0:00:22 > 0:00:27Hello, and a very warm welcome to Landward, exploring the issues at
0:00:27 > 0:00:30the heart of the Scottish countryside. In a moment, Euan will
0:00:30 > 0:00:32have the first of two films looking at the European Common Agricultural
0:00:33 > 0:00:42Policy and what proposed changes may mean for Scotland, but first,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46here's what else is coming up on the programme. The Shetland ponies
0:00:46 > 0:00:50preparing for their version of the Grand National. I never thought you
0:00:50 > 0:00:55would quite get there. You always dream about it and think, it would
0:00:55 > 0:00:59be so good to get there, but you never think you will. I take a trip
0:00:59 > 0:01:03into Scotland's largest sea cave. Every drop of rain that falls here
0:01:03 > 0:01:09comes down that waterfall. We have to be pretty careful here. This
0:01:09 > 0:01:14cave floods very easily, yeah. Nick pulls a turkey apart. I am
0:01:14 > 0:01:18going to strip down the carcass. I am going to get some bones to make
0:01:18 > 0:01:22a beautiful, rich stock. I am going to keep the trimmings and leftovers
0:01:22 > 0:01:28to make a rich, hearty turkey broth. The Common Agricultural Policy
0:01:28 > 0:01:33which governs how farming is managed across the EU and how
0:01:33 > 0:01:36farmers are subsidised to produce food is to undergo substantial
0:01:36 > 0:01:41reform. The proposals will be hotly debated across Europe over the next
0:01:41 > 0:01:49year or so until the final package is delivered in 2013. In the first
0:01:49 > 0:01:52of two films, Euan looks back at how the CAP has evolved.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56European farming subsidies - it might not sound like the most
0:01:56 > 0:02:02exciting topic in the world, so why should you care? Well, for one
0:02:02 > 0:02:10thing, you pay for it. It costs the average family of four in Britain
0:02:10 > 0:02:14�426 every year. Almost half of the entire EU budget
0:02:14 > 0:02:21is spent subsidising farmers, and farmers represent just 5% of the
0:02:21 > 0:02:26European population. So why do we spend so much subsidising so few?
0:02:26 > 0:02:31Well, to understand that, we have to look back.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Before World War II, Britain had become more and more reliant on
0:02:35 > 0:02:41imported foods from the Commonwealth, like wheat from the
0:02:41 > 0:02:47vast Canadian prairies. Then the war changed everything. During the
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Second World War, the danger of relying on imported food became all
0:02:50 > 0:02:55too obvious. Twice Germany nearly beat us by sinking our food ships.
0:02:55 > 0:03:02We learned that farming is every much as bit a part of our defence
0:03:02 > 0:03:06as guns, planes and ships. Have we forgot about the foods in our
0:03:06 > 0:03:11shops? After the traumas of the war, Britain was determined to become
0:03:11 > 0:03:15more self-sufficient, to help our farmers develop and become more
0:03:15 > 0:03:20productive, the British Government began subsidising them. Then in
0:03:20 > 0:03:261973, we joined Europe. OLD NEWSREEL: The Gulf between
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Britain and Europe has shrunk to the three paces' width of the
0:03:30 > 0:03:36carpet of Brussels under one roof. In signing the accession treating,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39we were signing up to the Common Agricultural Policy, known as CAP.
