16/10/2011 Countryfile


16/10/2011

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Flat, fertile fields lying low against the vast sky.

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Farmland so rich, it's some of the most productive in Britain.

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We're in the Lincolnshire Fens,

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a man-made landscape taken back from the sea

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by centuries of hard work.

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This all used to be part of a trackless mire,

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full of foul streams and fetid pools.

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Not anymore though. After 300 years of draining,

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this is what's left.

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Some of the finest soil around.

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It may well be October, but here it's still harvest time.

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While Matt's exploring the fens, I'm heading further north

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to learn about a very different kind of farming.

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Check out these girls. They're... Ooh!

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They're some of Lincolnshire's finest pigs.

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I'll be finding out how they help make some of our best bangers.

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Oh, easy ladies!

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But do those sausages deserve special protection?

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I'll be asking if only ones made in the county

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should be called Lincolnshire sausages.

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I think it's a good idea. It should have happened a long time ago.

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And I'll be investigating the boom in wind power.

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Will hundreds, even thousands, of extra turbines

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help secure our future energy needs?

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Or will their main impact be, as some people claim,

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to ruin the landscape and hit us deep in our pockets?

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And also tonight, Adam's farm

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plays host to the Cotswolds annual dry-stone-walling competition.

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Go on ladies, stop faffing about. No time for talking.

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The rich soil of the Fenlands, some of the most fertile land around.

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Locals like to think of this countryside as England's farmstead.

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This is Lincolnshire.

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And we're in an area of the county called South Holland.

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The potato harvest has already ended,

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but there's plenty more to do.

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At this farm, they harvest crops virtually all year round,

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getting full use from these fertile fields.

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So Robin, this is THE finest soil in Britain, you think?

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You are standing in just about the best field in the country.

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-OK.

-Probably.

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Let's have a look at it. You've got a spade. Let's have a dig.

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Show us why this soil is so incredible.

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Well...

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-Oh, yeah.

-Just look at that, Matt.

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You could go to bed in that, couldn't you?

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MATT LAUGHS

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It's deep soil, so the roots do go down.

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It's easily worked, it's moisture-retentive.

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There's nothing you can't grow here. You can grow absolutely anything.

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And they do. Robin grows all sorts here,

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including one crop that isn't necessarily a popular choice for the average shopper.

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Right, Robin, so what delights have you got growing in here?

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-Well, this is celeriac, Matt.

-Oh!

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It's very much like a celery, but it's the best bit,

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the rooty bit of it.

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Yeah, yeah. It's...

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To the eye, it's not remarkably attractive, is it?

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-Mm...no.

-To be honest.

-No.

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It is a bit off-putting, I'll agree with you, until you taste it.

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But before I get to do that, I need to help harvest it.

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And they're letting me loose on nearly half a million quid's worth of kit to do so.

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No pressure, then(!)

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Neil's got it all set up for you, I think.

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So all you've got to do is make sure you don't chop the crop up,

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or drop that elevator down into the cart,

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That would be a very expensive mistake. But good luck.

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-I'll have my fingers crossed.

-Thank you.

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-And can you hold that whilst you're crossing your fingers?!

-I will!

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All right! Hopefully I'll see you in a bit, with a nice crop of celeriac.

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-Right, so...faced with a lot of controls that looks like an aircraft.

-Yeah.

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Well, they look worse than what they are.

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ENGINE STARTS

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-So, how sensitive is this arm?

-Move it side to side, you'll get the feel of it.

-Straight across?

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-OK. And then we just, um, gently forward, gently forward?

-Yeah.

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Right, Neil. Well, I REALLY hope I don't make a mess of it.

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Well, we'll get you by, we'll get you by. That's it, off you go.

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-Let your clutch go.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

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'Here we go.

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'A high-tech harvester in my hands, lifting three rows at a time.

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'I've got to keep that elevator arm at just the right height, too.'

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-A bit wide?

-No, you're all right. They're going up.

-There they go.

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'Luckily, there's satellite guidance to keep the tractor going dead straight.'

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That's it, you're on GPS.

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'But there's still plenty of scope for operator error.

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'If I don't keep those blades in just the right place,

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'it's thousands of pounds' worth of crop chopped in two.'

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Just this way a little bit. You're taking bits off the sides.

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-You've only got a little bit each side of your celeriac.

-Yeah.

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-Looking down, there's, what, two inches maybe?

-That's it, yeah.

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'So far, things are going OK.'

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Going like the clappers! I tell you what,

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do we dare go up to two?

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-Oh yeah, we haven't done that.

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-Here comes two.

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Whoa!

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Now we're moving!

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'After harvesting, the celeriac will be carted off

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'to be cleaned, washed and dried

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'so it can be sold out of store nearly all year round.

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'It seems I've got to the end of this row without causing too much damage.

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'I think I'll quit while I'm ahead.'

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Robin, what did you make of that? Was that all right?

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You were all right, Matt.

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I'd like to say you're rubbish but you're quite good, really!

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Just these at the beginning, look. Just these. What happened here?

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-Is that me?

-Yeah, that's you.

-Oh, dear me.

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It's part of the service. I slice them for you as well.

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Semi-prepared!

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'Now I've done my bit, I'm keen to try out this versatile veg.'

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This is like the Lincolnshire version of a ploughman's lunch.

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-It's a celeriac supper.

-Celeriac's the order of the day.

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-These are celeriac oven chips. These have curry powder on them.

-Oh, right.

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-These have got paprika on.

-They're gorgeous.

-Good, aren't they?

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-Half the calories of potato chips.

-Wow.

-Here's some soup.

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Cheers.

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That's lovely.

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-It's a very versatile vegetable, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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It isn't the only unusual crop here.

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In the next field, they're hand-harvesting fennel.

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They're also the UK's largest producer of root stock for chicory,

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a crisp salad leaf grown in complete darkness in a pack house down the road.

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It's intensive farming but with a difference.

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Robin hopes more customers will share his pioneering spirit.

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-Here's to the celeriac. Celeriac toast - there's a new one for you!

-Celeriac! Cheers.

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THEY BOTH LAUGH

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Now, Lincolnshire has its fair share of wind turbines,

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which we'll see more and more of across the UK in the coming years,

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but is wind the right choice for the clean energy that we need?

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John has been to investigate.

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When it comes to wind power, Britain rules the waves,

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boasting nearly 500 offshore turbines,

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more than any other country.

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Add to that the ones built on land, and you've got power

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for more than three million homes.

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But the Government's decided that's nowhere near enough.

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It's planning to vastly increase the amount of wind farms

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to try to meet European energy targets

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that are aimed at cutting our greenhouse gas emissions.

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And that means using fewer fossil fuels and more renewables.

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In fact, the Government wants 15% of all the power that we use

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to come from renewable sources by 2020.

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At the very heart of that strategy is wind power,

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which is growing at an astonishing rate, as I'm about to discover.

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'But this policy is far from being free of controversy.

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'While supporters say it's creating a cleaner and more secure energy supply,

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'critics claim harnessing the wind can be costly and inefficient.'

