0:00:26 > 0:00:28The chalklands of the South Downs.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Farming country through and through.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33For centuries, these fields and leafy lanes
0:00:33 > 0:00:37have gladdened the hearts of all who have lived here,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39providing a real source of inspiration.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46It's no surprise that this place nurtured
0:00:46 > 0:00:48one of our best-loved naturalists.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Gilbert White's engaging observations
0:00:50 > 0:00:54inspired Charles Darwin and are still being read today,
0:00:54 > 0:00:55but it's not just the man.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I'll also be finding out about his pet.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Ellie's got her own literary journey to go on.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07I'll be taking a leaf out of another book when I get into character
0:01:07 > 0:01:11to experience life as Jane Austen lived it in the early 1800s.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13She spent the last decade of her life living here
0:01:13 > 0:01:16and liked nothing more than getting out and about into the countryside.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19What do you think of the dress?
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Meanwhile, Tom's gone in search of a healthy snack.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27Fancy some tasty greens?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Qualifies as one of your five-a-day.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33And that's a slogan that is now ten-years-old.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36In that time, it should have improved the nation's health
0:01:36 > 0:01:41and maybe given a welcome boost to farmers' incomes along the way.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44But has it delivered? I'll be investigating.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Adam's finding out whether the appliance of science
0:01:50 > 0:01:51could give us healthier pigs.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56In this laboratory they're using some of the latest technology
0:01:56 > 0:01:59developed for some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters
0:01:59 > 0:02:02to find out if this pig potentially has a problem
0:02:02 > 0:02:05that could affect pigs all across the UK.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Later on, we'll be finding out how she performs.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09You're lovely, aren't you?
0:02:21 > 0:02:23The South Downs.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27600 square miles of rolling chalk hills,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29dramatic heaths and ancient woodland.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33The vast park stretches from the coastline near Eastbourne
0:02:33 > 0:02:36all the way to Winchester, 100 miles to the west.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Captivating and timeless, it's a landscape that's been
0:02:42 > 0:02:44an inspiration to some of its inhabitants.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51I'm in the village of Selborne
0:02:51 > 0:02:54to discover the story of a man who lived here in the 1700s.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59His name was Gilbert White, a local clergyman with a natural curiosity.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03Gilbert had a passion for gardening
0:03:03 > 0:03:07which flourished into an obsession of observing all living things.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Putting pen to paper, he wrote about what he saw.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14His letters were published as a book -
0:03:14 > 0:03:17the Natural History of Selborne.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19It's said to be the fourth most-published book
0:03:19 > 0:03:21in the English language,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25and it revolutionised the way we look at the natural world.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28To find out how, I'm meeting Ronnie Davidson-Houston.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32He's been studying Gilbert's life and work since he was ten,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and I'm getting the impression he's a pretty big fan.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39I found this book which was just so beautifully written,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42so readable, and really appealed to me.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- And has done ever since.- And have you collected all of his work since?
0:03:46 > 0:03:47Well, I'm still trying.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I've got about 1,000 copies which are now in the museum here.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- He was a very, very special man, wasn't he?- Absolutely.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58He's what we call the first ecologist.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03He took the whole of nature, including man, in his writing.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08And he was the person who first started everybody bird watching.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10And of course he inspired Darwin, among others.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Gilbert's love of nature began in the garden of his country home -
0:04:17 > 0:04:20today, a museum. His passion flourished.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23And I'm meeting deputy head gardener Rose Mallion,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27who is recreating Gilbert's garden by taking a leaf from his own book.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29- Hello, Rose.- Hello, Matt, nice to meet you.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- Are you all right?- Yes, thank you.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- Good. Busy planting?- Yes. We're planting out our bulb border
0:04:34 > 0:04:37in accordance with the record Gilbert kept for us in his garden calendar.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40So we know exactly what he planted
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- and the place in which he planted them.- Right. OK then.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- So shall we pop up there, then? - Let's go up and have a go.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48What you need to do is get the bulb about three times
0:04:48 > 0:04:53its own depth into the soil, and cover over with a trowel.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- Tulipa clusiana, that one.- What else would he have been planting?
0:04:57 > 0:05:01He would have been planting double hyacinths, jonquils and tulips.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04That's what Gilbert called, "The rank clay that required
0:05:04 > 0:05:06"the labour of years to render it useful."
0:05:06 > 0:05:08He's got a lovely turn of phrase, hasn't he?
0:05:08 > 0:05:10He's got a lovely turn of phrase, yes.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And how did it expand from this border to more of the natural world?
0:05:14 > 0:05:16He called himself an outdoor naturalist,
0:05:16 > 0:05:17and because he was outside
0:05:17 > 0:05:20he was able to observe patterns in behaviour,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22the changes in the season - all those things,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24because he was out gardening, he noticed.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Gilbert's passion for observing wildlife was born.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31It soon turned into an obsession that would continue
0:05:31 > 0:05:33for the rest of his life.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Whilst out in the garden watching the seasons change
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and nature at work he would come and sit in a chair
0:05:39 > 0:05:42just like this one up here, up on this little mound.
0:05:42 > 0:05:43CHURCH BELLS PEAL
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Well, from here,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55he would soak up his natural surroundings like a sponge.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59He believed the more confined your sphere of observation,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01the more perfect would be your remarks.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Very comfortable. Might get one of these at home, actually.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16And this was his sphere. The countryside around his home.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22His observations were recorded in a series of letters
0:06:22 > 0:06:26bound into his book - The Natural History of Selborne.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30The 18th-century manuscript is held in the museum,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and I've been given special permission to have a look.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35In his letters, Gilbert was describing things
0:06:35 > 0:06:37that had never been written down before.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Like this - the first-ever description of a harvest mouse.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43"They're much smaller and more slender
0:06:43 > 0:06:46"and have more of the squirrel or dormouse colour."
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Gilbert's peers were describing new species as well,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54but there was something that Gilbert was alone in doing.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58He was questioning how animals lived and behaved.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Listen to what he said about the nest of a harvest mouse,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04"Perfectly round, about the size of a cricket ball.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08"It was so compact and well filled, how could the dam" -
0:07:08 > 0:07:10that's the mother mouse - "come at her young
0:07:10 > 0:07:12"and administer a teat to each?"
