Northern Ireland Countryfile


Northern Ireland

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This is Northern Ireland,

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a place steeped in tradition,

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but when it comes to farming, there are some people here

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who are looking to the future by planting their crop in the sea.

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Anita is discovering how one pioneer left his footprints

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on this landscape for all to follow.

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I mean, a man to walk the whole of the Ulster Way

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when he was 88 takes some doing.

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When he was 88?!

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Tom's finding out about the dangers of being

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a modern-day James Herriot.

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Unfortunately, about four years ago,

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I was operating on a cow and did receive a kick in the face.

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A broken nose, I bit through my lip, a couple of loose teeth

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and fairly bruised and swollen for a few weeks.

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And Adam has got his hands full with some new Berkshire pigs.

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He's lovely.

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We've never had them on the farm before,

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so it's really quite exciting to be introducing a new breed.

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The timeless, verdant landscape of Northern Ireland,

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ringed by unspoilt coast. No wonder film and TV drama crews flock here.

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Today, Countryfile is also relishing the beauty of this place.

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We'll be exploring the country from rural Armagh

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to rugged Rathlin Island.

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Whether we know it or not, most of us are very familiar

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with the beautiful scenery of Northern Ireland,

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as so much of it appears in film and television programmes.

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Take this dramatic avenue of trees known as the Dark Hedges,

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a very fitting name for a place that

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appears in Game Of Thrones as the King's Road,

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and, unsurprisingly, now it's a very popular tourist attraction.

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But it's not just scenery that productions need.

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The filming boom has been brilliant for local businesses.

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Kenny Gracey from Tandragee, County Armagh,

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is a rare-breeds farmer.

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Seven years ago, he was asked to supply his historic longhorns

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for a period film, and he's never looked back.

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Longhorn cattle.

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These are the old longhorns, yeah. I have a herd of these,

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and they're recognised as one of the oldest breeds of cattle around.

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Some people would even say they're the picture of what's depicted

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in the cave drawings, with their markings and their horn formation.

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I have them to give the credit to, because the first film I did

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was Your Highness, and they wanted old, medieval-looking cattle.

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-These are ideal.

-They look pretty fearsome to me. Are they tame?

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Oh, they're very, very docile.

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Filming may take Kenny away from the farm for days on end,

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but looking after the animals day to day still needs to be done.

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A wee bit on top of that silage

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-while I grape it up.

-I'm the assistant.

-Yeah. That's it.

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With his time-warp menagerie, Kenny has become THE go-to man

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for period dramas and films produced in the province,

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and if it doesn't exist, he'll create it.

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Kenny has turned the clock back 2,000 years

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and bred his own type of Iron Age pig.

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So, tell me about Hilda and Mabel. What's special about these two?

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Well, Hilda and Mabel, you probably wouldn't recognise them as a breed.

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Of course, you can't get Iron Age pigs nowadays,

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but I wanted something to look like period,

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so they are a mixture of about four or five different breeds,

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which I bred to look like Iron Age pigs.

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They have fitted the bill really well -

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lovely, coarse hair, lovely colouring.

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Both Kenny's Iron Age pigs

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and his rare-breed saddlebacks have appeared in Game Of Thrones.

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As well as animals, Kenny has a fair few historical agricultural items

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that grace the film sets.

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So, what else do you have in here?

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Well, I have something I think rather special

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and I reared this from a wee baby, and I'll let you see it

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-and make your own mind up.

-OK.

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-Yana.

-Oh, wow.

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Yana...

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Hello, darling. Come on.

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-Oh, it's a deer.

-Yeah.

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HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE

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-Yeah. Look at that.

-So friendly.

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Can I stroke...Yana?

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-Yana, yeah.

-Yana.

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Kenny, I'm amazed by this,

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-because deer are known to be very nervous animals.

-Yes.

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So how have you managed to get Yana so friendly?

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Well, now, I did rear her from a baby. She was an orphan.

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She lived in the house with me for a year.

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And her and I are great friends.

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Shake hands, come on. Shake hands.

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Good girl. Oh, she's a good girl.

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Besides Yana, Kenny has several other remarkably well-behaved deer

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he supplies to productions.

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-Yes. There we go.

-Amazing.

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Kenny's obviously got the knack,

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but it's my turn to direct a real diva - the Empress,

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a middle white sow who stole the show in the BBC drama Blandings.

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-Come on, then, this way.

-That's how you guide her.

-Say hello to the dog.

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-All right, this way. This side, this side.

-Yeah.

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-We've got it.

-Up her nose, down closer, and that will...

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-That's it. Good girl.

-That's it.

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How does the Empress understand?

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Well, she feels guided by the stick at this side,

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and you're keeping her going

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because that stick is keeping her from going to the right,

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and you're keeping her from going to the left with your body.

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-She's very happy right now, is she?

-Yes, she is happy.

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She seems pretty happy, doesn't she?

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Well, I've tangoed, I've cha-cha-cha'ed and I've salsa'ed

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but waltzing with a pig? Now, that's a first.

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This way, this way. This way.

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-Oh, look at that, Kenny, I've done it.

-Well done.

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When I go to Yorkshire next year,

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we'll be able to get you into the show ring to show the pigs for us.

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In we go. Easy as that. Look at that.

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I've just taken a pig for a walk. Amazing. Come on.

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If someone had said to you eight years ago that this is what

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you would be doing, that you would be on film sets with tame deer

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and wonderful rabbits that actors want to cuddle,

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would you have believed them?

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Not in the least.

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I'd have thought their head was gone because...

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Well, the film industry in Northern Ireland has really taken off.

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I would say it's my main income now.

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I can't believe what has happened, but it's great,

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it's interesting, and long may it continue.

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This could well be one of the most famous farmyards in the world.

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My father always said, "Where there's muck, there's money,"

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so I'm hoping.

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I think he was right.

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Safely handling powerful animals like these

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isn't something to be taken lightly.

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Get things wrong and it could end up in a serious injury and,

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as Tom has been finding out,

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that's a problem faced every day by Britain's farm vets.

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MUSIC: All Creatures Great And Small theme

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Think of a rural vet going about their daily business

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and it's easy to conjure nostalgic images

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of a tweed-clad gent tending all creatures great and small.

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But the truth is, farms are dangerous places to work,

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with the death toll across the industry being six times higher

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than construction sites, and many of the toughest jobs fall to vets.

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Foot-trimming, castration - it's all in a day's work for a farm vet,

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but when a large part of your working life is

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spent at the back end of a big beast,

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kicking, crushing and butting are all occupational hazards.

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In fact, being a vet who works with horses is now recognised

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as having the highest risk of injury of any civilian profession.

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Research has shown that in a 30-year career, an equine vet

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can expect to sustain seven or eight injuries

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serious enough to impede their work,

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with nearly a quarter of those requiring hospital admission.

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But detailed statistics like that just aren't available

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when it comes to vets who work with farm livestock.