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So, is wind power all it's cracked up to be,

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or are we all being conned?

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I'm starting my investigation 10 miles off the coast of north Norfolk,

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where the Sheringham Shoal wind farm is now being built

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at a cost of a billion pounds. When it's finished,

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it'll cover an area about the same size as the city of Norwich.

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That's a big stretch of sea.

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'The companies building these wind farms

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'are guaranteed a generous price for their electricity

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'but getting them up and running is a vast and expensive task.'

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Today, they're filling the blades on this turbine.

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-Those are 50-metre blades.

-How did they get the blades there, then?

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That vessel is a self-propelled vessel.

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-It comes out...

-It's a ship?

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It is a ship, with legs.

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-A ship with legs?!

-Yep. Jacks itself up

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-next to the turbine, then the crane on board can lift all the pieces up.

-It's all very impressive,

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but the huge cost of building an offshore farm,

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and all the effort, is it going to be worth it in the long run?

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Absolutely. At the moment, we're just scratching the surface.

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We have 1,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity installed.

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That's about enough to generate the electrical energy of about three-quarters of a million homes -

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pretty impressive - but we're looking to go about 12 times that amount by 2020.

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Sheringham Shoal is just one site. Another is here

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at Greater Gabbard, 70 miles down the coast,

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where work is also going on round the clock

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to try to meet this massive 1,200% increase.

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Whilst critics say it'll all come at great cost for questionable results,

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supporters believe that any problems will be overcome.

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It's a fair comment that it's expensive at the minute.

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Certainly with offshore wind, we are very focused on bringing the cost down.

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We've all driven past wind farms and seen the blades not turning.

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Yeah, well, sometimes the wind doesn't blow,

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but 70-80% of the time, a wind farm will be producing some power.

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To cater for the colossal increase in offshore wind power

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which the Government wants, a building boom is underway.

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This project, the London Array off the Essex coast,

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will house 340 turbines,

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nearly doubling the UK's capacity at a single stroke.

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In fact, it'll be the biggest wind farm in the world.

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But if we're going to generate 15% of our electricity this way by 2020,

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we'll need many more like this,

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and it seems no obstacle is too big to overcome.

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Much of the sea around the UK is off limits

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when it comes to building wind farms.

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That's because RAF radar signals from places like this get confused

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when they encounter the spinning blades of a turbine.

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To overcome this, a whole new radar system is being introduced,

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paid for by the wind farm companies.

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Once this new system is in place,

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hundreds of extra miles will be opened up for new wind farms,

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ensuring that Britain remains the front runner in this new technology.

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But some say we're heading full speed down the wrong path.

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I think the problem is, we are trying to replace

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power sources like coal and nuclear, which are on whenever we need them,

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and can be turned off when we don't need them,

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with a weather-dependent, intermittent energy form like wind,

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which we can't manage.

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So what's the solution, then?

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Well, the solution has to be developing the ability

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to store renewable energy, especially wind, especially solar,

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so we can use that energy when we need it. We can't at the moment.

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'Electricity, whether from fossil fuels or renewables, can't be stored,

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'and wind presents an added problem.

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'No-one can be sure exactly when it's going to blow,

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'or how strong it's going to be.'

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This is the control room of the National Grid,

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the beating heart of our nation's energy supply,

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pumping electricity to homes and businesses.

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On this vast screen, you can see just how much electricity

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is being sent around the country at this very moment.

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The Grid was designed in the 1930s to handle power from a consistent source - coal.

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So how's it coping these days with an increasing amount of electricity

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coming from an unpredictable and erratic source - the wind?

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Well, just recently, the UK caught the tail end of a hurricane,

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and the wind turbines were spinning around like mad.

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So much power was being produced that you couldn't cope. You had to close them down.

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There was too much wind for the transmission system to cope,

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and in those circumstances,

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we issue balancing actions, which are instructions from here to curtail generation,

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and we do that for wind, thermal and coal.

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It does seem crazy, when you've got a new source of energy like wind,

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proving to be very efficient, and then you have to close it down.

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That is a challenge, and of course we do need to expand the Grid,

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and what we also need to do is build more capacity to Europe,

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so we can ship power across when the wind blows in the UK here,

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and possibly even import it when, for example, it's blowing hard in Germany.

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Is that likely to happen?

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Yes, there's lots of plans in place for new interconnection,

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and as well as that, in the UK alone, the National Grid

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is spending over £1 billion per year on expanding the Grid.

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It seems that, whatever the cost,

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wind power is going to play a big part in our future energy supply,

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so who will the winners and losers be?

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That's what I'll be discovering later on.

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This is the Lincolnshire Wash, where the tide's ebb and flow

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creates an ever-changing landscape of water, mud and marsh.

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It's one of the highest tides of the year right now,

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and that means that the thousands of birds that call this place their winter home

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could be on the wing all together, and if we time it right, we're in for a real treat.

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We're on Freiston Shore, where the flood defences have been adapted

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to create a real haven for the birds.

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-Morning, John.

-Hi. Are you all right?

-Good, you?

-Very well.

-Excellent.

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You're looking out over this lagoon. That hasn't always been this way.

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No, it's been here for ten years.

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We've landscaped it, put islands in, and the birds are loving it.

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-Let's take a closer look.

-OK, let's go.

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'At high tide, native birds roost here in their thousands,

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'alongside some winter visitors from Scandinavia.'

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-Wow! This is the front row, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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What an amazing place to be. There's plenty out here. How many do you reckon, already?

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It's difficult to count.

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We've probably got 3,000 or 4,000, first guess.

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Are any particular to the Lincolnshire Wash?

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Yeah. The one that I think we're probably best known for is the black-tailed godwit,

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-which comes from Iceland. There's probably 1,000 of those.

-Oh, my goodness.

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-They're the ones on the far bank?

-Yeah.

-What else have we got here?

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Yeah, we've got oyster-catchers, 600 or 700 of those.

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-They've got incredibly long, strong bills.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-Beautiful.

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We've got dunlin, we've got knots, and lots of redshanks as well.

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We want to catch them as they flock back out to feed,

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and the tide's already going out fast.

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Before long, they're on the move, heading right out over our heads!

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This is amazing. Because we're so high, they feel like they're right on top of you.

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-Almost makes you fall over backwards!

-It does.

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Oh, wow! Right overhead!

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It's an incredible experience

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as wave after wave soar over the salt marsh.

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They go out to feed on the mudflats. What a perfect group to end on.

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-A lovely, big flock.

-Yeah.

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Ah, amazing.

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I did get treated to a beautiful, close-up experience of these birds,

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and there's more than just wading birds to this part of the country.

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As the marshes along the coast become flat fenlands further in,

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intensive farming increases,

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but surprisingly so too does the population of a much-loved

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and rather elusive native bird - the barn owl.

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They love to hunt along the grassy corridors

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that separate these wide, open fields,

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and local farmers have been encouraged to allow that habitat to grow to boost their numbers.

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-Hi, Colin!

-Hello!