0:07:12 > 0:07:15You can hear the excitement in his words.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20By writing down his observations and questions,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23he had started the science of ecology. The study of animals
0:07:23 > 0:07:25in their environment.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30His words would go on to inspire generations for centuries to come.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Gilbert continued his writing up until a few days before he died.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36And in his last letter, in the manuscript,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40he wrote to a friend, "I shall here take a respectful leave from you
0:07:40 > 0:07:44"and from natural history altogether."
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Two decades after Gilbert wrote about rural Hampshire,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05a few miles away in the village of Chawton, country life
0:08:05 > 0:08:08was inspiring another great writer. Jane Austen.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17And this cottage is where Jane spent eight years of her life
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and finished off Pride And Prejudice, Sense And Sensibility
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and other literary works that made her a household name.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Let's take a look inside.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Jane's books reflect the everyday pleasures and pains of rural life,
0:08:30 > 0:08:35as witnessed by this passage from her novel Mansfield Park.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52I'm going to find out what it was like to live here
0:08:52 > 0:08:53in Jane Austen's day.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56It's a great excuse to get dressed up.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Jane Austen may have written Emma and Persuasion,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06among other books, here but did you also know
0:09:06 > 0:09:10that she was a very accomplished pianist? Unlike me.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13She used to practise in this room every day before breakfast.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14So here we go.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18PLAYS PIANO
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- HITS WRONG NOTE - Oh!
0:09:30 > 0:09:33This is what it SHOULD sound like.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35MUSIC: "I That Was Once A Ploughman"
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Jane's handwritten notes on the score
0:09:39 > 0:09:43show her obvious pleasure in the music.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Louise, this is a lovely house. But it's not big, is it?
0:09:50 > 0:09:53What was life like for the family back then?
0:09:53 > 0:09:57I think it was fairly comfortable. Daily life would have been probably
0:09:57 > 0:10:00quite straightforward, you know, you mentioned Jane playing the piano
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and then she made the breakfast and then she would start writing.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07And we're told that sometimes Jane would suddenly leap up
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and she had a great idea for one of her books
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and might rush to her little table to write something down.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17How do Jane's books give us an insight into country life back then?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20In Pride And Prejudice, Jane, when she famously gets soaking wet
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and has to stay overnight at Netherfield,
0:10:22 > 0:10:27actually she can't take the carriage because Mr Bennett points out
0:10:27 > 0:10:30that the horses are needed on the farm.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32So you just get these little glimpses,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35which would be absolutely normal for the readership then,
0:10:35 > 0:10:36but now we think, "Oh, interesting,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38"they had a farm attached to the house."
0:10:38 > 0:10:40So Jane lived in this relatively modest house
0:10:40 > 0:10:43but her brother had an enormous estate.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48She was living in the shadow of his wealth. She was the poor relation.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Most people, of course, were poor or dirt poor,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54but in that upper strata, I suppose the Austens were fairly low down.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57But this is completely reflected in her novels.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01All of them deal with this issue of class and money
0:11:01 > 0:11:03and where you are in that structure.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Following in Jane's footsteps, I'm on my way
0:11:11 > 0:11:13to her brother's impressive mansion.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17And I'm travelling just as she would have done.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21There we go. That wasn't too inelegant, actually.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24So why a donkey rather than a horse?
0:11:24 > 0:11:26That's what I would have imagined.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Rural people may not have had the money to actually own a horse.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33And a donkey invariably was a little bit smaller,
0:11:33 > 0:11:34a little bit easier to keep.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36I imagine on a long journey
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and perhaps without tarmac it might have been a touch on the bumpy side.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43In some respects, yes, but the way the carriages were built,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45they were sprung in such a way
0:11:45 > 0:11:47that actually it give you a very comfy ride.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I must say, it's the only way to travel now.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00Oh, wow. Joanne, this is the spot right here. Look at that view.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02See you again. Cheers.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05This is my Jane Austen heroine moment.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Come and look at this. I'm going to get into character.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Chawton House, the home of Jane's brother Edward.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19It's said to have inspired this passage from Pride And Prejudice,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21when the heroine Elizabeth gets her first glimpse
0:12:21 > 0:12:23of the stately pile owned by Mr Darcy.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39You can imagine Jane Austen looking out over a scene like this,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41at the land being worked by heavy horses.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45And 200 years on, it's still being worked by heavy horses.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47I'd quite like to go and check it out,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51but I definitely need to get out of this rather impractical garb.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Angie McLaren is the head horseman, and she's going to give me a lesson
0:12:54 > 0:12:57in harrowing the old-fashioned way.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02It's a job to catch up here. How are you doing, are you all right?
0:13:02 > 0:13:03I'm doing really well. Walk on.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Hey, Royston.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08So in Jane Austen's day, shire horses like Royston,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- would they have been quite a feature?- Definitely.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13It was all just farm equipment
0:13:13 > 0:13:17and obviously a horse of this size can pull quite a bit of weight.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- Yeah.- And what we're doing today is chain harrowing.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24What it's doing is dragging out all the old grass
0:13:24 > 0:13:27and also any moss that's in there, and it aerates the soil.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- So just taking all the dead stuff off the top?- Yes.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- Would it be possible for me to have a go?- Yes. Certainly.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36- What do I need to know?- Ooh, lad. OK, these are your lines.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- Make sure you don't put them round your wrist.- OK.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43And I'll give you the commands. To go left, you say, "Come over."
0:13:43 > 0:13:47And to go right you say, "Get away."
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- And to go just say "Walk on." - OK. Walk on! Walk on!
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Good boy. Just keep a little bit of tension on here,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56- but not too much?- That's right.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59How important is it to keep shire horses in this context,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01where Jane Austen lived and in this landscape?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04The public love to see the horses on the estate here
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and to have them actually back on the estate
0:14:06 > 0:14:09when they would have been here when Jane Austen was walking around,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11it's like going to work on a film set every day.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13It's absolutely amazing.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15I've been in costume already today -
0:14:15 > 0:14:17I tell you, I feel like I'm in a movie as well.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Thanks to the work going on here,
0:14:24 > 0:14:29the landscape today looks very much as it would have done in Jane's day.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Our idea of what it means to live healthily
0:14:40 > 0:14:43has certainly moved on a bit since Jane Austen's day.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46We all know that we need to eat five-a-day.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50But has that expression really worked? Tom's been finding out.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59The fields of Lincolnshire. Vast acres of winter veg -
0:14:59 > 0:15:04the kind of produce that finds its way to the nation's market halls.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Vibrant, colourful places where you can load up
0:15:06 > 0:15:10on nourishing fruit and veg from home and abroad.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17Whether it's oranges from Morocco, a juicy melon from Spain,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21or maybe some nice fresh sprouts from an English field,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24we all know that eating fruit and veg is good for us.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25And here at Coventry market
0:15:25 > 0:15:28they certainly seem to have an appetite for it.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31But as a nation, we're eating less healthily than before,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35and that's despite one of the most famous health slogans ever.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Five-a-day was launched ten years ago this month.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43It was the government's way of getting us to eat more fruit and veg,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46essential in the fight against things like heart disease,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48obesity and even cancer.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54A portion can be a medium-sized apple or banana,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58three tablespoons of cooked veg, or even a glass of fruit juice.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Easy, right?