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The best indicator is a small study

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by the British Veterinary Association.

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It showed that more than half of vets working with livestock

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were injured in a single year, nearly a fifth of them severely.

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This lady seems a bit lively, a lot of crashing about.

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Yeah. She's a fairly fresh-calved cow. Was quite animated just now.

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She wants to get back into the shed and back to her calf.

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Today, vet Colin Buchan is pregnancy-testing on a farm

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in South Lanarkshire, and he's got a couple of flighty customers.

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It's a time when I am glad there's heavy metal between me and her.

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-Absolutely.

-You get on with what you have to do

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and if there's any safety things, just shout.

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-We'll just all stand back, and then she's good to go.

-OK.

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COW MOOS

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One by one, the cows are brought in to a metal pen called a crush

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so they can be diagnosed.

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It's one of the riskiest parts of the job.

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So, how's that one?

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Yeah, three months in calf. So good news.

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What are the main risks for vets?

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Obviously, standing behind a cow like this,

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there's a very real risk of getting kicked.

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We've got a nervous animal,

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performing procedures to her that she potentially doesn't want,

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so a kicking injury, a very real occurrence.

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Likewise, if the handling facilities aren't great,

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she can back out of this and potentially crush me

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against a gate behind me,

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another animal being brought up behind.

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So there are plenty of opportunities for being injured at work.

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After ten years in the business, Colin knows

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first-hand about the hazards posed by the hooved and dangerous.

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Unfortunately, about four years ago, I was operating on a cow

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and did receive a kick in the face myself.

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A broken nose, I bit through my lip, a couple of loose teeth

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and fairly bruised and swollen for a few weeks afterwards.

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But unfortunately, it is part of the job. Work goes on and life goes on.

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According to the Health and Safety Executive,

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the vet should be working with the farmer to achieve

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the right level of safety for the job,

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but the farmer has to provide well-maintained equipment.

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Luckily, certainly in this area, we have a good working

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relationship with our farmers.

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There have been times where you've got to say,

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"I don't feel safe,"

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and they understand that if we say we aren't happy

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with something, they take it on board

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and seek to rectify any problems. Unfortunately, on a frequent basis,

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-there are facilities that are substandard.

-Hmm.

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This farm is an example of good practice,

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but data from the Health and Safety Executive

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suggests that nearly half the injuries

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sustained on farms from livestock are due to inadequate facilities.

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Here at Edinburgh University Royal Vet School,

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they teach their new breed of students

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how to recognise risk from day one.

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Nobody likes doing paperwork, nobody likes writing risk assessments.

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Actually, once you've been out on farm,

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you've been knocked about a few times,

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you'll start to run a continuous risk assessment in your head,

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and you don't even realise you're doing it.

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As a lecturer and a practising vet, Dr Alex Corbishley has to be

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prepared to work in a variety of situations.

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Of course, we'll never knowingly put ourselves or anyone else

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in a risky situation,

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however, we will try and get the job done as often as we can.

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To give you one anecdote, to compare to a different industry,

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I've been out on a farm in a previous job where we had

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a number of builders helping on the unit,

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and a couple of the chaps actually walked off the farm and said,

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"You wouldn't get away with this on a building site."

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Now, we actually completed that job safely and the system that

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was available was actually very effective and safe to work in.

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I think it made me much more aware of some of the risks we do take.

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But it's quite an interesting comparison,

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because people have talked about how the injury

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and accident rates in construction have been pushed down in a way

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that, sadly, on farms we haven't seen yet, have we?

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That's commonly what you hear and, at the moment, there's

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probably some lessons we could learn from that.

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This is one of the world's leading vet schools,

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with a top-of-the-range farmyard.

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So, can anyone describe the features that we're looking at here?

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It's got a high side, so they can't really see anything too scary,

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-and it's going to push them in one direction.

-Absolutely.

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If a cow can get its nose over the top of something,

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it thinks it can get itself over the top of something, so the last

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thing you want is 600 or 700 kilos of cow landing on top of you.

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But farms don't always glitter with gold-standard equipment.

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Now, I look at this kit here. This is pretty much the Rolls-Royce end.

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I haven't seen much like this on the average cattle farm in the country.

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I mean, you've got an unfair advantage here.

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So, this system has cost thousands of pounds to put in,

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but what we try and teach our students are the features of it

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that make it safe, that make it effective,

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and you can do much of this quite cost-effectively on many farms.

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So the principles that are here can actually be applied

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-pretty simply in most farmyards?

-Absolutely.

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So, should more be done to make farmyards a safer place for vets

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and farm workers?

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And could lessons be learned from sectors like the building industry,

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where the number of injuries has fallen by 40% in the last 15 years?

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'Andrew McCornick runs a mixed beef and sheep farm

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'in Dumfries and Galloway,

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'and is also vice president of NFU Scotland.'

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Are farmers doing enough to keep vets safe on their farms?

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We're working in partnership with the vets.

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We're trying to get everything right,

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because it's not in our interest to get vets or ourselves injured

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while we're working with cattle.

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But the Health and Safety Executive has said that nearly

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half of injuries involving animals are due to inadequate facilities.

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It sounds a bit like the farmers' fault to me.

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It's a good way to put the blame onto someone else.

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We certainly need to keep everything up-to-date as much as we can.

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We've got to make everybody aware of what the risks

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and the liabilities are in this.

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Is there a reporting structure for maybe, perhaps,

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minor injuries, like we've seen in construction, which has

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helped to drive the whole culture of safety?

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Does that exist in farming?

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I don't think you're comparing apples with apples,

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comparing us with the construction industry.

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We're in a totally different environment.

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We are working with animals.

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The minute we put them into handling facilities,

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we're actually inciting the flight-or-fight mechanism in them,

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so we can't say 100% we could control that.

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That's why we have to have good facilities.

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Fresh efforts are now being made to reduce these risks.

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The HSE is revising its strategy

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on safe working practices in agriculture,

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and the NFU is working with them.

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We actually are part of a farm safety initiative that was

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started last year with the Health and Safety Executive, NFU Scotland,

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NFU England and the National Farmers' Union Mutual.

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We're out there in the forefront

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trying to highlight what the issues are on farms.

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And so do you think if vets come onto farms in Scotland,

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and as far as you can speak for England,

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they can be pretty confident they're going to come to a safe place?

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Yes, they should.

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We are trying to bring this to the forefront.

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Safety is really important to our industry.

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Whatever we can do to try and improve that, we will,

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and that initiative is trying to draw attention to farmers

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and to make them think twice

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before they do some of the tasks that they're doing.

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Moves from the industry to make farm working safer could make

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a real difference, but when you're working with unpredictable animals,

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then the life of a farm vet can never be entirely risk-free.

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They might say, "It shouldn't happen to a vet,"

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but it's not easy to make sure it doesn't.

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Just off the coast of Northern Ireland

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lies the island of Rathlin.