0:03:39 > 0:03:45The Common Agricultural Policy has been part of the European Union's
0:03:45 > 0:03:50policy since its inception, the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Back at that
0:03:50 > 0:03:53time memories of food shortages, even starvation in parts of Europe
0:03:53 > 0:04:01in the Second World War were still very vivid, so really the policy
0:04:01 > 0:04:06was brought in to stabilise markets and increase production. In the
0:04:06 > 0:04:10'70s under CAP, fruit, vegetables and meat all had a fixed price.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Farmers were told we'll give you a guaranteed price for your produce.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18How much do you want to supply? Understandably, the answer was lots
0:04:18 > 0:04:24- mountains of it. Beef, butter and milk powder
0:04:24 > 0:04:29mountains grew as the EU had to store surplus produce. In 1980, the
0:04:29 > 0:04:33money programme explained why it was happening. The wholesale price
0:04:33 > 0:04:36of butter outside the common market is 34p per pound, but inside the
0:04:36 > 0:04:43market, the price of butter can be fixed much higher without being
0:04:43 > 0:04:46undercut. At the moment, it's 80p. Why so much higher? Because 80p is
0:04:46 > 0:04:50the price the nine agricultural Ministers reckon will give Europe's
0:04:50 > 0:04:54farmers a reasonable income. Understandably, the higher the
0:04:54 > 0:04:58price, the more the farmer will produce because high prices are an
0:04:58 > 0:05:02incentive to production, but higher prices mean the consumer can't
0:05:02 > 0:05:05afford the buy, so it's not surprising if Europe produces more
0:05:05 > 0:05:10butter than she can eat. Farmers had done exactly what they were
0:05:10 > 0:05:15asked to do - produce more food and make Europe more self-sufficient.
0:05:15 > 0:05:22But it was costly, and surplus was never the aim of the policy.
0:05:22 > 0:05:28Something had to change, and it did. There was a succession of reforms
0:05:28 > 0:05:33in the 1990s, and then a big change in 2004. When the link between what
0:05:33 > 0:05:39farmers produced and what they were paid was largely broken.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Farmers used to get paid per head for the livestock, per hectare for
0:05:43 > 0:05:47the crops. That is still the case, but it's not in relation to the
0:05:47 > 0:05:51number of animals or area they grow. Today farmers are largely given
0:05:51 > 0:05:55what's called a single farm payment. It's not linked to how many cows
0:05:55 > 0:06:01they produce or tonnes of grain they harvest. In Scotland, the size
0:06:01 > 0:06:05of the payment is largely based on the total subsidy they historically
0:06:05 > 0:06:09received under the old system regardless of what they now produce.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15With no guaranteed prices, overproduction and the food
0:06:15 > 0:06:22mountains have gone, but we still spend �47 billion every year on CAP.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26So why does farming deserve to be subsidised at all? Well, the
0:06:26 > 0:06:29argument goes because it's totally different from any other industry.
0:06:29 > 0:06:35It produces one of the most essential ingredients for life -
0:06:35 > 0:06:39food. The vast majority of farmers in Scotland would struggle to be
0:06:39 > 0:06:42viable without that support coming from Europe. However, you always
0:06:42 > 0:06:47find farmers who are bucking the trend and who are out there and are
0:06:47 > 0:06:51making good returns without relying on support quite as heavily as some
0:06:52 > 0:06:56of their peers. It's also worth remembering that Europe isn't the
0:06:56 > 0:06:59only place where farming subsidised. In the United States, often
0:06:59 > 0:07:04considered to be the standard bearer for liberal economics,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08farming is massively subsidise. If we abolished them here, then our
0:07:08 > 0:07:12farmers would simply be exeeght with subsidised farming from across
0:07:12 > 0:07:15the Atlantic, so where to we go from here?
