0:00:28 > 0:00:32This is Holderness, in East Yorkshire -
0:00:32 > 0:00:34a restless edge, where the battle
0:00:34 > 0:00:36between land and sea
0:00:36 > 0:00:38has raged for centuries.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41And nowhere more so than here, Spurn Point,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44separating the Humber
0:00:44 > 0:00:45from the North Sea.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Or should we now call it Spurn Island?
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Because constant battering by the sea has finally broken through,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54to give us the country's newest island.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58And that's changed the game
0:00:58 > 0:00:59for these guys.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03He's a good 'un. Shall we sign him up?
0:01:03 > 0:01:04MATT LAUGHS
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I'm enjoying myself!
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Back on dry land, Anita's keeping tabs on our feathered friends.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Is the little fella all right? He's not too distressed?
0:01:11 > 0:01:13No, he's got to go off and feed now,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17- before he goes further north to breed.- Right. Off you go!- Good luck!
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Tom explores an astonishing situation in the Netherlands,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28where dairy cows are being culled to reduce slurry.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31How will you survive without... With fewer cows?
0:01:31 > 0:01:32In the worst case, I can't survive.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37- You think it could really be that serious?- Yes.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40And Adam's on the lookout for some prize White Parks.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44They have a very special place in my heart. Over the years,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I've been through a lot with these animals and they are a fantastic,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50ancient British breed.
0:02:01 > 0:02:02Holderness,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04East Yorkshire.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Known for its rich farmland,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09its ever-changing coast...
0:02:09 > 0:02:13where vast skies sweep across wide, flat acres.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19I'm just 30 miles from Hull, this year's City of Culture,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21in the far east of the county,
0:02:21 > 0:02:22at Spurn Point.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26At just three and a half miles long
0:02:26 > 0:02:27by 60 yards wide,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29this spit of land has always been
0:02:29 > 0:02:30vulnerable to the elements.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34It's been battered by gales,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36lashed by waves
0:02:36 > 0:02:37and, slowly, bit by bit,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40it's been swallowed up by the sea.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42And what was Spurn Point
0:02:42 > 0:02:45is now Spurn Island.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50The huge storm surge back in December 2013
0:02:50 > 0:02:54ripped through Spurn Peninsula at its narrowest point.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Huge chunks of road were washed away.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59The coastline changed forever
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and wildlife habitats
0:03:01 > 0:03:02were devastated.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Spurn Point was cut off from the rest of the peninsula.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Now, at high tide, it becomes an island.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12The UK's newest.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15'Andy Gibson, from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17'witnessed the aftermath.'
0:03:17 > 0:03:21The disruption and the mess must have been awful.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23It was not the familiar.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25You know, we went to bed having a road here
0:03:25 > 0:03:29and having mobile dunes and grasses, and we came back
0:03:29 > 0:03:33and the shoreline had moved 70 metres into the estuary.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35So, that's the landscape changed. It's just incredible.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38So, did it look like that, basically? We can see the, sort of,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- grassy dune on the sandbank on the side...- Yes.- ..with the road
0:03:41 > 0:03:43that we have just come along. And that was this, was it?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46That was all this, with this type of road, which was cobbling,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- made up of blocks.- This is the old road?- That is the old road blocks.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- Goodness me. The power of the sea. That's incredible.- Phenomenal power.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Wildlife took a hit, too. The storm battered
0:03:58 > 0:04:01important feeding and breeding grounds for wetland birds.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04But the picture is different today.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09'Andy is taking me to Kilnsea Wetlands
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'Nature Reserve, where the bird populations have bounced back.'
0:04:12 > 0:04:15More than 100,000 migratory waders have been
0:04:15 > 0:04:18recorded here in the last 12 months.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21What bird species do you see using this wetland?
0:04:21 > 0:04:25In the winter, there's the knot, the redshank, the dunlin,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27the oystercatchers, grey plovers.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29There's a whole range of wading birds that use
0:04:29 > 0:04:31this part of the Humber.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33At this time of year, in April,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36there is the avocets coming to breed.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38- Can we see some now?- We can.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40You can see there
0:04:40 > 0:04:42- they are all lined up. - I can. There they are.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45This is a good breeding point for them. It's undisturbed.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49- What happened to this landscape after the surge?- The unexpected part
0:04:49 > 0:04:52was it filled it up with water, but then, with the pressure of water,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56it opened up land drains that were existing from its previous usage.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58And it just about drained the place.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01So, the habitat wasn't ideal for avocets,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04from the point of view of being isolated islands and spits,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and the predators and the disturbance
0:05:07 > 0:05:09was much greater for them.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Now the water's back in,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13they have got an isolated spit to breed on and, hopefully,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16they will have a little bit more success.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Now there is no road to drive on,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22you need a special type of vehicle to get around.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24All aboard, everyone!
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Meet the Unimog.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34The elements have always taken a toll on this fragile landscape
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and always will.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38But there are other threats.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Man-made threats, but ones we can do something about.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46That's precisely what this bunch are up to.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Steve Crawford is from the environmental group
0:05:50 > 0:05:51Surfers Against Sewage,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55here to give the Spurn Peninsula a big spring clean.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59- All right, Steve?- Hello, there. - Look at that. How am I doing?
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Absolutely fantastic. That's loads there.- Not bad, is it?
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Is this the best time of year to be doing these beach cleans?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06To be honest, any time of year is good,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08because in the winter, we get marine litter. In the summer,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11on the beach, we tend to get a lot more tourist litter
0:06:11 > 0:06:13just left every day-to-day. The thing is, we've been doing this
0:06:13 > 0:06:15for decades. It's not going to be solved overnight.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19We want plastic-free coastlines. It will involve people like ourselves
0:06:19 > 0:06:21coming down, picking litter up whenever it's there.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Once this has gone, it's gone. It won't harm wildlife,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26it won't be unsightly, it will be gone and dusted.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28And I suppose, if you are out here
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- actually seeing what it's doing to our coastlines...- Yeah.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33..you're more likely to think twice about the next time you,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- you know, buy a plastic bottle or... - Thing is, when you buy something,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39don't get a plastic cup, get a reusable cup.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41If we don't buy it, people won't produce it.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Simple as that. If we all stopped
0:06:42 > 0:06:45buying plastic bottles on our own, this would become obsolete...
0:06:45 > 0:06:47in about five minutes.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49In the bag, Steve! In the bag!
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- That was for demonstration purposes! - BOTH LAUGH
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I've been surfing for almost 40 years now.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58We see it every single day
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and we realise what it's like. We are the, sort of, first line of it.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- Yeah. All right, let's get on with it. There's...- Loads more to do.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Loads more.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- There you go. Another bit.- Cheers. Thank you. Just what I needed(!)