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At just six miles long and one mile wide,

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the island is small in size but rich in wildlife.

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Its beauty doesn't stop at this rugged coastline.

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Perhaps its greatest asset lies hidden beneath the surface

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of the sea. Here, the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea,

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and the mingling of these waters provides the perfect setting

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for one of the most dynamic, most productive ecosystems on our planet,

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a forest of kelp,

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and the one here on Rathlin is truly spectacular.

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Just off its shores, this vast resource of seaweed provides

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a nutrient-rich and protective habitat for marine life.

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And though its value to wildlife is widely known, in recent years,

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people have been exploring the potential health benefits

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of this edible seaweed.

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Keen to make the most of this growing market,

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Kate Burns set up the UK's first kelp farm here on Rathlin in 2013.

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Well, here we are, Kate,

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on this beautiful rocky shoreline on a kelp hunt.

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-Indeed we are.

-Why kelp? What's so special about kelp?

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Well, kelp is a superfood

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that we haven't really been eating much in the British Isles,

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and it's only now that we're realising

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A, how good it is for you, and B, what a great food product it makes.

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So, what is so good about it?

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Well, it's got more calcium and iron than any other vegetable.

0:19:180:19:21

It's high in protein and vitamin D, in roughage.

0:19:210:19:25

-It doesn't look very nice.

-No, it doesn't, actually,

0:19:250:19:28

and when we farm it, it's different,

0:19:280:19:30

-and you'll see that later on.

-Right.

0:19:300:19:32

And also, how we cook it makes it very palatable indeed.

0:19:320:19:36

Kelp is very much a staple of Asian cuisine,

0:19:370:19:40

but Kate's taking a more European approach.

0:19:400:19:43

She's targeting gastronomes with her selection of

0:19:450:19:47

ready-to-eat kelp tagliatelle and pesto,

0:19:470:19:51

and although her crop grows out at sea, the work begins here on shore.

0:19:510:19:55

So, what exactly are we looking for?

0:19:570:19:59

Well, we're looking for a kelp which has spores on it,

0:19:590:20:02

and at the moment, we're looking for sugar kelp.

0:20:020:20:04

In the month of February,

0:20:040:20:06

it's the kind of kelp which is ready to release spores.

0:20:060:20:10

That's some sugar kelp there,

0:20:100:20:13

but it hasn't got any spores on it.

0:20:130:20:15

-Oh, right, so that's no good.

-No.

0:20:150:20:18

-Here's a piece here.

-Oh, right.

0:20:180:20:20

So, where are the spores, then?

0:20:200:20:22

Well, can you see that black, dark line down the middle of it?

0:20:220:20:26

-Like a spine going down.

-That's actually spores.

-Uh-huh.

0:20:260:20:29

Out in the ocean, kelp reproduces naturally,

0:20:340:20:36

but Kate is taking a more hi-tech approach.

0:20:360:20:39

Hers is cultivated in a lab before being transferred out to sea

0:20:390:20:43

to grow into adult plants.

0:20:430:20:46

First, the spores collected on the beach are cut out and cleaned.

0:20:510:20:55

Then they're chilled for 24 hours before being

0:20:550:20:59

released into sterile seawater.

0:20:590:21:01

When they release, they become zooplankton for 24 hours,

0:21:020:21:05

and they have tails, and they're male and female, and they swim,

0:21:050:21:09

and they look for something to attach to,

0:21:090:21:12

and if they don't attach within 24 hours, they die.

0:21:120:21:15

So, you put string down for them?

0:21:150:21:17

There are spools of string in the lab, and after about 35 days,

0:21:170:21:22

they are one millimetre, two millimetres long,

0:21:220:21:25

and we transplant them to ropes at sea in our licensed kelp farm.

0:21:250:21:30

Why go to all that bother, though?

0:21:300:21:32

Why not just get it from the sea anyway?

0:21:320:21:34

Well, we can choose what species we want to grow.

0:21:340:21:38

Some are better for the market, for processing, than others.

0:21:380:21:41

We can be selective about the time of year we're growing them.

0:21:410:21:44

Also, kelp that grows in ropes isn't coarse

0:21:440:21:47

like the kelp you see round the beach. It grows in big sheets,

0:21:470:21:51

and that's better for processing and better for eating.

0:21:510:21:53

It's also more sustainable.

0:21:530:21:55

You're creating new habitat for invertebrates

0:21:550:21:57

and small fish under the water, feed stocks for sea birds.

0:21:570:22:00

So all those good reasons.

0:22:000:22:03

So, this sustainable vegetable of the ocean starts out in a lab,

0:22:060:22:10

gets planted out at sea and is then harvested.

0:22:100:22:14

But Kate's venture is just the latest in a long and beneficial

0:22:160:22:19

relationship between Rathlin and its kelp, as I'll be discovering later.

0:22:190:22:24

Northern Ireland has it all...

0:22:320:22:34

..dramatic coastline,

0:22:350:22:37

rugged mountains,

0:22:370:22:39

ancient ruins...

0:22:390:22:41

..and one of the best ways to experience them all

0:22:430:22:46

is the 600-mile circular Ulster Way footpath.

0:22:460:22:50

But in recent years,

0:22:560:22:57

the tourists are having to share it with an increasing number of TV

0:22:570:23:01

and film crews, who are drawn to this dramatic landscape.

0:23:010:23:04

Now, behind me is Dunluce Castle, but if you're a fan

0:23:040:23:07

of Game Of Thrones, you'd recognise it as Castle Pyke.

0:23:070:23:10

The castle is one of the many highlights on the Ulster Way.

0:23:160:23:20

70 years ago, whilst on a walking holiday in the Pennines,

0:23:200:23:24

Wilfrid Capper, Northern Ireland's very own Wainwright,

0:23:240:23:27

dreamt of this circular path around Ulster.

0:23:270:23:31

But hostile landowners and a lack of footpaths meant

0:23:350:23:38

it would be another three decades before his dream became a reality.

0:23:380:23:43

On the path is Ballintoy Harbour.

0:23:450:23:47

As a young man, Reg Magowan helped Capper create the route.

0:23:480:23:52

What was his personality like?

0:23:540:23:55

A very interesting guy.

0:23:550:23:57

I think you could say he was the first green man in Ireland.

0:23:570:24:01

He was a vegetarian, he preferred to use public transport,

0:24:010:24:05

he very much insisted that exercise was important,

0:24:050:24:10

and I guess it must have worked, because he lived till he was 93.

0:24:100:24:14

He must have been some wilful character.

0:24:140:24:16

It's very difficult to make progress on walks and so on, because

0:24:160:24:20

we have a lot of different landowners on the route,

0:24:200:24:23

but he would go out and often sit with a farmer and have a cup of tea

0:24:230:24:27

and come back with a permissive path agreement, which is quite something.