-So you've got some barn owl chicks for me to see.

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I have. We'll look in this nest box, and hopefully, find some chicks.

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-I'll give you a hand with the bag.

-Thank you. I'll take the ladder.

-OK.

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Why is Lincolnshire so good for barn owls?

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These dishes and dykes provide their lifeline for food.

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The short-tail vole is their favourite prey. That lives in this rough grass and habitat.

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There's a lot of conservation effort gone in and, as a result,

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population now about 1,000 pairs in Lincolnshire.

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-This is what we call a pole box.

-I can see why you call it that!

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They're good in Lincolnshire, because when we look across this habitat and landscape,

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there's so few buildings suitable for barn owl,

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so we have to provide these artificial sites.

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'Barn owls had been in long-term decline, but since boxes were introduced over 20 years ago,

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'numbers have trebled here in Lincolnshire,

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'and this one is home to a healthy young brood, ready for ringing.'

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Ah, now that's too cute.

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SHE LAUGHS

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-Gently in the bag. Yes, we've got three.

-Three!

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Are you all set?

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Oh, look, a bag of chicks!

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That's ridiculously sweet. Shall we have a go at this ringing? What's the best thing to do?

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If we sit down on the grass...

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'To keep track of the local population, the chicks are ringed every year. Carefully, of course.'

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-And that'll stay on the barn owl all its life?

-It will.

0:19:180:19:20

We'll check the weight. That's what we'll do now.

0:19:200:19:23

I just pop them in the cradle. They don't need to go in a bag.

0:19:230:19:27

They're usually happy to sit there.

0:19:270:19:30

-So, if you could read that off of the scale.

-460, I'd say.

-460.

0:19:300:19:35

-So the bag weighs 100, so it's 360.

-360. Right. Any other measurements we need to take?

0:19:350:19:41

What we're going to do is measure the wing and get an idea of the age.

0:19:410:19:45

By saying idea, we can be accurate to plus or minus a day with this measurement.

0:19:450:19:50

That's incredible! How do you do that?

0:19:500:19:52

These are the primary feathers here, and there's ten of these,

0:19:520:19:55

so we put the ruler on where it's breaking through to the tip of the feather.

0:19:550:19:59

-That's 65...

-65, 65, 66... Bob?

0:19:590:20:03

65.

0:20:030:20:05

Well, it's six weeks old tomorrow.

0:20:050:20:07

These little ones are this year's second brood of chicks,

0:20:070:20:11

something which only happens every three or four years,

0:20:110:20:14

when the vole population peaks, and they certainly seem fairly content.

0:20:140:20:19

Barn owl chick babysitting service!

0:20:190:20:22

'They'll be ready to fledge in a couple of weeks,

0:20:250:20:28

'and hopefully they'll be strong enough to make it through the winter.'

0:20:280:20:33

Earlier in the programme, we were looking at

0:20:330:20:35

the expected huge rise in wind power across the UK,

0:20:350:20:38

but in the race to create more of our energy this way,

0:20:380:20:41

who will win, and who is set to lose out? Here's John again.

0:20:410:20:45

Earlier, I discovered how the plan to put wind power

0:20:520:20:55

at the heart of our future energy supply

0:20:550:20:57

is creating a building boom in wind farms, both on land and out at sea.

0:20:570:21:02

With billions being poured into wind power,

0:21:020:21:05

and with it being at the centre of the Government's strategy on renewables,

0:21:050:21:09

the future seems certain.

0:21:090:21:11

So, who will the losers and winners be, in this wind revolution?

0:21:110:21:16

The most obvious winner is the environment, as less fossil fuels are burnt.

0:21:180:21:22

But who else benefits?

0:21:220:21:24

Well, another clear winner is big business.

0:21:240:21:27

Companies building the wind farms get a generous price for the electricity they produce.

0:21:270:21:33

To learn more, I'm meeting a man whose Norwegian company

0:21:330:21:37

is creating the wind farm that I visited off the Norfolk coast.

0:21:370:21:41

What kind of incentives does a company like yours

0:21:410:21:44

get from the Government, to set up big wind farm at sea?

0:21:440:21:48

All the investments upfront is paid by ourselves,

0:21:480:21:52

but after we start producing electricity,

0:21:520:21:55

we are paid by selling the power into the market.

0:21:550:21:58

We also receive a bonus from the Government,

0:21:580:22:01

because it is renewable electricity.

0:22:010:22:04

Electricity is bought from producers at an average price of five pence per kilowatt hour.

0:22:040:22:10

But wind farms get bonuses.

0:22:100:22:12

For offshore wind, that's around nine pence extra per kilowatt hour,

0:22:120:22:16

guaranteed for 20 years,

0:22:160:22:18

and when you're talking about nearly three million of these units every day, that figure soon adds up.

0:22:180:22:25

Is it going to make your company very rich?

0:22:250:22:27

No, not very rich compared to other investment,

0:22:270:22:29

but it's a fairly good return on £1 billion investment, yes.

0:22:290:22:34

So, big firms may be cashing in, but are they British businesses?

0:22:350:22:39

Well, in most cases, no,

0:22:390:22:41

and for opponents of the push for wind power, that raises concerns.

0:22:410:22:45

I don't have a massive issue with the fact that these are foreign firms.

0:22:450:22:49

Four of the big six energy companies are now foreign owned.

0:22:490:22:52

I think the key issue is, do we get high-skilled

0:22:520:22:54

British manufacturing jobs involved in this sector?

0:22:540:22:57

At the moment, a lot of this material is manufactured overseas.

0:22:570:23:01

Nick Clegg talks about a green jobs revolution.

0:23:010:23:03

We need to see that starting to develop.

0:23:030:23:05

But how many jobs in Britain is it going to create, this industry?

0:23:050:23:09

We are now in the process... we are transforming

0:23:090:23:12

from a pan-European project into a local business.

0:23:120:23:16

A year from now, around 70 people will be directly involved

0:23:160:23:19

in operating and maintaining the wind farm,

0:23:190:23:22

and 95% are recruited here, locally.

0:23:220:23:24

Even if a lot of the big business profit goes abroad,

0:23:240:23:28

at least some much-needed jobs will be created here in the UK.

0:23:280:23:33

But while a handful of people might benefit from new employment,

0:23:330:23:36

critics say it's the majority of us, already feeling the pinch,

0:23:360:23:40

who'll pay a high price for embracing wind.

0:23:400:23:43

So, what's your prediction, then,

0:23:430:23:46

about how much fuel bills will rise, because of green power?

0:23:460:23:50

Fuel bills, up until 2030, could double. The Government acknowledges there will be an increase.

0:23:500:23:55

It claims there will then be a decrease.

0:23:550:23:57

But for every 1% increase in fuel bills,

0:23:570:24:00

44,000 households slide into fuel poverty, which is a social crisis.

0:24:000:24:04

Supporters of wind farms say that,

0:24:040:24:06

although we do pay a green premium in our electricity bills,

0:24:060:24:09

those figures are vastly exaggerated.