0:07:15 > 0:07:19That's what I'll be looking at later in the programme. The Common
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Agricultural Policy is up for reform again, and I'll be speaking
0:07:23 > 0:07:29to the Government Ministers, farmers and conservationists about
0:07:29 > 0:07:33what they think should happen next. Last week, Nick cooked a Christmas
0:07:33 > 0:07:38turkey with all the trimmings. This week in his quest not to waste an
0:07:38 > 0:07:45ounce of the bird, he's going to show us how to make some good stock
0:07:45 > 0:07:49We're all living in difficult economic times, and the Christmas
0:07:49 > 0:07:53budget has never been under more pressure, so this year, I'm going
0:07:53 > 0:07:58to show you how to make the most out of your turkey. Not one little
0:07:58 > 0:08:02bit is going to go to waste. A last week I cooked the perfect Christmas
0:08:02 > 0:08:06dinner. This week I'm going to start work on the left-overs.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Now, when I said that we weren't going to waste any of the turkey, I
0:08:09 > 0:08:14really meant it. This week, I'm going to strip down the carcass.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18I'm going to get some bones to make a beautiful, rich stock, and I'm
0:08:18 > 0:08:26going to keep the trimmings and left-overs to make a rich, hearty
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Now, to make the stock, we need the bones, the skin, everything that
0:08:29 > 0:08:32you would normally chuck out, and we take that and put that into a
0:08:32 > 0:08:36big pan, and at Christmas, you can never have a pan that's big enough.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41And now I'm going to cover the bones with cold water.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45MUSIC I'm going to prep the veg, but it's
0:08:45 > 0:08:51incredibly important that you don't let this boil. Otherwise, you'll
0:08:51 > 0:08:58ruin the stock. Back to the veg - onion, celery, carrots - the
0:08:58 > 0:09:03carrots, you need to peel them just as they are.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07If you let the pan come to a rolling boil, the turbulence of the
0:09:07 > 0:09:11water will carry this coagulated protein and fat that's risen up
0:09:11 > 0:09:15down into the liquid, and it's going to be muddy and cloudy, and
0:09:15 > 0:09:20it's not going to taste great. You've got to get this skimmed off
0:09:20 > 0:09:24now, so I'm going to use a ladle and just skim the coagulated
0:09:24 > 0:09:28protein and fat and remove that, and when I add the vegetables on
0:09:28 > 0:09:33top, they'll act as a filter for the stock, and the stock will wise
0:09:33 > 0:09:38and fall through the vegetables, and as it does, it purifies itself.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43So the stock has been ticking away now for about two-and-a-half hours,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and when I dip my spoon in, I get this heavenly scent and see that
0:09:46 > 0:09:50lovely clarity we've got. There is no greasiness. There is no
0:09:50 > 0:09:54cloudiness. There is no heaviness, and it tastes fantastic. Now, if
0:09:54 > 0:09:58you don't use the stock all at once, of course, you can always freeze it,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and it keeps for up to three months in the freezer. Now that we've got
0:10:02 > 0:10:08a really nice turkey stock, making a great broth is very easy. I'm
0:10:08 > 0:10:13going to dice up some vegetables - some onions, carrots, celery, a bit
0:10:13 > 0:10:18of leek, then in go the veggies into the pan. Now, it's really
0:10:18 > 0:10:22important not to fry the vegetables. We don't want any Carmelisation or
0:10:22 > 0:10:27colour in the veg. We just want to soften and sweeten them. That takes
0:10:27 > 0:10:30about three or four minutes. Once the vegetables start to look nice
0:10:30 > 0:10:34and translucent, I add the stock. While we're letting that come back
0:10:34 > 0:10:39up to the boil again, I'm going to dice up some of the turkey
0:10:39 > 0:10:42leftovers. That's been cooking for about ten minutes now, and the
0:10:42 > 0:10:46vegetables are still al dente, so it's time to add the turkey. I also
0:10:46 > 0:10:50add the turkey in the last two to three minutes of the soup's cooking,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54and that way you keep the tuxure of the meat. In goes the parsley. I'm