0:24:270:24:32

I mean, a man to walk the whole of the Ulster Way

0:24:320:24:35

when he was 88 takes some doing.

0:24:350:24:38

-Wow!

-Over 600 miles.

0:24:380:24:41

When he was 88, he did the whole thing?!

0:24:410:24:44

So that will give you an idea of the determination of the man.

0:24:440:24:47

How important is Wilfrid Capper to Northern Ireland?

0:24:470:24:50

Without him, we wouldn't have the Ulster Way, obviously,

0:24:500:24:53

but with the Ulster Way came many, many other paths,

0:24:530:24:56

many other walking routes,

0:24:560:24:58

and that has now developed into canoe trails in Northern Ireland

0:24:580:25:01

and mountain-biking trails,

0:25:010:25:03

so we can attribute a lot of that to Wilfrid Capper, I think.

0:25:030:25:06

On many a walker's wish list is a remarkable

0:25:130:25:16

33-mile stretch of the Ulster Way, across the top of Northern Ireland.

0:25:160:25:21

Now, the jewel in the crown of Capper's long-distance trek

0:25:230:25:26

is this, a two-day hike along the Causeway Coast Path,

0:25:260:25:29

taking in the Unesco-protected Giant's Causeway -

0:25:290:25:33

huge basalt volcanic pillars

0:25:330:25:35

that stretch from cliff top down to the sea.

0:25:350:25:38

It's such an incredibly special place.

0:25:500:25:53

It's so dramatic, with the waves lapping up around me.

0:25:530:25:56

It's a real wonder of nature

0:25:560:25:58

and so much fun to explore.

0:25:580:26:01

Once upon a time,

0:26:090:26:10

it was considered good luck to wedge coins into the rock.

0:26:100:26:13

I'm going to use these coins to wish good luck upon all the

0:26:130:26:16

walkers on the Ulster Way and also,

0:26:160:26:19

I hope that it gets a little bit warmer.

0:26:190:26:21

This plucky group of walkers is attempting to complete

0:26:290:26:33

the whole 600-mile circuit.

0:26:330:26:35

Oh, it's so spectacular, isn't it?

0:26:380:26:40

It's lovely, this. That's what we like about it.

0:26:400:26:43

This must be one of our favourite walks.

0:26:430:26:45

How much of the Ulster Way have you done?

0:26:450:26:47

We've done, in total, about 160 miles now.

0:26:470:26:50

The Ulster Way is made up of a lot of waymarked paths

0:26:500:26:54

scattered right round Northern Ireland,

0:26:540:26:56

and the Ulster Way, really, is linking up all those paths.

0:26:560:27:00

You would do about 10 to 12 miles at a stretch.

0:27:000:27:03

And can it get quite difficult?

0:27:030:27:05

Yes, the terrain can be difficult in places, making your way

0:27:050:27:08

through tussocks of grass and that kind of thing can be very difficult,

0:27:080:27:12

and quite a lot of it is not waymarked,

0:27:120:27:15

and you have to find your own way across, particularly, open ground.

0:27:150:27:18

Why do it? Why stay out in the freezing cold,

0:27:180:27:22

when it's lashing down with rain and do this?

0:27:220:27:25

People who have never been up at a height before don't

0:27:250:27:29

realise what the views are like, and it's really superb

0:27:290:27:33

when you get up there and you look around and people just say,

0:27:330:27:37

"Wow! Isn't that beautiful?

0:27:370:27:39

"I never thought it would be like that up here."

0:27:390:27:42

Sections of the Ulster Way, like the Mountains of Mourne,

0:27:440:27:47

can be challenging,

0:27:470:27:49

but this stretch, the Causeway Coast Path, is far more accessible.

0:27:490:27:53

Have you ever got lost?

0:27:550:27:56

Well...we wouldn't admit to that.

0:27:560:28:00

These ramblers have Wilfrid Capper to thank

0:28:030:28:05

for creating this beautiful route.

0:28:050:28:08

Later, I'll be meeting the people fighting to keep it open for all.

0:28:080:28:12

I'm on Rathlin, Northern Ireland's only inhabited offshore island.

0:28:270:28:32

Today, kelp is providing a fruitful 21st-century business opportunity.

0:28:370:28:43

But the seaweed along these wave-battered shores has long

0:28:460:28:50

played an important part in the island's economy.

0:28:500:28:53

For centuries,

0:28:550:28:57

the fortunes of this small community have been deeply entwined with the

0:28:570:29:01

natural resource that grows in such abundance in the waters around here.

0:29:010:29:07

But just as the tides change,

0:29:070:29:09

the value of kelp to the islanders has come and gone.

0:29:090:29:13

Back in the 18th and early 19th century,

0:29:160:29:19

Rathlin kelp was in high demand.

0:29:190:29:21

It was processed as a bleaching agent

0:29:210:29:25

for the thriving Irish linen industry,

0:29:250:29:27

but it had many other uses.

0:29:270:29:29

At the height of production,

0:29:290:29:31

this tiny island's population swelled to more than 1,000.

0:29:310:29:35

Jim McFaul was born and bred on the island.

0:29:400:29:42

He's taking me to the ruins of the kelp store,

0:29:420:29:46

a monument to what was a very tough way of life.

0:29:460:29:49

A group of families would have been allocated a certain

0:29:500:29:53

part of the shore to gather, and you didn't go anywhere else.

0:29:530:29:57

Now, that could have been on a very inaccessible place on the cliffs,

0:29:570:30:01

where you would have had to have gone down using ropes to climb down

0:30:010:30:05

onto the cliffs, but if that was the way it was,

0:30:050:30:07

that was the way it was.

0:30:070:30:09

Baskets, creels they called them, that had rope handles on them,

0:30:090:30:14

and they carried them

0:30:140:30:16

on their back to carry the kelp from the water line.

0:30:160:30:19

I heard my father saying that he remembered, in his young days,

0:30:190:30:23

their back would be raw from the saltwater off the wet seaweed

0:30:230:30:27

and the things rubbing against their back,

0:30:270:30:29

and that was the sort of work they had to do to survive.

0:30:290:30:33

They draped the entire kelp stocks over the wall to dry in the sun.

0:30:330:30:37

When they were completely dry, they burned them in the kilns.

0:30:370:30:40

Why did they burn it, then?

0:30:400:30:42

The reason they burned it was to concentrate it.

0:30:420:30:45

A ship came in and anchored in the bay,

0:30:450:30:47

and it was taken off to chemical factories.

0:30:470:30:50

Some of it was used for bleaching,

0:30:500:30:52

some of it was used for chemicals, like iodine.

0:30:520:30:54

In the 1830s, the kelp industry declined

0:31:000:31:03

when alternative chemicals came onto the market,

0:31:030:31:06

and Rathlin was also hit hard by the potato famine.

0:31:060:31:10

Between 1846 and 1850, roughly half of the population

0:31:120:31:16

emigrated to America, and numbers never recovered.