0:16:00 > 0:16:01Well, not quite.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05A quick glimpse in our shopping basket shows us why.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08The original idea of the message was to encourage us
0:16:08 > 0:16:13to eat more fruit, veg, and maybe salad.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16But what about this? Ready meals?
0:16:16 > 0:16:20It says it's got one of our five a day, so that's OK, right?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Well, that depends on your point of view.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28There are strict rules about using the official five-a-day logo,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30but it's OK to use the slogan
0:16:30 > 0:16:34as long as what you're selling contains a portion of fruit or veg.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39And that could include the juice in your favourite breakfast drink
0:16:39 > 0:16:44or maybe the tomato sauce in the beans you like on toast.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47But is it OK to use the slogan on ready meals
0:16:47 > 0:16:48and other processed foods?
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Yes, you might be getting one of your five a day,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55but that often comes with increased amounts of salt or sugar.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Food activist Kath Dalmeny thinks the public are being misled.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Let's just have a look at some of these.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05This is a ready meal, and this, obviously, is an apple.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Both claiming to have one of the five-a-day.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- What issues do you have with these? - When the five-a-day message
0:17:10 > 0:17:13was first invented to try and improve the nation's health,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16it's about eating more apples and oranges and broccoli
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and cabbage and bananas, it's not about eating more ready meals.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21People were already eating enough ready meals.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23We don't need to be encouraged to eat more of those.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25We need to be encouraged to eat more of this.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28But this says one of my five-a-day, so what's your beef?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31When you cook food, you might add salt, you might add some fat
0:17:31 > 0:17:35or whatever to your own meal, but you would see how much is going on.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37When you put it into a ready meal,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39there's all kinds of other products in here.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41The ingredients, you can see on the front,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45it says there's 2.96g of salt, which is, as it says, 49%,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48that's round about half of all of the salt you should eat in one day.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50- Just in one meal! - Let's have a look at what that means.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52We've got our little scales here.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55When you look at the pile of salt, what you're seeing
0:17:55 > 0:17:59is national advice on how much salt you should maximally eat in a day
0:17:59 > 0:18:03to maintain your good health and to avoid getting heart disease.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08So in that product there, there's basically half this amount.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Roughly. That's about right.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13There's a phrase that people use which is that the five-a-day message
0:18:13 > 0:18:15gives a kind of healthy halo to products.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17People are dying to put it onto their packets
0:18:17 > 0:18:19and give the healthy halo to the product,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22but when it sites appearing on salty products and very sugary products,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26there's something going amiss. The message has been hijacked.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29It makes me angry, because a lot of effort has been put into it
0:18:29 > 0:18:32by dieticians, by nutritionists, to try and reduce
0:18:32 > 0:18:34cancer risk in this country, to try and reduce heart disease.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36This is serious stuff. This isn't a game.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40This is about getting people to eat more healthy fruit and vegetables.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44So are the British public being hoodwinked into buying stuff
0:18:44 > 0:18:48they believe to be healthy, when the opposite may be true?
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Terry Jones from the Food And Drink Federation
0:18:50 > 0:18:54thinks the industry is very clear about what goes into their products.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57A few things that confuse me.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00An apple, clearly one of your five-a-day.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04But this ready meal also claiming to be one of your five-a-day
0:19:04 > 0:19:07yet it comes loaded with things that might not be good for you.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09How can that be?
0:19:09 > 0:19:12What you've got there is a composite product
0:19:12 > 0:19:14that contains all manner of...
0:19:14 > 0:19:20It's a meal in itself, and one of the key ingredients is vegetables.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24And a portion, one portion of vegetables.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27But isn't putting five-a-day on some of these products giving them
0:19:27 > 0:19:30a healthy mask which isn't justified by the ingredients?
0:19:30 > 0:19:32No, I wouldn't agree with that.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Because what you're doing there is providing really clear
0:19:35 > 0:19:39information that shows you the calories, the sugar, the fat,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43the saturated fat and the salt. And you also know
0:19:43 > 0:19:46that you could get one of your five-a-day from that.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49But this is more healthy than packaged food.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52On its own, absolutely.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55But we're in the middle of central London here.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00That's a raw sprig of broccoli. Is it the most convenient...?
0:20:00 > 0:20:04But this is convenient. I can eat it raw.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It's very healthy for me, isn't it?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10I'd love to join you with that, but I don't want to spoil my lunch.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15What I'm saying is that where consumers struggle
0:20:15 > 0:20:17to get all of their five-a-day,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19this helps them to get that extra one or two.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Five-a-day is a simple enough slogan, but has it delivered?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Later on I'll be finding out why even eating the fresh stuff
0:20:28 > 0:20:32hasn't always been good news for our health or our farmers.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43This week, we're exploring the rolling hills of the South Downs.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Hidden amongst the broad, open landscape
0:20:46 > 0:20:49is a rare and wild terrain.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Traditional heathland. Once abundant,
0:20:51 > 0:20:57this low-lying heath now covers a tiny 1% of these Downs.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00During the past 200 years, stunning heathland like this
0:21:00 > 0:21:04has been disappearing at an alarming rate right across the nation.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06So when the chance came up,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09a dedicated bunch of people made the bold move
0:21:09 > 0:21:13of trying to protect this particular heath.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17They had the idea of turning back the clock
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and working the land the old-fashioned way.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23They are members of the Lynchmere Society.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Lynchmere is the local parish around here.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28What they did was dig deep in their pockets
0:21:28 > 0:21:32and buy 307 acres of this heath.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36I'm joining them for a day on their heath,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39and my host is Mark Allery, one of the joint owners.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42So what would have happened to this place, Mark,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44if the society hadn't bought it?
0:21:44 > 0:21:46If these trees kept growing, it would become a woodland.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50We've got to keep cutting them down so the heathland plants can flourish.
