Episode 17 Landward

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Landward, exploring the great

Scottish countryside to find the stories that matter to the people

who live, work and play here. In a moment, I'll be looking at what the

future might hold for hard-pressed dairy farmers. But first, here's

what else in coming up on the programme. # If I had a boat, I'd

sail it on the ocean... #. Euan begins a musical journey

down the River Spey. We meet one of only two fully qualified female

farriers in the country. A lot of hard work. A huge

understanding of anatomy and physiology and biomechanics,

because that's really what you're looking at, is how you can improve

how a horse is going. And we meet the foodies of Wester Ross fighting

to protect their natural larder. I've got a bit of a bee in my

bonnet about bringing back the three-mile limit, which for some

reason was lifted by the Tories in I think the 1980s.

This summer, milk hit the headlines. Farmers blockaded processors and

demonstrated outside supermarkets at proposed price cuts. Now, those

cuts were cancelled, and in some cases the prices went up. But with

that in mind, is there a way for farmers to take more control over

the market for their milk? I've been investigating. In Britain, the

average yield of milk per cow per year is over 7000 litres, much

higher than the European average. Typically, our dairy farms are

pretty efficient. But despite this, and recent price rises, many

farmers say they still can't turn a profit, especially with feed costs

escalating all the time. At a recent meeting in England, the

Secretary of State for the Enivornment, Food and Rural Affairs,

Owen Paterson, suggested that the way forward was to find ways of

adding value to milk, by making more dairy products.

50% of our milk goes towards liquid milk for drinking, which is much

higher in the UK than it is in most other countries, for example our

liquid milk consumption is about twice of that in Italy, whereas

they eat about twice as much cheese that we do. If you think about it,

it's the breakfast we have, putting milk on our cereal, for example.

you think adding value is key to the future of the industry in this

country? Absolutely. If we're in a commodity market then it's very

difficult to increase the price of that. If we get into added value

products, not just the specialist cheeses, but milk powder and other

aspects, that's the way for us to be able to raise the whole of the

industry and at the same time have our sales of liquid milk, which our

consumers in the UK want us to produce.

So, is there potential for exporting more value added dairy

produce? Scottish Development International, the public body that

promotes international trade in Scotland, has researched exactly

this. In the report we looked at the

Irish dairy model, the Irish Dairy Board has been around for 50 years,

it's a cooperative, and investing in growing the brand from Ireland,

they've created a 2 billion euro industry. So I think there's

aspirations for Scotland to perhaps get close to that, but we've got a

bit of work to do before we get there. And I think the opportunity

for us in working with industry, is to try and show them the

opportunities overseas for very niche value-add products, because

that's really where there are potentially the large opportunities

for Scottish producers. Exporting and value-adding could

bring more money into the industry, but would the profits go to the

farmers or the processors? Negotiating as individuals, farmers

have little chance of negotiating the price they are paid, but as the

protests over the summer showed, by standing together, the y can have

more power. Last year, the European Union introduced new rules which

meant farmers could get together to create what is called a producers's

organisation, which could give them more control over what happens to

their milk. Our producers's organisation is a collective body,

it is a collective organisation which represents farmers.

producers's organisation would negotiate on behalf of farmers and

critically, it has the legal right to negotiate on behalf of farmers.

How much collaboration currently goes on and should more happen

among Scottish dairy farmers? More collaboration should definitely

happen. Not only within Scotland, but across the UK. There are many

ways farmers can collaborate. They can join an existing co-op, they

may join a producers's organisation. The key thing is that we stand

together and send out a single message. At the beginning of

October, a voluntary code of conduct governing the relationship

between milk producers and buyers was approved. It should make milk

contracts fairer for farmers, but the work to develop media markets

and products continues in an effort to make industry more profitable. -

- new dairy markets. And we'll keep you up to date with developments in

the milk industry. Now, next year is the Year of Natural Scotland,

which aims to highlight the country's rich wildlife and

habitats. Over the year, BBC Scotland will show you a series of

programmes dedicated to getting up close to nature. But if you want to

see wildlife for yourself, the best way to get started is to join a

ranger-led trip, which is what Sarah will be doing over the next

As the temperature changes and the seasons tier, the skies are live

with migrating birds. According to the RSPB, some 7,000 birds arrive

in the UK each year and one of the best places to witness the full

drama of mass migration is here at Montrose Basin. You just have to

get up very early to do so. A very good morning to you. Where

we going to go off to? The will go round the side of the basin and see

if we can see some geese. Will we be up this early? It just about.