0:31:160:31:20

Around 100 years later,

0:31:260:31:28

a BBC documentary depicted a community under threat.

0:31:280:31:32

People still go, and through a glassless window,

0:31:330:31:37

you can see the discarded relics of the last family.

0:31:370:31:40

The question is, how long can a place live

0:31:410:31:44

if its people are drained away?

0:31:440:31:46

Numbers continued to decline and, just a few years ago,

0:31:500:31:54

only 75 people were left on the island.

0:31:540:31:57

Today, though, the picture looks very different.

0:32:050:32:08

There's now around 125 islanders,

0:32:090:32:13

and there is something of a baby boom.

0:32:130:32:16

-Who is this? This is Oscar. And?

-This is Darragh.

-Freya. Barra.

0:32:170:32:22

And how many altogether on the island now, little ones?

0:32:220:32:26

-There have been six babies born since 2014.

-Really?

0:32:260:32:30

There was five born in the one year, in 2014,

0:32:300:32:33

and that was a real record for the island.

0:32:330:32:35

There had been nothing like that for more than 30 years.

0:32:350:32:38

And then a baby was born in 2015, and there is one more on the way.

0:32:380:32:42

The woman that owns this cafe is pregnant with her second child.

0:32:420:32:46

Were you born on the island?

0:32:460:32:47

No, myself and my husband Stephen, we moved here in 2009.

0:32:470:32:52

We actually both moved here from Dublin.

0:32:520:32:55

So, it was quite a dramatic change to move from a busy city life

0:32:550:32:59

-to Rathlin.

-What brought you here?

0:32:590:33:01

We were ready for a change in lifestyle.

0:33:010:33:03

We were both academics in Dublin,

0:33:030:33:05

but it is really special to come home each day to Rathlin Island.

0:33:050:33:09

-Where you born on the island?

-No!

0:33:090:33:11

You're another newcomer.

0:33:110:33:13

Yeah, I am from Kildare in Ireland,

0:33:130:33:16

and I moved to Belfast some years ago, and we've just recently moved,

0:33:160:33:19

but we've been coming here for about 15 years.

0:33:190:33:23

I'm originally from County Down, and I've married an islander.

0:33:230:33:26

-What's the atmosphere on the island now?

-I think it is great.

0:33:260:33:29

There's a lot of community spirit, community events and things.

0:33:290:33:32

All the generations often get opportunities to be together,

0:33:320:33:36

and that is very special, living in a small community.

0:33:360:33:39

So, do you think the future of the island is now secure

0:33:390:33:42

because of all these little ones?

0:33:420:33:45

As secure as it can be, I suppose, but, yeah,

0:33:450:33:47

it definitely looks hopeful.

0:33:470:33:48

Small businesses are opening up and employment

0:33:480:33:51

and that seems to be, definitely, a lot more secure.

0:33:510:33:54

TRADITIONAL MUSIC PLAYS

0:33:540:33:57

There has always been a great sense of community on Rathlin,

0:33:580:34:02

with the echoes of the past never far away.

0:34:020:34:05

Today, that island spirit is as strong as ever.

0:34:050:34:08

It is intrinsically linked to its rugged landscape,

0:34:080:34:11

its weather and its natural resources.

0:34:110:34:14

Later, I'll be harvesting and sampling the kelp that's

0:34:160:34:19

playing a role in reviving Rathlin's fortunes.

0:34:190:34:22

MUSIC ENDS

0:34:240:34:26

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:34:260:34:28

LAMB BLEATS

0:34:320:34:33

The days are drawing out.

0:34:360:34:38

Spring sunshine is driving out the morning chill.

0:34:380:34:42

And work on Adam's farm is picking up apace.

0:34:440:34:48

This spring sunshine is absolutely perfect for these ewes

0:34:480:34:52

and lambs that have been turned out onto the grass.

0:34:520:34:54

Fingers crossed it stays like it,

0:34:540:34:56

but we've still got lots of animals still in the sheds

0:34:560:34:59

that need special attention and, also,

0:34:590:35:01

I've got a new breed of pig turning up later.

0:35:010:35:04

So plenty to be getting on with.

0:35:040:35:06

Some of our sheep may have been put out on the fresh grass, but

0:35:100:35:14

the majority of the flock are still in the sheds waiting to give birth.

0:35:140:35:18

Their diet at this late stage of pregnancy is vital to the

0:35:200:35:23

health of the ewes and unborn lambs.

0:35:230:35:26

Lambing is well under way and it is going very well,

0:35:270:35:30

and, ideally, we want the ewes to have two lambs each,

0:35:300:35:34

and when farmers talk about the number of lambs

0:35:340:35:36

that ewes are having, they talk about it in percentages,

0:35:360:35:40

so if they were having one each, that would be 100% lambing.

0:35:400:35:43

If they were all having two each, that would be 200% lambing.

0:35:430:35:46

Ours is working about 185% at the moment,

0:35:460:35:49

so nearly two lambs per ewe, which is absolutely brilliant,

0:35:490:35:52

but when the ewes are carrying so many lambs inside them,

0:35:520:35:55

the nutrition is absolutely essential.

0:35:550:35:58

Thankfully, we made this really good-quality silage last summer,

0:36:010:36:04

which is full of energy and protein,

0:36:040:36:06

but we do still need to top these ewes up

0:36:060:36:08

with some high-protein sheep nuts,

0:36:080:36:11

and that's what I am going to do now.

0:36:110:36:13

And we work out how many sheep nuts to feed them

0:36:170:36:20

depending on the quality of the silage.

0:36:200:36:22

And these sheep nuts are full of protein and minerals and energy.

0:36:250:36:29

These are all singles. They've only got one lamb inside them,

0:36:290:36:32

so they don't need so much grub.

0:36:320:36:33

If we give them too much, the ewes will get too fat and the lambs

0:36:330:36:36

will be too big, and they will struggle to give birth to them.

0:36:360:36:40

We separate the ewes based on how many lambs they are carrying.

0:36:400:36:43

This way, we can tailor their diets to suit their condition.

0:36:430:36:47

These are twins and triplets in here,

0:36:470:36:50

and they need twice as much grub as the singles.

0:36:500:36:54

They don't care about me.

0:36:540:36:55

They'll just knock me over trying to get to their breakfast!

0:36:550:36:59

And they need more because of the multiple lambs inside them.

0:36:590:37:02

The lambs do about 75% of their growth

0:37:020:37:05

in the last five to six weeks of pregnancy.

0:37:050:37:08

In fact, there is a disease called twin lamb disease that affects ewes

0:37:080:37:13

that are giving birth to twins and triplets,

0:37:130:37:15

and if the nutrition isn't right, those lambs are drawing on all

0:37:150:37:19

the mother's resources, and it can make them ill and they can die.