0:21:50 > 0:21:51So what is a heathland?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Heathland is blueberry, like we're standing on,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56heather, surrounding us, and of course gorse and bracken
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and all those plants that you associate with more open areas.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Let me show you how this works.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03If we just put it under some tension
0:22:03 > 0:22:05and then I'm just going to take a swipe through it.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- Right. Just like that. - Just like that.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12So if you push it back under tension. And then slice through like a knife.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- That's it.- I'm not as good as you. - You've got it. You've got it.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18That's not bad for the first go.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23When the society bought this heath, was it difficult to raise the money?
0:22:23 > 0:22:25It was a big local appeal and we had over 600 people
0:22:25 > 0:22:29in the parish who actually contributed, raising over £100,000,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33which was matched by lottery money to buy the 307 acres of the commons.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- So people obviously felt passionate about this place.- Yeah,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38that's one of the really good things, the local community
0:22:38 > 0:22:41is very involved with the restoration of these commons to heathland.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45- And what did you do before that? - I used to build spacecraft.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47I was a rocket scientist. I know, I know!
0:22:47 > 0:22:49This is easy-peasy compared to rocket science.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It's not, that's the fascinating thing! It's an absolutely huge book.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Every time I open another page, there's another book beneath it.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59I have to learn about trees, have to learn about soil, geology,
0:22:59 > 0:23:00landscape, history.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03What's most important is, how did this landscape come about?
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Who was using it? How did the community have the heathlands
0:23:06 > 0:23:09200 years ago? And what were they doing that made it into a heathland
0:23:09 > 0:23:13and what should we be doing now if we want to keep the heaths open?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Traditionally the trees and scrub
0:23:18 > 0:23:21were harvested for firewood and bedding material.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Today some of the cuttings are being used to make lunch.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35With the volunteer cooks busy in their woodland kitchen,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39there is a chance for me to see one section of heathland
0:23:39 > 0:23:43that's already been transformed back to the way it used to be.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Here's a patch that's been almost totally restored, Mark?
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Yes. We cleared this area just a couple of years ago.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52And what would this place have looked like beforehand?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55There wouldn't have been any heather, and you wouldn't have been able
0:23:55 > 0:23:58to walk through here, the trees would have been so thick.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04The ultimate goal is to restore individual patches of heath,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07then open up corridors to connect them.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09And the society has an unusual request
0:24:09 > 0:24:10for anyone visiting their land.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17We'll be asking people to walk on the tracks, to walk off the tracks.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- To trample.- To trample! - Just like the cattle.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23It's because bad soil here is a good thing.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25The nutrient level is very low,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29which is good because that keeps the plants struggling to survive
0:24:29 > 0:24:31and that means that the rarer plants and the rarer wildlife
0:24:31 > 0:24:33that lives in the habitat will do well.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35So you're actually doing the opposite to most husbandry,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38you want the poorest possible soil and you want people to walk on it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Yes, we do, yes.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44Time for lunch, and a chance to meet some of the other landowners.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Did you put some of your money into this?- Yes, we did.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53In fact, we put £1,000 in and to us that was a huge amount.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54But we just thought gosh, you know,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56put your money where your mouth is, so to speak.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00It's certainly hard work, isn't it? Why do you do it?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I grew up a mile and a half down the road, I used to play up here
0:25:02 > 0:25:05a lot as a kid and that, and now I still get to play up here!
0:25:05 > 0:25:08But there's a bit more of a point behind it, you know.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Today's patch of heath has been cleared, but for Mark,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15the work doesn't end there.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Once the birch has been cleared, some of it goes on bonfires,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22but other bits are put to use. It makes very good kindling.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25And anyone who's ever seen a Harry Potter film
0:25:25 > 0:25:27might guess what birch can also be used for.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32- Isn't that right, Mark?- Yes. - For broomsticks!- Indeed.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36That looks to be a very special kind of tool you're using.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39It's a broom squire's roundshave. They're very traditional tools
0:25:39 > 0:25:41and tend to be made by local blacksmiths, or the broom squires.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- So as well as the handle, we need the sweeping bit.- The head.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48- Why don't you pick up one of the bales over there?- One of these?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51This looks about the right amount, does it?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54There is enough for a broom in there.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56And what appeals to you about this, Mark?
0:25:56 > 0:25:59It's a sense of connection with the landscape
0:25:59 > 0:26:01and also the people who were here before.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05The house next to me was a family of broom squires about 100 years ago,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and I get a real sense of fulfilment
0:26:08 > 0:26:11out of being out here working on the land
0:26:11 > 0:26:15and doing the same kind of things that was used to maintain
0:26:15 > 0:26:18the landscape, and will be in future, I hope.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20And I can't find a bigger difference, I don't think,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24from being a rocket scientist to a broom squire.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27It's not rocket science, is it, John?
0:26:28 > 0:26:33With a few finishing touches from this expert in space age propulsion,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36our traditional broom is ready for action.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Ideal for sweeping up leaves. Or even...
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It's not working! It's not working!
0:26:55 > 0:26:59Exploring the grounds of Gilbert White's Hampshire residence,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02it's easy to see why, with all this beauty on his doorstep,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05he came to be one of our most inspiring naturalists.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Gilbert's stomping ground was the countryside around his home,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11which included this.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13A hillside with dramatic views.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Now obviously all the best vantage points are at the top,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19so he did as any self-respecting Georgian man would do,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23and he had a path cut all the way to the summit.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28250 years later, the path is still intact.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Over a quarter of a mile,
0:27:33 > 0:27:3628 switchbacks,
0:27:36 > 0:27:41takes you over 200 feet above the surrounding countryside.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It's called the zigzag path and I'm heading for the top
0:27:43 > 0:27:46to meet a man with a longstanding family tradition
0:27:46 > 0:27:49of looking after it.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Chris Webb lives in the village
0:27:51 > 0:27:53and manages the path for the National Trust.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57- Chris!- Hi, Matt.- How are you doing, all right?- All right, yeah.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- This is the top then, is it?- It is. Yeah. You've made it.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01It's a bit of a thigh-burner.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Chris, it's a belting view, this, isn't it?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06We're about 250 feet above the village
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and we're looking out across the west end of the Weald,
0:28:09 > 0:28:10towards the North Downs.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14- Well worth the hike.- Excellent, yeah. It's a good day for it today.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Chris has been working on the path for 35 years.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21And it seems to be in his blood.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25I was working up here in the '70s as a schoolboy,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- helping keep the path open.- OK.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30My great-grandfather was maintaining the zigzag
0:28:30 > 0:28:33for the first quarter of the 20th century.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36When they rebuilt the zigzag in the 1890s my great-great-grandfather
0:28:36 > 0:28:40was involved in that as well. So a bit of a family tradition.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- You've always had a connection. - Absolutely.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46- I wonder how many times you've been up it, then.- Who knows?
