0:00:24 > 0:00:29Landward - the weekly magazine keeping you in touch with the
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Scottish countryside. In a moment I'll have the second of
0:00:32 > 0:00:35my two films marking fifty years since the Beeching report that cut
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Scotland's rail network in half. But first here's what else is coming up
0:00:38 > 0:00:47on the programme... Discovering the scale of lead
0:00:47 > 0:00:50poisoning in swans. These birds have high lead levels in their blood.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54There is nothing naturally in the environment that could get it there
0:00:54 > 0:00:56so it stands to reason that it is most likely from picking up lead
0:00:56 > 0:01:00shot. The livestock parasite thriving in
0:01:00 > 0:01:03our wet climate. It has a very complicated life-cycle
0:01:03 > 0:01:07most of which is spent out on pasture so it is very much affected
0:01:07 > 0:01:11by the climate and weather patterns. And the Red Squirrel is one of our
0:01:11 > 0:01:21top five most iconic species. They could be resting up in the
0:01:21 > 0:01:23
0:01:23 > 0:01:25squirrel drays behind us here. They could be curled up listening to
0:01:25 > 0:01:28us at the moment. This year marks the fiftieth
0:01:28 > 0:01:30anniversary since the publication of the infamous Beeching report, the
0:01:30 > 0:01:34document that sealed the fate of hundreds of rural railways across
0:01:34 > 0:01:38the nation. I went to the Borders to find out about the single biggest
0:01:38 > 0:01:41closure and the plans to bring it back to life.
0:01:41 > 0:01:47The Beeching report led to the closure of 5,000 miles of railway
0:01:47 > 0:01:50track and 2,000 stations across the UK. This viaduct just south of
0:01:50 > 0:01:58Galashiels once carried trains linking Edinburgh in the North with
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Carlisle in the south. It was known as the Waverley line. When the
0:02:01 > 0:02:08Beeching axe fell, it became one of the most protested closures in the
0:02:08 > 0:02:11country. The railway was seen as vital to the local economic
0:02:11 > 0:02:13prosperity of the Borders. Lord David Steele who later became MP for
0:02:13 > 0:02:21Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles campaigned against the closure of
0:02:21 > 0:02:27the Waverley line. At the time of the Beeching report I
0:02:27 > 0:02:37wasn't even the MP. It became one of the big issues in the by-election in
0:02:37 > 0:02:37
0:02:37 > 0:02:39March 1965. What were your concerns about the Waverley line going? The
0:02:39 > 0:02:42impact locally of creating probably the largest part of Scotland without
0:02:42 > 0:02:45any railway. At least in the Highlands they had railways. Here in
0:02:45 > 0:02:50the Borders we would be left with nothing between Berwick and
0:02:50 > 0:02:55Carlisle. Despite the best efforts of campaigners, the line closed in
0:02:55 > 0:03:05January 1969. Not before protesters made one last stand right here at
0:03:05 > 0:03:08
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Newcastleton level crossing. On that night sleeper, the last train out,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15we saw it off at Galashields. There was a big demonstration at Howick
0:03:15 > 0:03:25where they loaded a coffin onto the tracks dressed as the minister of
0:03:25 > 0:03:30
0:03:30 > 0:03:33transport. The press all left and we thought that is it finished. I went
0:03:33 > 0:03:36to bed in the train then stopped outside Newcastleton. One of the
0:03:36 > 0:03:40guards came along the line shouting my name saying, can you come back
0:03:40 > 0:03:42because they are blocking the line. I got dressed and came down and
0:03:42 > 0:03:45discovered this huge, most of them people from the village and
0:03:45 > 0:03:48elsewhere, were standing on the level crossing with the gates shut
0:03:48 > 0:03:53so the train could not go through. They arrested the parish minister.