0:24:090:24:12

Just how much we'll really end up paying seems uncertain.

0:24:120:24:15

Other winners are the landowners, who get paid thousands of pounds a year

0:24:150:24:20

to have wind farms on their fields,

0:24:200:24:22

and livestock can still graze underneath,

0:24:220:24:25

and crops can still be sown.

0:24:250:24:27

Here, for example, they grow wheat and oilseed rape under the turbines.

0:24:270:24:31

But while those owning the fields enjoy good rental income,

0:24:310:24:35

for others, there's an age-old problem -

0:24:350:24:38

-having something right on your doorstep.

-See this road?

0:24:380:24:41

At the end of it, it's a nice, typical scene.

0:24:410:24:44

But soon there will be eight wind turbines put in,

0:24:440:24:47

and if I can show you a picture on here.

0:24:470:24:50

That's an impression, is it?

0:24:500:24:51

You'll see, here, that we have got

0:24:510:24:55

a huge wind turbine at the end of the road.

0:24:550:24:57

This is one of the eight, which is about a kilometre away.

0:24:570:25:01

But, if I may say so, it does seem rather like "not in my backyard".

0:25:010:25:07

Well, it's got to be in somebody's backyard, yes, you're right,

0:25:070:25:11

but if they had a two kilometre rule in this country,

0:25:110:25:15

as is the case with many other countries, and it's increasingly so,

0:25:150:25:19

the two-kilometre rule would get rid of all this problem,

0:25:190:25:22

and people would accept wind farms more. I'm all in favour of renewable energy,

0:25:220:25:27

but putting wind turbines this close is just too much.

0:25:270:25:30

Love them or loathe them,

0:25:300:25:32

wind turbines look set to become an increasing feature of our landscape,

0:25:320:25:36

as the race to meet Britain's renewable targets gains pace.

0:25:360:25:40

What also seems certain is that the controversy

0:25:410:25:45

surrounding wind power will continue to rage,

0:25:450:25:48

especially as a minority cash in, while the rest of us pay the price.

0:25:480:25:52

Next week, we'll be investigating controversial plans

0:25:520:25:57

to connect these wind farms to the Grid, using hundreds of new pylons,

0:25:570:26:00

something you can also hear about

0:26:000:26:04

on Radio 4's Costing The Earth, this Wednesday night at 9pm.

0:26:040:26:07

'Later in the programme, I'll be learning how to speak Fen...'

0:26:100:26:13

-Seeing you ain't found no proper Lincolnshire stuff charn.

-Say again?!

0:26:140:26:17

'..Ellie's got some feeding to do...'

0:26:170:26:20

-They don't like when you get in the way of breakfast.

-No, quite. Who does?

0:26:200:26:24

'..and Adam's looking for a dry-stone-walling champion.'

0:26:240:26:28

It's looking really smart.

0:26:280:26:30

I've got money riding on you that's looking pretty impressive.

0:26:300:26:33

'Plus, if you want to find out what the weather's up to,

0:26:330:26:36

'then we've got the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.'

0:26:360:26:40

The waters of the Lincolnshire Wash flow along a man-made landscape

0:26:500:26:54

reclaimed from the sea over the centuries.

0:26:540:26:56

Katie's been to find out who's putting this new land to use.

0:26:560:27:01

These rich, coastal flats are in the heart of

0:27:030:27:06

Lincolnshire's farming country - prime land for cultivating crops.

0:27:060:27:10

But there's something a little different about these farmers.

0:27:150:27:20

This may look like a farm. It produces food like a farm.

0:27:200:27:24

But actually...it's a prison.

0:27:240:27:26

It's one of a handful of our open prisons.

0:27:290:27:33

For the men working here, it's an opportunity -

0:27:330:27:36

the first chance many of them will have had, in decades, to start over.

0:27:360:27:41

North Sea Camp has over 350 inmates.

0:27:490:27:53

It's also home to 791 sheep and 151 pigs,

0:27:550:27:59

all looked after by the prisoners.

0:27:590:28:02

And they take pride in their animals here.

0:28:030:28:06

-Hello, Dan.

-Hello.

-What are you doing here?

0:28:060:28:09

We're just getting these pigs ready to show.

0:28:090:28:12

'Dan's been here six months, after spending eight months in a closed prison.'

0:28:120:28:16

-Anywhere in particular?

-Anywhere you like!

-Are they quite friendly?

-They're OK. This bites!

0:28:160:28:21

But not all the pigs here get this special treatment.

0:28:210:28:24

The destination for most is a prison kitchens.

0:28:240:28:27

What you eat at breakfast...

0:28:270:28:29

-..Is what we rear on the farm.

-Ohh!

-The majority of it.

-What's that like?

0:28:290:28:33

Well, it's all right, I suppose!

0:28:330:28:35

Was it strange coming from somewhere where all your minutes

0:28:350:28:38

and hours were accounted for, to coming here?

0:28:380:28:40

Definitely, because you've got to think for yourself here.

0:28:400:28:44

Before, they're telling you what to do, when to get up, when to go to bed, sort of thing.

0:28:440:28:49

But here, as long as you toe the line, it's a good job.

0:28:490:28:52

-Do you think you'll keep pigs when you get out?

-I'm thinking about having a couple, yeah.

0:28:520:28:57

-I've got a 14-year-old daughter, so the chances of having a pig, rearing it...

-She'd love that.

0:28:570:29:02

-Until it's time to eat him!

-Do you think she'd get on with that?

-No!

0:29:020:29:07

Open prisons like this are made to test if inmates are ready for release.

0:29:090:29:13

Every day, 80 or so are allowed out to work in the local community

0:29:130:29:17

and on the odd family visit.

0:29:170:29:19

The rest work here in prison.

0:29:190:29:21

The success that hard graft like this can have has been witnessed

0:29:210:29:26

over the years by the prison's farm manager, Bob Betts.

0:29:260:29:29

Do you really think that this work will help these men in the future?

0:29:290:29:33

It does, a lot of them. It gives them a sense of worth,

0:29:330:29:37

and when they go outside, some will go into farming.

0:29:370:29:40

You've got this land, you're producing pigs and sheep

0:29:400:29:43

and hen's eggs and all sorts of things,

0:29:430:29:45

-is this commercially viable?

-Yes, it is.

0:29:450:29:48

We supply the kitchens and the staff mess.

0:29:480:29:51

We just wouldn't be able to manage without the produce from the farm.

0:29:510:29:56

North Sea Camp's rich farmland produces enough to feed the prisoners...and some.

0:29:570:30:02

The remainder gets sent to local market.

0:30:020:30:04

And it's all down to prisoners this fertile land is here in the first place.

0:30:060:30:12

If you follow me up this mound and look out, you can see the sea.

0:30:120:30:17

And on an average high tide, the level of the water over here

0:30:170:30:22

is two metres higher than the land on the other side of the mound.

0:30:220:30:26

This farmland was once the sea bed

0:30:260:30:29

and the tough job of reclaiming it from the sea

0:30:290:30:32

was given to borstal boys.

