Browse content similar to Wiltshire. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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With chalky uplands and lush pastures, | 0:00:24 | 0:00:28 | |
Wiltshire has a rich farming heritage. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:32 | |
Though the horses here aren't all kept in stables. | 0:00:33 | 0:00:37 | |
It's a county brimming with history, where sacred stones | 0:00:39 | 0:00:43 | |
and mystical mounds share the landscape with the military. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:47 | |
And here, on the edge of Salisbury Plain, | 0:00:50 | 0:00:53 | |
I've been looking at a real success story in conservation. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:57 | |
How the world's heaviest flying bird, | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
until recently extinct around here, | 0:01:00 | 0:01:03 | |
has been brought back to its native Wiltshire. | 0:01:03 | 0:01:07 | |
It's the great bustard. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:08 | |
Left. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:10 | |
Sit! | 0:01:10 | 0:01:11 | |
Anita's with some more familiar feathered friends, | 0:01:11 | 0:01:14 | |
and she gets all her ducks in a row. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:17 | |
Yes! | 0:01:17 | 0:01:19 | |
You're a natural! | 0:01:19 | 0:01:21 | |
Charlotte's looking at why our farms | 0:01:21 | 0:01:24 | |
are still such dangerous places to work. | 0:01:24 | 0:01:27 | |
If I do that, that will give you an idea how much was lost. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:31 | |
And Adam's meeting the farmer shaking up the dairy industry, | 0:01:31 | 0:01:35 | |
with sheep's milk. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:37 | |
All you have there is sheep's milk and culture. | 0:01:37 | 0:01:40 | |
Wow! That is delicious. I could eat that until the sheep come home! | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
Summer in Wiltshire, | 0:01:53 | 0:01:55 | |
where vast open skies meet the wide horizons of rolling downlands. | 0:01:55 | 0:02:01 | |
It's home to some of Britain's most recognisable ancient monuments. | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
And here, on the fringes of Salisbury Plain, one | 0:02:14 | 0:02:17 | |
of Wiltshire's least seen historic sights is making a comeback. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:21 | |
A project to reintroduce one of Britain's most curious | 0:02:23 | 0:02:26 | |
creatures, a bird hunted to extinction 185 years ago. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:32 | |
Salisbury Plain, with all its military manoeuvres, | 0:02:33 | 0:02:36 | |
might seem like an unlikely place | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
to reintroduce a vulnerable species, | 0:02:38 | 0:02:41 | |
but this wide open grassland is where Britain's | 0:02:41 | 0:02:45 | |
biggest bird, the great bustard, once thrived. | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
Now, it's back again, | 0:02:48 | 0:02:50 | |
and I'm here to find out how the project is coming along. | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
Countryfile has been following its progress since 2004. | 0:02:56 | 0:03:01 | |
And eight years ago, I had a rather close encounter with a chap | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
who showed me a thing or two about defensive manoeuvres. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:07 | |
So, who's this, Karen? | 0:03:10 | 0:03:12 | |
This is a male great bustard and his name is Fergus. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:15 | |
BIRD SQUAWKS Oh! He's just taken a peck at me! | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
VOICEOVER: Well, I'm hoping that this time, I won't ruffle any feathers. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:22 | |
It's a real passion project for David Waters, | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
who set up the great bustard conservation group. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:30 | |
For the past 20 years, he's worked tirelessly | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
to bring this bird out of the history books | 0:03:33 | 0:03:35 | |
and into the landscape. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:37 | |
-Dave, good to see you again. -John, how do? | 0:03:37 | 0:03:39 | |
-Fine. Is Fergus still around? -Fergus is still around. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:42 | |
Very much his old self as well. | 0:03:42 | 0:03:44 | |
-Yes. -I'll stay well clear of him then! -I should, yes, yeah. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
-So, how have things been going since I was last here? -Good. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
We've had many years of hard work, | 0:03:50 | 0:03:53 | |
but the last two or three years, it has quite literally taken off. | 0:03:53 | 0:03:58 | |
But if you want to jump in, we'll go up and see some bustards. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
Right, you are. | 0:04:01 | 0:04:03 | |
This magnificent bird was once a common sight in rural England, | 0:04:08 | 0:04:12 | |
easily identified by its enormous wingspan, distinctive plumage, | 0:04:12 | 0:04:17 | |
and much like David, its fine whiskers. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:20 | |
But its huge size made it an easy target for hunters. | 0:04:20 | 0:04:25 | |
The last great bustards vanished from our skies in 1832. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:31 | |
Now, the ones that are back are protected inside the military zone. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:41 | |
Just remind me, Dave, of what you're trying to do here. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:47 | |
What we're after is a self-sustaining | 0:04:47 | 0:04:50 | |
population of great bustards. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:53 | |
The population will actually grow under its own steam. | 0:04:53 | 0:04:57 | |
Now, when I was here in 2009, I think you had 15. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:00 | |
-Well, very pleased that we're now somewhere 50 or above. -Wow! | 0:05:00 | 0:05:04 | |
Plus we've got 28 chicks to release later this year. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:09 | |
And somewhere out here on Salisbury Plain, | 0:05:09 | 0:05:13 | |
there will be wild-bred chicks. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
So, what got you interested in these birds in the first place? | 0:05:16 | 0:05:20 | |
I've always had a love of nature. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
I think from whenever I learnt to walk, | 0:05:22 | 0:05:24 | |
I probably had binoculars around my neck. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:27 | |
But there's also something, I didn't want to be just a birdwatcher. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:30 | |
I wanted to be doing something positive and they're so big, | 0:05:30 | 0:05:36 | |
they're so handsome, and I still get as big a thrill out of seeing | 0:05:36 | 0:05:39 | |
great bustards as I did when I first saw one. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
They are fantastic birds. They really are. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:44 | |
VOICEOVER: Any wild birds out there today must be hidden well away | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
with their young, but scientist Ruth Manville has plenty of chicks to show me. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:56 | |
KNOCKS ON DOOR Are you there, Ruth? | 0:05:56 | 0:05:58 | |
She's been raising chicks from eggs collected under licence | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
in Spain, where the native population | 0:06:01 | 0:06:03 | |
of great bustards is on the increase. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
But to get close to the chicks, I've got to get into character. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:11 | |
-You have to wear a dehumanisation suit. -What on earth is that? | 0:06:11 | 0:06:15 | |
-Well, it disguises the human form. -Right. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:19 | |
-So you're supposed to look a bit like a bustard, is it? -Well... Ish. | 0:06:19 | 0:06:25 | |
Ish! | 0:06:25 | 0:06:27 | |
-And we're not the only ones who look silly. -Absolutely not. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:32 | |
Look at this lot! We've got a drove of great bustards! | 0:06:32 | 0:06:36 | |
This outfit looks bizarre, but it helps the chicks hang on | 0:06:40 | 0:06:44 | |
to their wild behaviour. | 0:06:44 | 0:06:46 | |
And do you think they know that we're coming to feed them? | 0:06:46 | 0:06:49 | |
Probably, yes. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:50 | |
-Is that why they're making the noise. -Yes. They can hear the noise. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | |
-In here? -Yep, in there. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:55 | |
Wow! Goodness me! | 0:06:55 | 0:06:58 | |
-In you go. -OK. | 0:06:58 | 0:07:00 | |
What handsome looking birds. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:02 | |
These ones are five weeks old today. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:06 | |
-They'll be about 12 weeks when they actually go out. -Right. | 0:07:06 | 0:07:10 | |
VOICEOVER: Before they're released in a few weeks' time, | 0:07:10 | 0:07:13 | |
the baby bustards are taken out for a daily walk. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:17 | |
