.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34The odd wee squiffy bit, but we'll not mention that.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39Yeah, I'm sure the potatoes will grow anyway.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46What an effort, especially in that weather.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Now, the sea has always played an important role
0:14:48 > 0:14:52in the culture and history of these islands.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55But it's under ever-increasing risk from plastic.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Ruth Sanderson has been investigating
0:14:57 > 0:14:59the scale of the problem.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12We've got a huge problem with plastic on our coastline.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14And while some ends up here...
0:15:14 > 0:15:16the main issue is out there.
0:15:18 > 0:15:2080% of the marine plastic that enters the sea,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24that we find in the sea, has come from the land originally.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28There's something like 46,000 pieces of plastic
0:15:28 > 0:15:30per square mile of the ocean.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- Per square mile? - Per square mile of the ocean.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Essentially we are turning the ocean into a kind of plastic soup.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Marine plastic, plastic in general, doesn't disappear -
0:15:40 > 0:15:43when you put it in the sea it degrades,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46but it doesn't break down or rot as such,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48it just breaks into smaller and smaller pieces.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50So essentially it never goes away.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53'This beach isn't open to the public,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56'so the accumulated build-up of plastic
0:15:56 > 0:15:58'coming in from the ocean is easy to see.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'But the landowner is working with Ulster Wildlife
0:16:02 > 0:16:04'to try and clean it up.'
0:16:04 > 0:16:07I mean, this stuff hasn't actually been around for that long.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Plastic production's a newish thing
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- in the whole scale of things... - It hasn't,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I mean, really, it's a phenomenon since the...
0:16:14 > 0:16:18If you think back, since the '70s, maybe, into the '80s,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21single-use plastic packaging came into being.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22It's only really very recently
0:16:22 > 0:16:26that we've introduced single-use plastics for convenience.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29How do we then begin to tackle that problem?
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Because it's not like people are going to
0:16:31 > 0:16:34stop using crisp packets or plastic bottles or...
0:16:34 > 0:16:36you know, containers,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38so what's the future for it?
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Essentially in the long run that IS what we are going to have to do,
0:16:41 > 0:16:47because we can't sustain this level of pollution of our oceans.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Currently there's about eight million tonnes of plastic packaging
0:16:51 > 0:16:52enters the ocean each year.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55That's set to double in the next ten years.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Of that eight million tonnes that enters the ocean,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01about 70% of it sinks.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Sinks to the bottom of the ocean, and there it stays,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09with untold impacts on the habitats and species on the ocean floor.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11The remaining 30% floats around the ocean,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14and then gets washed up, as you've seen here today, on our shores.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17So this is just a tiny little tip of the iceberg.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21- This is only a tiny fraction of the impact of marine plastics.- Yeah.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27'Plastic poses a detrimental effect on sea wildlife,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30'and while bigger marine animals make the headlines,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34'more than a million sea birds a year are killed by ingesting it.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37This is the Norman fulmar
0:17:37 > 0:17:40that was found in County Kerry,
0:17:40 > 0:17:41on the beach...
0:17:41 > 0:17:43'Heidi Acampora is currently undertaking
0:17:43 > 0:17:45'the only research in Ireland
0:17:45 > 0:17:48'on the effect of sea plastic on marine birds.'
0:17:48 > 0:17:51So from all of the fulmars that
0:17:51 > 0:17:53we've found in Ireland so far,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55which was about 15,
0:17:55 > 0:17:5614 of them had plastics.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58- 14 of them?- Yeah.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02'This is the plastic that was found in our fulmar.'
0:18:03 > 0:18:07They have a small stomach, but normally we find lots of plastics
0:18:07 > 0:18:12- in them so the stomach's normally pretty full of plastics then.- Gosh.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15And most of the times they die from starvation, because they have
0:18:15 > 0:18:16- no space for food.- Oh.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20And so, what sort of plastics are you finding?
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Erm, we find mostly bits from...
0:18:24 > 0:18:26like, broken-down bits from user items.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28So you have, like,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30for example a bottle cap that was broken down
0:18:30 > 0:18:32because it was at sea floating,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36and then a bird would ingest a little piece of that, and...