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Can't tell you. Several thousand times,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50I should think, over the years.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Chris, you can see why Gilbert White wanted to have the path cut up here.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Get up at height, look over the surrounding countryside,
0:29:02 > 0:29:04and just observe nature.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Beautiful.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Now earlier, we heard how eating your five-a-day
0:29:19 > 0:29:22may not always be as good for you as you think.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25So what exactly are we doing wrong? Here's Tom.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37From the fields of Britain to the market stalls of the nation's towns,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40there is a staggering choice of fresh, hearty produce
0:29:40 > 0:29:42waiting to be snapped up.
0:29:44 > 0:29:45So that's 62 for those.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47£1.42.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49£1.42, you're there before me, thank you very much.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54'But we've needed a push to get us eating enough of it.'
0:29:54 > 0:29:55Five-a-day - a clear message
0:29:55 > 0:29:58encouraging us to eat more fruit and veg.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00What could be simpler?
0:30:00 > 0:30:02It should have delivered a healthier diet
0:30:02 > 0:30:05and maybe provided a boost to British farmers along the way,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07but it seems that after 10 years
0:30:07 > 0:30:10we are more confused about the message than ever.
0:30:12 > 0:30:13As we heard earlier,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16critics claim big business has hijacked the slogan
0:30:16 > 0:30:20with some food companies putting five-a-day on things like ready meals
0:30:20 > 0:30:24that are also high in salt, fat or sugar.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28But is it that simple? Is big business really to blame,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31or did the message kind of misfire from the start?
0:30:33 > 0:30:35We're not only eating less fruit and veg in total,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39we're also eating more fruit than veg.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41That could be bad news for our health,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44since veg tends to have more essential vitamins and nutrients
0:30:44 > 0:30:46than fresh fruit.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Nutritionist Shaleen Meelu wants us to get the balance right.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53People often think, well, I've had my apple-a-day,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55or I've had my banana-a-day.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58What we're trying to aim for is variety and diversity
0:30:58 > 0:31:02and to go for vegetable options, or pulses even count.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Dried fruit even counts.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08People seem to be going, if they are going for anything,
0:31:08 > 0:31:09for fruits generally, yes.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11And I suppose the other thing with fruit
0:31:11 > 0:31:14is that you can make it into juices like this,
0:31:14 > 0:31:15which are a very convenient way,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18and they certainly claim, a lot of them, to have one of the five-a-day.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21And they do... They can count as up to one of your five-a-day,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25but I wouldn't be drinking juices all the time,
0:31:25 > 0:31:29especially as dentists have started observing acid erosion
0:31:29 > 0:31:32due to excessive fruit and fruit juice consumption.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35'Processing foods like the fruit in fruit juice drinks,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37'or the veg in ready meals
0:31:37 > 0:31:40'can lead to a loss of some of the nutrients
0:31:40 > 0:31:43'locked up in fresh raw veg.'
0:31:43 > 0:31:45The kind of things that we get from vegetables
0:31:45 > 0:31:48will help our blood cells, will help cell growth, etc,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50help us feel energetic.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53That's why it's really important to get a diversity.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58'Shaleen's thrown in some sweet potato, button mushrooms and pumpkin.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01'Stir-frying it like this is a good way to cook it,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03'as it locks in a lot of the goodness.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07'Herbs and spices can be used to add extra taste.'
0:32:08 > 0:32:13OK. On we go. Do you reckon there are a few of our five-a-day in this?
0:32:13 > 0:32:15We're definitely getting there.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19If we put it on a plate and had at least half of the plate full of veg,
0:32:19 > 0:32:24a little bit of salad, that would at least be two to three portions.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26And the point is that this is a way -
0:32:26 > 0:32:30and it's very good - of eating more vegetables in particular.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32And a variety of vegetables.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Definitely. And making it tasty.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38I think a lot of the time people don't eat veg
0:32:38 > 0:32:40because it's so...boring.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Eating more fruit than veg
0:32:47 > 0:32:50is not only the wrong way to interpret the message,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53it has also meant that British farmers have missed out
0:32:53 > 0:32:56on the benefits that five-a-day could have given them.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59The problem is that they can provide the veg we need,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02but not the exotic fruit we've got a taste for.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Here in Lincolnshire,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Andrew Burgess runs one of the country's biggest suppliers
0:33:07 > 0:33:08of fresh fruit and veg.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13At the moment, the emphasis has been too much on fruit.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16As a British grower, it's not actually helping us much,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18because other than the soft fruit and some of the apples,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21most of our stuff is imported.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Whereas, we're producing good, wholesome British vegetables
0:33:24 > 0:33:26right here in Lincolnshire.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Five-a-day was never about improving the businesses for British growers.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32It was about improving the health of the nation.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34But obviously it is funded by the UK government
0:33:34 > 0:33:38and we're UK citizens and we would like the campaign to help us
0:33:38 > 0:33:41at the same time as helping the health of the nation.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45For the sake of our health and our food growers,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48shouldn't we just eat more fresh fruit and vegetables
0:33:48 > 0:33:49and less of the processed stuff?
0:33:49 > 0:33:54Well, Terry Jones thinks that rather than hijacking the message,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57processed food manufacturers are simply helping us reach our quota.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03I would encourage consumers to eat healthy diets.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05And that means more fresh raw fruit and veg.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08It means more fresh fruit and veg,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11but it means if they can't get every portion of their five-a-day
0:34:11 > 0:34:12from fresh fruit and veg,
0:34:12 > 0:34:16it means that manufacturers are on hand to provide that missing...
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Perhaps that one missing, or two missing portions,
0:34:18 > 0:34:20every day through composite products.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23This is about us trying to help consumers to make that change.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25But their starting point with five-a-day
0:34:25 > 0:34:27- should be the fresh raw stuff? - Absolutely.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Simple. That's the message loud and clear.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Do we really need to be told what to eat?
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Arguing either way about what qualifies precisely as five-a-day?
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Surely it's down to the kind of common sense
0:34:46 > 0:34:49your mum used to dish out with your meal -
0:34:49 > 0:34:52make sure you eat those greens.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Think you know better than mum or dad?