-They're very big, aren't they? -They are. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
-For five weeks. -They are, they are. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:21 | |
Why do you actually need to take them for walks, Ruth? | 0:07:21 | 0:07:25 | |
Well, it's trying to adapt them to A, this environment, | 0:07:25 | 0:07:31 | |
and B, to teach them to actually forage for wild food, | 0:07:31 | 0:07:34 | |
so for the invertebrates and crickets | 0:07:34 | 0:07:38 | |
and butterflies that they will actually eat in the wild. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:41 | |
Right. Come on, children. Come on! | 0:07:41 | 0:07:45 | |
Never done this before! | 0:07:45 | 0:07:47 | |
-Pied Piper to some baby bustards. -Absolutely. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:50 | |
Come on! | 0:07:50 | 0:07:52 | |
So they will actually look around and if they see any insects, | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
-they will have a peck at the insects. -Have a bit of a stretch. | 0:07:56 | 0:07:58 | |
Have a bit of a stretch, yep. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:00 | |
Wow! | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
And hopefully, this is just the beginning for this species | 0:08:02 | 0:08:06 | |
that's been brought back from extinction in the UK. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:09 | |
And with success here, we'd like to see it in Norfolk and probably | 0:08:12 | 0:08:16 | |
Cambridgeshire and Suffolk and even up as far as Yorkshire. | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
Everywhere else where they used to be. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:21 | |
Everywhere the great bustards once used to roam the landscape. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:24 | |
Now, we've talked about safety on farms quite a few times | 0:08:34 | 0:08:37 | |
here on Countryfile. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:38 | |
But the numbers of those who are injured, even killed, | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
are still far too high. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:44 | |
Well, Charlotte has been meeting people who know all too well | 0:08:44 | 0:08:47 | |
that just one mistake can change everything. | 0:08:47 | 0:08:50 | |
Farming's a funny old business. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:55 | |
The workplace can be wonderful, the hardware could hardly be more | 0:08:55 | 0:08:59 | |
hi-tech, but it's still desperately low on new recruits. | 0:08:59 | 0:09:03 | |
Looking for a dream career? | 0:09:07 | 0:09:09 | |
How about farming? | 0:09:09 | 0:09:11 | |
You get to work outside, with animals, | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
in some of the most beautiful parts of our countryside. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:17 | |
But there's a catch. Farming is one of the most dangerous jobs | 0:09:19 | 0:09:23 | |
in Britain. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:25 | |
Farm safety is the blight of the industry. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:28 | |
I've been covering this issue since the '90s. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
I have to admit, it feels like we're stuck in a loop. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:34 | |
Everyone agrees that safety standards on farms | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
need to improve and yet, very little changes. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
That's why, sadly, the latest figures on farm deaths | 0:09:40 | 0:09:43 | |
from the Health And Safety Executive come as no surprise. | 0:09:43 | 0:09:47 | |
These figures show that last year another 27 agricultural | 0:09:49 | 0:09:53 | |
workers died as a result of an accident at work. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:56 | |
That's two deaths every month. | 0:09:56 | 0:09:59 | |
Now, what's even more shocking is | 0:09:59 | 0:10:00 | |
when you consider that people working in agriculture | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
make up just 1% of the UK's national workforce | 0:10:03 | 0:10:08 | |
and yet account for 20% of deaths at work. | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
And it's not just the number of deaths that's a worry. | 0:10:12 | 0:10:16 | |
At least 15,000 more people have been injured at work. | 0:10:16 | 0:10:20 | |
It's a problem which has touched many people, | 0:10:20 | 0:10:23 | |
including some you might not expect. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:25 | |
Al Murray is the stand-up comedian we know best as the Pub Landlord. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:32 | |
-Good lad! -LAUGHTER | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
Names are important. | 0:10:38 | 0:10:39 | |
What something's called is the clue to what it's like, right? | 0:10:39 | 0:10:42 | |
And if the name doesn't match the thing it's given to, yeah, | 0:10:42 | 0:10:45 | |
chaos will abound. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:47 | |
He's used to playing life for laughs, | 0:10:48 | 0:10:50 | |
but farm safety's no joke and this story isn't part of his act. | 0:10:50 | 0:10:53 | |
Al, how come you know this farm? | 0:10:55 | 0:10:57 | |
Well, we used to come here for summer holidays. | 0:10:57 | 0:10:59 | |
My cousins own the farm | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
and we would come here for four or five summers when I was a kid. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
Let's go and have a look round. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:08 | |
What are your memories of that particular day? | 0:11:11 | 0:11:14 | |
My main memory is I went to the farmhouse to go to the loo | 0:11:14 | 0:11:18 | |
and as I cycled back along the lane from the farmhouse, | 0:11:18 | 0:11:22 | |
I heard someone crying for help. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:24 | |
And looked over and there was this baler | 0:11:24 | 0:11:27 | |
and I could see some welly boots sticking out from what looked | 0:11:27 | 0:11:31 | |
like inside the baler, in the gap between the baler and the tractor. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
And on the end of the welly boots...? | 0:11:34 | 0:11:36 | |
Was Chris here, who was the farm manager's son. | 0:11:36 | 0:11:38 | |
He was 18, he was one of the big boys. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:41 | |
Because I was 11, and there he was, caught in this thing. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:44 | |
VOICEOVER: Chris Brown had been operating the baler on his own | 0:11:46 | 0:11:49 | |
when it jammed with hay. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:51 | |
He left the engine running and jumped out to take a look. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
I ran round the side of the machine. I was wearing a pair of wellies. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:58 | |
And I slipped on the straw and I got picked up by the pick-up reel, | 0:11:58 | 0:12:03 | |
which then pulled me in to the machine. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:07 | |
I ended up with my arm right up | 0:12:07 | 0:12:10 | |
inside there, with my, | 0:12:10 | 0:12:13 | |
if you like, my body out here. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:16 | |
With the machine still running. And I think panic set in. | 0:12:16 | 0:12:21 | |
I remember grabbing him by his boots and trying to pull him | 0:12:21 | 0:12:25 | |
out of the machine. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:26 | |
I didn't realise quite how firmly lodged he was, | 0:12:26 | 0:12:29 | |
or how much it had him in its grip, you know. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:32 | |
And then he said to me that I should possibly turn the tractor off! | 0:12:32 | 0:12:37 | |
Which he did, and then ran to get his dad, | 0:12:39 | 0:12:43 | |
who called the emergency services. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:45 | |
Chris spent the next 18 months in and out of hospital, | 0:12:45 | 0:12:49 | |
having skin, muscle and tendon grafts. | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
That's the indentation of one roller | 0:12:52 | 0:12:54 | |
and that's the indentation of the other roller in there. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:58 | |
-It's that clear! -It took quite a bite out of you, didn't it, Chris? | 0:12:58 | 0:13:01 | |
Yeah. Yeah. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:02 | |
If I do that, it gives you an idea of how much was lost. | 0:13:05 | 0:13:08 | |
Chris is now using his experience to educate other farmers | 0:13:08 | 0:13:12 | |
and try and prevent what happened to him ever happening again. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
If there's nothing else that I can teach people, | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
it's just to stop and think for one second. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:22 | |
If you're tired, if you're under pressure, if you're in a rush, | 0:13:22 | 0:13:26 | |
you could end up doing things that in a split second change everything. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:30 | |
That's obviously what happened that day. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:33 | |
-Good job you were here. Good timing. -Yeah. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:35 | |
Well, that's the secret of all great comedy. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:38 | |