0:10:54 > 0:10:58just going to stir that through. The parsley always goes in at the
0:10:58 > 0:11:07last minute to keep the colour and flavour, and that looks and smells
0:11:07 > 0:11:13salt, just a little pinch of salt in there, and some more freshly-
0:11:14 > 0:11:18ground black pepper, and there you have it - my turkey Christmas broth
0:11:18 > 0:11:23made with stock from the bones with a little bit of the diced leftover
0:11:23 > 0:11:26meat through there. It smells delicious, and as ever, those
0:11:26 > 0:11:31recipes are on the Landward web page. Next week I'll be using some
0:11:31 > 0:11:39of the stock and leftover meat to creation a sensational turkey
0:11:39 > 0:11:49Still to come: I take a trip into the spectacular.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52If I want to explore the inner chambers I have to go on a boat
0:11:52 > 0:11:57ride. My job from month to month is to try to make these proposals
0:11:57 > 0:12:02better so they'll work better for Scottish farmers, English farmers,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Northern Ireland and Welsh farmers. The London International Horse Show
0:12:06 > 0:12:11will take place at Olympia next week. One of the highlights of the
0:12:11 > 0:12:21event is the Shetland pony Grand National. I went to meet two of the
0:12:21 > 0:12:25
0:12:25 > 0:12:30ponies and riders as they prepare Shetland ponies are not generally
0:12:30 > 0:12:40known for their speed and agility, but here in Aberdeenshire, there
0:12:40 > 0:12:41
0:12:41 > 0:12:45are two very special ponies - you Dollar and Flynn are the only
0:12:46 > 0:12:50ponies from Scotland to qualify for the Shetland Pony Grand National
0:12:50 > 0:12:54this year. The ponies will be ridden by dedicated young riders
0:12:54 > 0:12:59Sarah and Megan, who worked hard all year to qualify for the event.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04Well, what do you think about going to Olympia? Great. Amazing,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08undescribable. Yeah? I never thought I would quite get there.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12You always dream about it, and you think, it would be so good to get
0:13:12 > 0:13:16there, but you never think you will. It's only my first year racing, and
0:13:16 > 0:13:26I didn't expect to get through my first year. It's just amazing.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Flynn was so good. He helped me all the way. Come on, boys. The founder
0:13:30 > 0:13:34is Marie Brooker, who has been breeding Shetlands for over 50
0:13:34 > 0:13:37years. Oh, they're very clever. They're cleverer than a lot of
0:13:38 > 0:13:42people, and you really have to have your wits about you if you're going
0:13:42 > 0:13:46to really use them. If you can ride on a Shetland, you can learn to
0:13:46 > 0:13:50ride on anything after that. They're not fat little slobs to be
0:13:50 > 0:14:00dragged around on the end of a lead rope. They love to work. That's
0:14:00 > 0:14:06
0:14:06 > 0:14:10when they come into their own, when All of the ponies bred here are
0:14:10 > 0:14:20worked regularly. Some are ridden by the children while others are
0:14:20 > 0:14:26
0:14:26 > 0:14:34used for carriage driving. That is absolutely exhausting, and very,
0:14:34 > 0:14:39very exhilarating. That was magic! The International Horse Show at
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Olympia is one of the highlights of the equestrian calendar. And the
0:14:42 > 0:14:52Shetland Pony Grand National is much loved by riders and spectators
0:14:52 > 0:14:52
0:14:52 > 0:14:56alike. The course is a mini-version of the Grand National course at
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Aintree. Scaled-down versions of famous jumps like The Chair and
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Beechers Brook have been faithfully recreated in miniature, and the
0:15:02 > 0:15:05jockeys are all dressed in racing silks was that just to be there
0:15:05 > 0:15:15would be excellent, even if I didn't win a race, it would still
0:15:15 > 0:15:16
0:15:16 > 0:15:19be awesome to take part. And if you want to see Sarah, Megan, Dollar
0:15:19 > 0:15:27and Flynn in action putting on a show, they will be performing every
0:15:28 > 0:15:30night at Olympia from Wednesday next week until Monday the 19th.
