0:00:29 > 0:00:34Dartmoor is a landscape to fire the imagination,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36to stir the creative spirit
0:00:36 > 0:00:39and to coax out the craftsperson in us all.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'll be meeting some of the artisans, food producers and artists
0:00:45 > 0:00:48who are forging new lives out here on the moor.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51This is very satisfying.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Sean's looking at some of the ways ponies are being put to use
0:00:57 > 0:00:59on the moor.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03How did the ponies change your life? What did they do?
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Gave me a reason to get up in the morning.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Tom's finding out what we can all do
0:01:09 > 0:01:13to give male dairy calves a useful and decent life.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15If people do drink milk and they eat meat,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18then they should be aware of the realities of dairy farming
0:01:18 > 0:01:22and what options the dairy farmer has for those bull calves.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26And, with harvest underway across the country,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Adam's taking stock out in the fields on his farm.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33We've got about 1,300 acres of oilseed rape to cut
0:01:33 > 0:01:35so what we need is a really good dry spell of weather
0:01:35 > 0:01:37so the combines can crack on.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Dartmoor.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Famous for its wide-open spaces,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57granite tors
0:01:57 > 0:02:00and, of course, its wild ponies.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04This is one of the UK's most spectacular moorland landscapes.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09And now there's a whole new way to experience it.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11The Dartmoor Artisan Trail.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18The newly established Artisan Trail links different artists,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23craftspeople and producers living and working on the moor.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27From wood-turners,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29to food producers,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31to basket makers,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35there are 21 artisans ready to show you the tricks of their trades.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40You can take a guided tour or cycle the route
0:02:40 > 0:02:43or just stride out on foot,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45which is what I'm doing.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50My first stop is Huckworthy Bridge on the western edge of the moor.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55It's where Jane Deane has her studio.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Jane spins wool by hand in the traditional way
0:02:58 > 0:03:02and colours it using natural dyes from plants in her garden.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07- Hi, Jane.- Hello, Anita.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Look at this wonderful table of beautiful colours.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Yes, all natural, all from plants.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15When did you get involved with the Artisan Trail?
0:03:15 > 0:03:18When it first started. It must have been last year.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21And your passion isn't just wool, is it? It's textiles generally.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26It's textiles generally, yes. I love anything that's fabric.
0:03:26 > 0:03:32I just think that textiles are very undervalued, I think, these days.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35VOICEOVER: But Jane aims to change all that.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Visitors to her studio are shown how to work with different materials
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and how to make the dyes needed to colour them.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Right now, she's cooking up a new shade of yellow using flowers
0:03:46 > 0:03:48she's just picked.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51It's goldenrod, which is this,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and saltwort, which is that,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and they've been cooking together for a little while.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So what I'm going to do now is I'm going to drop the yarn in.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04How long will it take before...?
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Oh, it's instantly taking the colour.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07Yes, it'll take a little while
0:04:07 > 0:04:10for the colour to completely come through.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12You can see that it's changing already.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16So how do we go from this to a ball of wool that you can knit with?
0:04:16 > 0:04:19We have to take the yarn - the fibre - and spin it into yarn
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and I'm going to teach you to spin.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Good luck with that!
0:04:26 > 0:04:28So what's the principle of this spinning wheel?
0:04:28 > 0:04:29The principle of the spinning wheel
0:04:29 > 0:04:33is to put some twist into the fibres
0:04:33 > 0:04:35so that they'll hold together as a yarn,
0:04:35 > 0:04:40because if you didn't have twist in them and you pulled them,
0:04:40 > 0:04:41- they'd come apart.- Like this?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Yes, so you can imagine, knitting with that,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46you might not be tremendously successful,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48but as soon as you put some twist into them,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51then they become a cohesive yarn.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56- OK.- Can you see the yarn twisting in my fingers?- Yes, I can.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- But it's also pulling it on.- Yeah.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Wool is particularly easy to spin because it likes to stick to itself.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10So if I'm joining a new piece on,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I open a few fibres up...
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Oh, look at that! - ..and I just offer them to that.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18It's a beautiful thing to watch.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20It's a beautiful thing to do as well.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I'm very excited to have a go cos I've never done this.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I'm going to get my big clumpy boots on then, Jane.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47You want to try and keep it going the same way.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Yeah, how do I do that?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- Just give it a bit more welly. - There we go.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57- There. There you are. You've spun your first bit.- OK.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00VOICEOVER: You know, I think I might be getting the hang of this.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Pinch it there and pull back.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07It should pull out a bit more easily.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10OK, yes, sorry. I'm clinging on to it for dear life.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12That's what happens. You're doing really well.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- That's very kind of you to say. - No, it's not kind at all.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19It's lovely.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Oh, here we go, I'm letting it in.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Yeah, well done.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- I think you're probably one of nature's spinners.- Ha-ha!
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- You don't come across them very often.- This is great.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Wonderful.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- A new life skill.- Yeah.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46And, once the yarn's spun, there's a knack to finishing off.
0:06:48 > 0:06:54Then you take this off and you have a skein
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and then if you want to keep that really nice and neatly,
0:06:57 > 0:07:03you twist it...until you can feel it, sort of, give.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Yeah.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Put the two ends together like this.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11Oh, there it is.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- My first-ever yarn.- There you are.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- You learn something new every day. - Yeah.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26Now, on a dairy farm, females do the work and make all the money,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29so what happens to the males born in the herd?
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It's something farmers are contending with
0:07:31 > 0:07:34as the industry comes under public pressure.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38You may find some of the pictures in Tom's film upsetting.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50TOM: Here in UK, we love our milk.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53In fact, we get through more than five billion litres a year.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02For many of us, the pint on the doorstep is now a distant memory,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05replaced by the plastic bottle from the shops.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08And the industry behind this has changed too.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Today, it is produced on an industrial scale.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16To get the amount we all want, you need pregnant cows,
0:08:16 > 0:08:17and a lot of them,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21so most dairy cows have to produce a calf a year
0:08:21 > 0:08:23to keep that supply flowing.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Female calves join the herd, but what about the boys?
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Sadly, some dairy bull calves are shot.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Nobody wants it, but it's been a grim reality for years.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35Well, at times, we had to.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38When prices were low and when we were shut up with TB,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42we were forced into the situation of having to shoot the bull calves.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43We did not like doing it
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and no farmer does like shooting bull calves.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50And it's still happening today.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53No-one can put an exact figure
0:08:53 > 0:08:55on the number of dairy bull calves being shot,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59but estimates suggest it's around 10,000,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02possibly even up to 100,000.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05That's a grey area for an industry under the spotlight.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09This controversial advert grabbed the headlines recently,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13adding to pressure on the industry, and that's something dairy farmers
0:09:13 > 0:09:17across the UK, like Abi Reader, understand only too well.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23She manages a 180-strong milking herd in South Wales
0:09:23 > 0:09:26with a mix of Holsteins and Dairy Shorthorns.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Tell me about this character.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Right, so this little lad is about four weeks old.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36This is a Holstein bull calf, so he's typical black and white.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39He has a dairy mother and a dairy father.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41He's pure Holstein.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Tell me about the value of this animal,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45or possibly the lack of it.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48OK, so he'll be worth £1 a kilo.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51And how does that compare to a regular beef animal?
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Well, if we're looking just at this Hereford here,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56this one would probably be worth, to me, about £150...
0:09:56 > 0:09:59- Wow.- ..and this one's worth 50, but they were born on the same farm
0:09:59 > 0:10:01at roughly the same time.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04So have you ever had to shoot bull calves
0:10:04 > 0:10:06cos they were worth nothing?
0:10:06 > 0:10:10No - fortunately, we've never had that problem here.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12We've always had enough space to rear them
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and we've managed to keep it going.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17It's something that we hope that we would never have to do.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19It's not a nice thought.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22VOICEOVER: Today, more female calves, known as heifers,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24are being born than ever before.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27This is thanks to something called sexed semen.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30It's a genetic technology which farmers use
0:10:30 > 0:10:34to increase the chances of cows giving birth to females.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38In the past it was 50/50 whether you'd get a bull or a heifer calf,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40but now, with sexed semen,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42those odds have changed dramatically.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47And this is how it's stored on the farm,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50kept cool in liquid nitrogen.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54It costs £30-£40 a shot and,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58while its use has increased by nearly 40% in the last five years,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02it doesn't work every time, meaning dairy farmers are still
0:11:02 > 0:11:06faced with bull calves that they can struggle to afford to keep.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Abi sends her bull calves to a local farmer
0:11:13 > 0:11:17who has the time and space needed to raise them through the beef system.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23She can then focus on her dairy herd.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Abi buys sexed semen for most of her productive milkers,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30hoping their calves will strengthen the herd
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and keep it producing
0:11:32 > 0:11:35almost 1.5 million litres of milk every year.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Particularly the Holstein Friesian, your black-and-white cow
0:11:40 > 0:11:43that you see out in the fields, she is bred for milk.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45She's not bred for meat.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47She's the greyhound of the dairy world.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48She's very angular.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50She's not built for flesh like a beef animal,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52so you can see all the bones.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54That is really distinct, actually, cos on a good beef animal
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- it's all about the back end. - That's it.- It's nice and round,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59the top cuts, whereas I guess all the value here
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- is down here, for dairy. - That's it.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03That's years of breeding, really,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06and shaping the animal to do what she's designed to do.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15It all comes down to profit and loss
0:12:15 > 0:12:19and, as bull calves have no place in a dairy herd,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23to stay on the farm, they have to make money, or else.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26But is there another way?
0:12:26 > 0:12:29One that put bull calves first and bank balances second?
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Well, here in Rutland, they think so.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation is the UK's first slaughter-free dairy
0:12:37 > 0:12:40producing milk on a small scale.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Cows and bulls work and then retire, passing their days chewing the cud.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46None are sent to slaughter.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49VOICEOVER: I'm joining co-founder Nicola Pazdzierska
0:12:49 > 0:12:51during oxen training.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54What made you set this place up in the first place?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Originally we started as a cow welfare campaign
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and then people started to say to us,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00"Where can we get cruelty-free milk from?"
0:13:00 > 0:13:02So what do you do with the bull calves?
0:13:02 > 0:13:06So the bull calves, they're all being trained as working oxen.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08This is Gautam and Horatio.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10So you don't see a dairy bull calf as a problem.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- You see it as a future draft oxen. - We love the boys.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15They're a magical part of our herd
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and you never see this sight in the English countryside any more.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23VOICEOVER: You may think this is how all cows should live,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26but, realistically, this is a not-for-profit business
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and could never deliver enough milk for the UK market.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33But they're hoping for at least 23,000 litres a year,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35so it's time to roll up my sleeves.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39They even milk here by hand
0:13:39 > 0:13:41because they think it's kinder to the animal
0:13:41 > 0:13:44but I think I'd better hand it over to the professionals,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46otherwise Tilly's going to be here all day.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47Over to you, Connor.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50The old ways are all well and good,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53but the cost of this everyday essential
0:13:53 > 0:13:55could blow your weekly shopping budget.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00So what do you sell your milk for to the customer?
0:14:00 > 0:14:06- To non-members, we sell milk for £4.50 a litre.- Wow.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08That seems like quite a lot of money.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12That price enables us to keep a cow for all of her life
0:14:12 > 0:14:16and not to slaughter our bull calves and to keep them for life.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19We say drink less milk, but value it more.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Nicola believes this is the right way,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25but as a nation, could we afford it?
0:14:26 > 0:14:30£4.50 a litre for the slaughter-free milk,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32as compared to around 60 pence
0:14:32 > 0:14:35for conventional milk from your local supermarket.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40But it's not solely about price - or, indeed, just about milk -
0:14:40 > 0:14:42so what other options are there
0:14:42 > 0:14:45for the dairy farmer struggling with bull calves?
0:14:45 > 0:14:47That's what I'll be finding out later.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00ANITA: Dartmoor is a landscape to stir the spirit
0:15:00 > 0:15:03and feed the artistic soul.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05For printmaker Anita Reynolds,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09the land itself is an endless source of inspiration.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14Dartmoor offers me quiet,
0:15:14 > 0:15:19open space and access to really raw landscape.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29It's incredibly peaceful.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32There isn't a time when I'm here that
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I don't engage with some kind of living thing.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47That's just what makes my heart sing.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49I love it.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09I'm not interested in pretty blue skies and fluffy clouds.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I feel I've earned the right to produce the work
0:16:18 > 0:16:19if it's a bit of a struggle.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25For me, it's about slowing down and respecting a place that you're in.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Standing on top of a tor looking out...
0:16:39 > 0:16:43..it puts mankind into its place in scale.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47It makes me feel insignificant and I think that's a good thing.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09I look for the minute little colours and marks and textures
0:17:09 > 0:17:14and I use those in the foreground to, sort of, knock back
0:17:14 > 0:17:17this immense lump of granite.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22This beautiful orange lichen,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25it's just stunning against this grey.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It's perfect for what I'm after today.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34So when I start, I'll actually use a technique called direct draw,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36which is a type of printmaking.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I do this in order to have a sketch
0:17:39 > 0:17:40that's actually in reverse.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02So it's very difficult to sketch in reverse straight on to the paper.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06I produce better prints if the wind is flapping the paper around.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10I think, as an artist,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13it's good to give people a different view of Dartmoor.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20KETTLE WHISTLES
0:18:26 > 0:18:28So, once I've done my initial sketches,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I head back to the van,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32usually have a cup of tea straight away
0:18:32 > 0:18:35and, if it's like today, warm my hands up.
0:18:37 > 0:18:43A few years ago, we decided to put a print press in the back of the van.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49This keeps the engagement with place if I do it straight away.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56I lay down a first colour on to a piece of Perspex
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and then, using a little piece of rag or my fingers
0:19:00 > 0:19:01or a little piece of plastic,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04I lift off certain areas...
0:19:07 > 0:19:10..and then I'll put it through the press.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12I have the plate,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14the print and then soft blankets
0:19:14 > 0:19:16and it gets rolled through
0:19:16 > 0:19:18and the ink is transferred
0:19:18 > 0:19:20from the Perspex plate on to the paper.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Looks OK.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28And this is the same colour as the lichen that we saw.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31I'm going to just put a few tinges in.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36And sometimes I'll flick a little bit of spirit on to it,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39which disperses the ink.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41And that looks just like lichen.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48And then I'll keep going - probably about three or four colours.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56And finally, you peel the paper back off the press to reveal the print.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Pleased with that.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26- SEAN:- It's easy to see how this landscape moves the artistic soul.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29It's the rugged, unspoilt nature of the land,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32one of our last true wildernesses.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34But it doesn't look this way by chance.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35One animal in particular
0:20:35 > 0:20:38has played a big role in shaping this landscape -
0:20:38 > 0:20:39the Dartmoor pony.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46They have lived in these parts for 3,500 years.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49In former times, they were put to work as pack ponies
0:20:49 > 0:20:53and in quarries, but these days they have another important task.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57What role do they play in tourism?
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Well, lots of the 2.5 million visitors who come here
0:21:01 > 0:21:03come here to see the Dartmoor pony.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06And today, Dartmoor ponies contribute to
0:21:06 > 0:21:09the conservation of Dartmoor's landscape.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12They will eat plants that some of the other animals will not eat
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and they graze in a particular way.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Conservation like this keeps some of them busy,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22but with so many ponies now on the moor,
0:21:22 > 0:21:23this is not sustainable.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28For farmer and pony-lover Sue Martin,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30that has led to some hard choices.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Sue, you've had ponies in your family for generations.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- What type of pony is this? - Yes, this is a pedigree one.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44A cheeky one here. This is Star. She is very, very friendly.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46They make lovely children's ponies.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48What are the issues surrounding ponies here in Dartmoor?
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Well, the problem is they're not economically viable to keep
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and, of course, they don't earn the money that the cattle and sheep do,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57so there's no incentive to do it.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I take responsibility for what spreads,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01so we're trying to reduce the numbers
0:22:01 > 0:22:03by a package of different things.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Some areas have removed a stallion, or certainly reduced
0:22:06 > 0:22:10the numbers of stallions, but that doesn't work everywhere.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13In my case, my neighbour's got a vasectomised stallion,
0:22:13 > 0:22:14so they run out with him.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It just means I can control how many foals we have.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20If you produce something that there isn't a market for, you've then got
0:22:20 > 0:22:24to decide what to do with them and, actually, ultimately,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27some would end up being put down, being shot, actually.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28- Being shot, the foals?- Yeah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Many people will really struggle with the idea of shooting
0:22:32 > 0:22:34a foal like Star here.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It's horrible and I absolutely dread the day that I have to do it.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48Charlotte Faulkner is vice-chair of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53For her, there's an alternative to killing - contraception.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57She's licensed to shoot contraceptive darts into the ponies,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59but it's only so effective.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Wow, this looks like serious stuff. What's happening here?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I'm busy practising to shoot a contraceptive into the mare
0:23:07 > 0:23:09so that they don't get into foal.
0:23:09 > 0:23:10Can't you just inject them?
0:23:10 > 0:23:12No, cos they're wild on the commons and, sadly,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16we haven't invented a drug yet which lasts longer than 25 weeks,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19so every 25 weeks, you have to go out on to the moor
0:23:19 > 0:23:20and find the mares.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22We can't just bring them all home each time.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Why on earth are you doing this?
0:23:24 > 0:23:26It's really important,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28otherwise the foals get shot in the year of their birth,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31which, to me, is criminal, so we had to find every way possible
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and if they're not born, they can't be shot.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36You could also do vasectomisation of the male horses,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39sterilisation and stallion removal.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Why aren't you doing things like that?
0:23:41 > 0:23:44It would be very difficult to remove all the stallions off Dartmoor,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46cos, as you can see, it's a huge area
0:23:46 > 0:23:48and one of our drifts alone is 10,000 acres
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and you only need one boy to hide behind a bush and...
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- He has a lot of fun!- He'd come out once we'd gone and have lots of fun.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Is there some opposition to what you're doing?
0:23:55 > 0:23:59I think it's a lack of understanding of the contraception project.
0:23:59 > 0:24:00There's so many different ways
0:24:00 > 0:24:02and we've got to provide all those options
0:24:02 > 0:24:04and support the pony-keepers in every way we can
0:24:04 > 0:24:06in order to reduce that foal crop.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Whichever way they choose, we must be there to support them.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10So this is just one way.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Perhaps new purposes need to be found for unwanted ponies.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- VOICEOVER:- Scientist and farmer Robyn Petrie-Ritchie
0:24:27 > 0:24:29is doing just that.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33She's seen the benefits that contact with animals can have.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35I think Petal's recognised someone here.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Is it Lee?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Oh, there we are. Hi, Lee. How are you?
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- VOICEOVER:- An accident at university left Lee Bramham partially paralysed
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and it's the Dartmoor pony that has given him a new lease of life.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55I was going to be in the Navy as an officer at university,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and then it wrecked my life.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00I couldn't do that any more.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04It must have been a really difficult time for you.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Yes, it was, very difficult.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10But now I've been introduced to the ponies,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13it gives me an amazing sense of wellbeing.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16How did the ponies change your life? What did they do?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- They gave me a reason to get up... - That's great.- ..in the morning.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22How important for you personally is it
0:25:22 > 0:25:25that they keep the ponies on Dartmoor?
0:25:25 > 0:25:31When I was a little kid, I used to love coming up to Dartmoor
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- and seeing the ponies. - Yeah.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- They make it a lot better place. - Yeah.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Putting the ponies to work like this
0:25:42 > 0:25:44is just one way of safeguarding them.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46But there are others.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Later, I'll be looking at another, more radical approach.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03ANITA: Earlier we heard how the dairy industry is tackling
0:26:03 > 0:26:07the issue of what to do with their bull calves.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09But what are the alternatives?
0:26:09 > 0:26:10Here's Tom.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16They may look sweet, but financially,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19bull calves are often seen as a waste product
0:26:19 > 0:26:20for the dairy industry.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23They cost money to keep and, obviously, don't produce any milk.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27As a result, tens of thousands, maybe more,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31are shot every year and bovine TB just adds to the problem.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33If it's in your herd,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36moving the calves off your farm becomes difficult.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40That means they could end up taking valuable space and money for years.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43No-one likes this dilemma.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45So what other options are there?
0:26:47 > 0:26:51One answer is to raise them as rose veal.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Now, unlike veal farming in the past,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55this is a modern approach.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58The calves have plenty of room to roam around,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02they're fed on a nutritious and varied diet
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and they're not slaughtered until they're at least eight months old.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11But for many people, veal is still a dirty word,
0:27:11 > 0:27:17and that's something Joe Bailey from RSPCA Assured says need to change.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23The public perception, it's still that negative, emotive image
0:27:23 > 0:27:26of the baby calves in the barren crates shipped to the continent.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Veal nowadays in the UK, reared to higher welfare standards,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32such as RSPCA Assured,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34is very different from the veal that
0:27:34 > 0:27:37is in people's minds from the past.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39And it saves them being shot at birth,
0:27:39 > 0:27:40which is obviously a waste of life.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Absolutely.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Nowadays, they're slaughtered between eight and ten months old,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48when they're almost as large as fully grown cattle.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52And what we have to remember is that that can be older than chicken,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55lamb and some pork products that are all deemed acceptable.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59To get more of us buying and eating veal,
0:27:59 > 0:28:03is it simply a question of rebranding?
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Perhaps something along the lines of rose beef or light beef,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09but perhaps it's something when, post-Brexit,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12when we are allowed to perhaps be a little bit more flexible
0:28:12 > 0:28:16with the name, we can put out to the public and get some answers to.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26So there is a market for veal, but it's still small
0:28:26 > 0:28:30and it's not going to be a solution on its own.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Currently, the market just doesn't demand enough bull calves.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37So is there another way?
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Now, you'll have to forgive my mentioning Brexit,
0:28:41 > 0:28:46but in the UK, we're currently around 75% self-sufficient in beef,
0:28:46 > 0:28:50and that begs the question - could British dairy calves
0:28:50 > 0:28:53plug that gap and reduce the amount of beef we import?
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Well, some dairy farmers are already ahead of the game
0:28:58 > 0:28:59and doing just that.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06So, the mothers of these would be your pretty standard dairy cow.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Yeah, the mothers of these would be pedigree Holstein cows,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11your standard dairy cow you see in the field
0:29:11 > 0:29:13as you drive up the motorway.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17Near Birmingham, Michael Oakes farms 180 cattle.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Two years ago, as milk prices began to fall,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Michael wondered if he could have the best of both worlds -
0:29:23 > 0:29:25dairy and beef.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29So they're this shape because their father was a beef breed
0:29:29 > 0:29:31even though their mother was a dairy cow?
0:29:31 > 0:29:34Yeah, yeah, and that is what is giving these their shape.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36If you look at this one behind us now,
0:29:36 > 0:29:39you know, I wouldn't want to play rugby against that guy!
0:29:39 > 0:29:41You know, he's pretty solid and they're all the same,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44so they are a beef breed, in effect,
0:29:44 > 0:29:45and they will be your prime cuts.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48For his most productive milking cows,
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Michael pays for sexed semen,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54which greatly increases his chance of getting female calves.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58But the rest of the dairy herd is fertilised by a beef breed,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02the British Blue, giving him beefier crossbred youngsters.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06And the outcome to this change of approach? A much better price.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10And in terms of the money that you can make, how is it different?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13You know, if these were straight dairy calves,
0:30:13 > 0:30:14as opposed to what they are.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19We were taking somewhere between £30-£60 for it at ten days of age.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21If we'd have sold these at ten days of age,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23it would have been closer to £300 a calf,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26- so you get ten for one in effect. - Wow.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28So, by changing to a crossbreed,
0:30:28 > 0:30:33Michael's bull calves are now almost worth their weight in gold.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35For me, economically, it works,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37ethically, I think, it's a good thing to do,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40but, actually, I think it's part of the solution
0:30:40 > 0:30:43to the supply chain issues and, actually, it just works.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Not sure whether that's a vote of approval you're getting there,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49but he's certainly getting involved in the answer - gee, you're cheeky!
0:30:51 > 0:30:55Now, not every farmer has the option to run beef alongside dairy,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59but the dairy black-and-white bull calves can produce mince
0:30:59 > 0:31:00and other cuts of beef.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05But to do it, Joe Bailey says farmers need us to buy into it.
0:31:05 > 0:31:10- Do you think this kind of meat could use a new name as well?- Yes, I do.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14I think if we had something along the lines of dairy beef,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16that would inform the public.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19You know, and if people do drink milk and they eat meat,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22then they should be aware of the realities of dairy farming
0:31:22 > 0:31:25and what options the dairy farmer has for those bull calves.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35So, ultimately, we shoppers have a lot of the power to shape
0:31:35 > 0:31:38the destiny of dairy bull calves.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41If we buy the veal or beef they become,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43then it gives it a value
0:31:43 > 0:31:48and shooting them at birth could end as a pointless waste of money.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58I'm on Dartmoor, continuing my journey
0:31:58 > 0:32:00along the brand-new Artisan Trail.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05I've already learned to spin wool by hand.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Next up, I'm off to Chagford Community Farm,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12where members sign up and agree to pay up front
0:32:12 > 0:32:14for their fruit and veg.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Today is delivery day
0:32:18 > 0:32:21and showing me around is one of the directors, Dan Burston.
0:32:25 > 0:32:26- Hello, Dan.- Morning.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29I'm appearing through the courgettes!
0:32:29 > 0:32:34- Lovely to see you.- Hello.- Good to see you. So what's Chagfood, Dan?
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Chagfood's sort of set up on the mission to provide the local
0:32:37 > 0:32:39communities with healthy
0:32:39 > 0:32:42and seasonal food that doesn't cost the earth, basically.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45It's like a market garden, we're on six acres,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48growing food for five local villages.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52Our furthest customer's just under ten miles away.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55And how many people do you have who've signed up to the scheme?
0:32:55 > 0:32:59Well, there's 100 households at the moment, so it might be 250 people.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04These members get a share of the harvest for a fixed price.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06In a good year, that can mean plenty of veg.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09But in a bad year, it might mean taking a smaller share.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13It looks absolutely beautiful today. What have you got growing?
0:33:13 > 0:33:16This week, we're harvesting courgettes at the moment.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21This morning we've harvested kale, rainbow chard, tomatoes,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25cucumbers, lettuce. We'll be picking French beans, broad beans.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Can anybody turn up at this farm and volunteer if they wanted to?
0:33:28 > 0:33:30If people were on the Artisan Trail, "Right, Chagfood, let's go
0:33:30 > 0:33:33"and see how they grow their crops," could they just walk up here?
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Yeah, totally, I mean, get in touch, or
0:33:35 > 0:33:38if you're just passing by, come on up and we'll show you around.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- There you go. So we're just harvesting the courgettes.- Yes.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44Because pesticides aren't used on the farm,
0:33:44 > 0:33:48old tyres act as a line of defence against hungry critters.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52- We're just cutting through the stem, just below the fruit.- OK.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54I don't know, is this one big enough? Let's give it a go.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58- Maybe...- That looks...- Is it? - That looks fine, yeah.- Yeah? Good.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Also visiting the farm today is the writer
0:34:22 > 0:34:25and photographer who came up with the Artisan Trail, Suzy Bennett.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Suzy, this is idyllic. It's so beautiful.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32- Beautiful, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35So this whole Artisan Trail was your brainchild.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37Yeah, I mean, it started
0:34:37 > 0:34:42because I needed a curtain pole for my cottage down here
0:34:42 > 0:34:45and a friend just said, "Well, why don't you go to the blacksmith
0:34:45 > 0:34:47"and ask him to make you one up?"
0:34:47 > 0:34:51So I went down one afternoon and was completely captivated by what I saw.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54It was a beautiful old Victorian forge, which was really dark
0:34:54 > 0:34:58and hot and smoky, and as a photographer it was a total dream.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01And I thought, "Gosh, well, if this is on my doorstep,
0:35:01 > 0:35:02"what else is here?"
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Greg led me to the shoemaker, who led me to the potter,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08who led me to the weaver, who led me here, to Ed's farm,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11and gradually this photography project gathered momentum,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15and initially it was just going to be an exhibition, actually.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18But as time went on people sort of said,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21"God, I'd love to see all these Artisan producers at work."
0:35:21 > 0:35:23So I thought, well,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26why not try and make it something that people can come and see?
0:35:26 > 0:35:30So the idea of doing a trail was born, where people can come
0:35:30 > 0:35:32and visit the artisans, they can watch them at work,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36they can try their skills, they can make their own shoes
0:35:36 > 0:35:39or wooden bowls or spoons, and it's growing from there.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42How do you decide who gets on the trail, who's an artisan?
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Because people might not think that growing fruit
0:35:44 > 0:35:46and veg is an artisan craft.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48I mean, the idea of the Artisan Trail that it's people
0:35:48 > 0:35:53who are hand-making things with real love and honesty and integrity.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56It's an antidote to mass production.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59I wanted to do something that celebrated and championed
0:35:59 > 0:36:02the people who are still making things by hand
0:36:02 > 0:36:03in a really traditional way.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Growing seasonally and sustainably
0:36:13 > 0:36:16is proving a hit with Chagford's members.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Picking your own veg is a big part of the appeal, too.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25Mmm.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28They are delicious and sweet.
0:36:28 > 0:36:29When the picking's done,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32there's just enough time for a cup of tea and a quick natter
0:36:32 > 0:36:37before the last of the day's jobs - filling out the veg boxes.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42And as a finishing touch, seasonal flowers are bundled in, too,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44also grown on the farm.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Wow, look at these. Aren't they just delightful?
0:36:47 > 0:36:48This is brilliant.
0:36:50 > 0:36:51Oh.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Am I being overly generous?
0:36:53 > 0:36:55There we go. Seems like a few here.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01- Thank you, Ed.- Cheerio.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04All grown with love, care and attention,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06which makes it extra tasty.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08I've done all right here.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30The dry start to the summer has meant good growing conditions,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34and up and down the country many farmers are well into the harvest.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44On Adam's farm, too, the harvest is in full swing.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49This time last year, the combines were still in the shed,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52but we've got going about a week to ten days earlier this year,
0:37:52 > 0:37:55which is quite a good thing. It means we're ahead of the game.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58We've got about 1,300 acres of oilseed rape to cut, which is
0:37:58 > 0:38:00what we're in now, on our farm, the neighbour's farm
0:38:00 > 0:38:02and with the contracting work we do,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05so what we need is a really good dry spell of weather so
0:38:05 > 0:38:06the combines can crack on.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16These combine harvesters are a remarkable bit of kit with
0:38:16 > 0:38:18a huge amount of onboard technology.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20It's cutting the plant that then goes up
0:38:20 > 0:38:23into the guts of the combine, that thrashes out the seed,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25it's collected in the tank and then into the trailer,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28and because oilseed rape produces such a tiny seed,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31it's quite difficult to combine and it's a very, very clever machine.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46And here it is in the trailer.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49I think it's brilliant how you can go from that dead brown plant
0:38:49 > 0:38:52to all this lovely, pure black oilseed rapeseed.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55In the past, it would've been used for biofuels and margarines
0:38:55 > 0:38:56and those sort of things,
0:38:56 > 0:39:00but nowadays it's being cold-pressed to produce rapeseed oil
0:39:00 > 0:39:02and it's brilliant for roast potatoes.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Machines like this can really eat up the acres.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Gathering crops as fast as you can is important here in the UK...
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- THUNDER RUMBLES - ..because the British summer
0:39:18 > 0:39:19can vanish in an instant.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35We were told there was a weather front on its way.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Sadly, the forecasters were spot-on.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Just after I left the combine, the heavens opened,
0:39:42 > 0:39:44so I've had to put the waterproofs on,
0:39:44 > 0:39:48and now the crop is absolutely soaked, so we have to stop harvest
0:39:48 > 0:39:51because this'll just block up the combine when it's all wet like this.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Now we've just got to wait for the sunshine.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56But when it comes to the animals, they don't mind the rain at all -
0:39:56 > 0:39:58especially the pigs. These are some of my Berkshires,
0:39:58 > 0:40:00we've got a boar there and a sow,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and she's with him to hopefully get pregnant again.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06It doesn't look like the rain's going to put him off his stride.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Back in April, I visited Martin Snell's farm in Somerset.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Martin is one of a handful of breeders who still
0:40:19 > 0:40:22farms an endangered breed of pig called the large black.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27I was so taken with them I bought a pair of sows so I too could play
0:40:27 > 0:40:29my part in keeping the breed going.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33Well, I have to say, if they turn out like her, I'll be very happy.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37Yeah, I should think you will be. I probably didn't charge enough!
0:40:41 > 0:40:43When I bought the two large blacks from Martin,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46I was hoping they were both pregnant.
0:40:46 > 0:40:47Just take a look in here.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Both sows gave birth and this is the latest litter
0:40:55 > 0:40:57and, if you just look over here,
0:40:57 > 0:41:02there's nine little piglets and they're absolutely gorgeous.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04She's made a great job of it.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06We kept them in the stable here, just to get them
0:41:06 > 0:41:08a little bit stronger before we turn them into the field.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11And that's what I'm going to now, even though it's raining.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Pigs are as tough as old boots and they've got a shelter,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15so they'll be absolutely fine.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Pig farmer Martin promised me the large blacks
0:41:18 > 0:41:21and their offspring would be easy to handle.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Come on, then. Come on.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Well, he was right. Look at this. She's going straight in.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Some of my pigs would be trying to jump out the side.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37What a good girl. She's in. That was easy.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39Now I'll just get the piglets and pop them in the front.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43They're really great. They're much quieter than I thought they were
0:41:43 > 0:41:46going to be. You're lovely, aren't you? Yes.
0:41:46 > 0:41:47We'll put you out in the field.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Once all nine are loaded, it's off to their new home,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58where there's plenty of room to explore
0:41:58 > 0:42:01and a litter of their Iron Age cousins keen to meet them.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08Because they're so young, this shelter will give these
0:42:08 > 0:42:10piglets a bit of cover if the weather turns nasty.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17There's a good girl.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Look, there's some grub for you.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24She'll stay with her piglets now for about eight weeks
0:42:24 > 0:42:25until she's weaned.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Well, I'm delighted we've got a new breed on the farm.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30I think my dad would've been really pleased, too.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32There's a good girl.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40One animal here on the farm that can withstand whatever
0:42:40 > 0:42:43the weather throws at it are our Highland cattle.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49You may remember Archie, my Highland bull here.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52I bought him from the Queen, from the Balmoral Estate,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54and he's grown into a lovely fella.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57He's so gorgeous, he loves having his back scratched.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59And these are his calves that were born this year.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02And we've just put him out with the cows again to get them
0:43:02 > 0:43:03pregnant for next year.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06And they've pretty much finished the grazing out here,
0:43:06 > 0:43:09so I'm going to move them on to some fresh pasture.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Ooh, you love that, mate, don't you?
0:43:11 > 0:43:12- There's a good boy. - ARCHIE LOWS
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Go on, then.
0:43:14 > 0:43:15Go on, Archie.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20I wouldn't recommend scratching the back of any old bull,
0:43:20 > 0:43:24but I know Archie very well and I can tell he's in a good mood.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27With lots of sweet, fresh grass for him
0:43:27 > 0:43:29and his ladies to look forward to,
0:43:29 > 0:43:30who can blame him?
0:43:34 > 0:43:37It's really lovely turning cattle on to fresh pasture,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40when they get their heads down and start grazing. The cows will produce
0:43:40 > 0:43:42lots of milk to feed their calves
0:43:42 > 0:43:45and he seems happy enough now.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49With the pigs and the cattle sorted,
0:43:49 > 0:43:52it's time to turn my attention to our rare breed rams.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Go on, boys. Right, Peg, here.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Good girl. Here. Good girl. Peg, that'll do.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Peg's helping me get them in so I can sort through
0:43:59 > 0:44:03a few of the breeds to decide which ones to keep and which ones to sell.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09These little sheep originate from the island of Boreray
0:44:09 > 0:44:11off the north-west coast of Scotland
0:44:11 > 0:44:14and they're a hardy little primitive breed.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17They say that a ram is 50% of your flock because he'll mate with
0:44:17 > 0:44:20all of the ewes and his genetics will stay in your flock
0:44:20 > 0:44:23for generations, so we take a lot of pride
0:44:23 > 0:44:26and care in choosing good ones to sell on to other breeders.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29So this little fella has got good teeth,
0:44:29 > 0:44:31good physique, he's a perfect example of the breed,
0:44:31 > 0:44:35and I think he'll sell very well at the Melton Mowbray Rare Breed Sale
0:44:35 > 0:44:37in the autumn. When it comes to breeding pedigree animals,
0:44:37 > 0:44:39this is part of the job that I really enjoy,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42knowing that our rams could be sold to flocks all
0:44:42 > 0:44:46across the country and help in the work of rare breeds conservation.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05The Dartmoor pony has been a feature of this wild
0:45:05 > 0:45:07and rugged landscape for millennia.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19They're a hardy breed, well-suited to this environment.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21Their toughness made them great work horses,
0:45:21 > 0:45:23hauling stone in the quarries,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26or working as pit ponies in the tin mines.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30But now there is little work for them to do,
0:45:30 > 0:45:33the ponies themselves have little value.
0:45:35 > 0:45:41Of the more than 700 foals born each year, more than half are shot.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43So is there another way?
0:45:43 > 0:45:47We've already heard how contraception may be one option,
0:45:47 > 0:45:49or getting farmers more involved in their upkeep.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54As I heard earlier, farmers need an incentive to keep them.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00And one incentive may well divide opinion.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Charlotte Faulkner from the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association
0:46:03 > 0:46:06thinks the answer is to eat them.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09There'll be people watching this who won't be able to understand
0:46:09 > 0:46:11why we need to eat ponies,
0:46:11 > 0:46:13they'll be really against this.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17It's really important that everyone recognises the value of these
0:46:17 > 0:46:21ponies and, yeah, it would be awful if nobody threw their hands
0:46:21 > 0:46:22up in horror at what we're doing.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25They are wild ponies, it's like deer,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28and they don't become domestic till we bring them in and then they
0:46:28 > 0:46:31become our pets and then they definitely don't go for meat.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34So this for you is essentially a farming and conservation issue.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Yeah, it really is.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38They've got to have a value in the farming calendar
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and we've got to create that.
0:46:41 > 0:46:42And, for you, with no value,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45- there's no future for the Dartmoor ponies.- There's no future.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47There's no future for ponies on Dartmoor
0:46:47 > 0:46:49if we cannot create that value
0:46:49 > 0:46:52because we cannot carry on shooting them in the year of their birth,
0:46:52 > 0:46:53it's really very serious.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55Nobody wants to do that.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00So is eating them really the answer?
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Well, it's found favour where you might least expect it.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07Joss, you are a vegetarian and you're selling pony meat.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09How does that work?
0:47:09 > 0:47:13I know how important this is to keep our free-roaming
0:47:13 > 0:47:15ponies on our commons on Dartmoor
0:47:15 > 0:47:17and it's not a new concept
0:47:17 > 0:47:20that whatever you eat is what you sustain.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23I like to think that I need to buy UK watercress
0:47:23 > 0:47:26because those watercress beds have been farmed for centuries,
0:47:26 > 0:47:29hanging off them is a whole ecological web of wildlife
0:47:29 > 0:47:33and a landscape and I can sustain that by eating the watercress.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37And for meat-eaters, this is exactly the same concept.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39Well, Ashley, there must be some quite interesting flavours
0:47:39 > 0:47:42- in this meat. - I'd say it's ever so slightly gamey.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45It's a cross between beef and venison.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48I prefer it over all other meats just because my palate has got
0:47:48 > 0:47:52so used to normal meats. This is something different for the palate.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54So you say it tastes nice. Is it nutritional?
0:47:54 > 0:47:57It's high in omega three, it's low in calories.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best meats you can eat.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03OK, well, I'm going to have a little bit of the burger, I think.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07I'm not sure how I feel about this,
0:48:07 > 0:48:08but here goes.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13Mm. I see what you mean.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16It's not quite beef, it's not quite venison,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18it's somewhere in the middle.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20And because I'm trained to either identify beef
0:48:20 > 0:48:24or venison or lamb or... I feel like I want to say it's beef,
0:48:24 > 0:48:27but it's not quite, it's just off that.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Joss, how's it gone down with the public?
0:48:29 > 0:48:33I get 85% of people saying that they think it's a good idea
0:48:33 > 0:48:36for conservation, they get the link,
0:48:36 > 0:48:39and now that I've been selling it for a year, I'm getting more
0:48:39 > 0:48:42and more people coming back to my place just to buy pony meat.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44When you say 85%, is that just from what you remember
0:48:44 > 0:48:47- or are they actually doing a survey? - No, I have actually done a little
0:48:47 > 0:48:50survey of my own, just out of interest,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53so that you can quote numbers, it's not just my opinion.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01Whilst pony meat may not be to everyone's taste,
0:49:01 > 0:49:03it may well provide farmers with the income
0:49:03 > 0:49:06they need to keep Dartmoor ponies here on the moor.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Now, it's been a really changeable day here.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16What's in store for the week ahead?
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Here's the Countryfile five-day forecast.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13I've been exploring the Dartmoor Artisan Trail,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17a new trail linking many of the artists and craftspeople living
0:50:17 > 0:50:19and working in the national park.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25And my last stop on the Artisan Trail involves steel,
0:50:25 > 0:50:27fire and brute force.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36Greg Abel always had a passion for blacksmithing,
0:50:36 > 0:50:40but it was while working as a software engineer in London
0:50:40 > 0:50:42that he saw this old forge for sale.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45It was love at first sight. Just two days after seeing it,
0:50:45 > 0:50:49he swapped keyboard and mouse for hammer and anvil.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Now he makes his living as a blacksmith.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55- Greg.- Hello.- Lovely to see you. - And you.- What a place.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57I feel like I've travelled back in time.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Yes, it's 150 years' worth of forging
0:51:00 > 0:51:02been going on in here, six generations of a local family.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05And now you're part of this fantastic Artisan Trail here.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08- Which is great.- You're basically the reason it all started, aren't you?
0:51:08 > 0:51:09I've been led to believe that, yeah.
0:51:09 > 0:51:15There's so many fantastic craftsmen and artisans on the moor...
0:51:15 > 0:51:19I just think it's great to introduce them maybe to a wider public.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21To find out what it's all about,
0:51:21 > 0:51:24I'm going to try my hand at making a fire poker.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27How long do you leave the steel in before it's ready to bash?
0:51:27 > 0:51:28It's all to do really with the colour.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Cherry red to orange, up to yellow,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34and then finally virtually white-hot.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37That's why quite often blacksmiths' forges are dark,
0:51:37 > 0:51:39so the smith can see what colour the metal is.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41Wow, sparks are flying from the actual rod.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44- Well, that's about ready to go. - Yep. Where shall I stand?
0:51:44 > 0:51:47If you want to just stand back there, I'm going to be working here.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49- Yeah.- There shouldn't be too many sparks.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51So I'm going to start making the taper.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58- So do you fancy having a go at the next bit?- Yup, OK.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00I'm sorry. I'm sorry, steel!
0:52:03 > 0:52:04Oh, I'm rubbish.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07A bit terrified, but it's OK.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09I think that's only natural, really.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12Yeah. IT'S only natural, I'm not a natural.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14HE CHUCKLES
0:52:14 > 0:52:17- So you have to work quite fast. - Yeah.- You need to have quite a bit
0:52:17 > 0:52:20of welly in your hands as well. I think I was being a bit limp.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23First time up, it's just difficult to know how hard you need to go.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25That's right.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27So we'll do the point first.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31I'll just start by forming the first curve.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- So do you want to have a go at that? - I'm going to try.- OK.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- OK, so this way.- Yeah.
0:52:39 > 0:52:40Back to there and then...
0:52:43 > 0:52:45And that's it. That's it.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48If I grab it here and not be so afraid...
0:52:50 > 0:52:53That's quite hot. Right, let's get that back in.
0:52:53 > 0:52:54Ooh!
0:52:57 > 0:53:00John makes it all look oh so very easy.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- So that's the handle done. - It's beautiful.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08It looks so delicate. It's like you've just twisted it wonderfully.
0:53:08 > 0:53:09Now for a really fun bit.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12OK, twist away.
0:53:12 > 0:53:13Right, ready?
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- Yeah, yeah.- OK. Here we go.
0:53:16 > 0:53:17- Yeah?- Yeah, that's great.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19- Keep going?- Yeah, yeah, keep going.
0:53:19 > 0:53:20Let's have about six.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22SHE GROANS What?!
0:53:22 > 0:53:24- Keep going?- Keep going.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26- Let's try and make it equal.- Yeah.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31- Just a little bit more.- Twist more? - Bit more. Bit more if you can.- OK.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33That's it. Whoa.
0:53:33 > 0:53:34- Back a bit.- Back a bit.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36That's lovely.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39- Yeah, they're all even, all the way down pretty much.- Wow.- Fantastic.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41That looks great.
0:53:41 > 0:53:42That was cool.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45Are you sure you've not done it before?
0:53:45 > 0:53:47HE LAUGHS Just twisting that metal,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50- there's something really satisfying about that.- It is, isn't it?
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Why are you bashing it on wood and not on the anvil?
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Because if you bash it on the anvil, you'll take the sharp edges
0:53:55 > 0:53:58that we've made, that are still remaining on the twist.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01- Ah-ha.- And, as they are so crisp,
0:54:01 > 0:54:06it's nice to keep them, so wood on wood works.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09- Smells good, too. - It does, doesn't it?
0:54:11 > 0:54:12- Brilliant.- OK.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19But it's not a poker till it's got a point. Time to give it some welly.
0:54:19 > 0:54:20And again.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Yes.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23Again.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25OK, let's see what we've got there.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28- I've made a hash of it, that's what I've done.- Well, no...
0:54:28 > 0:54:30Well, we both made a hash of it, if a hash has been made.
0:54:30 > 0:54:31- But I don't think so.- Has it not?
0:54:31 > 0:54:33- OK, good.- Not really, no. - Good. That looks good to me.
0:54:33 > 0:54:38A thorough quenching sets the metal and that's it, my first ever poker.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42- Wow.- You've done a good job.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44- Have I? Thank you.- Indeed.
0:54:44 > 0:54:45I made that.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48It's not bad.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50A thoroughly satisfying experience
0:54:50 > 0:54:53and a rare glimpse of master craftspeople at work.
0:54:56 > 0:54:57Thanks, Dartmoor.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- Hello, Sean, look what I've made. - Look at that, that's amazing.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09- I'm really impressed with this. Even the level of detail.- Yes.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12- Are you sure you made it? - I can't believe that you are even
0:55:12 > 0:55:15- doubting it...- Full of surprises. - ..for a minute. Cheeky!
0:55:15 > 0:55:18Anyhow, next week we will be at Blenheim Palace, bringing you
0:55:18 > 0:55:21the very best of Countryfile Live, and I can't wait.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23- I hope you can join us then.- Yeah.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25Come on, there's more artisans to find.
0:55:25 > 0:55:26- You can teach me...- I will!