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Could you come up with a better slogan than five-a-day?
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Then we'd like to hear from you.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03Contact us via the Countryfile website
0:35:03 > 0:35:07and let us have your slogans to get us all eating more fruit and veg.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Now, over in the Cotswolds, Adam's got his hands full.
0:35:17 > 0:35:18This week he's finding out
0:35:18 > 0:35:21how a glamorous multi-million dollar industry
0:35:21 > 0:35:24could help improve the welfare of our pigs.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38Come on then, to your babies. There's a good girl.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41I've got four different breeds of pig on the farm.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44This is the Kunekune, which is a New Zealand pig.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46And then I've got a pig called an Iron Age,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48which looks a little bit like a wild boar.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51The Tamworth, which is a big ginger pig.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54And then the Gloucestershire Old Spot.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56And pigs, just like all other farm animals,
0:35:56 > 0:35:58can suffer from lameness.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01It doesn't matter whether they're large or small.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04And they can get an infection in their foot,
0:36:04 > 0:36:05this is known as a clee,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08where they've got two toes, and they can get an infection there
0:36:08 > 0:36:10that then needs treating with antibiotics.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12They can get it in their joints,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15and also, they can have slightly twisted legs,
0:36:15 > 0:36:16which can cause lameness too.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18And it can be a bit of a problem,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20but it's something that farmers have to manage.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23There you go. Go and get some breakfast.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32This is one of my Tamworth sows, that has been a bit lame.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34Let's give her some food.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37There's your breakfast.
0:36:37 > 0:36:38And on her toe here,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40she had an infection.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42When a pig or any animal gets lame,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44you obviously need to treat it,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46which takes up time and money from the farmer,
0:36:46 > 0:36:50and it causes a huge discomfort to the animal.
0:36:50 > 0:36:51And because of that discomfort,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54it can affect the amount they eat, so they won't grow very well.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58If it's a sow or a boar it can affect their fertility.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01So, really, lameness is a major problem.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06There are more than 400,000 sows in this country
0:37:06 > 0:37:09and it's thought that about 5% of them are lame.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12But thankfully, help is at hand,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15from quite an unusual source - Hollywood.
0:37:23 > 0:37:24How can blockbuster movies
0:37:24 > 0:37:28like Avatar, The Matrix and Lord Of The Rings help a lame pig?
0:37:28 > 0:37:31I'm off to Newcastle University to find out.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41The first thing researcher and vet Sophia Stavrakakis and I have to do
0:37:41 > 0:37:44is attach some reflectors to a pig.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47I've been working with pigs all my life
0:37:47 > 0:37:50and I've never had to put reflective stickers on them before.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57Sophia, this looks pretty high-tech. What's going on here?
0:37:57 > 0:38:00We're using this highly specialised camera system here
0:38:00 > 0:38:03in order to prevent lameness in pig production.
0:38:03 > 0:38:09And basically what we're doing is using 3D motion-capture technology
0:38:09 > 0:38:12to measure movement, to measure gait in pigs.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15And gait is the way it walks - its steps, really.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18- Exactly.- And that 3D movement technology
0:38:18 > 0:38:21is the sort of stuff you would see in animation films?
0:38:21 > 0:38:23There are actual Hollywood movies
0:38:23 > 0:38:27that have been based on animation obtained from such camera systems.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29And so, how do they work?
0:38:29 > 0:38:34They emit infrared light, which is reflected by markers on the pig.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37So those little dots on the pig are reflecting back.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39- They're reflecting back to the cameras.- OK.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43- So shall we go and have a look at how it looks on the PC?- Yeah.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48Here we see the actual capture of the pig with the markers on.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51- So, the markers moving through this space.- Amazing.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53So there's the reflective marks,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56so that you can see the shape of the pig walking across.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58And so, this is much more than the human eye could detect.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01We're filming at a much greater frame rate
0:39:01 > 0:39:06and this enables us to see more than the human eye would be able to see.
0:39:06 > 0:39:07So, as a pig farmer,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09when you're picking your females
0:39:09 > 0:39:11from a herd that you might want to breed from,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14you could potentially set up a camera,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17walk the piglets through, and say,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20look, those ones have got certain angles on their joints
0:39:20 > 0:39:22that may cause them to be lame in the future.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24And then you won't breed from it
0:39:24 > 0:39:26and therefore, genetically,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29you improve the ability of the pigs to move around?
0:39:29 > 0:39:30Exactly, yeah.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34So that would enable you to better select for breeding schemes.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36It's very important for the pig industry.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38When you think of pig farming,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41you just think of smelly pigs and perhaps sausages and bacon,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43but this technology is just extraordinary.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46Yeah, isn't it? I think so too.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49This research is in its infancy,
0:39:49 > 0:39:53but Sophia hopes to create a computer model of a healthy pig
0:39:53 > 0:39:57to use as a reference point to spot potential lameness in pigs.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Another area the university is tackling
0:40:03 > 0:40:06is the welfare of sows in farrowing crates.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11This is a typical pig maternity unit,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13or farrowing shed, as it's known.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18And, in the UK, we keep around 60% of our pigs indoors.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21And so, these sows, the mothers,
0:40:21 > 0:40:23would have been kept in straw yards
0:40:23 > 0:40:28and then brought into these crates a week before they give birth.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32And because the sow is so big and the piglets are so little,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34one of the major causes of death in piglets
0:40:34 > 0:40:37is the sow crushing the piglets.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39And that's where the crate comes in.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42It restrains the sow, so that when she lies down
0:40:42 > 0:40:46she can't flop down sideways and squash them underneath
0:40:46 > 0:40:48and the piglets have a safe haven to go.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52And in the UK, there are some people who feel
0:40:52 > 0:40:56that this system still isn't ideal,
0:40:56 > 0:41:00so here at Newcastle University, they've developed an alternative.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04By understanding pig behaviour, and the needs of a sow,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06the research team have designed a new farrowing pen.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09I'm meeting head stock man, Darren Bloomfield, to find out more.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12- Darren, good to meet you.- Nice to meet you.- So where are these pigs?
0:41:12 > 0:41:14- Round the corner. - Let's go and have a look.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Darren, why did we need to come up with a new design?
0:41:24 > 0:41:27This design has been put together by Newcastle University
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and the Scottish Agricultural College in order to cater
0:41:29 > 0:41:32more for the welfare of the sow as well as the piglets.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35The piglets are, of course, important but the sow has her needs as well
0:41:35 > 0:41:38and her behavioural needs are met more with this particular system.