You can hear them, can't you? D think they can hear us? Act it is

possible. -- do you think? It is now 6:30am and the geese are

getting ready to fly off. The conditions are ideal, cold and

crisp. All we have to do now is wait. When the light starts to come

you can just started see the outline of the East. It does look

like there is a lot of them? Around 60,000 geese. They have come from

their breeding grounds in Iceland and west of Greenland. It gets

about louder when they started take-off. The first thing you will

notice is the noise. Montrose Basin is a good site for them, they are

safe from predators during the night and that is what attracts

them to the area. It is their first stop off from their breeding

grounds as they travel further down Great Britain.

The sun is shining and it is now nearly 8:00am and. They are not

performing for Russ! Someone has not all be geese that the sun is up.

They are not really keeping to the flight scheduling? You're saying

that I could have stayed in my bed for a couple of hours? I am pretty

much saying that, yes! The spot we were in was beautiful. You can get

a great view. This is the east side of the loch. The tide has pushed

the East further over here and now you can see that they are just

going. Amazing, wicket that. What I find incredible is the sound, the

That is incredible. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like

that before. It is something else. That is why do my job. Worth the

wait? It is worth the wait. It was worth their early morning. They

stay in Scotland until April but they might not stay at the Basin

for that entire time in the might move further down their country.

But at the moment they seem happy with the amount of food they have

here, so until that runs out they will stay. There are various

wildlife centres dotted throughout Scotland, so you as well could

enjoy the mass migration. Get out there and enjoy.

Still to come, we visit Wester Ross. And we meet the woman that has

broken into the craft industry that for generations was the preserve of

men. How often do you bring ourselves? You get used to it.

Canoeing and music are two hobbies that don't really lend themselves

to being done at the same time. But one group of enthusiasts have

managed to combine both of their passions by creating the River Boat

Band. The band have been on tour this Autumn, travelling down the

River Spey. Euan joined them as a roadie, or should that be "watery"?

Once fought Mesic was folk music, but how about adventure folk? --

folk music was folk music. Over the next three weeks there will be

joining the band on their 65 mile journey down the river by Kinnock

and taking all away. -- and playing music all the way. Every day there

is a bit of adventure and every night there is a bit of music. The

two feed each other. When you tour whether normal band you dread

getting in there than the next morning, but with this what you are

happy to get into the canoe. Things have taken a bit of a bizarre turn

because some horses have turned up. Why the horses? We do at Sheen as a

joke, and we say, if you have a pony bring a pony down tomorrow and

we will try to get it on the boat - - we do a song as a joke about a

pony. The horses did not fancy getting into the canoe, but they

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

were treated to a special version We are just about half we own and

it is absolutely terrific. -- halfway down. It is early. You

listen to music as you drift down. Why would you do this?

It is a huge double we're getting around. -- a beautiful way. We're

usually sat in a van. Not the most inspiring place to be. Saw, such a

treat to be outdoors on our way to again.

This is an extra special trap for two of the members.

We got engaged last May and this is part of our honeymoon after we

There we are. A fantastic day's canoeing. Now for the get. -- deg.

That is the band on their last number. We have an early start

tomorrow morning. Saw, to bed early. Next week, disaster strikes as the

If you have a comment about anything on the programme, or a

story to share with us, please e- mail us. The weather here is dry,

sunny, windy. But what about the prospects for this weekend and

Good evening. After a miserable week of whether there is plenty of

rain around -- with plenty of rain around, it now looks pretty good

for the weekend. This high pressure is building and the showers are

confined to Orkney and Shetland. As we head to the morning towards

Saturday afternoon it should brighten up. We should see some

sunshine developing. By mid- afternoon, temperatures of well,

maybe 13 Celsius. Some very light ray Mackie and there. -- some very

light showers. The north-west Highlands, dry and bright. If you

are out and about, hell walking or climbing, it is generally set fair.

Winds are generally light and coming from the south-west. But

eastern Cairngorms, whence freshening through the afternoon.

If you are out and about on the inshore waters of the south-west,

forced three supply. -- suddenly. Moderate visibility. Sunny spells

through the afternoon. Across the Shetland Isles, and north easterly

force five. Rest of the afternoon into the evening and overnight,

cloudy with Mr developing. -- mist and fog. Into one's Sunday, the

high pressure stays with us. Some rain could French end to Lewis and

Harris. More and the way of sunny spells. Next week, after I start

for Monday. -- a dry start. But a weather front across England and

Wales is coming our way. Monday, sunshine around, cloudy more for by

the end of the day. Winds are generally light. Tuesday, the

weather continues marching its way northwards and feeds in a mild

moist air from the Continent. But nothing like the rain we saw this

week. The best of the conditions are across the north-west and later

on through the south. By Wednesday it is an East/West slipped. --

Wester Ross has some of the finest seafood in the world just of its

showers. Langoustine, lobster, scallops, all are used to be in

plentiful supply. But the removal of the fishing limit has put

serious pressure on stocks. Now some passionate foodies are

fighting to make sure that the local larder does not run out.