Who knows? Was that the beginning of the career? | 0:13:38 | 0:13:40 | |
There are as many different types of farm accidents | 0:13:43 | 0:13:47 | |
as there are farmers, but the cause is often the same - | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
trying to do things in a rush. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:52 | |
Mark Mather was at the end of a long day at work | 0:13:52 | 0:13:55 | |
when his life changed forever. | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
I remember ploughing and watching these crows eating my barley | 0:14:05 | 0:14:08 | |
and getting frustrated and - that's my crop, that's my living, | 0:14:08 | 0:14:12 | |
that's my livelihood getting eaten. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:15 | |
So I decided to go home and get the shotgun and see if I could | 0:14:15 | 0:14:19 | |
shoot some of the crows to try and stop them eating the barley. | 0:14:19 | 0:14:22 | |
Mark was travelling on his quad bike with his gun on his lap | 0:14:25 | 0:14:27 | |
when he hit a bump and lurched forward. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
As the quad overturned, the butt of the gun hit the ground... | 0:14:30 | 0:14:34 | |
GUNSHOT | 0:14:34 | 0:14:35 | |
..and fired both barrels directly into his right leg. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:38 | |
When I came off the bike, I was lying on the track here, | 0:14:38 | 0:14:44 | |
losing a lot of blood. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:46 | |
Two cartridges had taken out quite a lump of my right leg. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:50 | |
I'd been lying there 5-10 minutes, it felt like a lifetime. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:54 | |
But just lying there, couldn't do anything about it. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:57 | |
You know, I had no phone battery, no way of contacting help. | 0:14:57 | 0:15:01 | |
Luckily, Mark's dad found him by chance and called the ambulance. | 0:15:01 | 0:15:06 | |
Doctors managed to save his life but not his leg. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
After my accident, once they explained it all, | 0:15:10 | 0:15:12 | |
what had happened, I didn't think I would be able to farm again. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:16 | |
You almost feel your life's over, that's it. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:19 | |
Nine years on and Mark is back at work on the farm | 0:15:20 | 0:15:24 | |
and his attitude to safety has changed. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:27 | |
We are under huge pressure in the agricultural industry. | 0:15:27 | 0:15:31 | |
Financial pressure, time pressure, weather pressure. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:34 | |
And I think every job we're doing, | 0:15:34 | 0:15:36 | |
we need to stop and think about what we're doing. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
Looking back, would I move again with a loaded shotgun? I wouldn't. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:42 | |
What happened to Mark and to Chris was obviously tragic for them, | 0:15:45 | 0:15:49 | |
but it also had an impact on their family and their businesses. | 0:15:49 | 0:15:54 | |
So, what can be done to prevent farm accidents? | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
Well, that's what I'll be finding out later. | 0:15:57 | 0:15:59 | |
-ANITA: -Now, we all know important bees are. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:10 | |
Up to half of our food relies on their hard work. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:13 | |
And yet, bees are vanishing from our countryside at an alarming rate | 0:16:13 | 0:16:17 | |
and so too are their keepers, | 0:16:17 | 0:16:20 | |
with the typical British beekeeper being around 66 years old. | 0:16:20 | 0:16:24 | |
So, as you can imagine, there's quite a buzz around Marlborough, | 0:16:29 | 0:16:33 | |
as teenagers who are crazy about keeping bees | 0:16:33 | 0:16:37 | |
have swarmed here from all over the world. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:39 | |
Venerable Marlborough College in Wiltshire has taught | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
generations of youngsters. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:48 | |
But for the first time ever in Britain, it's hosting a global | 0:16:48 | 0:16:53 | |
competition for expert beekeepers and no-one is a day older than 16. | 0:16:53 | 0:16:59 | |
Teenagers from 19 countries have made, yes, | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
a bee-line to Marlborough to compete and polish their skills | 0:17:03 | 0:17:07 | |
in a lifetime of learning how to keep bees. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
Hello, Team England. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:15 | |
-ALL: -Hello! -How are you? -We're good, thank you. | 0:17:15 | 0:17:17 | |
What's this? Team tactics being discussed? | 0:17:17 | 0:17:20 | |
-Absolutely. -So, give me... | 0:17:20 | 0:17:22 | |
VOICEOVER: Team manager Serena Watts is overseeing | 0:17:22 | 0:17:24 | |
the team of 14-year-olds, Younis, Sarah and May, with Luke in reserve. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:30 | |
This lot are the A team of bees. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
So, why take beekeeping up as a hobby? | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
-Because they're so fascinating. -I love learning about them. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
I just love them as a creature. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:39 | |
But Younis has a rather surprising confession. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
-I hate honey. -You hate honey?! | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
Serena, you're team captain. You're overseeing all of this. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
Why do we have such a love for bees here? | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
The best thing about bees is you open a hive | 0:17:51 | 0:17:53 | |
and you can't have read a book about it in preparation totally. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:57 | |
You have to look at the bees | 0:17:57 | 0:17:59 | |
and then work out what you do as a result of what you see. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:02 | |
For many of the foreign students, | 0:18:02 | 0:18:03 | |
today will be their first encounter with the British honey gatherer. | 0:18:03 | 0:18:08 | |
Wearing a bee suit like we're wearing is very normal in England. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
And in the European countries, it isn't that way at all. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
Is that because we have very aggressive bees? | 0:18:14 | 0:18:16 | |
We have different temperament to our bees. | 0:18:16 | 0:18:19 | |
I wouldn't say they were aggressive, | 0:18:19 | 0:18:21 | |
they're just a different temperament. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:22 | |
English bees are just nutters. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:24 | |
The hardest bees in the world. | 0:18:24 | 0:18:27 | |
THEY CHUCKLE | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
Task one is to split an existing hive to create a second colony. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:34 | |
It's the best way to boost bee numbers. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:36 | |
So what will the judges be looking for? | 0:18:37 | 0:18:39 | |
Confidence in picking up the frames, certainly, and inspection. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:44 | |
How much discussion they're having | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
cos it's a collaborative activity, it's about a team effort. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:50 | |
-Maybe you should just check the middle frame. -Mm. | 0:18:53 | 0:18:56 | |
Because the queen is probably laying cos she's probably up here. | 0:18:56 | 0:18:59 | |
Yeah, look, there she is. | 0:18:59 | 0:19:01 | |
May is taking quite a lead here and she's very aware that the | 0:19:01 | 0:19:07 | |
queen tends to often be in the middle frames of the brood box. | 0:19:07 | 0:19:12 | |
We haven't seen the queen yet. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:15 | |
But we're just looking through the bottom box now. | 0:19:15 | 0:19:17 | |
-And on this side. -OK. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:19 | |
OK, now, you can lever it from this edge, yeah? | 0:19:20 | 0:19:23 | |
It's a hive of activity! | 0:19:23 | 0:19:25 | |
With the queen in the new hive, | 0:19:30 | 0:19:32 | |
the lid goes on and the team's first task is done. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
So we've just taken all the young larvae, the young brood, | 0:19:36 | 0:19:40 | |
and we've put that into a new box | 0:19:40 | 0:19:42 | |
and so we shook in loads of nurse bees, | 0:19:42 | 0:19:45 | |
so they can draw out and produce a new queen cell and there'll | 0:19:45 | 0:19:49 | |
be a new colony starting in that new nucleus that we've just taken away. | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
The next task is the most nerve-racking of the whole event. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:58 | |
Grafting involves moving the tiny newborn larvae | 0:19:58 | 0:20:02 | |
into a special chamber. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:04 | |
Once there, the adult bees feed it with nutrition-rich royal jelly, | 0:20:04 | 0:20:07 | |