0:03:53 > 0:03:59That really inflamed things! Eventually I did a deal that if I
0:03:59 > 0:04:02could go to the police and get him released would they agree? This was
0:04:02 > 0:04:08about two o'clock in the morning. They agreed that and eventually
0:04:08 > 0:04:16people dispersed and allowed the train to go. It arrived in St
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Pancras in London about two and half hours late.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21When the Waverley line finally closed, stations like this lay
0:04:21 > 0:04:24dormant and the Borders became the first region in the UK without a
0:04:24 > 0:04:34rail link. Now, after years of campaigning, work has begun on
0:04:34 > 0:04:36re-establishing part of that line between Edinburgh and Tweedbank.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39have got lots of challenges, particularly where the original
0:04:39 > 0:04:45railway was breached by roadworks over the years, most notably just
0:04:45 > 0:04:48south of where we are standing, we have the Edinburgh city bypass.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Later on this year we will put a bridge under the Edinburgh city
0:04:52 > 0:05:02bypass, one of the busiest roads in Scotland, so that is a terrific
0:05:02 > 0:05:02
0:05:02 > 0:05:05challenge. Beyond that there is a viaduct across a roundabout. We have
0:05:05 > 0:05:08hundreds of thousands of tons of earthworks to move. Stations to
0:05:08 > 0:05:13build and finally the track to lay. There's a huge amount of work and
0:05:13 > 0:05:18that will cost a huge amount of money. What is the final figure?The
0:05:19 > 0:05:22cost of construction is about �295 million.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25If everything goes to plan the new Borders railway will be up and
0:05:25 > 0:05:28running in 2015 but for the first time in over 40 years passengers
0:05:28 > 0:05:36will be able to travel from Edinburgh to Tweedbank directly by
0:05:36 > 0:05:39train. I was on the last train out and my
0:05:39 > 0:05:49ambition has always been to be on the first train back in again and it
0:05:49 > 0:05:52
0:05:52 > 0:05:55looks as though that is going to happen.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58This is the Year of Natural Scotland and to celebrate it Scottish Natural
0:05:58 > 0:06:08heritage are highlighting the nation's top five iconic animals.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11
0:06:11 > 0:06:17This week Euan is on the trail of the Red squirrel.
0:06:17 > 0:06:24Red squirrels are woodland creatures. In fact their preferred
0:06:24 > 0:06:27environment is pine forest like this one on the South Side of Loch Ness.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32This wood contains all the key ingredients that make it a perfect
0:06:32 > 0:06:38habitat for red squirrels. Acting as my guide today is squirrel expert
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Ian Collier. We are looking for signs that red squirrels are living
0:06:41 > 0:06:46in this woodland and a sure sign is some of the Scottish pine cones
0:06:47 > 0:06:51being eaten on the floor. So they are here? Yes, they are it is ideal
0:06:51 > 0:06:58habitat. Just seeing them is the difficulty. Yeah, that is a
0:06:58 > 0:07:03difficult thing, there are signs but we haven't seen one this morning.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07They could be resting up in the squirrel drays. They could well be
0:07:07 > 0:07:14listening to us at the moment. This is a squirrel's dray. I said it was
0:07:14 > 0:07:17the shape of a large football. It is flat because we opened it out. It is
0:07:17 > 0:07:21held into the tree and inside they would bring in moss and stripped
0:07:21 > 0:07:29bark and they would take mouthfuls of this bark into the dray. There
0:07:29 > 0:07:32are bits of feathers, sheep's wool. There is some string here to keep it
0:07:32 > 0:07:36all nice and cosy for the squirrels inside. How many squirrels do you
0:07:36 > 0:07:42get in that? You would probably get two or three young squirrels tucked
0:07:42 > 0:07:46up inside there, nice and cosy inside the twigs and the moss.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50day we filmed it was sunny but rather chilly. And the squirrels
0:07:50 > 0:07:55were staying put in the treetop drays. However, over the years
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Landward have captured them on film. The red squirrels were once common
0:07:59 > 0:08:02across the whole country but in the last century we have seen a rapid
0:08:02 > 0:08:09decline in numbers. Today there are an estimated 120,000 red squirrels
0:08:09 > 0:08:12left in Britain and at least three quarters of them live in Scotland.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18The future success of the red squirrel is dependent on the
0:08:18 > 0:08:22management of pine forests. Forestry Commission Scotland are looking at
0:08:22 > 0:08:28ways of designing and managing their woodlands for the benefit of the red
0:08:28 > 0:08:31squirrel. Throughout Scotland we are aiming to establish 19 stronghold
0:08:31 > 0:08:36woodlands and they would give continuous seeds for us and very
0:08:36 > 0:08:39good habitat management for red squirrels. That is an awful lot of
0:08:39 > 0:08:45management and time and money for one wee animal? It is although it
0:08:45 > 0:08:53benefits other species as well. red squirrel is a priority but other
0:08:53 > 0:08:57species will benefit. The red squirrel is one of my
0:08:57 > 0:09:00favourite animals and for me fully deserves to be on the big five list.