0:15:31 > 0:15:38If you have a comment about anything you see on the programme,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41or have a wonderful story to share with us, please send us an e-mail.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44You can probably tell by the brolly, but the weather here at Stirling
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Castle is a wee bit soggy. But what about the prospects for this
0:15:47 > 0:15:57weekend and beyond? To find out, here is Christopher with the
0:15:57 > 0:15:59
0:15:59 > 0:16:04As we going to the weekend it looks like we will have an East-West
0:16:04 > 0:16:11split for Saturday. It will be better in the East than in the West.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17-- as we go into the weekend. To start the day tomorrow there will
0:16:18 > 0:16:21be wintry showers in Sutherland and the Western Isles. It will be a dry
0:16:21 > 0:16:25and bright day for many parts of the country. As we head towards the
0:16:25 > 0:16:35afternoon we do have this weather front trying to push in from the
0:16:35 > 0:16:35
0:16:35 > 0:16:39West. For much of the mainland it will be dry, bright and cold. In
0:16:39 > 0:16:47the East, particularly across the north-east, dry and bright. It will
0:16:47 > 0:16:50be a cold day, perhaps just two or three Celsius. If you are out and
0:16:50 > 0:16:57about this weekend it will be cloudy in the West with a chance of
0:16:57 > 0:17:02some sleet or snow showers. Further east it will be drier and brighter
0:17:02 > 0:17:09for longer. Still a risk of some sleet or snow over the Cairngorms
0:17:09 > 0:17:19or Perthshire hills. Wind will be from the West or South West. If you
0:17:19 > 0:17:29are out on the water, you can expect a westerly force five. It
0:17:29 > 0:17:30
0:17:30 > 0:17:34will be dry and bright in the East for much of the day. On Saturday
0:17:34 > 0:17:42night at the rain quickly crosses the country from West to East. The
0:17:42 > 0:17:52cloud will keep things mild. One or two inland areas will be down to
0:17:52 > 0:17:55
0:17:55 > 0:18:05freezing. There will be a relatively brief period of calm
0:18:05 > 0:18:08
0:18:08 > 0:18:11weather on Sunday. It will start to turn wet and windy next week. On
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Monday there will be a little high pressure, meaning it is not too bad
0:18:15 > 0:18:25in terms of weather. The low pressure in the Atlantic will start
0:18:25 > 0:18:27
0:18:27 > 0:18:37to show its hand. Looking at the pressure chart, we can see at low
0:18:37 > 0:18:38
0:18:38 > 0:18:48pressure pushing him towards us. The worst of the winds it will be
0:18:48 > 0:19:00
0:19:00 > 0:19:03in the North of England. That is Over the next few weeks, I'm going
0:19:03 > 0:19:07to be visiting three of Scotland's most spectacular caves - each with
0:19:07 > 0:19:17a fascinating history. This week I'm in Caithness for a trip into
0:19:17 > 0:19:21
0:19:21 > 0:19:24For thousands of years people have been exploring caves. Some have
0:19:24 > 0:19:32simply been used as a shelter from the elements, while others have
0:19:32 > 0:19:34been seen as a gateway to the nether world. This week I'm
0:19:35 > 0:19:44visiting Smoo cave in Durness, which, according to legend, has
0:19:45 > 0:19:45
0:19:46 > 0:19:49more than a few hidden secrets. This massive chamber makes Smoo the
0:19:49 > 0:19:59biggest sea cave entrance in the UK, but if I want to explore the inner
0:19:59 > 0:20:01
0:20:01 > 0:20:07chambers I have to go on a Smoo cave was formed over many
0:20:07 > 0:20:10thousands of years, carved along the line of a weak fault. Inside
0:20:10 > 0:20:18their inner chamber, which can only be reached by boat, a waterfall
0:20:18 > 0:20:22cascades through a massive hole in the ceiling. There is a huge area
0:20:22 > 0:20:28here, 10 square miles, and every drop of rain that falls there comes
0:20:28 > 0:20:38down that waterfall, so we have to be pretty careful here. This cave
0:20:38 > 0:20:58
0:20:58 > 0:21:06floods very easily. Serious ducking, That's good, that's good. Okay,