0:37:190:37:22

So the nutrition has to be right, and if we get it right,

0:37:220:37:25

the ewes will lamb down in good condition themselves,

0:37:250:37:28

producing plenty of milk, and the lambs will be a perfect size.

0:37:280:37:32

At the moment, I think we are getting it just about spot-on.

0:37:320:37:35

The ewes are sharing the shed with our herd of pregnant nanny goats.

0:37:410:37:44

They've been politely waiting in the wings for their breakfast,

0:37:440:37:48

but I am being patient with them too.

0:37:480:37:51

When a goat gives birth, it is called kidding,

0:37:510:37:54

and all these nannies are supposed to have kidded by now.

0:37:540:37:58

We put the billies in in the autumn

0:37:580:38:00

and the nannies come into season ready to accept the billy

0:38:000:38:03

as the day lengths get shorter, but because we had such a mild,

0:38:030:38:06

warm autumn, we don't think the nannies came into season

0:38:060:38:10

when we expected them to, so, actually,

0:38:100:38:12

they all are supposed to have given birth, but none of them have.

0:38:120:38:16

They are looking pretty huge at the moment,

0:38:160:38:18

and I am expecting them any day.

0:38:180:38:20

Right, they can have their breakfast.

0:38:200:38:22

There you go, girls.

0:38:220:38:24

So, although these are all still expecting, there is one that

0:38:240:38:27

did give birth when I was hoping, and she is in a pen over there.

0:38:270:38:31

Well, here she is.

0:38:320:38:34

Goats are very similar to sheep in many ways.

0:38:340:38:36

They have the same gestation period,

0:38:360:38:38

they give birth to similar amounts of young,

0:38:380:38:40

they've both got two teats to feed them on.

0:38:400:38:43

The only difference, really, is that sheep are much hardier

0:38:430:38:45

because they have got a fleece that is full of grease

0:38:450:38:48

and they can cope with wet, cold weather,

0:38:480:38:50

whereas goats need a shelter, so they like being in the shed here.

0:38:500:38:54

And this nanny gave birth to twins.

0:38:540:38:57

One lovely little goat kid here.

0:38:570:39:00

That's a real corker.

0:39:000:39:03

But the twin was tiny, and we thought it was going to die,

0:39:030:39:06

so we had to tube it with colostrum,

0:39:060:39:08

the first milk that the nanny produces, and now we have got it

0:39:080:39:12

in a warmer pen out the back there, with lots of little triplet lambs.

0:39:120:39:16

We'll go and have a look at it.

0:39:160:39:18

So, in here, we've got two little pens with heat lamps on,

0:39:310:39:35

with lambs in.

0:39:350:39:36

This is where we have our triplet or quad lambs.

0:39:360:39:39

A ewe has only got two teats, so if she has more than two lambs,

0:39:390:39:43

she can't feed them all, so we rear the spares in here,

0:39:430:39:46

and this is where the little goat kid is.

0:39:460:39:49

And he is still quite small.

0:39:490:39:51

He is about half the size of his brother, but doing really well now.

0:39:510:39:55

Looking really healthy.

0:39:550:39:57

And usually, with these pet lambs,

0:39:570:39:59

we have to feed them during the day and the night.

0:39:590:40:02

We have got them on this automatic feeder, they have got some teats

0:40:020:40:05

in here, so they can suckle milk whenever they want.

0:40:050:40:07

It is fed by these tubes that come from this automatic feeder.

0:40:070:40:11

The powdered milk is in the top, it's mixed up with the water,

0:40:110:40:15

warmed up and then feeds straight through to them.

0:40:150:40:18

I will see if he wants to have a little suckle.

0:40:180:40:20

There we go.

0:40:220:40:23

There.

0:40:230:40:25

Perfect. Goats are clever little creatures,

0:40:260:40:29

and he's really getting the hang of that, which is brilliant,

0:40:290:40:32

because it will save us a lot of time,

0:40:320:40:34

and at this time of year, we are always busy.

0:40:340:40:36

The ewes giving birth here are from the commercial flock

0:40:400:40:43

we keep on the farm but, as you know, rare breeds are my passion.

0:40:430:40:47

Today, pig farmer Chris Coe is bringing me a very special delivery.

0:40:480:40:52

PIG GRUNTS

0:40:550:40:57

Well, this is all quite exciting for me.

0:40:570:40:59

I've ordered some Berkshire pigs, but I haven't seen them yet.

0:40:590:41:02

-Hi, Chris.

-Hi, Adam. Nice to meet you.

-And you.

0:41:020:41:04

-So, have you got me some nice ones?

-I do hope so.

0:41:040:41:06

-Shall we let them out?

-Yes, let's.

0:41:060:41:09

Who have we got here, then, Chris?

0:41:110:41:13

-This is Henry.

-The boar?

-That's right.

0:41:130:41:15

He is 11 months old and raring to go.

0:41:150:41:17

-Is he friendly?

-Yeah.

-Go on, then.

0:41:170:41:20

Go on.

0:41:200:41:22

'Chris has one of the largest herds of Berkshire pigs in the country,

0:41:220:41:26

'and as well as Henry the boar...'

0:41:260:41:28

There we go. He's lovely.

0:41:280:41:31

'..she has also kindly sold me two pregnant gilts,

0:41:310:41:34

'young female pigs who are yet to have a litter...'

0:41:340:41:38

He's pleased to see you.

0:41:380:41:39

'..and a sow that has recently given birth to seven little piglets.'

0:41:410:41:45

HE CHUCKLES

0:41:450:41:47

Look at you with all your babies!

0:41:470:41:49

It's all a bit strange, isn't it? All a bit new.

0:41:490:41:52

Right, let's get them in the stable, shall we?

0:41:520:41:54

Come on, little piggies. Come on.

0:41:540:41:57

In you go with your mum.

0:41:590:42:01

Quite a different temperament to my Iron Age pigs.

0:42:040:42:07

Yeah, they are very, very calm

0:42:070:42:08

and they're great because even when they farrow,

0:42:080:42:11

you can be in with them, and they're absolutely, completely relaxed.

0:42:110:42:14

No problem whatsoever.

0:42:140:42:16

Having never had the breed before, it is very exciting to have them

0:42:160:42:19

on the farm, but take me through the finer points of a Berkshire.

0:42:190:42:22

What am I looking for?

0:42:220:42:24

Black coat all over, and then you've got six white points -

0:42:240:42:27

one on each foot, on the tip of the tail

0:42:270:42:29

and then just down the front of the face.

0:42:290:42:31

How much down the front of the face?

0:42:310:42:33

I see some of the piglets differ a bit.

0:42:330:42:35

Yes. It shouldn't be too much. You don't want their whole face covered.

0:42:350:42:38

It should just be, literally, across the top of the nose.

0:42:380:42:41

Not round the eyes. And not too much round the muzzle either.

0:42:410:42:44

And in stature, in comparison to the Tamworth

0:42:440:42:46

and the Gloucester Old Spot, quite a small pig.