0:30:320:30:34

In the 1930s, 20 borstal boys, the young offenders of yesteryear,

0:30:380:30:43

set up camp here after a long march from Stafford Prison.

0:30:430:30:48

They were made to painstakingly build sea wall after sea wall,

0:30:480:30:52

using just basic hand tools.

0:30:520:30:55

The work carried on into the 1970s,

0:30:550:30:58

until 1,000 acres of salt marsh had been reclaimed.

0:30:580:31:02

Today's workers, though, are no longer the boys of the borstal days.

0:31:080:31:13

Two-thirds of them are long-term offenders,

0:31:130:31:15

often on life sentences with no release date.

0:31:150:31:18

They have to earn it.

0:31:180:31:20

This inmate spent 20 years behind bars before arriving here.

0:31:210:31:25

For the sake of victims connected to his crime, we can't show his face.

0:31:250:31:30

What was it like the first time you came from a closed prison to here?

0:31:300:31:34

It was daunting, absolutely daunting. In closed prison, everything is done for you.

0:31:350:31:40

You come to these places, it's all about motivation for you to be

0:31:400:31:43

more responsible for your own actions. That's what they do.

0:31:430:31:47

They give you more responsibility, to see how you handle it.

0:31:470:31:50

For this inmate, that means taking care of the farm's sheep.

0:31:500:31:55

-You're becoming like a sheep farmer?

-Yeah.

0:31:550:31:57

A stockman they call it, because you're looking after the general welfare of the animals,

0:31:570:32:02

-making sure they're well, healthy, fed, they've got no injuries.

-You sound quite passionate about it.

0:32:020:32:08

I absolutely love it. At first, I thought, "Stink of the farm," but now it doesn't even bother me.

0:32:080:32:14

-"What are they on about? Stink of the farm?"

-How do you feel looking after these sheep?

0:32:140:32:19

-Does it give you a sense of pride?

-Yeah. What it is, you feel human again.

0:32:190:32:24

Someone is thinking, "You're quite capable of doing it."

0:32:240:32:27

-Is this something you'd like to do?

-Without a doubt, yeah. I wish I'd discovered it years ago.

0:32:270:32:33

All I want to do is go out and lead a law-abiding life.

0:32:330:32:36

I'd do this from first thing in the morning until last thing at night if I could,

0:32:360:32:40

and let the whole world pass me by.

0:32:400:32:42

Hearing stories like that may make these prisons seem worthwhile,

0:32:420:32:46

but in recent years, open prisons have courted a lot of controversy.

0:32:460:32:51

After all, with no walls or fences,

0:32:510:32:54

if they want to misbehave, what's to stop them?

0:32:540:32:57

North Sea Camp is one of nine open prisons in the countryside around England and Wales.

0:32:570:33:03

Earlier this year, riots at Ford Prison in rural Sussex hit the headlines.

0:33:030:33:08

Four years ago, North Sea Camp found itself at the centre

0:33:080:33:12

of a drugs and alcohol scandal.

0:33:120:33:15

It's been governor Graham Batchford's job to turn the place around.

0:33:160:33:19

Open prisons can be quite controversial - do they work?

0:33:190:33:23

I see them as an essential part

0:33:230:33:26

in reintegrating long-serving prisoners back into the community.

0:33:260:33:29

A lot of our guys have spent 10, 15, 20, 25 years in prison

0:33:290:33:32

before coming to an open establishment.

0:33:320:33:34

Those are the ones that will benefit most from this.

0:33:340:33:37

Prisons are all about carrot and stick.

0:33:370:33:39

Open prisons provide a huge carrot for the right sort of prisoner.

0:33:390:33:43

It may be a gamble, but if it does work,

0:33:450:33:48

then the results can be, quite literally, life changing.

0:33:480:33:53

The Cotswolds are well-known for their gentle hillsides

0:33:590:34:02

and honey-coloured limestone,

0:34:020:34:04

and this week Adam's farm is hosting a competition

0:34:040:34:07

that couldn't do without them.

0:34:070:34:09

ADAM: Come on, lambs.

0:34:110:34:13

These dry-stone walls are a really important

0:34:130:34:15

part of the look of the Cotswold Hills.

0:34:150:34:18

They've been the field boundaries for centuries.

0:34:180:34:21

We're about 1,000 foot up here, so for my animals in the winter,

0:34:210:34:24

they provide shelter from the rain and the sleet and the snow,

0:34:240:34:28

and on a hot day like today, provide a bit of shade.

0:34:280:34:31

With the onset of winter,

0:34:310:34:33

my walls need to be in good shape to provide that protection.

0:34:330:34:37

Luckily, my farm has been chosen to host the 10th anniversary

0:34:370:34:40

of the Cotswolds dry-stone-walling competition this year, but more about that later.

0:34:400:34:45

The farmland round here is known as Cotswold Brash.

0:34:480:34:51

It's made up of this very thin topsoil that's full of limestone.

0:34:510:34:57

Because it's so thin and stony,

0:34:570:34:58

it droughts out, and it can be quite difficult to farm.

0:34:580:35:02

But in days gone by,

0:35:060:35:07

the presence of all this accessible rock on and under the surface,

0:35:070:35:12

was the reason why you see the estimated 4,000 miles of dry-stone walls in this area.

0:35:120:35:17

Rocks like this are obviously a pain for me, in arable farming,

0:35:180:35:22

but you can understand, in the mediaeval times,

0:35:220:35:25

that they were seen as a good natural resource for building things like the sheep cots,

0:35:250:35:30

that were enclosures that kept the famous Cotswold Sheep in,

0:35:300:35:33

that are well known for their wonderful wool.

0:35:330:35:38

It was a job for the farmers in the winter, building dry-stone walls and enclosures.

0:35:380:35:42

Now that the fields are mainly arable crops,

0:35:440:35:46

they're not needed as a barrier to keep livestock in,

0:35:460:35:49

and so, because they're so expensive to repair,

0:35:490:35:52

often they're falling down, and you get gaps like this.

0:35:520:35:55

Look at those deer!

0:35:550:35:56

Before the dry-stone-walling competition can begin,

0:36:030:36:06

I've got to get some supplies.

0:36:060:36:08

Fortunately, I don't have to venture too far.

0:36:080:36:11

There are numerous quarries a stone's throw away from my farm.

0:36:110:36:15

They've been quarrying round here for centuries.

0:36:150:36:18

This is Tinker's Barn Quarry, which is on the edge of my farm,

0:36:230:36:26

and they shift about 40 tonnes of walling stone a day.

0:36:260:36:30

There's about 20 tonnes here, so I need all of this, and more, for my walling competition.

0:36:300:36:35

-Gary, hi.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

0:36:350:36:37

-Good to see you.

-Still producing some good stone?

-Absolutely.

0:36:370:36:40

Stone from this area, around your farm,

0:36:400:36:42

has been producing walling stone

0:36:420:36:44

and Cotswold roofing slates for 400 years.

0:36:440:36:49

There are a number of very skilled wallers in this area.