0:09:00 > 0:09:10But what is your favourite wild animal? Last week we asked you to
0:09:10 > 0:09:23
0:09:23 > 0:09:31send in your own wildlife week we will be showcasing some more
0:09:31 > 0:09:38of your pictures on the programme. So keep sending them in. More
0:09:38 > 0:09:41details on the website bbc.co.uk/landward.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47Still to come. Euan helps scientists assess the level of lead poisoning
0:09:47 > 0:09:52in swans. In birds we see symptoms of lead poisoning manifest itself.
0:09:52 > 0:09:59They are trembling, they have low slung necks.
0:09:59 > 0:10:07And Nick meets another Artisan baker. The convention is it takes a
0:10:07 > 0:10:10lot of kneading to make bread and I'm going to disprove that now.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14The last couple of years have been particularly tough on farmers with
0:10:14 > 0:10:17sustained spells of wet weather causing havoc with crops. But the
0:10:17 > 0:10:27incessant rain is also causing problems for livestock farmers as
0:10:27 > 0:10:27
0:10:27 > 0:10:31the conditions have helped the spread of a nasty parasite.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37This is the liver of a cow that has been infected with the Liver Fluke
0:10:37 > 0:10:40parasite. It is a problem which is becoming more and more common across
0:10:40 > 0:10:47Scotland. Liver Fluke is thriving after a number of particularly wet
0:10:47 > 0:10:50years created the ideal conditions for the parasite. In fact, the
0:10:50 > 0:10:58number of cases of Liver Fluke have increased tenfold in the last three
0:10:58 > 0:11:02months. Liver Fluke is a flatworm parasite that inflicts sheep and
0:11:02 > 0:11:07cattle and has a complicated life cycle, most of which is spent out in
0:11:07 > 0:11:15pasture so it is affected by the climate and weather patterns. It
0:11:15 > 0:11:20sheds lots of eggs. They hatch and go in search of a mud snail. The
0:11:20 > 0:11:25parasite grows in the snail. It sheds in the pasture as cysts and
0:11:25 > 0:11:28the unfortunate sheep and cattle get those. The cysts hatch and they chew
0:11:28 > 0:11:38their way through the wall in the intestines. That is when they cause
0:11:38 > 0:11:40
0:11:40 > 0:11:42disease. It is a very severe disease. It can reduce weight gain,
0:11:42 > 0:11:52poor conception rates, reduced milk yield and affects the farmers
0:11:52 > 0:12:00pocket. Alan Ross farms cattle and sheep across the north-east. 2010 we
0:12:00 > 0:12:03lost two of our own homebred calves. We got the vet involved and did a
0:12:03 > 0:12:06post-mortem and found they had Liver Fluke. The calves had never moved
0:12:06 > 0:12:11off the farm they were born in so that told us that there was Liver
0:12:11 > 0:12:20Fluke in the north-east of Scotland. There were no symptoms? No, none
0:12:20 > 0:12:25whatsoever. Very surprising. That is one of the key things, it is very
0:12:25 > 0:12:28difficult to detect. The problem is so acute that
0:12:28 > 0:12:38companies are now keeping records of the cattle and sheep infected with
0:12:38 > 0:12:44
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Liver Fluke as they pass through the abattoir. This is providing the
0:12:47 > 0:12:50first concrete evidence of the impact Liver Fluke is having on the
0:12:50 > 0:12:54industry. We did a lot of abattoir testing. We previously saw that the
0:12:54 > 0:12:57impact of Liver Fluke was running in about 19% of cattle, that was three
0:12:57 > 0:13:00or four years ago. Recently we studied over 1,500 cattle and 38%
0:13:00 > 0:13:05showed signs of having Liver Fluke at some stage in their lives. Can
0:13:05 > 0:13:08you give us an idea of how much this costs the industry? In a recent
0:13:08 > 0:13:18abattoir study it was shown that cattle had at least 15 kilograms
0:13:18 > 0:13:19
0:13:19 > 0:13:23carcass weight less, that's roue0 pounds an animal. -- roughly.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26is a big deal? It is a big deal. There is not much farmers can do
0:13:26 > 0:13:30about the weather but they can dose their livestock with Flukazoids but
0:13:30 > 0:13:35it is not as simple as just administering a drug. Drugs don't
0:13:35 > 0:13:38kill it at all stages. There will be times of the year when for example
0:13:38 > 0:13:44juveniles are coming through the liver and treatment at that time