0:21:06 > 0:21:13Dougie. If you first stand here, on today's rock, you can pull. That's
0:21:13 > 0:21:23good. Is that okay? Perfect. This was a neolithic quarry. There's no
0:21:23 > 0:21:24
0:21:24 > 0:21:27flint in the Highlands. It doesn't exist up here. What you find is
0:21:27 > 0:21:30chert, and this is what neolithic people used, the same way that
0:21:30 > 0:21:33everyone else used flint. We found everything made from this - arrow
0:21:33 > 0:21:36heads, spear points, everything. Also you can make a fire with it.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Wow! And that would have been very handy to a neolithic guy. And this
0:21:39 > 0:21:43is called chert? Yes. It only exists in the Durness limestone.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46That is why you might not have heard of it before. It is because
0:21:46 > 0:21:51you will only find it up here. But this whole cave shows signs of
0:21:51 > 0:21:54being a neolithic chert quarry. With any sea cave and place that
0:21:54 > 0:21:58has been around for a lot of time, there is usually a whole lot of
0:21:58 > 0:22:02myths and legends floating around us up yes. There is a story about
0:22:02 > 0:22:08one man. But there is no myth or legend, he was a seriously bad man
0:22:08 > 0:22:11was up he was the illegitimate son of the clan chieftain Mackay. He
0:22:11 > 0:22:16would do all of Mackay's killing for him, so if you fell out with
0:22:16 > 0:22:19the clan chief, he would send Donald round to sort you out. And
0:22:19 > 0:22:29the story goes that he killed 18 men by throwing them down at what a
0:22:29 > 0:22:39
0:22:39 > 0:22:43fall. -- down that waterfall. He was a seriously bad guy. So you
0:22:43 > 0:22:46cannot find any remnants of the 18 men that he murdered in the water?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Fortunately not! In 1814 Sir Walter Scott visited here. He wrote, a
0:22:48 > 0:22:51water kelpie or evil spirit with aquatic propensities could not have
0:22:51 > 0:22:59found a fitter abode. Well, I hope they keep themselves to themselves
0:22:59 > 0:23:04today! Earlier in the programme we saw how
0:23:04 > 0:23:07the European farming policy has evolved over the last 40 years.
0:23:07 > 0:23:15With reform under review, Euan looks at how some of the proposals
0:23:16 > 0:23:18In 2013 the common agricultural policy will change. The European
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Commission have put a number of proposals on the table, their plan
0:23:23 > 0:23:28of how the CAP should be reformed. But these proposals are only a
0:23:28 > 0:23:31starting point. The problem with the common agricultural policy is
0:23:31 > 0:23:40that agriculture across the 27 countries of the EU often has very
0:23:40 > 0:23:45little in common. Secretary of State Caroline Spelman will be
0:23:46 > 0:23:49negotiating on behalf of the UK. sit between Malta and Estonia
0:23:49 > 0:23:55around the council table. You can immediately see how diverse the
0:23:55 > 0:23:58agriculture is in Europe. My job is to try to make these proposals
0:23:58 > 0:24:01better so that they will work better for Scottish farmers,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04English farmers, Welsh and Northern Irish farmers and to get a good
0:24:04 > 0:24:10deal for them and for our taxpayers and consumers, and for the
0:24:10 > 0:24:18environment. The debate will centre on the key reforms suggested by the
0:24:18 > 0:24:21EU. Today we will look at a few of them. One problem with the current
0:24:21 > 0:24:23system is so-called slipper farmers, an anomaly which allows some
0:24:23 > 0:24:33landowners and retired farmers who don't actually farm anything to
0:24:33 > 0:24:34
0:24:34 > 0:24:37continue to claim subsidy. It is quite literally money for nothing.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Nobody wants to see land sitting idle and people claiming support on
0:24:40 > 0:24:43that land. We need to make sure that the support payments go to
0:24:44 > 0:24:51those who are doing the job. Therefore it is important that the
0:24:51 > 0:24:57new system ensures that those that nowt miss out. The EU also wants to
0:24:57 > 0:25:00limit the total amount of money that one farm can get. The last
0:25:00 > 0:25:08year that figures are available for revealed that this farm received
0:25:08 > 0:25:18over �1,200,000 in subsidy. The EU wants the maximum any farm can
0:25:18 > 0:25:20
0:25:20 > 0:25:23receive to be set at 300,000, that is about �260,000. That is not
0:25:23 > 0:25:25supported by the UK government or the National Farmers' Union of
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Scotland. The principle of capping is something we are opposed to.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Every euro is of value to Scottish agriculture and, if it is delivered
0:25:32 > 0:25:39in the right way and is attached to activity and the delivery of
0:25:39 > 0:25:44outcomes, then it is perfectly justified. The EU also wants the
0:25:44 > 0:25:51cash to be dependent on certain environmental criteria. Seven per
0:25:52 > 0:25:54cent of farmland would have to be devoted to conservation. Permanent
0:25:55 > 0:25:58pasture would have to be maintained and a greater diversity of crops
0:25:58 > 0:26:05grown, at least three. All things that are believed to benefit
0:26:05 > 0:26:07wildlife. But the reforms do not go far enough for some wildlife bodies.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11The RSPB is actually really disappointed with the reform
0:26:11 > 0:26:14proposals brought forward. The commissioner said that it needs to
0:26:14 > 0:26:17be reformed, they have got to justify the 435 billion of money
0:26:17 > 0:26:27they are going to spend on agriculture over the next seven-
0:26:27 > 0:26:27
0:26:27 > 0:26:30year period. What they have done is not going to do that. The RSPB
0:26:31 > 0:26:33would like less money to be paid directly to farmers and more are
0:26:33 > 0:26:41available as grants to those farms that undertake environmentally
0:26:41 > 0:26:44friendly projects. These are just some of the reform proposals.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Others include more support for young farmers starting out,
0:26:46 > 0:26:52simplifying payments for very small farms, and more funding for
0:26:52 > 0:27:00research and development. But the fundamental principle of paying
0:27:00 > 0:27:02farmers is not up for debate. reality is that our farmers at the
0:27:02 > 0:27:05moment are not competitive with their counterparts in other parts
0:27:05 > 0:27:12of the world that maybe have cheaper labour costs, not such
0:27:12 > 0:27:15strict welfare criteria for livestock production. All of those
0:27:15 > 0:27:20things at present mean that our farmers will continue to need
0:27:20 > 0:27:22direct payments for the present time. The question is how we help
0:27:22 > 0:27:25the industry becomes more competitive, more market oriented,
0:27:25 > 0:27:33and to continue to produce food of a very high standard at a
0:27:33 > 0:27:35reasonable price. The common agricultural policy it
0:27:35 > 0:27:38is expensive, controversial and fundamentally affects the shape of
0:27:38 > 0:27:48our rural communities. If you care about the countryside, you should
0:27:48 > 0:27:49
0:27:50 > 0:27:52care about ate. -- CAP. Over the coming months, as the proposals are
0:27:53 > 0:27:56negotiated and renegotiated, we will bring you the updates.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58The future of farming, which just leaves me time to tell you about
0:27:59 > 0:28:03the future of Landward, namely next week's programme for stop will
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Scotland's curlers get the big freeze they crave? In 1979 the
0:28:06 > 0:28:11grand match was on, there were a few portable toilets, the ice was
0:28:11 > 0:28:15marked and we had a great day. We cannot do that now. We have health
0:28:15 > 0:28:19and safety issues. And I will visit the former home of Scotland's best
0:28:19 > 0:28:29known cannibals. One word of warning, young man, you might going,
0:28:29 > 0:28:29
0:28:29 > 0:28:32but not everybody comes back it. got very scared there!