-which transforms the larvae into a queen. -So, can you see this here? | 0:20:07 | 0:20:12 | |
This here's an egg, in here. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:14 | |
-It's like a tiny, miniature grain of rice standing up. -Mm-hmm. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:17 | |
OK, yeah. | 0:20:17 | 0:20:19 | |
I'm saying I can see it but I can't see a thing. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:22 | |
That's it. That's experience. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
Well done. | 0:20:25 | 0:20:26 | |
Amongst the dozen other tasks sprung on these youngsters is | 0:20:28 | 0:20:32 | |
weaving traditional British straw hives, skeps... | 0:20:32 | 0:20:35 | |
..and, really important for the future, identifying diseased hives. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:40 | |
And you are looking for... | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
Anything you see that looks wrong, you tell me. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:50 | |
With our bee population in serious decline, this is one | 0:20:50 | 0:20:53 | |
of the most crucial skills these young apiarists will need. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
-You've got eggs? -Yes. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:58 | |
-This sounds really difficult. -It is really difficult | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
and it's far deeper than just basic beekeeping | 0:21:02 | 0:21:04 | |
but it's something that all beekeepers need to be aware of. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:07 | |
These young people are remarkably passionate, aren't they? | 0:21:07 | 0:21:09 | |
-They're incredible. -And very vocal about their knowledge | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
and, yes, you see them handling the hives and the colonies | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
and the frames and they're very capable. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:17 | |
-Yeah, I have been inspired today. -Great. | 0:21:17 | 0:21:19 | |
After the team's hard work, | 0:21:21 | 0:21:22 | |
it's time to sample the fruits of the bees' labour. | 0:21:22 | 0:21:25 | |
-Shall we? -Yes. -Come on then, here we go. Come on, everyone dive in. | 0:21:29 | 0:21:32 | |
I'm going to try this one at the end. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:34 | |
Mm! | 0:21:36 | 0:21:38 | |
It's delicious. | 0:21:38 | 0:21:40 | |
Excuse me a moment. | 0:21:40 | 0:21:42 | |
I'm going to just work my way through all these honeys... | 0:21:42 | 0:21:44 | |
-THEY LAUGH -..and then run around | 0:21:44 | 0:21:46 | |
cos I'll have a massive sugar rush. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:48 | |
Sorry, guys, as you were. | 0:21:48 | 0:21:50 | |
I'm just going to carry on here. | 0:21:50 | 0:21:51 | |
These talented youngsters are keen to learn, share knowledge | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
and ensure bees and beekeeping have a healthy future worldwide. | 0:21:57 | 0:22:01 | |
It's fair to say life amongst the hives can be truly sweet. | 0:22:03 | 0:22:06 | |
Later I'll be back in the grounds of Marlborough | 0:22:08 | 0:22:10 | |
for a health check on one of Wiltshire's most important | 0:22:10 | 0:22:12 | |
chalk streams. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:13 | |
I'm in the foothills of the Marlborough Downs. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
Historically, this was a vegetable-growing area | 0:22:21 | 0:22:24 | |
but now some fields are producing not food but flowers. | 0:22:24 | 0:22:28 | |
These days it's become almost second nature to champion | 0:22:29 | 0:22:32 | |
seasonal food and local produce, | 0:22:32 | 0:22:34 | |
and now the same thing is happening to British-grown flowers. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:38 | |
Our cut-flower industry started to bloom in the 1960s. | 0:22:43 | 0:22:47 | |
A decade or so later there were 120 chrysanthemum growers alone, | 0:22:49 | 0:22:53 | |
producing 60 million stems every year. | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
But by 2013, that number had faded to just three, | 0:22:57 | 0:23:02 | |
yet the demand for cut flowers continued to rise, | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
spurred on by relatively cheap imports. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:08 | |
But I'm meeting one of a growing number of flower farmers | 0:23:11 | 0:23:15 | |
championing unusual British blooms. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:17 | |
Polly Nicholson specialises in traditional | 0:23:20 | 0:23:23 | |
and heirloom varieties here on her small farm. | 0:23:23 | 0:23:27 | |
-Hello, Polly. -Hello, John. -What a wonderful place you've got. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:33 | |
-Oh, thank you. -So what got you into flower growing? | 0:23:33 | 0:23:36 | |
Well, I was always passionate about flowers | 0:23:36 | 0:23:38 | |
and then about 15 years ago I retrained as a horticulturalist. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:43 | |
I was looking for something different. I wanted something | 0:23:43 | 0:23:46 | |
I couldn't find in a flower market | 0:23:46 | 0:23:48 | |
or in a local florist | 0:23:48 | 0:23:49 | |
and something that just felt more traditionally British to me, | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
something that took us back to our roots. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
And here's a bit of a showcase, isn't it, | 0:23:54 | 0:23:56 | |
-of the kind of things you are growing now. -Exactly. | 0:23:56 | 0:23:58 | |
This is a small selection. So this, which is | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
called a Phlox creme brulee, | 0:24:00 | 0:24:02 | |
it's got a sort of vintage, soft feel to it. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:05 | |
It has these beautiful mosaic-type flowers, | 0:24:05 | 0:24:08 | |
which go from this dusty purple through to creams. | 0:24:08 | 0:24:11 | |
-It's scented, it's delicate. -Lovely. | 0:24:11 | 0:24:14 | |
And then this one, which is a little bit more out there, which is | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
called Hot Lips. | 0:24:17 | 0:24:18 | |
But as you can see, what we try and do is we grow a variety of things | 0:24:18 | 0:24:22 | |
and this is just a tiny example. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:23 | |
Polly has a small team to keep this place blossoming | 0:24:25 | 0:24:29 | |
and black bees on site help with pollination. | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
They're doing a very good job. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
This walled garden was derelict until a few years ago. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:40 | |
Now it's brimming with scented blooms... | 0:24:40 | 0:24:42 | |
..and a couple of interesting ones, who have caught my eye. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:48 | |
-And what have we got here, what's this? -Well, this is asparagus fern. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
-It's... -Asparagus?! | 0:24:54 | 0:24:55 | |
Yes, we grow about eight different types of heritage | 0:24:55 | 0:24:57 | |
asparagus and we eat a little of it | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
and then we let the spears turn into this. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:03 | |
You can get fantastic arrangements out of it. | 0:25:03 | 0:25:05 | |
Fantastic sweet peas here. | 0:25:07 | 0:25:10 | |
Yes, these are three of our sweet peas. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:12 | |
We grow about 40 different varieties but we've got | 0:25:12 | 0:25:14 | |
Earl Grey, which is this one here with the mottled leaves, | 0:25:14 | 0:25:18 | |
-and then we've got... -A pea, not a tea. | 0:25:18 | 0:25:19 | |
Exactly, a pea, not a tea. | 0:25:19 | 0:25:22 | |
And do you have any really local varieties? | 0:25:23 | 0:25:26 | |
We have Wiltshire ripple. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:27 | |
It's similar to Earl Grey. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:28 | |
In fact, it's a burgundy version of Earl Grey. | 0:25:28 | 0:25:31 | |
Polly and British growers like her only account for a small | 0:25:31 | 0:25:35 | |
proportion of our flower market. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:37 | |
We spend an incredible £2.2 billion every year on cut flowers in the UK, | 0:25:39 | 0:25:45 | |
but 90% of those come from overseas, | 0:25:45 | 0:25:49 | |
with subsidised Dutch imports dominating the market. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
But hopefully that will change as consumers are becoming more | 0:25:54 | 0:25:57 | |
aware of the value of seasonal local produce. | 0:25:57 | 0:26:00 | |
Every available space here is earning its keep, | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
as Polly's flowers spill out into the fields beyond the walled garden. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:11 | |
So this is the workshop, then. | 0:26:14 | 0:26:15 | |
This is, this is the flower field and this is where it all happens. | 0:26:15 | 0:26:18 | |
Wow. It must be one of the prettiest fields in the whole of the country. | 0:26:18 | 0:26:22 | |
-Thank you. -How many different species of flower have you got here? | 0:26:22 | 0:26:25 | |
Well, I think, I mean, many hundreds, | 0:26:25 | 0:26:27 | |
but I think we must have going on about 500 different | 0:26:27 | 0:26:30 | |
varieties of flower throughout the year. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:32 | |