0:36:490:36:53

So, as a general rule of thumb, how much stone do you need of a metre of wall?

0:36:530:36:58

We would say you would get 2 to 2.5 face metres to one tonne of stone.

0:36:580:37:02

So, to build a one-metre stretch of wall,

0:37:020:37:06

you'll need about a tonne of stone, costing about 85 quid.

0:37:060:37:10

Back on the farm, the competitors are ready for a day's hard graft repairing my wall.

0:37:130:37:18

Sorry, competing for first prize!

0:37:180:37:21

And this is their task - to dismantle and then rebuild this stretch of wall

0:37:210:37:26

that probably hasn't been touched for well over 100 years.

0:37:260:37:30

This year's 21 participants have come from all over the UK.

0:37:320:37:35

Each of them will work on an average two-metre stretch of wall.

0:37:350:37:39

Yorkshireman Trevor Wragg is one of the judges.

0:37:390:37:43

Now, your stone, up with you, is rounded and knobbly,

0:37:430:37:46

-very different to this?

-Yes.

0:37:460:37:47

Every area has got their own style of walling.

0:37:470:37:50

How long do you think this wall has been here, then?

0:37:500:37:53

-I should say it's over 200 years old.

-Incredible!

-It is.

0:37:530:37:56

-Hopefully what they build today will well outlive me?

-I hope so.

0:37:560:38:00

If it falls down at the end of the week, I'll be making phone calls!

0:38:000:38:04

Not to me, I haven't built it!

0:38:040:38:07

Ready, wallers?

0:38:070:38:08

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:38:090:38:11

Well, the whistle's gone,

0:38:160:38:18

and everyone is now frantically pulling the wall down.

0:38:180:38:21

I didn't realise how fast they were going to work.

0:38:210:38:24

Why do they have to go so fast? What's the rush now?

0:38:270:38:30

You've only got about seven hours to build the wall in that time,

0:38:300:38:34

-so you have got to knock on.

-The quicker you get it down, the more time you've got to build it?

-Yes.

0:38:340:38:38

Come on, ladies, stop faffing about. No time for talking.

0:38:440:38:48

-< You know what you can tell him to do, don't you?

-We would, but this is a family programme!

0:38:480:38:53

Now the old wall is down, the new one can start going up.

0:38:550:38:58

I wouldn't even know where to begin,

0:38:580:39:00

so what are the judges looking for at this stage?

0:39:000:39:03

It's important putting the length into the wall,

0:39:030:39:07

that gives it its strength as well.

0:39:070:39:09

And as you can see, they're nearly all back to back.

0:39:090:39:12

Hardly any middle fill.

0:39:120:39:13

Once they start building up, they won't have all the stone that will reach back to back,

0:39:130:39:19

-so they've got to use the hearting, or the packing, as we call it.

-It's pretty technical.

-It is.

0:39:190:39:24

Is it right, once you've picked a stone up to put on the wall,

0:39:240:39:27

-you shouldn't be putting it down again?

-That's the sort of old story they used to say.

0:39:270:39:32

They see the stone on the ground that WILL go into the place that you're looking for.

0:39:320:39:39

-How many years have you been walling?

-50 years.

-Goodness me!

0:39:390:39:42

Have things over the years?

0:39:420:39:43

This last sort of 25 years, a lot of people learn how to do it,

0:39:430:39:47

even if they're not going to be professionals.

0:39:470:39:49

They're interested in maintaining traditional rural crafts.

0:39:490:39:54

While you're here,

0:39:540:39:55

if you just fancy finishing it down to the road, that'd be good for me!

0:39:550:39:58

As you drive around the countryside,

0:40:000:40:03

you see these miles of dry-stone walls, and I don't think

0:40:030:40:06

we think about the effort and work that went into putting them up. And still goes into it now.

0:40:060:40:11

Four hours in, and I think it's about time I found out how they choose the choice material.

0:40:110:40:17

How do you tell the difference between good and bad stone? Cos it's got a ring to it.

0:40:170:40:21

It has. Especially quality stone. Let's pick up a couple of pieces,

0:40:210:40:26

This is stone that is freshly quarried.

0:40:260:40:28

It has a higher-pitched sound to it, so you know that stone is good.

0:40:280:40:33

This is some stone we've taken from the wall behind us,

0:40:330:40:37

and you can see the laminations running through the stone.

0:40:370:40:41

Those pockets are there, cause a much more duller sound.

0:40:410:40:45

That stone is really useful for the skip.

0:40:450:40:48

You wouldn't even put this stone in the middle of the wall.

0:40:480:40:51

What are you looking for there?

0:40:550:40:57

I'm just seeing if all the stones are tight.

0:40:570:41:00

Especially when you've got little ones, like that.

0:41:000:41:04

-Ah! So that should be stuck in nice and tight?

-Shhh.

0:41:040:41:08

-How are you getting on?

-Not too bad, nearly there.

0:41:130:41:17

It's looking really smart.

0:41:170:41:18

-I've got some money riding on you - that's looking pretty impressive.

-Thanks.

0:41:180:41:23

ADAM LAUGHS

0:41:230:41:24

-You haven't got any clear winners yet, then?

-No.

-Right.

0:41:270:41:30

No, just have to wait a little bit longer.

0:41:300:41:33

THEY ALL LAUGH

0:41:330:41:35

Are you husband and wife?

0:41:370:41:39

Yes, we are. And we're still speaking to each other!

0:41:390:41:43

You don't end up throwing stones at one another?

0:41:430:41:46

No, we've heard it hurts!

0:41:460:41:47

These are the coping stones going on now, they go up vertical.

0:41:470:41:53

They act as a really good barrier to stop the sheep

0:41:530:41:56

jumping over the top of the wall and knocking it down.

0:41:560:41:58

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:42:050:42:07

That's it. Final whistle.

0:42:070:42:10

What happened? You haven't got your coping stones on.

0:42:100:42:13

-No, I ran out of time. 15 minutes short.

-Oh, no!

0:42:130:42:17

It must be so frustrating, because you worked so hard, and the wall looks great.

0:42:170:42:22

As long as it's right. There's no point going quicker because it wouldn't have been right.

0:42:220:42:26

-Are you going to stay and finish it off?

-Yes. I won't leave you with a hole in your wall.

-Thank you!

0:42:260:42:32

Although some didn't finish in time,

0:42:350:42:37

everyone here has put their own individual stamp on a new stretch of Cotswold wall.

0:42:370:42:42

The only thing left is for the judges to pick their favourite bit.

0:42:420:42:46

The winner of this year's Cotswold Conservation Board dry-stone-walling competition,

0:42:460:42:51

professional class, is Andrew Mason.

0:42:510:42:54

APPLAUSE

0:42:540:42:56

Andrew Mason - aptly named - took top spot for his wall.

0:42:590:43:02

His sheer attention to detail in the early stages of the foundations certainly paid off.

0:43:020:43:07

I'm delighted with this. I've got 36 metres of brand-new walling.

0:43:070:43:12

Some good and some very good.