0:42:460:42:48

They are. They're known as "the ladies' pig", actually.

0:42:480:42:51

They're great for someone my size

0:42:510:42:52

because you don't feel overpowered by them,

0:42:520:42:54

but it's their temperament which is what attracts you to them.

0:42:540:42:58

What about the Rare Breeds Survival Trust? Where are they on their list?

0:42:580:43:02

-Cos they're quite rare, aren't they?

-Yes, they are.

0:43:020:43:04

They are a vulnerable category.

0:43:040:43:05

There are only about 200 active sows in the whole of the country.

0:43:050:43:08

They're really lovely.

0:43:080:43:10

Well, thank you so much for bringing me such a lovely herd.

0:43:100:43:13

-It's great to get started in them.

-Absolutely.

0:43:130:43:16

Earlier, I began exploring the circular walk, the Ulster Way.

0:43:400:43:44

My journey has brought me to the

0:43:460:43:48

remote White Park Bay on the Antrim coast,

0:43:480:43:51

one of creator Wilfrid Capper's favourite spots.

0:43:510:43:55

Capper helped buy the bay for the nation 80 years ago.

0:43:550:44:00

Here, his path crosses the beach and dunes.

0:44:030:44:06

Footpaths bear the brunt of a lot of walking boots and weather,

0:44:090:44:12

and need care and attention to stay open.

0:44:120:44:15

But when there is more than 600 miles of it,

0:44:150:44:18

that's a lot of hard graft.

0:44:180:44:19

'The two-mile stretch of path across White Park Bay

0:44:260:44:30

'is maintained by a hardy team,

0:44:300:44:32

'led by National Trust warden Cliff Henry.'

0:44:320:44:36

Lovely to see you too.

0:44:360:44:37

Now, this is not a bad spot to be responsible for, is it?

0:44:370:44:40

It's beautiful, isn't it? Every day is different.

0:44:400:44:43

The weather is always different, so every day,

0:44:430:44:45

-it is beautiful in a different way.

-So, what is your involvement?

0:44:450:44:49

My job is area ranger, so I look after the site,

0:44:490:44:51

for its conservation, so I would manage any scrub clearance,

0:44:510:44:55

or any problems on site, I would be responsible for looking after that.

0:44:550:45:00

Why does it need scrub clearance?

0:45:000:45:02

Why can't you just let nature take its course?

0:45:020:45:04

There have been a number of issues with under-grazing

0:45:040:45:07

since the Trust took the site on, and this has led to brambles

0:45:070:45:10

and blackthorn just growing uncontrollably,

0:45:100:45:13

so now bramble and blackthorn cover nearly a third of the park.

0:45:130:45:16

We are trying to turn the clock back

0:45:160:45:18

and get it back to its pristine state.

0:45:180:45:20

Well, you've got another willing volunteer here, Cliff,

0:45:200:45:23

and I love burning stuff, so lead the way.

0:45:230:45:25

I'm off to help Cliff and the volunteer working party

0:45:280:45:31

clear the scrub on the slopes here.

0:45:310:45:34

80 years ago, when Capper fell for this place,

0:45:350:45:38

grazing farm animals would have kept the undergrowth in check.

0:45:380:45:42

Now the dominant blackthorn and brambles

0:45:420:45:45

smother all the other plants.

0:45:450:45:47

Cutting them back will allow the recorded 1,000 species

0:45:470:45:52

to re-emerge and thrive again.

0:45:520:45:54

What plants and species have you got here that you want to preserve?

0:45:560:46:00

We have 13 species of orchid on site here,

0:46:000:46:03

and some of those have only been seen once,

0:46:030:46:06

so they are very rare.

0:46:060:46:08

Whoo!

0:46:200:46:21

It is a hard job but it is very satisfying. Oh...

0:46:210:46:25

White Park Bay has four-legged volunteers, too,

0:46:380:46:41

roaming the beach and dunes.

0:46:410:46:44

These cattle are a vital weapon

0:46:440:46:46

in the battle to rid

0:46:460:46:48

the bay of pest plants.

0:46:480:46:49

Wonderfully easy to please,

0:46:490:46:51

they can tackle brambles and other unpalatable vegetation.

0:46:510:46:55

National Trust manager and livestock farmer Frank Devlin

0:46:550:46:59

keeps a close eye on the cattle.

0:46:590:47:01

Frank, I have seen it all now.

0:47:020:47:05

-Cows on the beach?

-Yes. Indeed.

0:47:050:47:07

They are very at home on the beach, actually,

0:47:070:47:10

but you are just as likely to see them way up on the scree slopes.

0:47:100:47:13

What are they doing here? Is this their ground?

0:47:130:47:16

This is where they graze.

0:47:160:47:17

There's not too many of them here in the wintertime

0:47:170:47:20

because the vegetation is low and there is not too much feeding,

0:47:200:47:23

but in the summertime, the numbers increase.

0:47:230:47:25

What you've seen today, the guys out working with the chainsaws,

0:47:250:47:28

the strimmers, the tractors, is a short-term measure to try

0:47:280:47:31

and get all the scrub under control and at that stage, then,

0:47:310:47:36

we will allow the cattle to take their place

0:47:360:47:38

as a long-term measure for conservation.

0:47:380:47:40

What type of cows are they?

0:47:400:47:42

They must be a certain breed that can handle this sort of terrain?

0:47:420:47:45

These are young Angus cattle.

0:47:450:47:47

They are young because we have a bit of an issue here on site with ticks,

0:47:470:47:51

and the ticks on the site carry a parasite,

0:47:510:47:54

and the parasite attacks their red blood cells,

0:47:540:47:57

which can be very dangerous and actually fatal in some cases,

0:47:570:48:01

so the younger cattle are more resilient to that parasite.

0:48:010:48:04

-I can see you have got a soft spot for those cattle.

-Oh, absolutely.

0:48:040:48:07

They are so at home here, and it works so well,

0:48:070:48:10

for both the National Trust and the livestock here.

0:48:100:48:13

They're getting a great habitat,

0:48:130:48:15

the tenant is getting the livestock outside,

0:48:150:48:18

good conditions to keep them in, less winter feeding,

0:48:180:48:21

and it's a win-win situation for both of us.

0:48:210:48:25

Thanks to the National Trust wardens and all their helpers,

0:48:280:48:32

this bay will again become the place that Wilfrid Capper knew and loved.

0:48:320:48:36

This year marks the 70th anniversary of one man's vision that has

0:48:360:48:41

left us this glorious, pristine bay

0:48:410:48:43

and the Ulster Way path that crosses it.

0:48:430:48:46

He's a local hero here in Northern Ireland, but I think you'll agree

0:48:480:48:52

his flash of inspiration deserves to be commemorated across the UK.

0:48:520:48:57

I mean, just look at it!