Wester Ross is a region of wild terrain and a rugged mountains. A

few fishing villages are dotted along many miles of coastline.

Stretching from Ullapool in the North Down to Glenelg these ritual

water support a huge range of life and a valuable fishing grounds. But

a whole history of fishing here is a story of boom-and-bust. The

herring stocks collapsed in the 1970s. Mackerel intern dwindled and

made way for prawns. The lesson that has to be learned is

sustainable management and avoiding all for fishing into decline. --

overfishing. One local champion is the 15th. It seems remarkably

obvious that there would be sea food available here but how did you

get started? I live in a pike fishing port and

the 1970s and could never understand why people could never

get Fash. It was always in the back of my mind. I moved here and there

was a lot of shellfish available. I opened a disuse filling station

Office before I had the guts to open this! That was in 1990, 20

years ago. I always wanted to do shellfish. I thought, If I am not

going to do sea food, I don't want to do it, basically.

The stock is so local it just about swims in the front door. But at the

moment there are concerns about conservation. There are calls for

the reintroduction of the three- mile limit which would prevent

trawlers fishing close to the land. This is a tank, which is great. We

keep lobsters. We can keep the shellfish are fresh. These prawns

come in this morning. Prawn fisheries around a bad state right

now. I have a pee in my bonnet about bringing back the three-mile

limit which for some reason was lifted by the Tories in the 1980s.

That one act of legislation could make an act difference. You could

fish up to the three-mile limit. That could be a good start. Not an

end in itself but a huge benefit. This business emerged from not

being able to buy local produce in and area where it is world class.

How the fisheries are managed will have a profound effect on

availability in the years to come. For businesses like this, that is

For centuries, the skill of shoeing horses was generally carried out by

men. Perhaps due to the back- breaking nature of the work. But

now more and more females are getting in on that. We went to meet

one of the highest qualified female The work of a farrier is an ancient

craft. Here in Britain, they are governed by a body formed way back

in the year when 2,500 and Gertie six, the Worshipful Company of

farriers. -- formed end of the year 1536. Today it takes a four yorker

apprenticeship before you can sit the Diploma examinations. -- four

years. Then you can think about walking towards becoming an

associate member. In the 650 years of the company, lonely three

females have achieved that status. The latest as Seder. She is based

near Inverness. -- the latest as Sailor.

You are really looking at how you can improve how horses go off.

Correct problems and ultimately get the best possible out of them. For

this guy at is letting him compete as well as he can. But out with the

norm, the ability to make the shoes to do the job you want, that takes

it a step up half. You have to be able to talk in the language of sex

and work together. -- the language of veterinarians. I have been

qualified six years. I have spent a lot of time going up and down the

country. I have sport to people have specialised in particular

areas and basically annoyed them to learn from them.

How often do you burn yourself? Not really often. Unless something

takes a beachside them denser than the wrong place. You get used to it.

My fingertips are pretty much resistance to the seat to be

honest! -- to this heat. Next on today's last, this livery

yard. We're going to shoot this horse.

She is quite athletic. -- shoe. To help her recover quite a bit of

steel on the outside which acts as a stabiliser. It helps her to move

better. The owner has reported back that it really helps her move

better and they added support is working for her. I meet these shoes

at home because it is a lot easier than using the gas at the back of

the van. This is where the specialist

knowledge of an associate member comes into play. You needed to know

the horse top-to-toe. Yes, muscular, been there for

system, how it all works together. -- the nervous system.

What is the most challenging aspect?

People! The clients?!

Yes! They really make a difference. At the owner puts the time and

effort in that they create a really will be eight animal. Otherwise, it

makes the job so difficult. You That looks seriously hard work. She

must have are back made from good does! Just time to tell you what is

coming up on next week's programme. The Campaign for Community rights

to growth. Her these have great connecting

spaces where people come together. Even if they're not interested and

fruit and veg become for the different events that offered in

the spaces. A poetic trip along the Tamar

Shanta trail. He shouts, well done! As soon as

he'd done that, they turned around, we're in trouble!

And another wildlife safari for Sarah.

He is running left! Just moving across the hell.