0:43:120:43:13

Even though I've been around dry-stone walls all my life,

0:43:130:43:16

today has been an insight into not only a craft, but an art.

0:43:160:43:20

Think of Lincolnshire, and the vision you're likely to conjure up

0:43:250:43:28

is one of crop-filled fields under big skies.

0:43:280:43:32

But when it comes to putting food on our plates,

0:43:340:43:36

it's got another claim to fame.

0:43:360:43:40

The county has a proud tradition of pork production.

0:43:400:43:43

About 100 years ago,

0:43:430:43:44

most families would have had a pig or two in the back yard.

0:43:440:43:47

They fed on scraps, so they were pretty easy and cheap to keep,

0:43:470:43:50

and when it came to the eating, you could use every single bit.

0:43:500:43:54

But Lincolnshire's most famous pork product is, of course, the sausage.

0:43:540:43:59

The renowned Lincolnshire sausage has been produced here

0:44:010:44:04

for well over 100 years, not on a commercial scale,

0:44:040:44:08

but as good old-fashioned, home-made grub to feed the family.

0:44:080:44:12

Terry and Jane Tomlinson are working to keep that artisan tradition alive.

0:44:120:44:17

-Are they hungry ladies?

-Yes.

0:44:220:44:25

Come on, girls.

0:44:250:44:27

Oh, stand back!

0:44:280:44:29

-They don't like it when you get in the way of breakfast.

-Well, quite. Who does? Let's be honest!

0:44:290:44:36

Their pig farm may be just a tad larger than the old-style family setup,

0:44:360:44:41

but they're staying true to the free-range tradition. The pigs live entirely outdoors,

0:44:410:44:45

sheltering and sleeping in these huts.

0:44:450:44:48

-And this is to keep it all nice and dry?

-Yes, so they clean their feet before they go into the huts.

0:44:480:44:54

-So what breed are these, Terry, these pigs?

-The pigs we have here, they're Duroc-cross-Landrace -

0:44:540:45:00

-that's why you get the different colours.

-Why those breeds?

0:45:000:45:03

The Duroc is a very, very hardy animal, fantastic mothers, and the eating quality's brilliant as well.

0:45:030:45:09

Their 72 sows have two litters a year,

0:45:110:45:15

so the farm has a constant flow of pigs of all ages.

0:45:150:45:20

Look how small they are!

0:45:200:45:23

These guys here are about a fortnight old.

0:45:230:45:26

They like to come out and do a bit of exploring,

0:45:260:45:29

but we like to keep them in for about the first fortnight.

0:45:290:45:34

If they're let out altogether, you get a lot of cross-suckling,

0:45:340:45:38

so the big boys get all the milk and the little ones get pushed out.

0:45:380:45:42

The farm produces 700 kilos of sausages a week,

0:45:420:45:46

which they sell at market.

0:45:460:45:48

-Hi, Jane.

-Hello, Ellie.

0:45:480:45:49

Jane is obsessed with keeping the tradition of real Lincolnshire sausages alive.

0:45:510:45:57

So much so, that for the last seven years,

0:45:570:46:00

she's been backing a campaign to get them protected status under European law.

0:46:000:46:05

The PGI status is to protect the geographical indication of our Lincolnshire sausages,

0:46:050:46:11

which means they can only be made in Lincolnshire, and also, to protect the specification.

0:46:110:46:16

They're made like this. They're natural skins. They're coarse, open texture.

0:46:160:46:22

-They're not overly minced.

-Why does it matter to YOU to get PGI status?

0:46:220:46:26

It's part of our heritage, and stays within the county for generations to come.

0:46:260:46:30

I'm going to leave Jane and Terry to it now,

0:46:300:46:34

because I'm off to make a Lincolnshire sausage the old-fashioned way,

0:46:340:46:38

with a woman who's so passionate she's written a book about them!

0:46:380:46:41

Every family in Lincolnshire has its own closely guarded sausage recipe,

0:46:430:46:47

handed down through the generations,

0:46:470:46:49

but I found a lady who's prepared to divulge her family secrets...

0:46:490:46:54

local chef Rachel Green.

0:46:540:46:57

Come on, then, how do we do it?

0:46:570:46:58

You need some coarsely ground shoulder, rusk,

0:46:580:47:02

or it could be breadcrumbs, if you want. And I've got sage,

0:47:020:47:06

lots of, because that's what Lincolnshire sausages are about.

0:47:060:47:09

So, is this your secret?

0:47:090:47:12

Well, it is, actually, it's from my great-great-grandmother,

0:47:120:47:15

so there's one ingredient that people generally don't put into Lincolnshire sausages,

0:47:150:47:20

-and that is freshly ground nutmeg.

-Ooh!

0:47:200:47:22

-I know. It's different.

-Quite a bit?

-Yeah, quite a bit.

0:47:220:47:26

And I remember, as a girl, you used to have pig parts on the side.

0:47:260:47:30

We kept pigs, obviously, and we'd make sausages,

0:47:300:47:33

and the head would be there, and the trotters there, and it would be a real family thing.

0:47:330:47:39

Making the sausages was the fun bit for me,

0:47:390:47:41

because I could relate to that as a girl. Get passionate with it.

0:47:410:47:45

-You got to really work hard at it.

-Work hard.

-Harder, Ellie! Put your back into it.

0:47:450:47:49

Do you want to stuff a bit in, then, first?

0:47:490:47:52

The skins are made of pig intestines,

0:47:540:47:58

so the end product is entirely natural.

0:47:580:48:00

I'm doing Lincolnshire a very bad service here!

0:48:000:48:03

-Do you know why sausages are called "bangers"?

-Because of the way I made them?

-No!

0:48:030:48:07

No, after the Second World War, they put a lot more water in,

0:48:070:48:10

so the moment you cooked them, they'd explode.

0:48:100:48:13

Here we go. Brace yourselves!

0:48:130:48:16

-You've just got a bit of air in them.

-A bit of air!?

0:48:160:48:21

-A bit of air in the bottom!

-I'm so sorry, Lincolnshire.

-No, no.

0:48:210:48:24

Thankfully, I don't have to eat my handiwork. Rachel's got some of her own ready and waiting.

0:48:250:48:30

The best thing in the world - a really good Lincolnshire sausage before the dogs get it.

0:48:300:48:35

Mmm. You can taste that texture. And lots of sage. Mmm, really good.

0:48:380:48:41

-Thank you very much.

-My pleasure.

0:48:410:48:44

Now, in a moment, Matt will be at Sleaford Farmers' Market

0:48:440:48:47

finding out what locals think about the attempts to win protection for the county's humble sausage.

0:48:470:48:52

But first, the Countryfile weather forecast.

0:48:520:48:54

.

0:50:490:50:56

From the vast, flat fields of the fenlands

0:51:080:51:11

to the rural tranquillity further north, we're in Lincolnshire,

0:51:110:51:15

and we couldn't have come here at a better time,

0:51:150:51:18

cos it's Lincolnshire Day.

0:51:180:51:19

I'm getting into the swing of things.