0:07:13 > 0:07:15These wellies are pretty snazzy!
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I could do with a pair of those for Countryfile.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19There we go. Future presenter.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23He's not afraid of the camera, that's for sure. Staring it down.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28On we go. Come on.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30ANITA LAUGHS
0:07:37 > 0:07:39When milk quotas ended two years ago,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42some dairy farmers here and across Europe
0:07:42 > 0:07:44thought the sky was the limit.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46But more milk means more muck
0:07:46 > 0:07:48and the Netherlands is producing more than it can handle.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53Could this be a cautionary tale for us here, too? Here's Tom.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59When it comes to farming,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02the Netherlands punches way above its weight.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08Vegetables, fruit,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10flowers, meat and, of course, dairy.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12The Dutch do it all.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15The Netherlands exports
0:08:15 > 0:08:18nearly 80% of what it produces...
0:08:19 > 0:08:23..whereas the UK imports twice as much food as we export.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30We Brits are ahead of them in terms of dairy production, but only just.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34With 1.7 million dairy cows to our 1.8,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37the Dutch herd is snapping at our heels.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40But are they doing too much?
0:08:42 > 0:08:43Dutch farmers are ambitious.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48In 2015, European milk quotas were lifted. It meant production
0:08:48 > 0:08:52was no longer restricted. The race was on to milk more cows
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and sell more milk all over the world.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59The Netherlands national herd increased by 200,000
0:08:59 > 0:09:03in less than two years. And UK production went up, too.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07The message to dairy farmers across Europe was simple -
0:09:07 > 0:09:08expand.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13One farmer who answered that call is Agnes Lensing.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18She farms near Emmen, not far from the German border,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22with some help from husband Albert, two-year-old Lika
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and five-month-old Hiet.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Agnes started with 110 cows
0:09:28 > 0:09:32and her ambition was to increase to 180.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35How did you feel about those growth plans?
0:09:35 > 0:09:40I was really excited, because the incentive was that my father
0:09:40 > 0:09:43could retire and my husband would quit his job.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46So, we would do it all together, with our two little children
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- and we were really looking forward to it.- A real family future,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- all based round producing milk here? - Yep.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59But Holland has a serious problem.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00More cattle mean more muck.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03It's normally spread on fields as fertiliser,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07because it contains nitrogen and phosphorus.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11But too much of either can damage the environment. There are strict
0:10:11 > 0:10:14rules limiting phosphates and nitrates within the EU
0:10:14 > 0:10:18and each country must stay within their limits.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22For us, Brexit means those rules may not be relevant for much longer,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25but the environmental impact will remain.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30But Dutch farmers have broken those limits.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34In effect, farms are overflowing with slurry and there just
0:10:34 > 0:10:36isn't enough land to spread it on.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38The solution is drastic.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Up to 200,000 cows will have to go
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and that means either exporting them or culling them.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49It's a bitter blow for farmers like Agnes.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53They have been ordered to return herd sizes to what they were
0:10:53 > 0:10:57two years ago, when phosphate limits were first breached.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00But going back is not easy when you have already invested heavily
0:11:00 > 0:11:01in your farm.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Wow. What is this?
0:11:08 > 0:11:10This is our milking robot.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15How many cows do you think you'll have to lose, in total?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- In total, I have to reduce 50 cows. - 50 cows?- 50.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22How is that loss of cows going to affect your business?
0:11:22 > 0:11:28The whole barn itself cost about 1.5 million euros.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32So, your whole business is based on milking 180 cows
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- and having the money from that to pay back the bank?- Yep.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39So, how will you survive, without... With fewer cows?
0:11:39 > 0:11:40In the worst case, I can't survive.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44- Do you think it really could be that serious?- Yes.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47What would you feel about having to give up this job?
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Everything I've worked for will disappear.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52Everything is for nothing.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Actually, that's exactly what the Dutch Government wants -
0:11:59 > 0:12:02fewer farmers. People are even being compensated
0:12:02 > 0:12:04to leave the industry.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Too much phosphate pollutes water.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11It creates algal blooms, which suffocate plants, insects,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15fish, and are even poisonous to humans.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Dutch environmentalists have accused livestock farmers of polluting
0:12:20 > 0:12:23around two-thirds of Holland's natural water with slurry.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29In the UK, the circumstances may be different, but agriculture
0:12:29 > 0:12:32is one of the biggest polluters of our rivers, as well.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39How much? It contains about 2% phosphorous, but you can't see it
0:12:39 > 0:12:42with the naked eye. So, we're going to do a little experiment.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Martin Albotre works for a public water authority,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51which has been removing phosphorous from this lake since the 1980s.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53He is going to show me how it's done. Hello, Martin.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Good to see you. I like your lab bench next to the waterside here.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02- Good working environment! - 'Martin adds iron to river water,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04'which binds to the phosphorous,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'forms a sediment and sinks to the bottom of the jar.'
0:13:10 > 0:13:12So, this light brown, sugary mixture
0:13:12 > 0:13:15is a mixture of iron and phosphorous. It's taken it
0:13:15 > 0:13:16- out of the water?- Yep.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18And leaving the water clean
0:13:18 > 0:13:23and without phosphorous or a lot lower concentration of phosphorous.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28'Water companies use a scaled-up version of this process to reduce
0:13:28 > 0:13:31'phosphorous in drinking water. While it's an improved picture
0:13:31 > 0:13:35'since the 1980s, water still needs to be treated because levels
0:13:35 > 0:13:36'are too high.'
0:13:36 > 0:13:38How do you know that
0:13:38 > 0:13:41the phosphorous in these waterways comes from dairy farming?
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Well, actually, there is a lot of agriculture in this area
0:13:45 > 0:13:49and we do a monitoring, so we simply know that
0:13:49 > 0:13:53the nutrient concentrations come from this agricultural area.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Mm-hm. Is chemistry enough to solve the problem?