0:13:44 > 0:13:47would be useless. We always advise farmers to talk to their vets and
0:13:48 > 0:13:57get an understanding of the life cycle of the parasite and also the
0:13:58 > 0:14:02
0:14:02 > 0:14:05treatment options. It is abrave step for you to speak
0:14:05 > 0:14:08out given that a lot of farmers might not want to publicise the fact
0:14:08 > 0:14:12they have Liver Fluke? Yes, but you don't cure anything with your head
0:14:12 > 0:14:22in the sand. If there is a problem, you try and take best advice
0:14:22 > 0:14:45
0:14:45 > 0:14:47available and deal with it. That's you see on the programme or have a
0:14:47 > 0:14:50you see on the programme or have a wonderful story to share with us,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54please drop us an email. Now, the weather here at Strathearn is still
0:14:54 > 0:14:56a bit fresh for this time of year, I reckon. What about the prospects for
0:14:56 > 0:14:58this weekend and beyond? To find out, here's Christopher Blanchett
0:14:58 > 0:15:04wonderful story to share with us, Much milder this weekend. On
0:15:04 > 0:15:10Saturday, the wind will be light. There will be light outbreaks of
0:15:10 > 0:15:19rain in the north-east. Good spells of sunshine elsewhere. It could feel
0:15:19 > 0:15:25quite pleasant. Decent temperatures. More stubborn cloud in parts of the
0:15:25 > 0:15:35East. They will be some light rain mainly over the hills. Colour in the
0:15:35 > 0:15:36
0:15:36 > 0:15:46East Coast -- viewing colour. The best conditions will be over the
0:15:46 > 0:15:48
0:15:48 > 0:15:56north-west Highlands. The winds will be light. Stronger by the end of the
0:15:56 > 0:16:06day. Cloudier skies for the Angus hills. Here is the inshore waters
0:16:06 > 0:16:09
0:16:09 > 0:16:19forecast. Moderate visibility, but who are in the East. -- per in the
0:16:19 > 0:16:24
0:16:24 > 0:16:34East. --poor. For Saturday afternoon and into the evening, the rain works
0:16:34 > 0:16:40
0:16:40 > 0:16:49its way in. There will be deal force winds. --gail force. As we head
0:16:49 > 0:16:58through towards Sunday, you can see the tight isobars. The rain is still
0:16:58 > 0:17:02with us for central and southern parts. 15 degrees could be possible
0:17:02 > 0:17:09around the Moray Firth in the sunshine. Next week, low-pressure
0:17:09 > 0:17:14works its way away from us towards the North. Monday is a transition
0:17:14 > 0:17:24day. Try and bright for many. Not quite as dry and writers the
0:17:24 > 0:17:29
0:17:29 > 0:17:37weekend. On Tuesday, another system is above us. Not quite as cold. It
0:17:37 > 0:17:43will be windy, particularly over the central lowlands. Midweek, still
0:17:43 > 0:17:53rather dusty conditions. Brain around that time is. Highs of ten or
0:17:53 > 0:17:58
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Last week, Nick met an artisan baker who specialised in game pies. This
0:18:01 > 0:18:09week, he's off to meet a man who is passionate about getting back to
0:18:09 > 0:18:11basics with bread. It's known as the staff of life. It's considered to be
0:18:11 > 0:18:16one of the most important foods we one of the most important foods we
0:18:16 > 0:18:19eat. But the bread we have become used to is mainly factory made with
0:18:19 > 0:18:26lots of yeast and additives to make large quantities in a short space of
0:18:26 > 0:18:28time. So I've come in search of the perfect Scottish loaf. And who
0:18:28 > 0:18:37better to talk to than Andrew Whitley, one of Scotland's top
0:18:37 > 0:18:41artisan bakers? OK, well, here we've got some Scottish wheat grown here
0:18:41 > 0:18:51in East Lothian. Scotland is quite capable of feeding itself with bread
0:18:51 > 0:18:56
0:18:56 > 0:19:00from the fields around. So we've got flour, salt and some water. And we
0:19:00 > 0:19:04just pour all that in and then mix it with one hand until all the flour
0:19:04 > 0:19:07is wet and no more. This is not kneading, this is just dispersing
0:19:07 > 0:19:11the water into the flour. The conventional wisdom is that it takes
0:19:11 > 0:19:14a lot of kneading to make bread. And I'm going to disprove that now.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18fascinated! If you just take a piece and pull it, it just breaks. There
0:19:18 > 0:19:21is no structure, it's just like a paste. The gluten has not started to