0:18:36 > 0:18:40containers and all types of things like Styrofoam cups
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and cooler boxes -
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- you know, just bits of that that breaks down at sea...- Yeah.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48..and then they... They just think it's food, you know?
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Is this problem going to get worse?
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Is this going to affect more birds
0:18:52 > 0:18:54and sort of mammals around coastal areas?
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Yeah, I think so, because...
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Because it's breaking down,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03then it's affecting also the bottom of the food chain, you know?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06It is a big problem that is getting so spread out
0:19:06 > 0:19:08- that it's very difficult to control. - Mm.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09I suppose, like,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12what is very easy to do now is to prevent, you know,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15try and reduce your waste and, you know,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17be more responsible how you
0:19:17 > 0:19:19- dispose of your waste.- Mm.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20- But it is still there.- Exactly.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24There's still enough in the ocean that it's going to be a problem.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27So it is more a matter of monitoring and seeing how this is affecting,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29how big of a problem it is.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33In Northern Ireland,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37our current recycling targets are about 40%, which is fairly poor
0:19:37 > 0:19:41when you consider the amount of plastic we are producing.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45So this problem is ingrained in every single thing we do, it seems.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49What we wear, what we eat and how we shop and how we consume.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52So how can we ever get out of that cycle
0:19:52 > 0:19:57short of going back to wearing clothes made out of hemp
0:19:57 > 0:20:03and taking hessian sacks with us to do our shopping in?
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- How can we live in 2017? - Well, you laugh...
0:20:07 > 0:20:12and you make jokes about, for example, bringing hessian sacks
0:20:12 > 0:20:14for your shopping,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16but up until the 1980s, we pretty much did that.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18We used paper bags to pack our shopping
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and what is wrong with that?
0:20:20 > 0:20:24A much more sinister area is that we don't know the longer-term impact.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29For example, some of the facts and figures - by 2050,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33there will be more marine plastic in the ocean than fish, by weight.
0:20:33 > 0:20:40Some of those statistics you are giving me, they are really shocking.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45The fact that we are implicated in those consequences as well
0:20:45 > 0:20:48by what we eat from the sea is shocking.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51The main problem still lies out at sea, out of sight and out of mind.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It doesn't mean it's not there
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and it doesn't mean that it is not getting worse.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58But it is very hard for people to appreciate the scale
0:20:58 > 0:21:00of what is happening out in our ocean.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11Depending on your point of view,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15the countryside is best used for different reasons.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17For some, it is all about food production,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20for others it is about preserving nature.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22I've been to a farm in County Down
0:21:22 > 0:21:25to discover that the two can go hand-in-hand.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Today I am joining 25 local farmers and landowners to find out
0:21:41 > 0:21:43about farmland birds.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46The day is being run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust
0:21:46 > 0:21:51along with the RSPB and is part of a national bird-watching effort
0:21:51 > 0:21:53to monitor farm wildlife.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02I'm trying to improve the environment for wildlife
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and to improve the wider biodiversity.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08What about farmers out there, some of whom may say, "I need to
0:22:08 > 0:22:12"squeeze every penny out of every square inch of my land"?
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I think every farmer has a conscience about
0:22:15 > 0:22:18looking after his land and the wildlife on it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It is possible to do the two together.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I do think the farmers behind it all,
0:22:24 > 0:22:29they have a huge desire to improve and make their farms better
0:22:29 > 0:22:32both from an agricultural production point of view
0:22:32 > 0:22:35but also the barometer which is their wildlife on their farm.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39..and they've attracted kingfishers.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44Birds are a brilliant indicator of the quality of our countryside.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49So if you have a good population of a wide variety of species,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51especially farmland-specific birds
0:22:51 > 0:22:53like yellowhammer and great partridge
0:22:53 > 0:22:56that David has here on the farm, then you can almost be guaranteed
0:22:56 > 0:22:59that the ecosystem around that is doing very well.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03So what are we specifically looking out for today?