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Absolutely not.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01We also invest in talking to the farmers
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and stimulate a more sustainable diary production.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Martin is all for working together, but the Dutch Government
0:14:10 > 0:14:11has taken a harsher view.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12If the farmers
0:14:12 > 0:14:16can't reduce phosphate levels, the consequences for them -
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and their cattle - are extremely serious.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21British farmers will be watching with interest.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28So, what are those consequences and is the industry doing enough
0:14:28 > 0:14:31to avoid them? That's what I'll be finding out later.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37Spurn Point,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40the southern tip of Holderness, is looking glorious today.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Bright sunshine, vast quiet sands.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47But as we have heard from Anita, it can get rough out there.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52There has been a lifeboat station on Spurn since 1810.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Now, not only is the Humber a challenging stretch of water,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58but just over there, where you can see those waves breaking,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01is an area known as Stoney Binks.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Now, it's a large bank of shingle,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08and this area of treacherous coastal seabed
0:15:08 > 0:15:11had led to the demise of so many ships that,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14in the early 19th century, it was deemed essential that
0:15:14 > 0:15:17a full-time lifeboat crew was stationed here.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19And it's still essential.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The Humber Estuary is one of the busiest stretches of water in
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Britain, with around 18 million tonnes of shipping passing
0:15:26 > 0:15:27Spurn Point last year.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30As well as being full-time, the lifeboat crew here
0:15:30 > 0:15:32are Britain's only paid crew, too.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Here's my lift.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Is it Dave?- Hello, Matt. - How are you doing, bud, all right?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- I'm good, I'm good. - Nice to see you. Whoo!
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- Are you up for an interesting drive into work?- Yes, please.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- Yeah?- Let's go.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Coxswain Dave Steenvoorden is in charge of the crew
0:15:55 > 0:15:56about to go on duty.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Two crews take it in turns, six days on and six days off,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02to man the lifeboat station.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I did see a Land Rover come along here just before you picked me up.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08- That's...- And that's the crew that are leaving, is it?
0:16:08 > 0:16:10- Yeah, that's the off-going crew. - Right.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11The on-going crew are already up there.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- They've already come in another Land Rover.- Oh, I see.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15- And this is the end of the road. - Oh, my word.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17We're coming up now...
0:16:17 > 0:16:18This next section here, you can see,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21all to the eye going up there is just...is beach.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26The big storm surge of 2013 destroyed the road -
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Dave caught the aftermath on camera.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Spurn Point massively gets under your skin,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and, I'm being honest with you, it's under mine, and it's...
0:16:34 > 0:16:36it's got me until the day I retire.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I'm probably one of the most fortunate guys in the country.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- Here's the lighthouse, then. - There's the lighthouse, yeah.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48You can go up there and you can get a beautiful view of Spurn Point.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56- What a place.- Yeah.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58And it does come through three miles of wilderness,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and then, all of a sudden, you're into a small hamlet.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02Yeah.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07You know, there's not many people who get to come to work like this.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09MATT LAUGHS
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Well, here we are, then.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Here we are. I'll get you a cup of tea.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19'While Dave puts the kettle on, RNLI volunteer Steve Gibbons is
0:17:19 > 0:17:22'showing me the kit I'll need if the alarm goes off -
0:17:22 > 0:17:23'just in case.'
0:17:23 > 0:17:25- Yeah.- Right, what have we got, then?
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- So there is some steel-toe-cap wellies...- Mm-hmm.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30..and, erm, obviously, over-trousers.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- Yeah. Oh, they've got braces on, have they?- Yeah, braces.- Oh, I see.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35- Jacket, helmet...- Mm-hmm.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38..and, most importantly of all, don't forget the life jacket.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- That's weighty, isn't it? - That is quite weighty,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43but it will also inflate if you hit the water.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44It carries a flare as well.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46And your kit is always ready to go, yeah?
0:17:46 > 0:17:47Yeah, it's always like this -
0:17:47 > 0:17:48in everybody's house, it's ready to go.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- There will be a drill, I believe, this afternoon, so...- OK.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Which, no doubt, I'm going to be involved in?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- Yeah, that'll be brilliant. - That's the idea.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- Yeah, so, when you hear the bell... - Yeah?
0:17:57 > 0:17:59..get your kit on and get down the jetty as quick as you can.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07Back in 1819, nine years after the station first opened,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11a terrace of houses was completed, which would become the
0:18:11 > 0:18:14full-time homes for the lifeboatmen and their families.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18On this lonely strip of coast, a tiny and very special
0:18:18 > 0:18:22community flourished, complete with schoolhouse,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26and life here revolved around the lifeboat service.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30For close to two centuries, lifeboat families lived their lives on Spurn,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33including those of the current crew members,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36but, eventually, the elements got the better of them,
0:18:36 > 0:18:37and the families had to move off.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- So, Dave, this was a... This was a permanent hamlet, then?- Yeah.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44What was life like here?
0:18:44 > 0:18:45It was fantastic.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48We just say, "What nicer place you could actually live?"
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- I used to live here at number one with my family.- Right.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52When you say your family, how many children?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- I've got my wife and twin boys.- OK.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56When we moved here, they was eight-year-old,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and it's an absolutely fantastic playground for kids.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- And the atmosphere here now must be very, very different.- Oh, yeah.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06The decision was made long before we lost the road...
0:19:06 > 0:19:08It's that life became very difficult.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09You couldn't get the kids to school.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12We had times where the road was covered in debris,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16and the RNLI made a very bold decision to move the families off.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17We'd been here 200 years,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and it was a bold decision.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20I didn't like it,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22but I did agree with it and I did support it,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24and, as it turned out, a year after we'd moved off,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- it was the absolute right thing to do.- Yeah.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29And one of the strangest things is, now, is...
0:19:29 > 0:19:32cos the kids were running round making so much noise,
0:19:32 > 0:19:33nature was out.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Now nature's actually coming into the station,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and we've got our own little friend, Basil the fox.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39He's adopted us.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41He knows when we're having our lunch,
0:19:41 > 0:19:42he knows when we're having our tea,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and, as soon as he hears the galley noise, he's there.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Yeah, we've got absolute extremes of craziness when we're out on the
0:19:49 > 0:19:51lifeboat and other things,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and then you come back to the complete opposite,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- where you can just put your feet up and watch the ships go by.- Yeah.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Go and take some photographs... So, it's... Yeah, it's...
0:19:58 > 0:20:01It's that, I think, from one end of the spectrum to the other,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03is what I really do enjoy.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06So, Dave, you've talked about the affection that you had
0:20:06 > 0:20:07- for the community here.- Yeah.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Just take me back to that day when you had to leave and move out.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14It was a terrible day. We had the removal van in.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16We kind of looked at each other and I says,
0:20:16 > 0:20:17"Karen, come on, let's just go."
0:20:17 > 0:20:20So we got in the car and we drove up, didn't look over our shoulders -
0:20:20 > 0:20:22I know if we'd looked over our shoulders,
0:20:22 > 0:20:23we would have gone to pieces.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25But the nice thing was, as we were driving away,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I knew in six days' time I was coming back again.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30And... And to come back to the same house...
0:20:30 > 0:20:35was quite strange, just to walk into quite a sterile house, erm,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37which is now just functional rather than a home.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41And how would you compare your life when you are not at work
0:20:41 > 0:20:42to when you are?