This is all organic, so what do you do about bugs? | 0:26:34 | 0:26:36 | |
They must be the bane of your life. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:37 | |
Do you know, they're really not, and I think it's mostly cos we grow | 0:26:37 | 0:26:40 | |
outdoors, so the weather actually keeps things pretty clean and fresh, | 0:26:40 | 0:26:43 | |
but if we do have bugs, we spray with soft soap or we sacrifice that | 0:26:43 | 0:26:47 | |
individual flower, stem or whatever, just to try and keep it down. | 0:26:47 | 0:26:51 | |
So you're prepared to do that, to give up some of your crop? | 0:26:51 | 0:26:53 | |
-Absolutely. -Yeah. -Yeah. | 0:26:53 | 0:26:54 | |
And we do get insect spoilage and that's just part of it, | 0:26:54 | 0:26:58 | |
it's the nature of it. | 0:26:58 | 0:26:59 | |
-Well, it's all coming together beautifully, I think. -Thank you. | 0:27:11 | 0:27:14 | |
Interesting mixture of quite exotic flowers | 0:27:14 | 0:27:16 | |
-and some pretty ordinary ones as well. -Yup, no, you're quite right. | 0:27:16 | 0:27:19 | |
I mean, we've got something like this, which is a yarrow, | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
or Achillea, which you'll see along the side of the road, | 0:27:21 | 0:27:24 | |
but not in that really, really deep claret colour. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:27 | |
And I'm putting in a Wiltshire ripple, the local flower. | 0:27:27 | 0:27:31 | |
And is this your favourite moment, putting it all together like this? | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
It's incredibly rewarding. Yeah, it is. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:37 | |
Don't share this part of the job with anybody. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:39 | |
-Because you like it too much? -Because I like it too much. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:42 | |
I'm not going to give it away. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:43 | |
There you go, John, a present. | 0:27:45 | 0:27:46 | |
-What, for me? -For you. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:48 | |
Well, Polly, thank you very much indeed. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:50 | |
How about that? My wife will love this. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:53 | |
This whole place is like a floral tapestry, | 0:27:55 | 0:27:58 | |
Local, lovingly grown blooms that can maybe help | 0:27:58 | 0:28:02 | |
the British flower industry blossom again. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:04 | |
Now, earlier we heard how agricultural jobs topped | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 | |
the tables as the most risky careers in the UK, | 0:28:14 | 0:28:17 | |
so what can be done to protect workers? | 0:28:17 | 0:28:20 | |
Here's Charlotte again. | 0:28:20 | 0:28:22 | |
Farms are dangerous places to work. | 0:28:27 | 0:28:29 | |
Latest figures show that 27 people | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
died in agricultural work accidents last year. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:36 | |
That makes farming one of the most risky jobs in the UK. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:39 | |
Everyone agrees that reducing the number of accidents | 0:28:40 | 0:28:43 | |
on farms should be a priority. | 0:28:43 | 0:28:46 | |
But in a recent survey, | 0:28:46 | 0:28:47 | |
50% of farmers admitted to taking a risk on their farm in the last year. | 0:28:47 | 0:28:53 | |
So how do you change attitudes from safety last to safety first? | 0:28:53 | 0:28:57 | |
Devon Young Farmers' Club think they have one solution. | 0:28:59 | 0:29:03 | |
The tragic loss of one of their members earlier this year | 0:29:03 | 0:29:06 | |
sent shock waves through the group. | 0:29:06 | 0:29:08 | |
Lauren Scott was killed in a work accident | 0:29:09 | 0:29:11 | |
involving farm machinery in Dawlish in March. | 0:29:11 | 0:29:14 | |
She was just 20 years old. | 0:29:15 | 0:29:17 | |
Matt Holmes was her friend. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:20 | |
-What was she like? -She was very bubbly, very caring, very smiley. | 0:29:20 | 0:29:25 | |
A great friend to everyone in the club. | 0:29:25 | 0:29:27 | |
Loved animals, loved the outdoors and, yeah, a very cherished friend | 0:29:27 | 0:29:30 | |
and never forgotten. | 0:29:30 | 0:29:32 | |
-So it must have had quite an impact. -Yeah, it hit everyone hard. | 0:29:32 | 0:29:36 | |
It hit everyone really hard. | 0:29:36 | 0:29:37 | |
In her memory, the club has launched a safety campaign. | 0:29:37 | 0:29:40 | |
It's called Growing Safer Farmers. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:43 | |
There's more machinery than ever in farming but this campaign | 0:29:43 | 0:29:46 | |
focuses on just one part of it, the power takeoff, or PTO shaft. | 0:29:46 | 0:29:51 | |
It links the tractor to anything it's towing. | 0:29:51 | 0:29:54 | |
James Trout is one of the engineers involved. | 0:29:54 | 0:29:56 | |
James, it doesn't look that scary, does it? | 0:29:57 | 0:30:01 | |
No, the issue is, when this shaft is turning at working speed, | 0:30:01 | 0:30:04 | |
which is at 1,000 revs a minute, | 0:30:04 | 0:30:06 | |
that's the equivalent to 16 and a half turns a second, | 0:30:06 | 0:30:09 | |
all of the sudden then it becomes a lot more lively | 0:30:09 | 0:30:12 | |
and a lot more dangerous. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:14 | |
Only takes a loose overall, a bit of hair, anything, to catch you. | 0:30:14 | 0:30:19 | |
-That could be your leg, your arm, couldn't it? -Exactly. | 0:30:19 | 0:30:21 | |
It is that simple, unfortunately. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:23 | |
This is why we've set up the campaign. | 0:30:26 | 0:30:28 | |
We want them to be guarded, we want them to be safe, | 0:30:28 | 0:30:31 | |
we want the farms to be safe working places. | 0:30:31 | 0:30:33 | |
The idea behind the scheme is that | 0:30:35 | 0:30:37 | |
whenever a farm vehicle's brought in for repair or MOT, | 0:30:37 | 0:30:40 | |
the engineer will check the PTO shaft as a matter of course. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:45 | |
If it doesn't have a safety guard or the guard's broken, | 0:30:45 | 0:30:47 | |
the owner will get a written advisory | 0:30:47 | 0:30:50 | |
that they need to take action. | 0:30:50 | 0:30:51 | |
So how many are you hoping to make safer? | 0:30:51 | 0:30:54 | |
We're looking to take out 1,000 broken, damaged, missing PTO shafts | 0:30:54 | 0:30:59 | |
-in the first year. -It's going to cost money, though, isn't it? | 0:30:59 | 0:31:02 | |
A guard to fit this shaft, for argument's sake, | 0:31:02 | 0:31:04 | |
is probably going to be about 70 quid. | 0:31:04 | 0:31:06 | |
Like, it's... It's... | 0:31:06 | 0:31:08 | |
That or a leg or a life, it's not even worth contemplating. | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
Devon Young Farmers' approach to tackling the risks around PTO | 0:31:12 | 0:31:15 | |
shafts looks likely to be rolled out across the country. | 0:31:15 | 0:31:19 | |
But PTOs aren't the only repeat offender | 0:31:19 | 0:31:22 | |
when it comes to accidents on farms. | 0:31:22 | 0:31:23 | |
Quad bikes are the workhorses of the farming business. | 0:31:28 | 0:31:31 | |
Almost every farm has one. | 0:31:31 | 0:31:33 | |
John Bond trains people to ride them safely. | 0:31:33 | 0:31:36 | |
Hello. Hi. You made that look ever so easy. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:40 | |
You are wearing a helmet and I've got to admit I see a lot | 0:31:40 | 0:31:43 | |
of quad bikes on farms, I don't see a lot of people in helmets. | 0:31:43 | 0:31:46 | |
No, you're absolutely right. | 0:31:46 | 0:31:47 | |
At a rough guess, I would say 75-80% of farm staff don't wear | 0:31:47 | 0:31:51 | |
a helmet, don't see a need for it. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:53 | |
If they realise the dangers of it, maybe they would more. | 0:31:53 | 0:31:55 | |
-So let's have a go at putting the helmet on. -OK. | 0:31:55 | 0:31:57 | |
-Pop your glasses down. -Yeah. -I'll put him on, | 0:31:57 | 0:31:59 | |
make sure he fits for you. | 0:31:59 | 0:32:00 | |
-And he does up reasonably tight without stopping blood flow. -OK. -OK. | 0:32:00 | 0:32:04 | |
Now, the rules around quad bikes | 0:32:04 | 0:32:05 | |
and helmets are a little bit confusing | 0:32:05 | 0:32:07 | |
because strictly speaking, it depends where you are | 0:32:07 | 0:32:10 | |
and what you're doing on the quad. | 0:32:10 | 0:32:12 | |
Now, lots of people say that's a bit silly | 0:32:12 | 0:32:14 | |
and what we should actually do is have one simple rule - | 0:32:14 | 0:32:17 | |
you're on a quad bike, you're wearing a helmet. | 0:32:17 | 0:32:19 | |
Do let us know what you think. | 0:32:19 | 0:32:21 | |
You can contact us via Twitter or e-mail. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:23 | |
Right, so, John, now what? | 0:32:23 | 0:32:25 | |
Let's sit you on, get you comfy. | 0:32:25 | 0:32:27 | |
-OK, so just a reminder... -You might want to stand back. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:30 | |
-So, we've got the brakes here. -Yeah. -Throttle there. Gear change here. | 0:32:30 | 0:32:34 | |
If you squeeze the throttle gently, you'll go forward. | 0:32:35 | 0:32:37 | |
-Do you want to mind your toes? -My toes are out of the way. | 0:32:37 | 0:32:40 | |
Nice and gently. Nice and gently. SHE LAUGHS | 0:32:40 | 0:32:42 | |
VOICEOVER: To safely turn a corner on a quad, | 0:32:44 | 0:32:46 | |
you have to elegantly shift | 0:32:46 | 0:32:47 | |