0:23:03 > 0:23:06The very specific arable mixed-farmland birds that I am
0:23:06 > 0:23:10really hoping to see on the farm today is birds like yellowhammer,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12tree sparrow, linnet, maybe a flock of skylark
0:23:12 > 0:23:15would be nice, some meadow pipits,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18we may see some lapwing down at the shore, great partridge, of course,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22that David has reintroduced back onto the farm here.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24So a real plethora of stuff.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- That is quite a list, so let's go for it.- Yeah.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32That is a winter stubble bit, which is a great habitat
0:23:32 > 0:23:35and very low cost and very easy to achieve.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43We used to grow the winter cereals, intensive farming,
0:23:43 > 0:23:48but we've gone back to the spring crop and having stubbles
0:23:48 > 0:23:54over the winter time and doing our environmental cover.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58- Do think it has made a difference? - Yeah, absolutely.- In what way?
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Just seeing a lot more numbers and bigger flocks of birds
0:24:01 > 0:24:07and different species and more of a mixture of birds.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12Just simple things, just field margins and grow your hedges
0:24:12 > 0:24:16in an A-shape, which is what we have been doing for years.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Well, you are a dab hand at making out what birds want,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21by the tweet?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24This is what today is good about, learning that.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26We're definitely learning a lot.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29I know a lot more about colours and types of birds
0:24:29 > 0:24:32than I did 30 years ago.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Certain crops planted around his fields can give cover,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41extra food and encouragement for birds.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46I know they talk about leaving ten-foot margins around
0:24:46 > 0:24:49large fields to leave borders for wild birds,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51but on the field size in Northern Ireland,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54four or five-acre fields, that is not profitable to do.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56But there are wee awkward corners
0:24:56 > 0:24:57where machines can't get in that well
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and it is an option just to leave that wilder.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03That's it. Do something as to oppose to...
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Something is better than nothing.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08And these little patches left for nature
0:25:08 > 0:25:11are proving very effective on David's farm.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14There is a little flock of linnets.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16They're just going to go across there
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and these are the ones that like the smaller oil-rich seeds.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24And the birds keep coming.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26I think I saw a skylark here.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28It jutted down into the stubbles here.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31We've got a group of people here that hopefully can all go
0:25:31 > 0:25:32and see it together.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36A very rare species in this country and a ground-nesting bird
0:25:36 > 0:25:37so quite susceptible.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40But the work David is doing here is fantastic
0:25:40 > 0:25:44with the habitat management and the legal predator control.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45So hopefully, fingers crossed,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49we will be able to see one of these very special birds.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Hear them again?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53BIRDS TWEET
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I can hear them, but I can't see them.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58You can hear the "choo choo choo".
0:25:59 > 0:26:01It's not just farmland birds.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05We are by the water, so lots of chance to see wading birds
0:26:05 > 0:26:07encouraged here too.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08If we just look down here,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- we see lapwing that are just flying down by the shore.- OK. Yeah.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13These are wintering birds,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16they will be at the shoreline and using the fields around here.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I think David had a pair breeding on the farm
0:26:18 > 0:26:21a couple of years ago as well, so really lovely birds.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24They have those lovely broad wings, they make that beautiful call
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- that we heard earlier on. - Do it for us.- No.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28I can't, it is actually quite completed.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I won't do it, but they have that lovely tuft on top of their head.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36- They are a beautiful colour and they are a really lovely species.- Wow.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38A perfect spot for them, isn't it?
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- I am learning lots today.- Are you? - Mmm. Come on and teach me.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43What is the starling?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45BIRDS TWEET
0:26:46 > 0:26:48This is lovely.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52If you look down the shoreline now, if you hear that now,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54that lovely curlew call, they are all wintering birds
0:26:54 > 0:26:57so these might not be breeding in this country
0:26:57 > 0:27:00but the birds have come here to feed up over the winter time
0:27:00 > 0:27:01before they go off to breed.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05You get nice flocks of them around the shoreline.
0:27:07 > 0:27:13- This is your Brent geese going across now.- Look at them.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16These are heading back to Iceland to breed.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20And even a few swans made an appearance.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23No identification chart needed for these fellows.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26It is safe to say that on this farm, at least,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29the future is bright for wildlife.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Well, what a day we have had, albeit a chilly one.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37We have seen skylarks, we have seen lapwings, we have seen geese,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40we have seen a whole selection of things and it is so exciting
0:27:40 > 0:27:43to think of the potential for our farmland birds.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54- Impressive - you are quite the expert now.- Well, I try, Gavin.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56That is it for this episode of Home Ground.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00- Join us at the same time next week. - See you then. Bye-bye.