0:20:42 > 0:20:43Erm...
0:20:43 > 0:20:44Boring.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Later, I'll be finding out how Dave and the crew stay one step
0:20:50 > 0:20:53ahead of Spurn's constantly-shifting channels.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- JOHN:- We've seen how the sea has taken away at Spurn Point.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Here, it's a different story.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08The River Humber has given back -
0:21:08 > 0:21:12new land has risen from its waters to create Sunk Island.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15But the name is misleading,
0:21:15 > 0:21:20because Sunk Island is neither sunken nor an island.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23But it was once.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Over many centuries,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29the ebb and flow of the river caused Sunk Island to silt up,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and then gradually it got bigger and bigger,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36and, thanks to human intervention - to reclamation work -
0:21:36 > 0:21:38it became part of the mainland.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45The wide panoramas and towering skies of Sunk Island
0:21:45 > 0:21:49have become the inspiration for a local photographer, Fiona Caley.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53The daughter of a Holderness farmer,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Fiona has made it her mission
0:21:56 > 0:21:59to record the lives and the landscapes here.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04But why do you choose to photograph THIS landscape, Fiona?
0:22:04 > 0:22:07It's all lines, the landscape and sky,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10and, in some people's eyes, it may not be very beautiful...
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- So you like the isolation?- Yes.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14You like the bleakness?
0:22:14 > 0:22:20If it's foggy, there's a real sense of absolute isolation,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23and sometimes you can hear the foghorns coming from the Humber,
0:22:23 > 0:22:29and that also adds to the wonderful, magical feel of the landscape.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33And how long have you been taking pictures of
0:22:33 > 0:22:35this particular landscape?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38For the past five years...
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Ever since coming back to live on Dad's farm,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and it was then that I began to think,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45"Well, do you know what? It has got something special."
0:22:45 > 0:22:48So, it just felt very, very important to capture it.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00When I first saw this view, I thought,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02"We could be on the Continent somewhere.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03"We could be in the Netherlands."
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And I think it was also that sense of, "Yes, it's Holderness,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11"it's Sunk Island, but we're still connected to the Continent."
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- Like the Netherlands, you know, it wasn't here...- No.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16- ..until the sea created it.- Yes.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17Yes, which it does...
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It is, kind of, a strange feeling, really, to think that,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21at one time, this wouldn't have been here.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38"Newlands" -
0:23:38 > 0:23:42presumably that's "Reclaimed Lands Road", do you think?
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Yes, I think possibly so.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47I just thought what a contrast it was to having this signpost
0:23:47 > 0:23:49in the middle of nowhere,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52and actually, the lines of the field beyond.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58People who look at the photographs, I'm hoping,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01will be drawn in towards the horizon.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The lines in this area are just... They're fantastic tools.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12It's a dream, for me, as a photographer.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Fiona's passion for this place couldn't be more obvious,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21and it's also personal, because she has family connections to this land.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25It has some of the most fertile soil in the country,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30rich in minerals from the river silt that gradually formed it.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34That's why Sunk Island is renowned for its fine, arable crops.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36During the Second World War,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40this area played a crucial role in the campaign to feed the nation,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43but farm labour was in short supply,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46so prisoners of war were brought in to fill the gap,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and no-one escaped.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52I've come to Sands House Farm to meet someone who
0:24:52 > 0:24:55lived through those times and remembers them well.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57He's Fiona's second cousin, Albert Caley.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59SHEEP BLEAT
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Well, Albert, this is the first time you've been back on this farm,
0:25:02 > 0:25:03- isn't it?- Yeah.- For how long?
0:25:03 > 0:25:05- About 71 years.- Wow.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08And this is where you played, where you lived as a little boy...
0:25:08 > 0:25:10- Yes, as a little boy. - ..during the Second World War?- Yes.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- Were there prisoners of war here? - Yes, there were,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and we had the Italians initially, and they...
0:25:15 > 0:25:18And then, after that, the Germans arrived,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and they stayed with us, well, until the end of the war, really.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And what was your father's attitude to these POWs?
0:25:25 > 0:25:26Excellent.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31In actual fact, we just felt them as just part of the family, really.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33They had their own accommodation, just up the road,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and one of them was, obviously, allocated to be the cook.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I mean, there was rabbits and everything,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41and there was ducks and chickens and that.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42They lived very well.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- Probably better than the people who lived in Hull!- Certainly.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48It's interesting, because I hadn't realised that, you know,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51people on farms had such a close relationship with prisoners of war.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Yes, because they were just like us.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57'Apart from livestock, the grain harvest was the main priority,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'boosted by some of the first combine harvesters.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I've got a photograph of my father standing beside these four
0:26:03 > 0:26:06combine harvesters, and with a trilby hat on,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and he was a man that always wore a trilby hat, I think...
0:26:09 > 0:26:11I think the only time he took it off was when he got into bed, and the
0:26:11 > 0:26:14first thing he did when he got out of bed was put it back on again.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17And I suppose the reason that your dad got these combines
0:26:17 > 0:26:18was that the soil here is so rich,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- being reclaimed land, you know? - Yeah.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22And when you cut through the land,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25you could see the layers of soil,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27because that's how it was built -
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- silt and silt and silt and silt. - Silt on top of silt.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Seven or eight feet of silt soil,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34which is unheard of in most parts of the country.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- And so it was very important for the war effort...- Very.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- ..that you had the four combines. - Yes, it is.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45The landscape here had its own part to play during the war.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Nearby Hull was the most bombed city in the country after London,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52the docks being a major target.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56To try to save the docks from the frequent night-time
0:26:56 > 0:26:58bomber raids, this area of marshland,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01where Sunk Island meets the Humber,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03was used as a decoy.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Great fires were made, in huge, rectangular shapes,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11to try to convince the Luftwaffe pilots that they were flying
0:27:11 > 0:27:15over the burning city, and to drop their bombs here instead.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Today, the shoreline, like the rest of Sunk Island,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23is a quiet, very special place.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26An island that's not an island -
0:27:26 > 0:27:28a gift from nature that has served us well.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39On the other side of the North Sea, Tom's in the Netherlands,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42exploring a conflict between the expanding dairy industry
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and the natural environment,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46and asking, "Is there a lesson here for the UK?"