0:19:21 > 0:19:25develop. So we've got our first stage done. We're going to leave
0:19:25 > 0:19:29this for 15 or 20 minutes and then we'll come back and see what it
0:19:29 > 0:19:33looks like. OK, Nick, this has had 20 minutes
0:19:33 > 0:19:37sitting with nothing happening to it. Take the cover off, just wet
0:19:37 > 0:19:46your hands on a little bit of water and then pick up some dough. And
0:19:46 > 0:19:49look at the difference now. Look at that. It's elastic.Do you see that
0:19:49 > 0:19:53gluten pan? That's what we call a window-pane of gluten and that has
0:19:53 > 0:20:01formed from the paste that we had a minute ago, that is formed without
0:20:01 > 0:20:04any kneading at all. --that has formed. So for all these years of my
0:20:04 > 0:20:10muscle power... You've been ploughing away on the dough for no
0:20:10 > 0:20:14purpose at all. Extraordinary!So this is a beautifully soft, stretchy
0:20:14 > 0:20:17dough and that's really as much as we need to do. We've just brought it
0:20:18 > 0:20:21together. And now we need to add our raising agent, which is the leaven.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The sourdough that's been rising for the best part of 12 hours.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28having a moment because this all makes sense. Just work that in. I'll
0:20:28 > 0:20:33do the same here. So you see that's really all I need to do. I'm going
0:20:33 > 0:20:42to dip it in the rice flour here. Just so that it gets a coating on
0:20:42 > 0:20:45the edge. And just shoogle it around like that. And then pick it up and
0:20:46 > 0:20:48put it into the proving basket which, as you can see, is made out
0:20:48 > 0:20:53of bent cane. And the really important thing is that it supports
0:20:53 > 0:20:58the dough. By itself it would be so soft and wet that it would flow into
0:20:58 > 0:21:02a pancake. Right, Nick, this has been rising
0:21:02 > 0:21:06for about four hours and you can see that it has more than doubled in
0:21:06 > 0:21:10size and if you press very gently on it you can feel that a little bit of
0:21:10 > 0:21:14oomph left, but not much. So we know it's ready to go into the oven.
0:21:14 > 0:21:20come up as high as it's going to go. Exactly. And then we tip it out very
0:21:20 > 0:21:24gently. Just shape it like that and then straight into the oven. And
0:21:24 > 0:21:27slide it in onto the oven bottom like that. And it's in slow and out
0:21:27 > 0:21:31fast. How long would you bake it for? Probably about 30 minutes in
0:21:32 > 0:21:35this oven, maybe even less. Because it's very hot. It's at 280 degrees.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38But in a brick oven with retained heat, because there is no flame or
0:21:38 > 0:21:45elements throwing heat at it, it'll bake quicker because the heat is
0:21:45 > 0:21:55more penetrating. A good knife is really important
0:21:55 > 0:22:05
0:22:05 > 0:22:11You know, this is extraordinary bread. An amazing crumb. The crust,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14the flavour, the acidity, the complexity of it. And the most
0:22:14 > 0:22:17amazing thing is that we're not in France and we're not in Italy, we
0:22:17 > 0:22:25are in Scotland and this is Scottish bread made with Scottish flour.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Extraordinary. Since 2005, it's been illegal in
0:22:29 > 0:22:34Scotland to shoot birds over weltands using lead shot. But it's
0:22:34 > 0:22:37believed some are ignoring the ban. Back in February, the Wildfowl and
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Wetlands Trust captured, x-rayed and blood-tested a large number of
0:22:40 > 0:22:50swans, ducks and geese to check for lead. And Euan was there to witness
0:22:50 > 0:22:59
0:22:59 > 0:23:06Shotgun cartridges are full of small pellets. Now, traditionally, like
0:23:06 > 0:23:10these ones, they were made of lead. And when the gun erupts, it sends a
0:23:10 > 0:23:20spray of these pellets into the air. Now, not all of them will hit the
0:23:20 > 0:23:23target. Inevitably, many will land on the ground. Birds can then
0:23:23 > 0:23:26swallow these lead pellets, mistaking them for grit, which helps
0:23:26 > 0:23:36digestion. High levels of lead are poisonous to birds, just as they are
0:23:36 > 0:23:37
0:23:37 > 0:23:42for people. The pellets lodge in the birds' gizzard, killing them slowly.