0:51:190:51:22

With the help of a sat-nav that's got a real local lilt.

0:51:220:51:26

LINCOLNSHIRE ACCENT: 'After 300 yards, turn left.

0:51:280:51:32

'At the end of the road, turn right. Then turn right.'

0:51:340:51:38

I'm going to be meeting the man behind this voice a bit later on.

0:51:380:51:42

-'Cross the roundabout, third exit.'

-I think we're nearly there.

0:51:420:51:47

'You've landed, mate.'

0:51:470:51:48

HE LAUGHS

0:51:480:51:49

Thank you.

0:51:490:51:51

And I've landed in the historic market town of Sleaford, on this rather special day.

0:51:530:51:57

Hear ye!

0:52:000:52:02

Welcome, one and all, on this day, Lincolnshire Day!

0:52:030:52:10

Celebrating all things Lincolnshire.

0:52:100:52:14

Recently, Lincolnshire was voted Britain's favourite food county.

0:52:140:52:19

Wandering around Sleaford's Farmers' Market, it's easy to see why.

0:52:190:52:24

-I think it's a wonderful county.

-Yes.

0:52:240:52:26

And if you are going to celebrate it, it's got to be with its food.

0:52:260:52:30

We have a history in Lincolnshire of keeping ourselves to ourselves.

0:52:300:52:36

-We don't blow our own trumpet.

-You ring your own bell, though.

-We ring our own bell!

0:52:360:52:41

And we are proud of Lincolnshire.

0:52:410:52:45

Lincolnshire Day actually marks a very short-lived rebellion

0:52:450:52:49

against Henry VIII.

0:52:490:52:50

Well, it may not be the best excuse I've ever heard for a celebration,

0:52:500:52:54

but while I'm here, let's get into the swing of things by meeting a real-life yellowbelly.

0:52:540:53:00

I'm not being rude - that is apparently what they call the locals.

0:53:000:53:03

Remember that voice on the sat-nav?

0:53:030:53:06

Well, I'm about to meet the man himself.

0:53:060:53:09

Well, Farmer Wink, I have you to thank for getting me here safely and efficiently.

0:53:090:53:13

Did you come on sat-nav, mate?

0:53:130:53:15

-I did, even though I did think I was listening to the Scandinavian voice.

-Did you?

0:53:150:53:19

Your dialect and your accent and all of that,

0:53:190:53:22

it was born within the land and the fens.

0:53:220:53:25

STRONG LINCOLNSHIRE ACCENT: Oh, aye.

0:53:250:53:27

I've never changed, mate.

0:53:270:53:29

I still talk the same because I've gone to work in the morning

0:53:290:53:32

and I've got on my tractor and gone to work and never seen nobody all day, and I've gone home at night.

0:53:320:53:37

That's why I've never changed. I've never seen nobody to talk to.

0:53:370:53:41

I've lived here all my life. This is the first time I've ever been in Sleaford.

0:53:410:53:45

This is long-distance for me, 20 mile away from home!

0:53:450:53:48

-What do you think of it?

-It's all right, innit?

0:53:480:53:51

Will you be back?

0:53:510:53:52

Oh, I don't know about that.

0:53:520:53:54

'And Wink teaches me a few choice phrases.'

0:53:540:53:58

Don't go off the course when you're walking down here.

0:53:580:54:01

You'll get in all that scrad and blather.

0:54:010:54:04

Erm, don't veer from the preferred route,

0:54:040:54:08

because you're going to get covered in mud and water.

0:54:080:54:12

-Scrad and blather.

-Farmer Wink, it's been super. It really has.

0:54:120:54:15

-All the very best.

-All right. Seeing you ain't found no proper Lincolnshire stuff charn, are you?

0:54:150:54:20

Say again?

0:54:200:54:22

Well, from one local speciality to another,

0:54:230:54:26

and I've just spotted Jane Tomlinson,

0:54:260:54:28

who Ellie visited earlier to find out about the true Lincolnshire sausage.

0:54:280:54:33

-Jane, it smells absolutely gorgeous over here.

-Thank you.

0:54:330:54:37

-So these are the sausages that Ellie was packing

-Yes, our Lincolnshire sausages.

0:54:370:54:41

I thought it'd be nice if you wanted to give people some samples

0:54:410:54:45

-of a proper Lincolnshire sausage and see what they think.

-I'm just going to try that end bit.

0:54:450:54:49

-Just make sure they're not too hot.

-Oh, man.

-You enjoying that?

-Yeah.

0:54:490:54:54

Right, let's get these little sausage samples out to the masses.

0:54:540:54:58

-I'm sure I'll be back very quickly. For more!

-OK.

-All right.

0:54:580:55:03

Would you like some sausage?

0:55:030:55:06

'With these plans to protect the status of the Lincolnshire sausage,

0:55:060:55:09

'just like the Cornish pasty, what do the locals make of a true Lincolnshire banger?'

0:55:090:55:14

Is that the best sausage that you've ever eaten?

0:55:140:55:17

-Would you like some of this?

-I would.

-You would?!

0:55:170:55:19

-I like my Lincolnshire sausages.

-Oh, right.

-Thank you.

0:55:190:55:22

-I'm not all that keen.

-Why do you say that?

-They're a bit spicy.

-OK, try that.

0:55:220:55:27

-It's jolly nice.

-Oh, lovely! We've got a convert.

0:55:270:55:30

You have, actually, yes.

0:55:300:55:31

As a retired pork butcher, what do you think of the news

0:55:310:55:34

that they're aiming for protected status?

0:55:340:55:37

It's a good idea. Should have happened a long time ago.

0:55:370:55:39

'I can see why the sausages are so popular, but now I've got a product of my own to show off.'

0:55:390:55:44

-Everybody, how are we doing? All right?

-OK.

0:55:440:55:47

This is our brand-new Countryfile calendar for 2012.

0:55:470:55:51

I'm going to flick through the pictures. Tell me which ones you like.

0:55:510:55:54

-I like that.

-That was my personal favourite.

0:55:540:55:58

-And December.

-ALL: Ah!

0:55:580:56:01

Ohh! On that note, you obviously like what you see, and if you like it too,

0:56:010:56:06

here's John with all the details of how you can get your hands on one.

0:56:060:56:10

The calendar costs £9, and a minimum of £4 from each sale

0:56:120:56:17

will go to Children In Need.

0:56:170:56:18

You can order it right now on our website.

0:56:180:56:22

Or you can call the order line.

0:56:260:56:30

You could also order by post. Send your name, address and cheque to...

0:56:330:56:38

Please make your cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.

0:56:450:56:49

Right, well, I've made my way round to the beer tent,

0:56:540:56:58

and what a great place to finish, because that is all we've got time for.

0:56:580:57:01

Next week, we'll be in rural Sussex,

0:57:010:57:04

discovering why one of its villages has two very different claims to fame. Hope you can join us then.

0:57:040:57:09

Right, what do you recommend?

0:57:090:57:10

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:57:270:57:31

E-mail [email protected]

0:57:310:57:35

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