0:27:57 > 0:28:01The Netherlands faces an unprecedented crisis -
0:28:01 > 0:28:05there are too many cows producing too much poo.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07MOOING
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Walking down here, you've always got half an eye on the back ends,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13to check you're not going to be caught by something,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17and underneath here is a tank a little bit bigger than an Olympic
0:28:17 > 0:28:21swimming pool, and these girls can fill that up every six months.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25This sea of manure contains phosphates,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27which can pollute lakes and waterways.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Across Holland, phosphate levels have gone up,
0:28:30 > 0:28:31and by far too much.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Hundreds of thousands of cattle will be culled or exported to bring
0:28:38 > 0:28:40the problem under control,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43and farmers are even being encouraged to leave the industry.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45It is an extreme situation.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Despite having more cows in the UK,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56we also have more land to cope with the manure they produce.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00While British farmers may be spared the same fate, we share many
0:29:00 > 0:29:04of the same problems as our neighbours across the North Sea.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08So, what can we learn from the Dutch about balancing the needs of
0:29:08 > 0:29:11the environment with productive dairy farming?
0:29:11 > 0:29:14'In a scene straight out of a postcard,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18'I'm meeting Hans van Grinsven - he's a senior scientist at
0:29:18 > 0:29:21'the Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency.'
0:29:21 > 0:29:24So, do you think it is possible to have both
0:29:24 > 0:29:28a growing dairy industry and a healthy environment?
0:29:28 > 0:29:29I think it's a balancing act.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I think there's an economical issue, and farming is very
0:29:32 > 0:29:36important for the Dutch economy, but the environmental issue is
0:29:36 > 0:29:39also there, and where the exact balance is we really don't know.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42So that might mean less intensive farming in some areas?
0:29:42 > 0:29:46A little less intensive, but good for water equality,
0:29:46 > 0:29:50good for air quality, but we need to find a trick to make it also
0:29:50 > 0:29:52economically attractive for a farmer to do that.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54So, if there were no livestock farming, just arable,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56would that solve the problem?
0:29:56 > 0:29:57Nope.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59I think that would not be the solution,
0:29:59 > 0:30:04because as long as you do farming and you spread synthetic fertiliser,
0:30:04 > 0:30:06it can do the same thing as manure.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12So, this is not just a livestock farmers' problem,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14but right now they are the focus.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Holland is reducing cow numbers by up to 200,000 -
0:30:18 > 0:30:20a blanket order which affects all farmers who have
0:30:20 > 0:30:23expanded their herds since 2015.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Agnes Lensing is one of them -
0:30:28 > 0:30:31just a few months ago, she was expanding the farm
0:30:31 > 0:30:33she inherited from her father,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36and building a bright future for the next generation.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Now she is facing the loss of 50 cows -
0:30:39 > 0:30:43that means a lot less milk and less income for her family.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46The financial worry is taking its toll.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50We have sleepless nights, at this moment,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53because there is so much insecurity.
0:30:55 > 0:31:01If I had known everything two years ago, erm, I...
0:31:01 > 0:31:04I wouldn't have been a farmer at this moment.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09It's time to choose which cows are going.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13If she doesn't reduce numbers, Agnes will be fined by the Government.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16SHE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Another eight young heifers have to go.
0:31:18 > 0:31:19MOOING
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Are you going to send them for slaughter or will you try and
0:31:23 > 0:31:24sell them for export?
0:31:24 > 0:31:26I think that they are too young to export...
0:31:26 > 0:31:31to export, so I think slaughter is the only option.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35It's hard, and I want to keep them, but they have to go.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39Do you accept, at all, that Dutch farmers have caused this
0:31:39 > 0:31:43problem themselves by growing in the last few years?
0:31:43 > 0:31:45No. Everybody says that it's...
0:31:45 > 0:31:46it's our own problem,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49but all the experts said, everybody said,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52"The hunger for milk is very big in the future,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56"so please have more cows so you can milk, milk, milk."
0:31:56 > 0:31:59But do you accept that there is an environmental problem out there,
0:31:59 > 0:32:03with too much phosphate and sometimes nitrate in the waters?
0:32:03 > 0:32:04No.
0:32:04 > 0:32:05- Really?- No.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08'According to Agnes, it's a regional issue,
0:32:08 > 0:32:10'affecting some areas more than others.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12'Far from producing too much slurry,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16'Agnes believes HER land could take even more.'
0:32:16 > 0:32:19You really think it's not a problem out there in the Dutch countryside?
0:32:19 > 0:32:24Go outside and meet the phosphate in the...in the water here.
0:32:24 > 0:32:25- It's OK.- Yeah.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Don't have enough cows to fill my land properly.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31So, for you, here, intensive farming is not a problem.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33- You've got the land to support it. - Yes.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35MOOING
0:32:35 > 0:32:38'But this policy applies across the board,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40'and Agnes will have to take her share of the pain,
0:32:40 > 0:32:44'along with thousands of other Dutch farmers.'
0:32:44 > 0:32:46How angry are you about this?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52I don't know how to explain, but I'm...
0:32:52 > 0:32:54I'm boiling inside.
0:32:54 > 0:32:55I'm so angry.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Two years ago, the sky was the limit -
0:33:02 > 0:33:05now Dutch dairy farmers have been stopped in their tracks.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10It seems bizarre that too much manure can actually threaten
0:33:10 > 0:33:13a farming sector in a whole country,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16but, in the end, this comes down to that familiar battle
0:33:16 > 0:33:18between business and environment -
0:33:18 > 0:33:22a tricky balance in many places, including the UK.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Get it wrong, as I've seen here in the Netherlands,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26and there's a high price to pay.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Now, they're one of Adam's favourite breeds of cattle,
0:33:36 > 0:33:40so, when a friend asked him to help find some prize White Parks,
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Adam knew just where to go.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Spring brings a new and fresh chapter to the farming year.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56The animals are all looking great, especially the sheep,
0:33:56 > 0:34:01our goats, and these guys that I'm particularly proud of -
0:34:01 > 0:34:03our White Park cattle.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Once they were a critically-endangered breed,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09with less than 60 in the world.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10Now, numbers are on the increase,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12and there's around 800.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15And they have a very special place in my heart.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18Over the years, I've been through a lot with these animals,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21and they are a fantastic, ancient, British breed.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26'White Parks have been part of my life for as long as I can remember -
0:34:26 > 0:34:29'from my dad bringing them onto the farm when I was a boy,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32'then losing almost half the herd to TB...'
0:34:32 > 0:34:35We've lost our stock bull.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37- It's hopeless, isn't it?- Dreadful.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42'..to happier times, when we replaced the herd.'