your body weight in the opposite way to the direction you're turning. | 0:32:47 | 0:32:51 | |
Well done, that's good. | 0:32:51 | 0:32:52 | |
Back off on your throttle. That's it. Good. Good, good, good. | 0:32:52 | 0:32:55 | |
I'm starting to get the hang of it and it is fun, | 0:32:55 | 0:32:58 | |
but there's a challenge ahead... | 0:32:58 | 0:33:00 | |
There we go. | 0:33:01 | 0:33:02 | |
..riding up a hill. | 0:33:02 | 0:33:04 | |
When you're going up the hill, you sit forwards, | 0:33:05 | 0:33:07 | |
when you're coming back down the hill, you slide back. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:10 | |
If you lean the wrong way, the quad can tip over and crush you. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:14 | |
This is a common accident on farms. | 0:33:14 | 0:33:16 | |
That's good, well done. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:20 | |
I'll run, don't you worry. | 0:33:20 | 0:33:21 | |
Go on, you're on! | 0:33:21 | 0:33:22 | |
According to health and safety law, everyone riding quads for work | 0:33:24 | 0:33:27 | |
must take a safety course like this and wear a helmet. | 0:33:27 | 0:33:31 | |
But without that being enforced, how many farmers actually do? | 0:33:31 | 0:33:35 | |
Sitting in the right place, getting your throttle right, | 0:33:35 | 0:33:38 | |
wearing your helmet, they should really be second nature | 0:33:38 | 0:33:40 | |
to anybody using these things. | 0:33:40 | 0:33:41 | |
Exactly the same way as it's second nature that they know | 0:33:41 | 0:33:44 | |
whether their cow's calving or not. | 0:33:44 | 0:33:45 | |
How far away from that change do you think we are in agriculture? | 0:33:45 | 0:33:49 | |
Quite some way. Unless it becomes totally law, without any question. | 0:33:49 | 0:33:55 | |
We're never going to be able to take all the risks | 0:34:01 | 0:34:04 | |
out of a job like farming but we can make small changes, like the | 0:34:04 | 0:34:07 | |
ones we've seen here in Devon, which really do make a difference. | 0:34:07 | 0:34:11 | |
Now, Farm Safety Week starts tomorrow, | 0:34:11 | 0:34:13 | |
so that's a really good chance, isn't it, | 0:34:13 | 0:34:15 | |
for everyone to think about what they do | 0:34:15 | 0:34:18 | |
and perhaps do it differently and help save lives. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:22 | |
As for me, well, I know just what I want for Christmas. | 0:34:22 | 0:34:25 | |
There you go, you're going. What's wrong with that? | 0:34:26 | 0:34:28 | |
Erm, nothing actually. No, that's fine. As long as I... | 0:34:28 | 0:34:31 | |
I feel I'm in charge! | 0:34:31 | 0:34:32 | |
They've been a mainstay of British agriculture for centuries. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:40 | |
The wool trade transformed rural areas | 0:34:40 | 0:34:43 | |
and what would a Sunday roast be without lamb? | 0:34:43 | 0:34:46 | |
But there's one aspect of sheep farming that even innovative | 0:34:46 | 0:34:49 | |
farmers like Adam have trouble embracing - | 0:34:49 | 0:34:52 | |
sheep's milk. | 0:34:52 | 0:34:53 | |
Feta, Roquefort, Manchego, | 0:34:56 | 0:35:00 | |
they're all continental cheeses made from the milk of sheep | 0:35:00 | 0:35:04 | |
but it's an idea that's never really caught on here. | 0:35:04 | 0:35:06 | |
But things are changing. | 0:35:06 | 0:35:08 | |
Simon Stott has been at the forefront of efforts to put British | 0:35:11 | 0:35:15 | |
sheep's milk produce on the kitchen table for more than a decade. | 0:35:15 | 0:35:18 | |
And Matt met him when his new venture was still in its infancy. | 0:35:20 | 0:35:23 | |
How much milk do they produce, then, Simon? | 0:35:23 | 0:35:25 | |
We're averaging two and a half litres a day. | 0:35:25 | 0:35:28 | |
We're putting at full peak time, 400 through | 0:35:28 | 0:35:31 | |
in about two and a half hours. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:34 | |
Now it's my turn to visit Simon's farm in the glorious | 0:35:34 | 0:35:37 | |
Forest of Bowland, Lancashire. | 0:35:37 | 0:35:39 | |
I want to find out if Simon | 0:35:40 | 0:35:42 | |
and his father, John, think their gamble on sheep's milk has paid off. | 0:35:42 | 0:35:45 | |
-Hello, gents. -Hiya, Adam, you all right? | 0:35:48 | 0:35:50 | |
Hello, Adam, pleased to meet you. | 0:35:50 | 0:35:52 | |
So, you're still milking sheep then? | 0:35:52 | 0:35:54 | |
-Yes, we are. Yeah, we've got up to 600 in the flock now. -Goodness me. | 0:35:54 | 0:35:57 | |
That's quite a jump. | 0:35:57 | 0:35:58 | |
Yeah, we were 350 and got up to 600. It's going quite well. | 0:35:58 | 0:36:03 | |
They do look in really good order. They're lovely, aren't they? | 0:36:03 | 0:36:05 | |
-Mm. Yeah. -And these are mainly Frieslands, are they, John? | 0:36:05 | 0:36:08 | |
Yeah, most of these now are Friesland and Lacaune cross. | 0:36:08 | 0:36:11 | |
From France, aren't they, Simon? | 0:36:11 | 0:36:13 | |
-Yeah. -And what made you choose the Lacaune, then? | 0:36:13 | 0:36:15 | |
Well, I travelled over to France and over to Spain | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
to have a look at the Lacaune | 0:36:18 | 0:36:19 | |
and every year when we go to a dairy and ask for a milk price increase, | 0:36:19 | 0:36:24 | |
they always say we need a better butter fat and protein. | 0:36:24 | 0:36:27 | |
The Lacaune has a better protein and butter fat | 0:36:27 | 0:36:29 | |
but the Friesland milks better, so the cross has given us | 0:36:29 | 0:36:33 | |
a bit of both and it seems to be working well. | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
And what did your neighbours think when you started milking sheep? | 0:36:35 | 0:36:38 | |
Oh, quite a shock when we started, yes. It was. Big shock. | 0:36:38 | 0:36:41 | |
-Yeah, we had a view laughs at the beginning. -Yeah. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:45 | |
And now? | 0:36:45 | 0:36:46 | |
Well, there's nine other farmers milking in our area | 0:36:46 | 0:36:49 | |
so, you know, they must have agreed in something. | 0:36:49 | 0:36:51 | |
Yeah. And when are this lot ready to be milked? | 0:36:51 | 0:36:53 | |
About 15 minutes. | 0:36:53 | 0:36:55 | |
-Can I give you a hand to get them in? -Yeah, let's go. | 0:36:55 | 0:36:57 | |
Simon's innovations go beyond just crossbreeding his sheep. | 0:37:01 | 0:37:05 | |
He's set up a farmers' co-operative in the valley | 0:37:05 | 0:37:07 | |
making sure there's a year-round supply of sheep's milk. | 0:37:07 | 0:37:11 | |
And since we were last here, | 0:37:11 | 0:37:12 | |
he's invested in a hi-tech milking parlour | 0:37:12 | 0:37:14 | |
that's transforming his business. | 0:37:14 | 0:37:16 | |
The key to it is the electronic identity tags the sheep carry. | 0:37:20 | 0:37:23 | |
My word, look at this, Simon. | 0:37:26 | 0:37:28 | |
Really smart, isn't it? How new is it? | 0:37:28 | 0:37:31 | |
-About two months old, that's all. -Is it? | 0:37:31 | 0:37:33 | |
-Yeah. -Incredible. And so tell me the system, then. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:36 | |
Well, how it works is you've got the EID reader at the end, | 0:37:36 | 0:37:40 | |
which reads the electronic identification tag, | 0:37:40 | 0:37:43 | |
and then as the sheep come down, it puts the ear tag number | 0:37:43 | 0:37:48 | |
on the display and then, as you can see now, its yield. | 0:37:48 | 0:37:52 | |
-They're measuring how much milk it's producing. -How much it's producing. | 0:37:52 | 0:37:56 | |
So, cluster goes on pretty quick? | 0:37:59 | 0:38:01 | |
Yeah, pretty quick. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:02 | |
These are now milked out now, so we just press the arrow, | 0:38:02 | 0:38:06 | |
it gives it a pause and then it takes the unit off | 0:38:06 | 0:38:09 | |
and then it has an automatic suck-back | 0:38:09 | 0:38:12 | |
so we don't get any spillage of milk. | 0:38:12 | 0:38:14 | |
It's quite expensive, so we don't want it dripping. | 0:38:14 | 0:38:17 | |
Brilliant. Amazing. | 0:38:19 | 0:38:21 | |
And worth the investment, do you think? | 0:38:21 | 0:38:23 | |
Yeah. Yeah. I think so. | 0:38:23 | 0:38:25 | |
-I hope so. -You'll find out! -Yeah. | 0:38:25 | 0:38:28 | |
The data generated by the new computerised parlour | 0:38:36 | 0:38:39 | |
helps Simon identify which are his highest producing ewes. | 0:38:39 | 0:38:42 | |
Knowing this, he can select them for his breeding programme, | 0:38:45 | 0:38:48 | |
helping him to increase his yields even more. | 0:38:48 | 0:38:50 | |
But increasing yields isn't just down to a numbers game or modern | 0:38:52 | 0:38:56 | |
technology. Simon's made use of some old-fashioned farming know-how. | 0:38:56 | 0:39:00 | |
Simon, cattle give birth all year round, | 0:39:01 | 0:39:05 | |
so there's a milk supply all year round, | 0:39:05 | 0:39:07 | |
whereas sheep are seasonal, aren't they - | 0:39:07 | 0:39:09 | |
they give birth in the spring. | 0:39:09 | 0:39:10 | |
So presumably there's a period when those sheep are pregnant | 0:39:10 | 0:39:13 | |
and they're not producing milk, | 0:39:13 | 0:39:15 | |
so you haven't got a supply for the supermarket shelves. | 0:39:15 | 0:39:17 | |
Well, yes. Like 10 years ago, we did have a dry period from September to | 0:39:17 | 0:39:21 | |
December, which is what you'd expect from a natural sheep. | 0:39:21 | 0:39:26 | |
But what we've done is we've extended our lactation | 0:39:26 | 0:39:29 | |
by lambing a batch in January and lambing a batch end of April/May, | 0:39:29 | 0:39:33 | |
so we can get production right through to Christmas. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:36 | |
We've also got another member in the sheep milk co-operative that | 0:39:36 | 0:39:40 | |
lambs in February, December and July, | 0:39:40 | 0:39:44 | |