0:48:570:48:59

Today, we are exploring Northern Ireland

0:49:200:49:23

and while Anita is discovering the Ulster Way, I'm on Rathlin.

0:49:230:49:28

This small island lies just off the Antrim coast.

0:49:310:49:34

It has a rugged and beautiful shoreline, alive with wildlife.

0:49:350:49:40

The islanders have always been great sailors. They've had to be.

0:49:480:49:52

And along with farming, fishing has been a vital source of income here.

0:49:520:49:57

But today, in these waters, there is an intriguing new enterprise.

0:49:570:50:02

An underwater farm.

0:50:020:50:04

I'm joining fourth-generation fisherman Benji McFaul.

0:50:080:50:12

When he's not harvesting shellfish,

0:50:120:50:14

he turns his hand to a spot of aquaculture.

0:50:140:50:18

His family cultivate kelp plants in a lab on shore before fixing them

0:50:180:50:23

onto ropes to mature out at sea.

0:50:230:50:26

They've found conditions are good here for growing this sea vegetable

0:50:290:50:32

and now it is time to gather it in.

0:50:320:50:35

The temperature here tends not to fluctuate too much,

0:50:350:50:38

we've got quite consistent temperatures.

0:50:380:50:40

-That's good for growing kelp?

-It's good for growing kelp, yeah.

0:50:400:50:44

In the summertime, it will increase a bit but not by a wild lot.

0:50:440:50:47

The waters are quite cold round here,

0:50:470:50:49

and the kelp seem to thrive in colder waters.

0:50:490:50:52

How deep does it go?

0:50:520:50:54

When the rope is set at first, the rope is situated about seven feet

0:50:540:50:58

below the surface, but then, as the kelp starts to grow,

0:50:580:51:01

the rope becomes heavier and heavier, and the rope will sink.

0:51:010:51:04

It won't sink to the bottom but it will pull the floats down,

0:51:040:51:07

and whenever that happens,

0:51:070:51:09

that means the rope is ready for harvesting.

0:51:090:51:11

-But it's very sustainable, isn't it?

-Oh, it is totally sustainable.

0:51:110:51:14

We are not to do any harm to any wildlife.

0:51:140:51:16

In fact, you create a wee bit of a habitat while the stuff is going.

0:51:160:51:20

Wee shrimps and fish thrive and live within the kelp ropes.

0:51:200:51:23

Which do you prefer, getting lobsters and crabs, or kelp?

0:51:230:51:26

Um...

0:51:260:51:28

Ach, I like fishing for shellfish, you know?

0:51:280:51:30

But I don't mind doing this either. But it is more pleasurable

0:51:300:51:34

when the weather is a bit better, in the summer, like.

0:51:340:51:37

But, no, it's grand.

0:51:370:51:39

Once collected, the crop is taken back to the island.

0:51:470:51:51

There, it is made into foods like noodles and pesto.

0:51:510:51:55

And Kate Burns, Benji's mum and company founder,

0:51:580:52:01

is keen to show me how versatile and tasty this superfood can be.

0:52:010:52:06

So, we've got a little salad here.

0:52:060:52:08

Here, we've got kelp made with basil and garlic, into a pesto.

0:52:080:52:12

We have it mixed with creme fraiche with...

0:52:120:52:14

-One of Benji's lobsters.

-..one of Benji's lobsters, with kelp butter.

0:52:140:52:18

-Lovely.

-And then we have it with noodles as well.

0:52:180:52:21

So we're just going to put some noodles...

0:52:210:52:23

In here, they're actually mixed with regular noodles.

0:52:230:52:26

You would normally cook the noodles for maybe two minutes.

0:52:260:52:29

-Just to soften them up?

-Just to soften them up a bit, yes.

0:52:290:52:31

-So, I'll just lift them out.

-Yeah.

0:52:310:52:33

The kelp doesn't have much of a taste.

0:52:330:52:36

You will see when you try them now.

0:52:360:52:38

It just tastes vaguely of the sea. It is not strong, generally.

0:52:380:52:41

It is an ingredient.

0:52:410:52:43

It looks more like tagliatelle to me than noodles.

0:52:430:52:46

Well, we call it our tagliatelle cut.

0:52:460:52:48

I see what you mean about tasting of the sea.

0:52:550:52:57

-Yes.

-Yeah. It is a rather nice flavour, actually.

-Yeah.

0:52:570:53:01

-Isn't it?

-It has.

0:53:010:53:03

It is quite a subtle flavour. Not salty at all.

0:53:030:53:06

What do you see for the future of kelp?

0:53:120:53:15

-Is it just on this island?

-No.

0:53:150:53:17

Actually, I really think the British Isles are in a really sweet

0:53:170:53:21

place to be a major producer of farmed kelp.

0:53:210:53:24

We can't actually grow what we would like to here,

0:53:240:53:28

and that is actually because our sea is too rough.

0:53:280:53:31

And we'd be looking to other peripheral coastal communities,

0:53:310:53:34

communities that are struggling, where fishing is a challenge,

0:53:340:53:38

and help them start to grow kelp.

0:53:380:53:41

Well, I am going to take this back to the mainland to

0:53:410:53:44

a friend of mine, see what she makes of it.

0:53:440:53:46

-See if she can guess what this tagliatelle comes from.

-OK.

0:53:460:53:50

Lovely to see you, Kate. And all the very best for your business.

0:53:500:53:53

Thank you very much.

0:53:530:53:54

It's great to see that kelp looks set to be an integral

0:53:590:54:03

part of Rathlin's future while, at the same time,

0:54:030:54:06

providing a fitting link to the island's past.

0:54:060:54:10

Hi, John. I'm the welcoming committee.

0:54:110:54:14

-Well, thank you. Lovely to see you again.

-How was it?

0:54:140:54:17

Fantastic little place, yeah. I really loved it there.

0:54:170:54:20

What about you? Welcome back to Countryfile,

0:54:200:54:22

-after all the glamour of Strictly.

-It's good to be back. I know.

0:54:220:54:24

I've got some sequins hidden under here somewhere.

0:54:240:54:27

Look, I've got you something from the island.

0:54:270:54:29

Ooh! Now, if this is the secret to being youthful like you, John...

0:54:290:54:33

Now, what do you think that is?

0:54:330:54:35

-Tagliatelle of some sort?

-Hmm.

0:54:350:54:37

Hmm!

0:54:370:54:39

Oh, it's delicious.

0:54:390:54:40

Do you know what it is made from?

0:54:400:54:42

-Tell me.

-Seaweed.

0:54:420:54:43

-Have some more.

-Thank you.

-You can have the whole lot!

0:54:430:54:46

Well, that's it for this week.

0:54:460:54:48

Next week, Adam is going to be in Aberystwyth,

0:54:480:54:50

finding out what life is like for a young farmer.

0:54:500:54:53

-Until then, from Northern Ireland, goodbye.

-Bye.

-This is good stuff.

0:54:530:54:57

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