0:34:42 > 0:34:45This is a fantastic moment for me,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49because I was absolutely devastated, as you know,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51but you've put it right, and thanks.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59A friend of mine is looking to start a herd of White Parks,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02and, when it comes to preserving rare breeds,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04I think it's important to help out wherever you can.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Because the more people that get interested in them,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09the less likely they are to become extinct.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14So I'm off to visit a farmer I last bought from six years ago.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18When it comes to White Parks, he's one of the best in the business.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23- Hi, John. Good to see you again.- And you.- It's been a while.- Six years.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Goodness me.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28John Lean has been keeping White Parks at his farm in Devon
0:35:28 > 0:35:31for more than 20 years. And his stockman Colin
0:35:31 > 0:35:34has separated four beasts for me to have a look at.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37My word, look at them all, John!
0:35:37 > 0:35:40Well, it's a big shed with a lot of animals in it.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46They're lovely-looking cows.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48And so different names in their tags -
0:35:48 > 0:35:51we've adopted doing that at home since coming to see you last time!
0:35:51 > 0:35:53We now write their names on their tags.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- And change the first letter each year.- We do.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58- So you've got Ns and Os. - Yes, we have.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Just got to think of enough names beginning with that letter.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03When you get to Q, you're in trouble.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08OK, can I have a little walk round them, then, have a look?
0:36:08 > 0:36:09Please.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18So what I want in a White Park cow, in fact in any cow, really,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22is a nice straight back, good legs, good mobility,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24like a bit of meat covering as well.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27But particularly in the White Parks, specifically,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29nice dark nose, black ears
0:36:29 > 0:36:33and a good head - nice, smart horns.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Don't want them curling back too much or forward too much.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40And so this is lovely. She's a perfect animal.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43She's perhaps a little bit pale, the one behind.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46So I think these four would do very nicely for my friend.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48What sort of money are you after, John?
0:36:48 > 0:36:51We're talking £1,500.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53- That's for the cow that's in calf. - In calf, yes.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56OK. Well, I'll report back, and I'm sure that's very acceptable.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58That would be good. Thank you.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00- Can I have a look round the rest of the herd?- Yes.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09They look lovely with the sun on their backs, don't they?
0:37:10 > 0:37:12While I'm here, I'm keen to find out from John
0:37:12 > 0:37:15how he's created such a top-quality beef herd.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19What first got you into breeding them, then, John?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Well, we used to have a dairy herd
0:37:21 > 0:37:23and we had to decide whether to develop that or to give up,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27- and thankfully we gave up 25 years ago.- Did you?- Yes.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29And why White Parks, of all the breeds?
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Well, we had a good look at what we were going to choose
0:37:32 > 0:37:36and we thought that the White Park was probably an economic breed -
0:37:36 > 0:37:38not just a rare breed but an economic one
0:37:38 > 0:37:42that we could actually survive with. And we've proved we can do that.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44So what are you feeding them on here?
0:37:44 > 0:37:46This is silage they have, and that's all they have.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50- So no cereals, no hard food.- No, we don't buy in any concentrates.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53And then during the spring and summer months, your lovely grass.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- Yes, and they do very well on that. - Never stops growing, does it?- No.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59I'm very jealous of your grass!
0:38:01 > 0:38:04We have to wait for about three years before we can kill them
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- because they are slow-maturing and we don't feed them barley.- Sure.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10Whereas the average supermarket trade
0:38:10 > 0:38:13is with animals of 12 to 14 months old.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15So a big difference.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- That's a long time waiting for the money.- It is,
0:38:17 > 0:38:19and my accountant says there's something wrong,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21you need to kill them at two years old.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24But we can't produce the quality
0:38:24 > 0:38:26by doing it in less than three years,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29and as such we get a premium for the beef when we sell it.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32And in here you've got cows of mixed ages. They live well, don't they?
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Yes, yes. The oldest cow in here is 19 years old, Audrey.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38- Here we are.- Is this her here? - This is Audrey. Yes.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41- How old did you say?- 19, she is.
0:38:41 > 0:38:4319 years old! And still breeding?
0:38:43 > 0:38:47No, to be honest, no. It's been two years since we had a calf from her.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49And she's still fit and healthy.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51- Goodness me. - And she's a great friend.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53She was the first calf that was ever born here.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- What will you do with her, then? Just keep her on?- Keep her on, yes.
0:38:56 > 0:38:57Yes.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59- She's an old favourite!- She is. We do have
0:38:59 > 0:39:02a couple of old favourites and they will stay with us, I think.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Oh, my word! What's this one?
0:39:09 > 0:39:11This is Ferdinand.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13He's a very old steer that we've kept for years.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16- He's a friend.- Aww. Look at his handlebars!
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- Yes. They keep growing.- Incredible.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22He's lovely, isn't he?
0:39:22 > 0:39:24- He's very friendly. - So he's just a pet?
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- He is, I'm afraid.- You're a bit of an old softie, John.- I know!
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Oh, he's magnificent.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33Back in the 16th century,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37the aristocracy would contain this breed of cattle in special parks
0:39:37 > 0:39:38in order to hunt them.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Hence their name, the White Park.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44And John's got plenty more historical nuggets about the breed.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48During the war, Winston Churchill considered it a good idea
0:39:48 > 0:39:51to try and save them, and he sent a bull and two in-calf heifers
0:39:51 > 0:39:54to New York to be protected from the Germans
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- in case they should invade. - That's remarkable.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Wonderful, yes. He had a great sense of pride
0:39:59 > 0:40:01and he had the right ideas.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- And their beef is renowned.- Yes.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08Indeed, this year is the 400th anniversary of the time when
0:40:08 > 0:40:10James I was eating a loin of beef,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13and he said, "This is so marvellous, I'm going to knight it,"
0:40:13 > 0:40:15hence sirloin.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Incredible. I knew the story, but I didn't know it was White Park.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20It was White Park. Definitely.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24John's stately cuts go to a butcher in London
0:40:24 > 0:40:27who specialises in meat from British native breeds.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30So this farm boy is heading from the hillsides of Devon
0:40:30 > 0:40:34to the Big Smoke to eat like a king.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Butcher Nathan Mills sources all his meat
0:40:37 > 0:40:40from small-scale farmers just like John.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Come on down. This is a piece of White Park rib from John.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50We've had it aged in the cool room now for about 75 days.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- That's well-aged.- Yeah. It's a very personal thing.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55Some people like it a little bit longer,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58some people don't like that intense flavour.
0:40:58 > 0:40:59So what are you going to do with this?
0:40:59 > 0:41:01I'm going to face the edge up and we'll have a look.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Got a couple of nice steaks over here ready to cook.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07So let's just see what it looks like underneath.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15That's really dark. In comparison to
0:41:15 > 0:41:18what you'd get on a supermarket shelf, which is bright red,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21- this is very dark, isn't it? - Yeah, very dark.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23So we've lost a considerable amount of moisture out of this.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27The marbling in it is quite fine, it's just got these specks
0:41:27 > 0:41:30which bring a certain amount of flavour through to the meat.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33It's showing that this animal has had a pretty good lifestyle.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36- It's not been force-fed. - And real quality.- Quality, yeah.