and now, you know, we can produce right through. | 0:39:44 | 0:39:47 | |
So that's why you've got these different size lambs. | 0:39:47 | 0:39:49 | |
Yeah, these are January, February born. | 0:39:49 | 0:39:51 | |
And then obviously these are April/May born. | 0:39:51 | 0:39:54 | |
And what do you do with all of the lambs? | 0:39:54 | 0:39:56 | |
The best females are selected and turned outside. | 0:39:56 | 0:39:59 | |
And then the males, they'll go to the butcher's market. | 0:39:59 | 0:40:02 | |
Right, so they go for the table. | 0:40:02 | 0:40:04 | |
-Yeah, we rear them all. -So you've got a home for everything. -Yup. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:07 | |
Ensuring a year-round supply has been a crucial | 0:40:10 | 0:40:13 | |
step in allowing Simon | 0:40:13 | 0:40:14 | |
and the other producers to think about new customers and products. | 0:40:14 | 0:40:18 | |
Sheep's milk was traditionally used to make hard cheese that had | 0:40:22 | 0:40:25 | |
a longer shelf life, but now there's no dry period, in other words, | 0:40:25 | 0:40:29 | |
milk's available all year round, | 0:40:29 | 0:40:31 | |
all sorts of products have become commercially viable. | 0:40:31 | 0:40:33 | |
Simon's milk is now used for soft and hard cheeses, | 0:40:37 | 0:40:40 | |
as well as being sold direct as sheep's milk. | 0:40:40 | 0:40:44 | |
The smaller fat globules can make it easier to digest, | 0:40:44 | 0:40:47 | |
so it's been a hit with people who struggle with cow's milk. | 0:40:47 | 0:40:51 | |
And at the nearby Alston Dairy, | 0:40:51 | 0:40:53 | |
Ann Forshaws has been using it to make sheep's milk yoghurt. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:56 | |
Is it proving popular? | 0:40:58 | 0:41:00 | |
Yes. Yes, it is. | 0:41:00 | 0:41:02 | |
We've been packing now just over a year. | 0:41:02 | 0:41:06 | |
It goes into our local food stores | 0:41:06 | 0:41:08 | |
but it's also going over to the Middle East as well. | 0:41:08 | 0:41:10 | |
-To the Middle East? -Yes, it is. -Wow. -Unbelievable, isn't it? | 0:41:10 | 0:41:13 | |
-Incredible. -Yes. Yes. | 0:41:13 | 0:41:14 | |
And how come you got into producing it in the first place? | 0:41:14 | 0:41:17 | |
Well, Simon Stott is really a member of the family, he's a relation, | 0:41:17 | 0:41:21 | |
and he asked if I would make this sheep's yoghurt for him | 0:41:21 | 0:41:24 | |
and I said yes, I would, and that's how it started. | 0:41:24 | 0:41:26 | |
So what's next then, Ann? | 0:41:26 | 0:41:28 | |
Well, the next thing is, well, we've got to taste it. | 0:41:28 | 0:41:31 | |
So shall we go over to the house? | 0:41:31 | 0:41:32 | |
Yeah, lovely. | 0:41:32 | 0:41:33 | |
I have to admit I find goat's milk products always taste a bit, | 0:41:37 | 0:41:40 | |
well, goaty. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:42 | |
I wonder if sheep's milk yoghurt will be as easy to spot. | 0:41:42 | 0:41:46 | |
We've got Greek style, our own natural yoghurt and, | 0:41:46 | 0:41:49 | |
of course, the sheep's yoghurt. | 0:41:49 | 0:41:51 | |
OK. Have I got to tell the difference? | 0:41:51 | 0:41:53 | |
Yes, you have. | 0:41:53 | 0:41:54 | |
OK. So... | 0:41:54 | 0:41:56 | |
Mm. | 0:42:00 | 0:42:02 | |
SHE CHUCKLES | 0:42:02 | 0:42:04 | |
That's quite... | 0:42:04 | 0:42:05 | |
I think that might be Greek. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:06 | |
Oh. | 0:42:09 | 0:42:10 | |
That is like normal yoghurt, cow yoghurt. | 0:42:13 | 0:42:16 | |
Mm! Well, that tastes like cow's as well. Crikey. So... | 0:42:20 | 0:42:26 | |
I think that's the Greek. Am I right? | 0:42:27 | 0:42:30 | |
I don't know. | 0:42:30 | 0:42:31 | |
Because I've written it on the bottom of the pots, | 0:42:31 | 0:42:34 | |
so I don't know. I don't know any more than what you know. | 0:42:34 | 0:42:36 | |
-Greek yoghurt. Got it right. -Well done. | 0:42:38 | 0:42:41 | |
That's one. Now, these two... | 0:42:41 | 0:42:42 | |
They're so difficult to tell the difference. | 0:42:43 | 0:42:45 | |
I think this is sheep's. | 0:42:45 | 0:42:47 | |
Have a look. I don't know. | 0:42:48 | 0:42:50 | |
-Yes, it is. -Well done. | 0:42:50 | 0:42:53 | |
-Amazing. -Yes. -But there's hardly anything in it at all, is there? | 0:42:53 | 0:42:56 | |
No. No. | 0:42:56 | 0:42:57 | |
So the reason I thought this was sheep, | 0:42:57 | 0:42:59 | |
I thought it was not quite so thick. | 0:42:59 | 0:43:00 | |
-No. -I don't know whether the consistency is any different. | 0:43:00 | 0:43:03 | |
Well, because there's nothing in there. | 0:43:03 | 0:43:05 | |
All you have there is sheep's milk and culture. | 0:43:05 | 0:43:07 | |
Wow, that is delicious. | 0:43:08 | 0:43:10 | |
-I could eat that till the sheep come home. -Good. | 0:43:10 | 0:43:13 | |
Simon originally just supplied hard cheeses to the local market | 0:43:17 | 0:43:21 | |
but now a variety of British sheep's milk products can be found | 0:43:21 | 0:43:24 | |
across the UK and as far afield as North America and the Middle East. | 0:43:24 | 0:43:29 | |
It's still a niche market, but with soft cheese, | 0:43:33 | 0:43:36 | |
hard cheese, yoghurt and even the milk itself growing in popularity, | 0:43:36 | 0:43:41 | |
Simon and his dad's punt on sheep's milk is certainly paying off. | 0:43:41 | 0:43:45 | |
Summer is here and it's not just our landscape that's putting on a show. | 0:43:56 | 0:43:59 | |
Countryfile Live is just around the corner, | 0:44:02 | 0:44:04 | |
where we'll be celebrating rural life in all its glory. | 0:44:04 | 0:44:08 | |
I love my job. | 0:44:11 | 0:44:13 | |
Every week I'm in the great British countryside learning | 0:44:13 | 0:44:16 | |
something new about the rural way of life. | 0:44:16 | 0:44:19 | |
However, the great and the good in the Countryfile | 0:44:19 | 0:44:21 | |
office think my learning curve isn't quite steep enough. | 0:44:21 | 0:44:25 | |
They said I need to up my countryside credentials | 0:44:25 | 0:44:28 | |
and improve my animal handling skills in time | 0:44:28 | 0:44:30 | |
for Countryfile Live. | 0:44:30 | 0:44:32 | |
And I said... What did I say, ladies? | 0:44:32 | 0:44:34 | |
I said bring it on. | 0:44:34 | 0:44:36 | |
So I've come to Norfolk to meet a man | 0:44:39 | 0:44:41 | |
who knows a thing or two about animal training. | 0:44:41 | 0:44:44 | |
Meet Stuart Barnes. | 0:44:45 | 0:44:47 | |
He has an uncanny knack with rescue sheepdogs... | 0:44:47 | 0:44:50 | |
..and Indian Runner ducks that are also rescue animals. | 0:44:51 | 0:44:55 | |
Stuart's duck-herding display combines showmanship with education. | 0:44:57 | 0:45:01 | |
-Pleased to meet you. How are you? -I'm really well. | 0:45:04 | 0:45:06 | |
I wasn't expecting this. | 0:45:06 | 0:45:07 | |
A Kiwi, sheepdogs and ducks. | 0:45:07 | 0:45:09 | |
So why ducks? | 0:45:09 | 0:45:11 | |
Well, ducks are brilliant because they're like sheep, | 0:45:11 | 0:45:13 | |
they stick together really well, | 0:45:13 | 0:45:14 | |
they move around perfectly for the dogs and then they go off | 0:45:14 | 0:45:17 | |
and do a couple of shows a week with us to earn their keep. | 0:45:17 | 0:45:20 | |
Perfect. | 0:45:20 | 0:45:21 | |
Stuart has 10 collies of varying ages and experience. | 0:45:21 | 0:45:24 | |
He's confident he can hone one woman and her dog, | 0:45:26 | 0:45:29 | |
not forgetting her ducks, into a winning team | 0:45:29 | 0:45:32 | |
in front of an expectant crowd. | 0:45:32 | 0:45:34 | |
Good luck with that! | 0:45:34 | 0:45:35 | |
Now, if we've got a dog opposite us with the ducks in between, | 0:45:37 | 0:45:39 | |
if we walk left, cos it wants to stay at 12 o'clock, | 0:45:39 | 0:45:42 | |
-it's going to naturally walk left. -Mm-hm. -Without any commands. -Mm-hm. | 0:45:42 | 0:45:45 | |
You walk right, it's going to walk right. | 0:45:45 | 0:45:47 | |
So you can put the commands on it. | 0:45:47 | 0:45:48 | |
To get this dog to gel with you, it's got to start working for you. | 0:45:48 | 0:45:51 | |
OK. | 0:45:51 | 0:45:53 | |
For my first ever duck-herding session, I've picked Stripe, | 0:45:53 | 0:45:57 | |
though deep down I know Stripe has chosen me. | 0:45:57 | 0:46:00 | |
Right. | 0:46:00 | 0:46:02 | |
Left. | 0:46:02 | 0:46:04 | |
Sit. Sit. | 0:46:04 | 0:46:06 | |
Good dog. | 0:46:08 | 0:46:11 | |
-Looking good! -Left! Right. | 0:46:11 | 0:46:13 | |
Sit! Sit! | 0:46:13 | 0:46:15 | |
I've never had a dog obey me before. It's a great feeling. | 0:46:15 | 0:46:19 | |
Sit. Sit. Sit. | 0:46:20 | 0:46:23 | |
Indian Runner ducks, though flightless, | 0:46:23 | 0:46:25 | |
are among the fastest running of all our domestic breeds. | 0:46:25 | 0:46:29 | |
And Stuart's are unflappable. | 0:46:29 | 0:46:31 | |
The ducks are nice and calm, the dog is listening to me. | 0:46:33 | 0:46:37 | |
-Was it good? -Perfect. Looking great. | 0:46:37 | 0:46:39 | |
She's really gelled with you now, so that's ticked the box there. | 0:46:39 | 0:46:42 | |
Waving a crook about is all very well, but now I've got to drive | 0:46:42 | 0:46:46 | |
these ducks around an obstacle course. | 0:46:46 | 0:46:48 | |
Think It's A Knockout. | 0:46:49 | 0:46:52 | |
I'm thinking it's Mission: Impossible. | 0:46:52 | 0:46:55 | |
-Follow me. -I will. -We've got a very exciting obstacle first. | 0:46:55 | 0:46:58 | |
-It's called the tunnel of doom. -The tunnel of doom. | 0:46:58 | 0:47:00 | |
Yeah, so we're going to try and get the ducks funnelled through | 0:47:00 | 0:47:03 | |
-this tunnel of doom... -OK. | 0:47:03 | 0:47:04 | |
..and popping out the other side with you and your dog. | 0:47:04 | 0:47:07 | |
-OK, let's do it. -OK, shall I take the...? -The magic stick. | 0:47:07 | 0:47:10 | |
-All right, here we go. -Off you go. | 0:47:10 | 0:47:12 | |