0:41:38 > 0:41:39So how does it work, then?
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Well, we want the sow to use specific areas in the pen.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44We have the nesting area here with straw in it.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46When she starts to get ready to farrow,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49she'll require the need to bed-make, so she'll come into this area and
0:41:49 > 0:41:54start carrying some straw around and she'll start bed-making in this area.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55We also need a specific toilet area.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58She'll come out here to defecate and urinate
0:41:58 > 0:41:59and keep her bedding as clean as possible.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03- There's also water out there so she can drink.- What's this board here?
0:42:03 > 0:42:06- What's that about?- The sloping board is key to the design, really.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09The biggest problem, if we just had a right-angled wall here
0:42:09 > 0:42:11and the sow went to lay down, she'd go down against the wall
0:42:11 > 0:42:14and the piglets would be squashed underneath her.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15By putting this sloping board in,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18the sow will actually slide down the board, the piglets will
0:42:18 > 0:42:20disappear under there, they won't be crushed
0:42:20 > 0:42:23and they'll come out of the ends and they'll be perfectly safe.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25In the UK, we always seem to be a step ahead of the game.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29Our legislation on animal welfare is a lot better than other countries, isn't it?
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Yes, it is and I'm proud to be a British pig farmer, really.
0:42:32 > 0:42:33What we try and do,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36we try and come up with solutions before we need them.
0:42:36 > 0:42:37This is an alternative
0:42:37 > 0:42:40and pig farmers all around the world are all coming to look at this
0:42:40 > 0:42:44sort of design and thinking maybe this is the way forward in the future.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55I'm not sure this piglet will ever make the dizzy heights
0:42:55 > 0:42:59of Hollywood, but it's great that farming is embracing new technologies
0:42:59 > 0:43:03and developments all the time and even as a small-scale pig farmer
0:43:03 > 0:43:06I'm warmed by the fact that our pig industry is in good hands.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Do you want to go back to your mum? PIGLET SQUEALS
0:43:09 > 0:43:13Next week, I'll be in the Forest of Dean,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16learning about the ancient art of sheep hefting.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27Back on the South Downs, I'm off to find out
0:43:27 > 0:43:31about a local agricultural revolution.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34It's something that's changing the face of the countryside around here.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Believe it or not, this rather romantic stretch of road,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41the A272, is what is now becoming known as England's wine trail.
0:43:43 > 0:43:48Where better to start than one of Britain's first modern commercial vineyards?
0:43:50 > 0:43:53The Romans and medieval monks made wine in the UK,
0:43:53 > 0:43:58but the story of commercial wine production here is much more recent.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Hambledon Vineyard on the southern edges of the Downs helped
0:44:03 > 0:44:06transform English winemaking when it opened in 1952.
0:44:08 > 0:44:13Footage from 1981 shows just how much interest this venture generated.
0:44:13 > 0:44:19Experts from winemaking countries abroad have paid us very great
0:44:19 > 0:44:22and flattering compliments.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24Bill Carcary ran the vineyard from the 1960s
0:44:24 > 0:44:27until his retirement in 1995.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31What was the reaction to having grapes grown here?
0:44:31 > 0:44:34The villagers, they thought we were mad.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36English wine had got a very bad press.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Mainly it was apple wines and things like that.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42When they started making wine with the grapes,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45people came from miles around to see it.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49How were things done differently back then to how they're done now?
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Harvesting is the main difference.
0:44:51 > 0:44:56Local villagers came up and picked them into small baskets and they
0:44:56 > 0:45:02were all transported on a wheelbarrow and straight up round to the winery.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05The grapes were crushed then and then put in the press.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09It was a hand press with a fair amount of pressure put on
0:45:09 > 0:45:11to get the juice out.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15And it's not just the process that's changed since those days.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18If you'd come to an English vineyard 15 years ago,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21they'd most likely be growing German grapes like Riesling
0:45:21 > 0:45:24for still wine, but now things are quite different.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Today's vineyards are fizzing...
0:45:31 > 0:45:34..for chalky soils here in the South Downs have similarities to
0:45:34 > 0:45:36the Champagne region of France.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39That means you can grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
0:45:39 > 0:45:41and Pinot Meunier grapes -
0:45:41 > 0:45:44the key ingredients for upmarket sparkling wine.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50From Hambledon, I'm moving on to one of the UK's newest vineyards,
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Hattingly Valley.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Owner Simon Robinson began turning arable land over to vines
0:45:56 > 0:45:59four years ago, but this year he's been hit hard by one of the worst
0:45:59 > 0:46:01summers for a hundred years.
0:46:01 > 0:46:06So how does the business model for grapes differ from traditional farming?
0:46:06 > 0:46:11Grapes and making wine are much longer term investment,
0:46:11 > 0:46:17a much bigger investment. And this year, I have to say, has been a terrible harvest.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20- Oh, yeah.- Absolutely awful.- Yes, we're squelching here, aren't we?
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Awful harvest. A lot of people have lost everything.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27We simply didn't have the sunshine and the heat.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29A lot of grapes simply didn't manage to mature enough
0:46:29 > 0:46:34and you can see on the vine over here, these are Chardonnay,
0:46:34 > 0:46:35and they're still pretty hard.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38So have you got enough even to go into production or is this
0:46:38 > 0:46:40just a write-off year for you?
0:46:40 > 0:46:42No, it's not a write-off year, we are in production,
0:46:42 > 0:46:46- but not nearly at the levels that we would have hoped.- Right.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49While some vineyards scrapped their harvest this year,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51Simon did send in the pickers to salvage what
0:46:51 > 0:46:54they could just before a cold snap a few weeks ago.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00Consultant winemaker Emma Rice takes the grapes from vine to glass.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05So is all of this just for the grapes that are grown here?
0:47:05 > 0:47:07No, we have partner vineyards from all over the country.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09In Hampshire, we're quite central,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12so we have client vineyards in Dorset through to Kent.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15Wow, what is this? This is an enormous piece of kit.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17This is our press - it takes between four
0:47:17 > 0:47:20and five tonnes of whole bunches of grapes.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22- With stalks and everything? - With stalks and everything.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27It's very important with the traditional method, sparkling wine process
0:47:27 > 0:47:30that you keep the bunches intact as long as possible.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33Crushing whole great bunches helps the initial
0:47:33 > 0:47:37fermentation in these huge steel tanks and after just a few weeks,
0:47:37 > 0:47:41the juice is already starting to develop a flavour.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43It's not unpleasant, is it, but it's quite sour?