0:41:36 > 0:41:37Yeah, it speaks for itself.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46But the proof, as they say, is in the eating,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49and Nathan is very kindly cooking me up a White Park feast.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04There we go. Let's have a look at how she looks on the inside.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10- Perfect.- Doesn't it? - It looks really good.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12- Take a piece.- Yeah, lovely.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20- Mmm.- Sensational.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Full of flavour. Lovely texture.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Good earthy flavours to it.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Tastes like the grass that it's been eating.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Knowing John Lean's farm,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33knowing the history of the cattle,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36and then your expertise in the butchering,
0:42:36 > 0:42:38it makes it even more special, doesn't it?
0:42:38 > 0:42:41It does. It reckon it pulls on the heartstrings,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44especially when you've been down to the farm and seen the animals
0:42:44 > 0:42:46and how beautiful the farm is.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51You can't convey that to your customer
0:42:51 > 0:42:53without them sort of tasting it
0:42:53 > 0:42:55and painting the whole picture for them.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57Congratulations, is all I can say.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Absolutely beautiful.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02By creating a market for their meat,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04butchers like Nathan are actually
0:43:04 > 0:43:07helping the survival of animals like the White Parks.
0:43:07 > 0:43:08If there's no demand,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11that's when our rare breeds are in danger of dying out.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46Bird-watching is big in East Yorkshire,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49and those with a keen eye and pair of binoculars
0:43:49 > 0:43:53are well catered for right here at the Spurn Bird Observatory.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57It's one of the most important sites for wild birds
0:43:57 > 0:43:58anywhere in the country.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03Hundreds of migratory and native species are seen here.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07It's a big draw for birders from far and wide -
0:44:07 > 0:44:09armies of volunteers who come daily
0:44:09 > 0:44:11to help keep track of all that birdlife.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Today's count is under way.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19I'm meeting up with Paul Collins from the observatory.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22It's an amazing spot, because we've got sea on this side,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25sea on that side, but it's also really important
0:44:25 > 0:44:27strategically for the birds, isn't it?
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Yes. Birds follow the coast down from northern England,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32they hit the east coast of Yorkshire,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34and the Holderness coast funnels them into its triangle shape
0:44:34 > 0:44:37which then goes down the peninsula into Lincolnshire.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Any birds that are flying from north to south have to come through there.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43They have to come... So on their journey, this is a pit stop,
0:44:43 > 0:44:45- a service station, if you like? - Yeah. A lot of birds
0:44:45 > 0:44:48just stay five, ten minutes, specially thrushes and blackbirds,
0:44:48 > 0:44:50get up again and head straight inland.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52And how important is the observatory?
0:44:52 > 0:44:54It's been here since 1946
0:44:54 > 0:44:57and we record all the birds that we see migrating
0:44:57 > 0:44:59and landing here,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02since that, daily, from that day on.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04- So it's been vital, really. - Yeah, yeah.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07For trends, you can see trends when population increases, decreases,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10which birds are declining rapidly,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12so this is a vital piece of information
0:45:12 > 0:45:15that the conservation units use for their conservation measures.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18One man in particular has played a big part
0:45:18 > 0:45:22in the work of the observatory going back decades.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24That's 79-year-old Barry Spence.
0:45:24 > 0:45:29And you came in 1964 and this is the logbook from that year.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Yes. I actually arrived on the 1st February.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34"B Spence", look at that.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36- That's my writing.- B Spence. OK.
0:45:36 > 0:45:37What did you see that day?
0:45:37 > 0:45:41"The gulls, the common gulls had dispersed from the Humber,
0:45:41 > 0:45:44"and only 800 were left, mainly in small groups on the sea
0:45:44 > 0:45:47"and Humber shores." This is great! You must have seen it
0:45:47 > 0:45:50change dramatically in the time that you've been here.
0:45:50 > 0:45:51There's lots of changes.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54The area covered has changed considerably.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57The number of birds seen is probably more,
0:45:57 > 0:46:01mainly because there's far more people interested in birds nowadays
0:46:01 > 0:46:03and so the coverage is far better, obviously.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Barry's enthusiasm and passion for birds
0:46:08 > 0:46:12is something shared by all those carrying on his vital work.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21The methods used are very much the same as they were in Barry's day.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29The birds are ringed, measurements are taken...
0:46:32 > 0:46:36..everything is recorded, including the age and the sex.
0:46:42 > 0:46:43Here at Spurn,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46they're actively encouraging a new breed of birders.
0:46:46 > 0:46:52Jonnie Fisk, co-founder of the website The Next Generation Birders.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57And Georgia Locock, active birder and wildlife campaigner.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01- Hi, guys.- Hello.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Not that I want to make a generalisation, but I will -
0:47:05 > 0:47:08most young people your age would probably much rather be in bed
0:47:08 > 0:47:11at five in the morning than be out here in the freezing cold
0:47:11 > 0:47:13waiting for a bird to fly by.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15Wasting daylight! You've just got to be out there!
0:47:15 > 0:47:17Got to be in it to win it.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19- How old are you, Georgia?- I'm 18.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21And how long have you been birding?
0:47:21 > 0:47:25Been interested in wildlife in general since I was really young
0:47:25 > 0:47:28and in the last few years I've really got involved and interested
0:47:28 > 0:47:31in birding, and a lot of that has been through coming here
0:47:31 > 0:47:33and sort of being inspired
0:47:33 > 0:47:35and sort of motivated by the birders here, yeah.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38- And how about you, Jonnie? How old are you?- I'm 21.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40- 21 and the world at your feet. - Oh, yes.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43- And you choose to be here at Spurn Point.- Where else?
0:47:43 > 0:47:45You've been instrumental in trying to
0:47:45 > 0:47:48get other birders your age together, haven't you?
0:47:48 > 0:47:52I set up this website on social media, Next Generation Birders,
0:47:52 > 0:47:56and it was brilliant. We started out with about 50, 60,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59and I looked the other day and there's over 700 people joined.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02All between the ages of about 13 and 25.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05But it's been... It's changed my birding for sure,
0:48:05 > 0:48:08cos I've met so many great mates through it.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11You could log on and realise that there's...
0:48:11 > 0:48:15You thought there was no other birders your age in the area
0:48:15 > 0:48:18and there's birders in your county, at your uni, maybe down the road.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21I tell you what, I've been utterly inspired by both of you.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24Not only your dedication to birding, but wildlife in general,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26so where do I sign up? What do I need?
0:48:26 > 0:48:30- Scope...dedication...- Yeah!
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Dedication I've got in spades. I can get up early.
0:48:33 > 0:48:34You've already got the hat.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36I've got the hat!
0:48:42 > 0:48:46Now, if I was a little bird, a bit like some of those I've met today
0:48:46 > 0:48:48on their migratory route to cooler climes,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50I would probably want to know
0:48:50 > 0:48:53what the weather's looking like for the week ahead.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11I'm on the Spurn peninsula,
0:50:11 > 0:50:14the most southerly point in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16And I'm spending the day with
0:50:16 > 0:50:20the country's only full-time, fully paid lifeboat crew.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23The North Sea is relentless here,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26continually changing and reshaping the Spurn peninsula.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30Constantly battered by the wind and the waves,
0:50:30 > 0:50:34this is one of the fastest-eroding coastlines in Europe,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36and it's not just the land you can see -
0:50:36 > 0:50:38it's the land beneath the waves, too.
0:50:40 > 0:50:41And that is a real hazard.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45Now, so that they can navigate a safe and swift passage
0:50:45 > 0:50:49to those who are in trouble offshore without getting stuck themselves,
0:50:49 > 0:50:51the lifeboat crew have to carefully monitor
0:50:51 > 0:50:53the changes in the seabed.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56That means almost daily navigation exercises.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59The crew call it "sniffing the channels".
0:50:59 > 0:51:01SIREN
0:51:10 > 0:51:13As well as a life jacket, I need to get my skates on.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15If I'm late, they won't wait.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19Yep. As predicted, already running late.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Got to pick up the pace!
0:51:24 > 0:51:28Ey-up there! In my younger days, I used to run this -
0:51:28 > 0:51:29I've got a bike now!
0:51:31 > 0:51:33Don't worry, we're nearly there!
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Even in the dead of night,
0:51:40 > 0:51:42the crew can get from their bunks to the boat
0:51:42 > 0:51:44in less than eight minutes.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46Just be careful as you get aboard.
0:51:46 > 0:51:47Cheers. Thank you.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54Coming out now, we've got a beautiful day.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57At night-time, there is no ambient light at all,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59so we do this in pitch black?
0:51:59 > 0:52:01Is everything there on the boat?
0:52:01 > 0:52:03- You never have to bring anything with you?- No.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06The only piece of equipment we would bring extra with us
0:52:06 > 0:52:09would be chocolate bars, biscuits and stuff like that,
0:52:09 > 0:52:10if we know it's a long one.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15She's a beauty, isn't she?
0:52:15 > 0:52:16She really is.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19Let the old man up first.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24Here we'd go aft, and the lads would get the belt ready.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26You are just in your element here, aren't you?
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Yeah. This is... This is me.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31I'm at my happiest when I'm up here.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42You can feel the power, can't you? Whoo!
0:52:44 > 0:52:46But all that raw horsepower
0:52:46 > 0:52:49would be nothing without a good sense of direction.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Electronic navigation on here, it'll only send you in a straight line.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59It doesn't know where the banks are, doesn't know where the shallows are,
0:52:59 > 0:53:00doesn't know where the land is.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02So if you trust it and went in a straight line,
0:53:02 > 0:53:04you could get yourself into trouble.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06I'm quite fortunate, I've got my navigators
0:53:06 > 0:53:09on this watch and the other, they're really good.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13Plotting a safe course through the ever-changing channels
0:53:13 > 0:53:15takes some real skill.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Today, that task falls to navigator Colin Fisk.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24- Col, how you doing? - I'm good, thank you.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27How often are you coming out here, Colin,
0:53:27 > 0:53:30and doing this work and kind of gathering your own information?
0:53:30 > 0:53:33We come about...at least three times as week.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Is there a pattern to the way the sands are changing through the year?
0:53:37 > 0:53:43As you see on the chart here, all this dark blue here is shallow.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45- This bit of green is constantly changing.- Yeah.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48You know, it changes by the way you can...
0:53:48 > 0:53:52It is often surveyed, but they just can't keep up with it,
0:53:52 > 0:53:54- it's been changing that much.- Yeah.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Also on board today is James Anthony,
0:53:58 > 0:54:01an RNLI volunteer from the Thames station in London,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04here to see how this crew works.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09- Why are you here?- Just to do some all-weather lifeboating
0:54:09 > 0:54:11as opposed to inshore lifeboating.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15- Get a bit more experience.- Right. And how different is it, then?
0:54:15 > 0:54:16It's a bit rougher!
0:54:16 > 0:54:19And the thought of going 100 miles out into the North Sea?
0:54:19 > 0:54:20Bring it on!
0:54:20 > 0:54:23Well, in that case, let's go.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28- She's all yours, Matt. - She's all mine!
0:54:37 > 0:54:40So all this sand and shingle that's underneath us,
0:54:40 > 0:54:43that's moving around, where's that all coming from?
0:54:43 > 0:54:45It's coming down from the Holderness coast.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48Longshore drift, the experts tell me.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50Er, and it's the eroding coast -
0:54:50 > 0:54:54the mud goes into suspension in the water, hence the colour,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57and the sand and the shingle are left
0:54:57 > 0:55:00and they come along the seabed with the tide.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03They come down the coast, they meet the outflow
0:55:03 > 0:55:06and they dump it all just there for us.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11He's a good 'un! Shall we sign him up?
0:55:11 > 0:55:13I'm enjoying myself!
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Thankfully, today, all is well at sea,
0:55:16 > 0:55:21but the Pride of the Humber remains ever-vigilant and ever-ready.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30- All right, Matt? Check out my wheels!- Look at this!
0:55:30 > 0:55:33- I've come to give you a lift. - Fantastic.- Isn't it great?
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Modern technology. This is how you get on!
0:55:36 > 0:55:38This has just been a day of rescues for me.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41- It's not bad, is it? - It's not what you know, round here,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44- it's who you know, isn't it?- And I've got all the best connections.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46I cannot wait for this journey, I must say.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50But tide and time waits for no-one. We are done here in Holderness.
0:55:50 > 0:55:51Next week it's Easter Sunday
0:55:51 > 0:55:53and we're going to be in Lancashire
0:55:53 > 0:55:56where I will be experiencing an ancient Easter tradition.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58- What are you going to do? - I will be taking a stroll
0:55:58 > 0:56:01through witches' country, no less.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03All right. Hope you can join us then.
0:56:03 > 0:56:04See you then. Come on, up you get.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07- See you next week.- See you. Check out the sunset!
0:56:07 > 0:56:10- Beautiful.- Isn't it?