Right. | 0:47:14 | 0:47:15 | |
Right. | 0:47:19 | 0:47:20 | |
Sit. | 0:47:25 | 0:47:26 | |
Right. | 0:47:27 | 0:47:28 | |
Sit. Sit. | 0:47:32 | 0:47:33 | |
Where are you going, duckies? | 0:47:39 | 0:47:41 | |
HE GRUNTS | 0:47:41 | 0:47:43 | |
-In you get. -SHE LAUGHS | 0:47:43 | 0:47:45 | |
-Yes! -You're a natural. | 0:47:49 | 0:47:51 | |
My goodness! I didn't know it was going to be that easy. | 0:47:51 | 0:47:53 | |
I think beginner's luck. | 0:47:53 | 0:47:54 | |
I think the dog and the ducks know exactly what they're doing, | 0:47:54 | 0:47:57 | |
I'm just here to hold the stick. | 0:47:57 | 0:47:59 | |
Now to get serious. | 0:48:00 | 0:48:01 | |
Well, as serious as you can get herding ducks. | 0:48:01 | 0:48:04 | |
Everything hangs on this next obstacle. | 0:48:06 | 0:48:08 | |
So this is what we're going to be doing at Countryfile Live. | 0:48:08 | 0:48:10 | |
-Live in front of all the crowds. -Hello, ducks! | 0:48:10 | 0:48:12 | |
Oh, we've got the ducks with us as well. This is one of the ducks' | 0:48:12 | 0:48:15 | |
favourite obstacle cos they get to have a quick swim. | 0:48:15 | 0:48:17 | |
And we've got to try and get them up in there and landing into that | 0:48:17 | 0:48:20 | |
lovely pool of water. | 0:48:20 | 0:48:21 | |
-All right, let's try this. -OK, bring it on. | 0:48:21 | 0:48:24 | |
Right. Right. Sit, sit, sit, sit. | 0:48:24 | 0:48:28 | |
Sit. Sit. Right. Right. St... | 0:48:28 | 0:48:31 | |
Oh, missed it. Missed it. Sit. | 0:48:31 | 0:48:33 | |
Sit. Sit, sit, sit. | 0:48:33 | 0:48:35 | |
-Sit! -Sit! -Sit. | 0:48:35 | 0:48:37 | |
Sit. Sit! | 0:48:37 | 0:48:40 | |
Good work. | 0:48:40 | 0:48:41 | |
Right. Right. Stop. Sit. Sit. | 0:48:41 | 0:48:44 | |
Oh! | 0:48:44 | 0:48:46 | |
Just keep missing it. Where are you going? | 0:48:46 | 0:48:48 | |
Right. Sit. | 0:48:48 | 0:48:51 | |
-SHE SIGHS -Missed it. Sit. Sit. | 0:48:51 | 0:48:53 | |
Sit. OK, we're going to do this, me and you, Stripe. In the zone. | 0:48:53 | 0:48:57 | |
The ducks in the pool. | 0:48:57 | 0:48:59 | |
Right! | 0:49:02 | 0:49:04 | |
Oh, he went left. OK. Sit. Sit. | 0:49:04 | 0:49:06 | |
Well, we've got them through the tunnel again. | 0:49:09 | 0:49:11 | |
Wrong obstacle, but we made it! | 0:49:12 | 0:49:14 | |
CLOCK TICKS I'm going to quickly show you | 0:49:14 | 0:49:17 | |
-how I would get them... -30 minutes later | 0:49:17 | 0:49:19 | |
and with almost that many attempts to get my ducks in a row, | 0:49:19 | 0:49:23 | |
Stuart steps in for a pep talk. | 0:49:23 | 0:49:25 | |
-So you can watch me what I'm doing. OK, go now. -Left. | 0:49:25 | 0:49:28 | |
Left. Left. Left. | 0:49:29 | 0:49:31 | |
-Sit. -Sit. -Sit. -Sit. | 0:49:31 | 0:49:33 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:49:33 | 0:49:35 | |
One escaped! | 0:49:39 | 0:49:41 | |
Yes! | 0:49:41 | 0:49:42 | |
-I... I mean, they went in. -HE CLAPS | 0:49:45 | 0:49:47 | |
Perfect. Perfect. | 0:49:47 | 0:49:49 | |
I don't know how it happened. | 0:49:49 | 0:49:50 | |
Well, it's been a glorious day today | 0:49:54 | 0:49:56 | |
but what will the weather be doing for the week ahead? | 0:49:56 | 0:49:58 | |
More sunshine or nice weather for ducks? | 0:49:58 | 0:50:01 | |
Here's the Countryfile five-day forecast. | 0:50:01 | 0:50:03 | |
We're in Wiltshire, just a flint's throw from the Downs. | 0:51:07 | 0:51:09 | |
I'm in the grounds of Marlborough College, | 0:51:11 | 0:51:14 | |
which are bordered by one of Britain's finest chalk streams. | 0:51:14 | 0:51:17 | |
Rising to the west and draining into the Thames 45 miles later, | 0:51:21 | 0:51:26 | |
the River Kennet is a crystalline gem that inspired | 0:51:26 | 0:51:30 | |
one of our best-loved poets. | 0:51:30 | 0:51:31 | |
The smell of trodden leaves beside the Kennet | 0:51:34 | 0:51:38 | |
When trout waved lazy in the clear chalk streams | 0:51:38 | 0:51:44 | |
Glory was in me. | 0:51:44 | 0:51:47 | |
But the 21st-century River Kennet is very fragile. | 0:51:47 | 0:51:51 | |
Overextraction of water | 0:51:52 | 0:51:54 | |
and drought has seen it dry up completely in recent summers. | 0:51:54 | 0:51:57 | |
But now help is at hand. | 0:51:57 | 0:52:00 | |
For some reason, the pupils here at Marlborough College know this | 0:52:01 | 0:52:04 | |
stretch of the Kennet as Treacle Bolly. I've no idea why | 0:52:04 | 0:52:08 | |
but I'm running with it cos it sounds nice and a little bit tasty. | 0:52:08 | 0:52:11 | |
And today Treacle Bolly is getting a makeover by some superfans. | 0:52:11 | 0:52:15 | |
So I'd better get my waders on. | 0:52:15 | 0:52:17 | |
-Too heavy, that's it. Well done. -Don Harris and Rodney Owen Jones | 0:52:18 | 0:52:21 | |
are from Action for the River Kennet. | 0:52:21 | 0:52:24 | |
They host weekly working parties to restore the river. | 0:52:24 | 0:52:27 | |
These bundles of hazel create artificial banks | 0:52:29 | 0:52:32 | |
that narrow the river and speed up water flow. | 0:52:32 | 0:52:35 | |
And the idea is the river then, it'll hit the deflector | 0:52:40 | 0:52:43 | |
and bounce on down. | 0:52:43 | 0:52:45 | |
We can't make more water appear but we can make what water is | 0:52:45 | 0:52:48 | |
here and the habitat that's here as good as it can be. | 0:52:48 | 0:52:51 | |
The beauty of this artificial banking is it works in harmony | 0:52:52 | 0:52:56 | |
with the river. | 0:52:56 | 0:52:58 | |
-As you can see, the water gets through them. -Mm-hm. | 0:52:58 | 0:53:00 | |
So that means the little bugs can get through, the little tiny | 0:53:00 | 0:53:03 | |
fish, the water voles and things such as that can get through. | 0:53:03 | 0:53:07 | |
And because of that we're not forming a wall, | 0:53:07 | 0:53:09 | |
we're just forming a deflection. | 0:53:09 | 0:53:12 | |
Look, I've got my waders on, I'm ready to go, another volunteer. | 0:53:12 | 0:53:15 | |
-Are we ready to save the River Kennet? -Yes. -Yes. | 0:53:15 | 0:53:18 | |
Who's going to leap up on the top of that? | 0:53:18 | 0:53:21 | |
I'll go. | 0:53:21 | 0:53:22 | |
I'm on the wrong side. | 0:53:22 | 0:53:24 | |
That end down there first. | 0:53:24 | 0:53:25 | |
-Push this. -Slide it through. -That's it. | 0:53:27 | 0:53:30 | |
-There we go. -That's it. -Give it a good... -That's fine. | 0:53:32 | 0:53:34 | |
Someone else should have a go at this, this is quite good fun. | 0:53:34 | 0:53:37 | |
That way and this, too. | 0:53:37 | 0:53:39 | |
Break bits off and stick them in like that. | 0:53:39 | 0:53:41 | |
As a final flourish, Rodney and Don use living willow stems, | 0:53:41 | 0:53:45 | |
which take root in a matter of days, | 0:53:45 | 0:53:48 | |
hold it all together and provide additional wildlife habitat. | 0:53:48 | 0:53:52 | |
The Kennet is so loved by the locals it attracts helpers of all ages... | 0:53:57 | 0:54:02 | |
including budding 14-year-old ecologist Dominic. | 0:54:02 | 0:54:06 | |
Chalk streams are a very valuable and rare habitat in this country. | 0:54:07 | 0:54:11 | |
I mean, there are about, I think, 200 chalk streams worldwide, | 0:54:11 | 0:54:16 | |
so I think that to have a habitat like this is really important | 0:54:16 | 0:54:21 | |
to preserve. | 0:54:21 | 0:54:23 | |
And also, it's quite beautiful to walk through, | 0:54:23 | 0:54:25 | |
-especially on a day like today, isn't it? -Yes. | 0:54:25 | 0:54:28 | |
Downstream is another working party led by Anna Forbes. Hello, Anna. | 0:54:28 | 0:54:33 | |
-Hello. -How are you doing? -I'm fine, thank you. -Lovely to see you. | 0:54:33 | 0:54:36 | |
So what what's happening at this bit of the river? | 0:54:36 | 0:54:38 | |
We're busy planting a native aquatic plant called stream water-crowfoot, | 0:54:38 | 0:54:42 | |
-or ranunculus. -And that's this stuff, is it? | 0:54:42 | 0:54:45 | |
-Yeah. -Can I see what it is? | 0:54:45 | 0:54:46 | |
What's this? What does it do? | 0:54:46 | 0:54:48 | |
So it's a really good plant and it's associated with chalk streams. | 0:54:48 | 0:54:52 | |
It's a great home for all the little invertebrates | 0:54:52 | 0:54:54 | |
and the little fish fry. | 0:54:54 | 0:54:56 | |
And in times of low flow it's really good at holding | 0:54:56 | 0:54:58 | |
the volume of water up. | 0:54:58 | 0:55:00 | |
In the past when the river's dried up, | 0:55:00 | 0:55:02 | |
the Kennet's water plants died back. | 0:55:02 | 0:55:04 | |
But this lot aim to re-green the river. | 0:55:04 | 0:55:07 | |
Right. Let's get planting. | 0:55:08 | 0:55:11 | |
OK, so, with the fork this way round, | 0:55:11 | 0:55:12 | |
you just need to start making a depression into | 0:55:12 | 0:55:16 | |
the chalk stream riverbed. | 0:55:16 | 0:55:18 | |
And then you can just put it in with your hand. | 0:55:18 | 0:55:19 | |
And then with your fork you bring all the gravels and stones | 0:55:19 | 0:55:22 | |
so that its roots are really covered. | 0:55:22 | 0:55:24 | |
-As simple as that. -Yup. -Perfect. | 0:55:26 | 0:55:28 | |
Right. Excellent. | 0:55:28 | 0:55:30 | |
With this level of love and attention, | 0:55:30 | 0:55:32 | |
it looks like the River Kennet's future is clear. | 0:55:32 | 0:55:35 | |
-Anita. -Hiya, John. How you doing? | 0:55:36 | 0:55:38 | |
Fine. A ranunculus planter, eh? | 0:55:38 | 0:55:40 | |
-Yup. It sounds like a Harry Potter spell, doesn't it? -It does, yeah! | 0:55:40 | 0:55:43 | |
Well, that's all we've got time for for this week, I'm afraid. | 0:55:43 | 0:55:46 | |
-What are you up to next week? -Next week, Sean and I | 0:55:46 | 0:55:48 | |
will be exploring the green hearts of our cities. | 0:55:48 | 0:55:50 | |
Yes, there's more going on where you'd least expect it. | 0:55:50 | 0:55:53 | |
Really? Wow. | 0:55:53 | 0:55:54 | |
-Well, hope to see you then. Bye for now. -Bye. | 0:55:54 | 0:55:56 |