0:47:43 > 0:47:46It's basically come to the end of its fermentation,
0:47:46 > 0:47:50so all of the sugar has now been fermented and turned into alcohol,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53so you're left with the alcohol and the acidity.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56For a sparkling wine that's going to be aged for quite some time,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59it's quite important to maintain a high level of acidity,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02so it can last through the ageing process.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05After eight months in the tanks, the wine is bottled
0:48:05 > 0:48:08and left for another two to three years to go through a second
0:48:08 > 0:48:12fermentation when those all-important bubbles form.
0:48:12 > 0:48:13Now the good stuff!
0:48:14 > 0:48:17So here we have a 2010 -
0:48:17 > 0:48:19this was the very first harvest from our own vineyards.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22- So it's quite a significant bottle? - Very significant bottle, yes.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25It's not been released yet, so this is a special exclusive.
0:48:25 > 0:48:31- Exclusive for Countryfile. Oh, wow! That looks amazing. Cheers.- Cheers.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39- Very nice.- Thank you. - Very, very nice.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41I could stay here and party all day with this.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46- Well, we've got 65,000 bottles next door.- Perfect.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56If you're after something sparkling this Christmas,
0:48:56 > 0:49:00then we've got just the thing - the Countryfile calendar for 2013
0:49:00 > 0:49:04made up of all the winning entries from this year's photographic competition.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Here's John with all the details.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09The Countryfile calendar has been raising
0:49:09 > 0:49:12lots of money for the BBC's Children In Need appeal for more than
0:49:12 > 0:49:16a decade now and for the 2013 edition,
0:49:16 > 0:49:21we had a fantastic number of amazing photographs sent in by viewers to choose from.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24So if you want these beautiful shots on your wall
0:49:24 > 0:49:28next year, you can order a copy right now, either on our website,
0:49:28 > 0:49:29that's...
0:49:31 > 0:49:33..or by calling the order line on...
0:49:45 > 0:49:48To order by post, send your name, address and cheque to...
0:49:56 > 0:50:01..and please make your cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Remember, the calendar costs £9
0:50:03 > 0:50:07and at least £4 from every sale will go to Children In Need.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12You'll find all the information and more on our website.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Now it's time for the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.
0:52:50 > 0:52:57.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10This week we're in the South Downs,
0:53:10 > 0:53:14where I've been leafing through the life and work of Gilbert White,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17one of our earliest naturalists who lived here in the 1700s.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22While Gilbert's main passion was observing his natural
0:53:22 > 0:53:25surroundings, like many animal lovers, he also had pets.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28One of them was particularly charismatic -
0:53:28 > 0:53:33he was called Timothy and he was a tortoise.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Now Gilbert was an inquisitive gent,
0:53:35 > 0:53:41so an exotic pet like Timothy was an obvious subject for investigation.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Ronnie Davidson-Houston is a Gilbert White enthusiast.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47Timothy was really one of his best friends.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51'I'm meeting him to find out what Gilbert discovered about his treasured tortoise.'
0:53:51 > 0:53:53And what work did he do with him then,
0:53:53 > 0:53:56because he put him through various tests, I understand?
0:53:56 > 0:53:59Yes, yes, really people knew very little about tortoises,
0:53:59 > 0:54:03so he shouted at him through an ear trumpet to see if Timothy could hear.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05- Any reaction?- Apparently not, no.
0:54:05 > 0:54:11He dumped him in a bucket of water to see if he could swim,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14and he couldn't and poor Timothy must've been so distressed,
0:54:14 > 0:54:16but he was not a turtle.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22One should say "her" because Timothy was found out later to be a she,
0:54:22 > 0:54:23but it's much easier to say "he".
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Timothy, the female tortoise,
0:54:27 > 0:54:31became a mischievous resident of Gilbert's home.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34In one of his letters, Gilbert referred to Timothy as,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37"So old a domestic who behaved himself in
0:54:37 > 0:54:41"so blameless a manner in the family for nearly 50 years."
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Timothy had a roguish habit of escaping from his garden home.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49One jaunt took him out into the nearby farmland only to be
0:54:49 > 0:54:54discovered several days later, which has given me an idea.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59Well, we're going to have a go at recreating one of Gilbert's
0:54:59 > 0:55:02many quests to find his tortoise.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05Now, sadly, Timothy has long since left this world so we have a stunt
0:55:05 > 0:55:10stand-in, Saffy, on her last outing before hibernation,
0:55:10 > 0:55:12so I'll pop you in there
0:55:12 > 0:55:17and it's over to the search party that are ready and waiting.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20Saffy will, of course, be supervised on her adventure
0:55:20 > 0:55:24and to find her, a bunch of keen treasure hunters will follow the clues.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27The first is on a plastic tortoise in the veg patch.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Ronnie's in character to provide some expert knowledge
0:55:32 > 0:55:35and my two kids have come along to join in the fun.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Here comes the first question...
0:55:41 > 0:55:48- ..where did Gilbert White's love of the natural world come from? - The garden.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52The garden! Very good. So, everyone, to the garden, go!
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick!
0:56:02 > 0:56:05- It's here.- You got it?- That.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07We've got it.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11Right, next clue - "Find the spot where
0:56:11 > 0:56:14"I like to look out" from Gilbert White.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19- It's exhausting, this. - CHILDREN SHOUT
0:56:26 > 0:56:30- Hello, everyone.- Sorry we're late. Little legs.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32What's the next clue, Gilbert?
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Ah, that's another tortoise and that's in one of my favourite
0:56:35 > 0:56:40bits of the garden, called the Six Quarters, behind the hedge there.
0:56:40 > 0:56:41- Go for it!- Oh, right.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51- Let's have another look here.- No.
0:56:55 > 0:57:00- This one's not plastic.- It's real. - Oh, Saffy.- Fantastic.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02- Well done, everyone. - Yeah, good hunting.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Give yourselves a round of applause.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08Oh, wow! Let's have a look.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Saffy's adventure has come to an end -
0:57:12 > 0:57:16an award-winning performance as Timothy, the real star of the show.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Well, that is the end of the treasure hunt
0:57:19 > 0:57:20and the end of the programme.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23Next week, we'll be on the South Gloucestershire border
0:57:23 > 0:57:26behind the scenes at one of our top dressage stables,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29and what does it take to keep one of Britain's oldest trees healthy?
0:57:29 > 0:57:32We'll be finding out. Hope you can join us then.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd