:00:27. > :00:31.Hello and a very warm welcome to Landward, your weekly expedition to
:00:31. > :00:35.meet the people and place that's make the Scottish countryside tick.
:00:35. > :00:39.In a moment I'll prepare an island for an influx of bird watching
:00:39. > :00:45.enthusiasts. First, here's what else is coming up on the programme:
:00:45. > :00:50.Egg producers under threat from cheap imports. You see that on the
:00:50. > :00:54.shell, it's Scotland. If you buy that you know it's a Scottish egg.
:00:54. > :01:00.Look for the lion and the SCO and you won't go wrong. Exploring
:01:00. > :01:05.Britain's biggest reed bed. It's one of the main sites for breeding
:01:05. > :01:10.bearded tits. We have pairs of marsh harrier too. The science
:01:10. > :01:14.behind sporting superfoods. You can go and buy beetroot juice and
:01:14. > :01:22.personally I don't think it tastes very good, but if you want the
:01:22. > :01:25.effect, maybe it's worth it. The Isle of May, which lies five
:01:26. > :01:28.miles off the Fife coast is a paradise for bird watchers. For
:01:28. > :01:31.five months of the year it's visited by thousands of seabirds an
:01:31. > :01:38.the people who come to see them. I joined the team helping to prepare
:01:38. > :01:45.the island for the summer rush. This summer the Isle of May will
:01:45. > :01:49.see a huge influx of visitors. In total there will be over 200,000
:01:49. > :01:56.seabirds on the island. Between April and September, over 9,000 of
:01:56. > :02:02.us are coming to see them. Preparing to meet the visitors is
:02:02. > :02:12.one man, Dave Pickett. So it seemed only fair to give him a hand to get
:02:12. > :02:15.
:02:15. > :02:19.the place in order. How are you Dave? Hi, welcome to the Isle of
:02:19. > :02:25.May. Thank you very much. Did you have a bit of a wet crossing?
:02:25. > :02:31.was a wee bit soggy yes. You'd better come up for a cup of tea and
:02:31. > :02:35.dry off. I won't argue with that. Dave, tell me what's your role
:02:35. > :02:41.here? The job is a reserve manager. There's three aspects to the work
:02:41. > :02:46.there. One is that I do some of the bird counting. We do counts every
:02:46. > :02:49.year to see how the populations are going. Another part of the job is
:02:49. > :02:55.we meet-and-greet every boat that comes to introduce the island to
:02:55. > :03:00.people when they arrive. The third aspect is that really I'm a bit a
:03:00. > :03:04.janny. I have to look after the buildings that we run as a field
:03:04. > :03:07.station. The Isle of May is one of the top places in the UK, if not in
:03:07. > :03:12.the world, for seabird research. What specifically are we doing
:03:12. > :03:17.today? Well, we've got eight volunteers coming over for the
:03:17. > :03:21.weekend and we've got a list of tasks for them to tackle. There's
:03:21. > :03:25.plenty to do to get everything ready for the first visitor boat on
:03:25. > :03:30.Sunday. Now, I've finished my coffee, I should give you a hand.
:03:30. > :03:34.But just ten more minnits the sun will be fine for me.
:03:34. > :03:38.The mission, if you choose to accept it this afternoon is paint
:03:38. > :03:42.the visitors centre, every winter it gets battered by the storms and
:03:42. > :03:46.the weather. The paint starts to peel. We want it looking smart.
:03:46. > :03:52.Then we have a stretch of boardwalk that's rotting. That needs to be
:03:52. > :03:58.pulled up and a new bit put n. -- in. If you want to be
:03:58. > :04:06.destructive, these are pretty rotten. So if you want to do your
:04:06. > :04:10.best. Just try to knock them out, yeah? Yes! One down. Is this the
:04:10. > :04:15.first time you've been to the Isle of May? It is, it's my very first
:04:15. > :04:19.time. Why Dow come and volunteer? personally do it because I did work
:04:19. > :04:23.in conservation and I'm hoping to get back into conservation. I love
:04:23. > :04:26.being in the outdoors. It's fresh air, always good company. It's like
:04:26. > :04:33.minded people. You get fitter as well as a result. I'm getting there.
:04:33. > :04:38.I also get a tan! They're getting on with us behind us. If I just
:04:38. > :04:48.swing this thing again. Watch your back there.
:04:48. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :04:53.Here we go. Oops! Obviously did that for the
:04:53. > :04:58.camera, the comedy effort. Maybe I should try something a little less
:04:59. > :05:03.dangerous. It's a real hive of activity today. Why is it important
:05:03. > :05:09.that people come here and volunteer and help before the season really
:05:09. > :05:14.starts? Well, we're setting up the island to receive visitors. We get
:05:14. > :05:19.these 9,000 visitors a year. We think it's important that this
:05:19. > :05:24.isn't just a visitor afraction -- attraction. We want people to get
:05:24. > :05:30.more out of it than that. We'd like them to go home, first of all, with
:05:30. > :05:35.an understanding of what they've seen. But also maybe a desire to do
:05:35. > :05:40.something for seabirds themselves. You described yourself as something
:05:40. > :05:44.of a janitor. It's not a bad place to be a janitor when the weather's
:05:44. > :05:48.like this? It is. It's pretty fantastic really. You live right in
:05:48. > :05:53.amongst all of the wildlife, so you've got puffins at your back
:05:53. > :05:56.door. Sometimes they end up in your house. It's an intensive experience
:05:56. > :06:00.where you're in contact with nature the whole time. You can't get much
:06:00. > :06:09.better than that. Absolutely. Getting back to painting the toilet
:06:09. > :06:12.though. Right, OK. I know my place. I first came here to the Isle of
:06:12. > :06:14.May around 15 years ago. I was intrigued by the beauty of the
:06:15. > :06:19.place and the real sense of isolation despite the fact it's
:06:19. > :06:23.only a few miles off the coast of Fife. Today, to be part of that
:06:23. > :06:26.volunteer group, preparing the island for visitors, to maybe have
:06:26. > :06:36.their first experience of the island, well, it was well worth the
:06:36. > :06:40.
:06:40. > :06:43.It's just over three months until the London Olympics, an event that
:06:43. > :06:47.may inspire a future generation of sports stars. Over the next three
:06:47. > :06:57.weeks, Nick will look at the science behind sports nutrition and
:06:57. > :07:02.preparing some surprising dishes. For me, food is a passion. It's my
:07:02. > :07:09.job and something I absolutely love. But as a keen cyclist, I'm also
:07:09. > :07:14.aware it's fuel. The human body is a complex machine and to maximise
:07:14. > :07:19.its performance, you have to get the nutrition just right. Over the
:07:19. > :07:26.next three weeks, I'm going to be finding out the latest scientific
:07:26. > :07:31.research and giving a tasty spin to sports nutrition. Tipton stip a
:07:31. > :07:35.professor in sports science, based at Stirling university and has
:07:35. > :07:39.advised the International Olympic Committee and FIFA on nutrition.
:07:39. > :07:46.I'll be taking Kevin's advice and using it to create a delicious
:07:46. > :07:50.starter, main course and dessert. There are actually a few things
:07:50. > :07:53.lately getting a lot of attention. One of them would be nitrates.
:07:54. > :07:58.Nitrates have a bad wrap from the stand point of cancer and when you
:07:58. > :08:02.read about them in processed foods, but it certain vegetables, for
:08:02. > :08:08.example, the nitrates are actually offering some efficiency when
:08:08. > :08:12.people are exercising. They're able to go a bit harder using less
:08:12. > :08:18.oxygen. What food types are high in nitrates and what Dow recommend?
:08:18. > :08:21.One of the main ones is beetroot. People are selling beetroot juice
:08:21. > :08:25.supplements. Personally I don't think it tastes very good, but if
:08:25. > :08:32.you want the effect, maybe it's worth it. I'm looking to develop a
:08:32. > :08:34.dish with a high beetroot content. What I'm thinking about is a
:08:34. > :08:38.traditional eastern European soup called borscht, would that be the
:08:38. > :08:43.kind of thing to start this meal with? It sounds like that would be
:08:43. > :08:48.fine. I've had a lot of experience with borscht myself. I like it.
:08:48. > :08:52.Yeah, I think you could do that. I'm going to start the soup with
:08:52. > :08:57.butter, I should use oil, but it's a small a. Butter and it's so tasty,
:08:57. > :09:06.a small a. Butter and it's so tasty, so in it goes.
:09:06. > :09:12.Add the vegetables and allow tem to soften. -- them to soften. A pinch
:09:12. > :09:16.of cumin seeds, slice the beetroot to help it cook quickly. I'm using
:09:16. > :09:20.a consomme, a beef stock, which is traditional with borscht. Make sure
:09:20. > :09:25.it's low in salt, though. I'm going to season the soup with
:09:25. > :09:31.salt and pepper and then I'm going to leave it to simmer for about an
:09:31. > :09:35.hour. At which time it will be ready to liquidise. Serve with a
:09:35. > :09:43.dollop of low fat creme fraiche and chopped chives.
:09:43. > :09:46.It's a beautiful, vibrant colour, but what does it taste like?
:09:46. > :09:50.There's the earthiness of the beetroot with the muskiness of the
:09:50. > :09:58.cumin in there. I tell you what I'd rather have next time I go out on
:09:58. > :10:06.my bike, that or a sports drink, the borscht wins every time.
:10:06. > :10:10.Still to come: Adventurer Andy Torbet begins a new journey
:10:10. > :10:11.exploring by kayak. Johnny takes through beautiful
:10:11. > :10:21.parts of Perthshire and parts of Perthshire and
:10:21. > :10:26.
:10:26. > :10:30.Stirlingshire. And an unusual harvest on the river tai.
:10:31. > :10:36.Scottish egg producers are facing a threat to their livelihood. While
:10:36. > :10:39.our farmers have responded to an EU directive banning barren battery
:10:39. > :10:47.cages, competitors across the channel have ignored the ban. This
:10:47. > :10:52.means they can produce eggs much cheaper than Scottish producers.
:10:52. > :10:57.Every day in the UK we consume 32 million eggs. Add that up over a
:10:57. > :11:07.year and you get the mindboggling figure of 11.5 billion. But how
:11:07. > :11:11.
:11:11. > :11:15.much do we know about where our Arctic Cosmos -- archive: Eggs,
:11:15. > :11:18.millions of eggs. Now subject to mass production. From the day the
:11:18. > :11:22.chicks are hatched, millions never know what freedom is. The natural
:11:22. > :11:28.life out of doors isn't their birth right in the Twentieth Century. The
:11:28. > :11:32.battery system was imported to this country from America in the 1950s.
:11:32. > :11:36.As the 21st sench ray proched concerns over animal welfare grew
:11:36. > :11:41.and the battery system came under increasing scrutiny. By the
:11:41. > :11:48.beginning of this year, the EU had brought in new legislation to
:11:48. > :11:54.improve living conditions for caged hens. It's all about welfare.
:11:54. > :12:01.They've got a lot more space. There's 750 square cms per bird, as
:12:01. > :12:10.opposed to the old system of 550. There's 60 birds in this colony. An
:12:10. > :12:15.old cage would have had more. They have perchs in the cage. They have
:12:15. > :12:20.a scratching area at end of the system there. Then at the end there,
:12:20. > :12:24.they have a wee curtained off area, going in there to lay their eggs.
:12:24. > :12:28.Farms like this one have made a substantial investment in making
:12:28. > :12:35.sure their operations meet the new standards. But not all member
:12:35. > :12:41.states have been so quick to comply. There are around 25 million hens
:12:41. > :12:47.being kept in illegal cages across the continent. The UK as a whole
:12:47. > :12:50.have spent �400 million to comply with the directive. We have to be
:12:50. > :12:54.protected from imports coming in from abroad that are not compliant
:12:54. > :12:59.with the directive. Which member states are not complying? There's
:12:59. > :13:05.quite a few, the big ones are France, Italy, Spain - that's the
:13:05. > :13:09.big EU members not compliant. nation, we consume far more eggs
:13:09. > :13:14.than we produce. Last year alone, the UK imported more than two
:13:14. > :13:20.billion eggs to make up the short fall. The problem is how do we know
:13:20. > :13:23.that the eggs we're importing are not produced in illegal cages?
:13:23. > :13:28.certainly don't expect to get any product that's come from eggs that
:13:28. > :13:31.have been raised illegally. What's key in this situation is the
:13:31. > :13:34.strength of your supply relationships. We've worked with
:13:34. > :13:39.all these people for a very long time and they Noah we expect. So we
:13:39. > :13:45.say to them, this is what we would like from you. We will audit you,
:13:45. > :13:49.be in no doubt. That's as far as you can go. We are looking in the
:13:49. > :13:53.future to uegz DNA technologies, not only would we know where the
:13:53. > :13:58.egg came from, but we would be able to use those technologies to
:13:58. > :14:01.determine what kind of systems those hens had been raised in.
:14:01. > :14:06.Identifying where fresh eggs are produced is easy. All you have to
:14:06. > :14:13.do is look for the lion stamp. But when it comes to processed foods
:14:13. > :14:16.like these, it's not that simple. That's the loophole, if it says SCO
:14:16. > :14:20.on the shell that's Scotland. If you buy that you know it's a
:14:20. > :14:25.Scottish egg. If the egg was produced in France, it had to be
:14:25. > :14:30.processed in France and used within France. The big problem is if they
:14:30. > :14:34.can put it into a cake or something like that, export the cake. It's an
:14:34. > :14:44.area that needs to be tightened up. Traceability needs to be improved.
:14:44. > :14:47.
:14:47. > :14:52.It is something that we're trying The new legislation banning battery
:14:52. > :14:59.cages is a step in the right direction malwelfare. Unless all
:14:59. > :15:03.the EU members comply, the message from the industry is clear - your
:15:03. > :15:08.when houses in order. If you have a comment about
:15:08. > :15:17.anything you see on the programme or have a wonderful story to share
:15:17. > :15:27.with us, please send an E mail now, the weather here at is brisk,. What
:15:27. > :15:30.
:15:30. > :15:36.about the prospects for this Hello. All week it has been
:15:36. > :15:41.sunshine and showers and no change as we head into the week some hefty
:15:41. > :15:48.showers around as well. They hail and thunder, all thanks tho this
:15:48. > :15:58.low pressure slap, bang at the moment. So, for tomorrow, there'll
:15:58. > :16:00.
:16:00. > :16:10.be. The best of afternoon showers come with the risk of hail and
:16:10. > :16:12.
:16:12. > :16:19.thunder T Met Office has a yellow warning in place slow ed flood ing
:16:19. > :16:29.there will be sunnier the Northern Isles cloudier skies and showers
:16:29. > :17:08.
:17:08. > :17:14.continue. Rain for Shetland and Then any that fade away will be
:17:14. > :17:18.light compared to the afternoon. Overnight lows not too bad. One or
:17:18. > :17:22.two sheltered Glenns. As we look for the second half of the weekend,
:17:22. > :17:26.that system starts to track towards the near continent, leaving a
:17:26. > :17:31.better day on Sunday, but another low on its way behind. For Sunday,
:17:31. > :17:36.generally another day of sunshine and showers.
:17:36. > :17:39.Perhaps temperatures up a notch as well. Winds staying light. Into
:17:39. > :17:43.next week, once again the April showers will continue across the
:17:43. > :17:47.whole of the country. There's that area of low pressure tracking
:17:47. > :17:52.towards the southern half of the British Isles. If that ridge to the
:17:53. > :17:57.north of it edges further north, then we could see heavy rain across
:17:57. > :18:02.Dumfries & Galloway. Away from here it will be another day of sunshine
:18:02. > :18:06.and showers and showers lighter compared to tomorrow. On Tuesday
:18:06. > :18:11.that low pressure pulls to France. So we will continue to see showers
:18:11. > :18:15.fed in towards us. The mobile unstable air is away from us.
:18:15. > :18:19.Temperatures between eight to 13 Celsius. The winds fresh on
:18:19. > :18:23.occasion from a north-easterly direct. For Wednesday, once again
:18:23. > :18:33.sunshine and showers. Showers light and highs around 13 Celsius. That's
:18:33. > :18:41.
:18:41. > :18:51.D Last year Andy Torbet took us around Scotland underwater. For the
:18:51. > :18:53.
:18:53. > :18:59.next few weeks he will travel by kayak.
:18:59. > :19:04.Hi I'm Andy Torbet. This is my kayak. I originally got into
:19:04. > :19:08.kayaking to get too and from the snorkelling sites I visit. I have
:19:08. > :19:11.been doing it two years. I have found it is great to access parts
:19:11. > :19:15.of the countryside and the coastline that few people ever get
:19:15. > :19:20.to see. It is easy to get started. You can pick up the basics straight
:19:20. > :19:26.away. This is a kayak. You shouldn't
:19:26. > :19:31.mistake it for a canoe. They are closed boats with a small cockpit.
:19:31. > :19:37.Canoes are bigger and open all the way down. With a kayak you have a
:19:37. > :19:45.twin-bladed paddle. With a canoe only a single-bladed paddle.
:19:45. > :19:52.Today, I'm going on an easy run. I'll be joining the river fourth
:19:52. > :19:57.and finishing in Stirling. It is a gentle river and relatively
:19:57. > :20:01.straightforward. The journey takes you through some of the most
:20:01. > :20:07.beautiful parts. There is always something interesting to see.
:20:07. > :20:11.There are a few sets of small rapids. These makes for points of
:20:11. > :20:18.interest and fun, rather than danger.
:20:18. > :20:23.You still need your wits about you though.
:20:23. > :20:31.If you do come across a tricky section of river and feel it is
:20:31. > :20:39.beyond your capability, there's an easy soe luegs. This is a --
:20:39. > :20:49.solution. This is a way to pick up your Kay yobg and carry it past the
:20:49. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :20:58.obstacle. This is a sea kayak. It is a lot heavier.
:20:58. > :21:05.We go past this striking castle. It is a location from Monty
:21:05. > :21:10.Python's Holy Grail. We see all sorts of wildlife,
:21:10. > :21:17.particularly as we past the safari park.
:21:17. > :21:24.Eventually, the river joins the forth and widens as it goes under
:21:24. > :21:31.the M9 and into Stirling itself. After four hours, we reach today's
:21:31. > :21:36.ultimate destination - Stirling Bridge. In 1297 William Wallace
:21:36. > :21:41.defeated the English forces. This stone bridge was built around 1500.
:21:42. > :21:47.For 400 years it was the lowest crossing point on the river.
:21:47. > :21:57.Of course, if you want to get across the river these days, you
:21:57. > :21:57.
:21:57. > :22:07.can use the modern crossings. Next weekly go out to the intimidating
:22:07. > :22:10.
:22:10. > :22:14.Reed beds are one of the richest wildlife habitats. They form along
:22:14. > :22:24.estuaries. Here in Scotland we can boast the biggest reed bed in
:22:24. > :22:30.
:22:30. > :22:38.The Tay reed bed is the largest area of continuous reads in Britain.
:22:39. > :22:43.Over 400 hectares that stretch along the inner estuary of the Tay.
:22:43. > :22:51.It's believed the reed bed was originally planted by monks more
:22:51. > :22:56.than 500 years ago, but was extended by prisoners captured
:22:56. > :23:01.during the nap Pollyonic wars. The prisoners were made to build these
:23:02. > :23:06.dykes out into the estuary, allowing the land behind them to
:23:06. > :23:11.silt up, so contain the perfect conditions for growing reads.
:23:11. > :23:17.In the summer, when the reads are green, they are full of birds,
:23:17. > :23:26.floating through the lush tangle of growth.
:23:26. > :23:35.When the reeds are brown and dormant, it is the perfect time to
:23:35. > :23:41.harvest them for thatch. Graham, what a machine! Where did
:23:41. > :23:47.you get it? It's a Danish-built machine. We have operated this very
:23:47. > :23:51.machine for 30-plus years now. It's a bit like me, a bit long in the
:23:51. > :23:58.tooth. Is it temperamental? Yes, you can see the conditions it works
:23:58. > :24:02.in. It can be at times. It seems to go on for miles? The area is 420
:24:02. > :24:11.hectares. Of that we manage probably about 50 hectares Bihar
:24:11. > :24:18.vester. We also manage some areas by the roller. Graham used to run
:24:18. > :24:26.his own business, now he works full-time for the conservation body
:24:26. > :24:32.the RSPB. It is such an important habitat that the RSPB bought his
:24:32. > :24:37.machine and employed Graham to make sure that the harvesting continued.
:24:37. > :24:45.In the early days, we were competing against probably imports
:24:46. > :24:50.from France, Belgium, Holland, but as communications and Internet and
:24:50. > :24:54.that progressed, the reed is coming from Russia, China, all over,
:24:54. > :24:58.virtually. I finished purely because there was that such
:24:58. > :25:04.competition from foreign reed and you are competing against cheap
:25:04. > :25:14.labour from abroad. Now the site is managed to be the best possible
:25:14. > :25:14.
:25:14. > :25:19.site for birds. The reeds are sold to thatchers. This is finished.
:25:19. > :25:29.This is reedy to go to the thatchers. This has been through
:25:29. > :25:29.
:25:29. > :25:35.the -- ready to go to the thatchers. Each bunch would cover one square
:25:35. > :25:45.foot of the roof. On a breezy day like today it is difficult to spot
:25:45. > :25:46.
:25:46. > :25:56.any birds in the reads. -- reeds. I am assured they are here. We have
:25:56. > :25:57.
:25:57. > :26:07.several pairs of marsh harrier on site. We have little birds hiding
:26:07. > :26:07.
:26:07. > :26:11.well. Why don't you leave it to grow naturally. Tits like a
:26:11. > :26:15.variable age structure. They like the older to nest in. They can hide
:26:15. > :26:21.their nests about. They like the open areas and the younger growth
:26:21. > :26:25.to feed on. That is why Graham is cutting it now? Yes. When Graham
:26:25. > :26:29.was first cutting reeds, there were several large blocks within that.
:26:29. > :26:33.Now we are doing smaller blocks different years. We have got a very
:26:33. > :26:39.different cycle now. With such a good reason for harvesting, how
:26:40. > :26:44.could I not lend a hand? Well, I have seen it being done and
:26:44. > :26:53.it looks relatively simple. I have a sneaking feeling it isn't. Is it
:26:53. > :26:58.hard work, Graham? You probably cut each day about three tonnes worth
:26:58. > :27:04.of reed. Anything I need to know? Glasses and gloves because it can
:27:04. > :27:08.be very sharp. And make it tidy? And make it tidy!
:27:08. > :27:16.We're off! And now they are coming thick and
:27:16. > :27:23.fast. I tell you what, those bearded tits better appreciate
:27:23. > :27:27.their nice, new feeding ground! The amazing reed bed habitats of
:27:27. > :27:30.the Tay. Before the tide comes in here and I get wet feet, time to
:27:30. > :27:35.tell you what is coming up next week.
:27:35. > :27:40.The challenge of meeting a renewable energy target.
:27:40. > :27:46.The jumpers that defined generations of North-East fishermen.
:27:47. > :27:52.We were dealing with very severe weather. Very, very cold. It kept
:27:52. > :27:57.you warm. And Andy Torbet paddles under the bridges. It gives you a