0:23:42 > 0:23:48This mallard is displaying the symptoms of lead poisoning. Lead
0:23:48 > 0:23:52affects the nervous system, destroying balance and coordination.
0:23:52 > 0:23:59For eight years, using lead shot has been illegal for wetlands. Instead,
0:23:59 > 0:24:04shooters are supposed to use alternatives like this. Steel shot.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07But birds are still dying from lead poisoning. And to find out how
0:24:07 > 0:24:15widespread the problem is, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust are
0:24:15 > 0:24:17testing these birds here. The birds, migratory whooper swans and resident
0:24:17 > 0:24:26mute swans, are funnelled down a net-covered swan pipe towards a
0:24:26 > 0:24:36narrow penning area. Once there, they are sorted and velcroed into
0:24:36 > 0:24:40
0:24:40 > 0:24:45swan straitjackets and the fitted to its leg and this means we
0:24:45 > 0:24:48can then track it thereafter. They also go through some health
0:24:48 > 0:24:51screening processes, so one of those things as we are testing the blood
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and that will be sent off to the laboratory and tested for levels of
0:24:54 > 0:25:04lead in their bloodstream. What is the effect of lead in the
0:25:04 > 0:25:10
0:25:10 > 0:25:13bloodstream? There is no safe levels of lead. In birds, we see symptoms
0:25:13 > 0:25:16of lead poisoning manifest itself. So we see birds quite often
0:25:16 > 0:25:19trembling, low-slung necks, they can't support their neck any more.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21This is quite obvious with this one with their lovely long necks
0:25:21 > 0:25:24usually. And there's a variety of other symptoms. They're often
0:25:24 > 0:25:29emaciated and not feeding properly. It's a really nasty disease.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32tests, year in year out, show elevated blood levels of lead. So of
0:25:32 > 0:25:37these birds have got high lead levels in the blood, there is
0:25:37 > 0:25:41nothing else naturally in the environment that can get it there.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Then it stands to reason the most likely place it is coming from is
0:25:44 > 0:25:48from picking up those lead shots. And, as we get the x-ray machine and
0:25:48 > 0:25:51look in their gizzards, what we are seeing year in year out is pieces of
0:25:51 > 0:25:54shot in there. This box of steel cartridges cost me just over �5,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57which is actually cheaper than the lead alternative, so why do people
0:25:57 > 0:26:02continue to use lead? Steel is lighter, yet harder than lead and
0:26:02 > 0:26:06there is a perception that steel shot can damage valuable shotguns.
0:26:06 > 0:26:16Also that it's more difficult to kill clearly and there is a higher
0:26:16 > 0:26:17
0:26:17 > 0:26:20risk of ricochet. Is there an issue with compliance? We don't know if
0:26:20 > 0:26:23there is an issue in Scotland. I'm aware of one conviction since 2005,
0:26:23 > 0:26:33that was just last year. And I'm also aware that Grampian Police are
0:26:33 > 0:26:38looking closely at a number of weapon sites. There is a suspicion
0:26:38 > 0:26:41that people may be continuing to use lead. But to date we've got no real
0:26:41 > 0:26:44hard evidence that people are not complying with the regulation.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust staff were packing up at the end of
0:26:48 > 0:26:51the day, a member of the teams opted by whooper swan displaying symptoms
0:26:51 > 0:26:54of lead poisoning. It was so ill it had to be put down. A post-mortem
0:26:54 > 0:26:57examination revealed the extent of the lead poisoning. The x-ray
0:26:57 > 0:27:02revealed that there were 31 pellets in the desert, of which we have
0:27:02 > 0:27:09discovered 28 so far. --in the gizzard. And that almost certainly
0:27:09 > 0:27:12would have killed it if it hadn't been put to sleep. Whooper swans are
0:27:12 > 0:27:17migratory, so it's not possible to prove whether the lead shot was
0:27:17 > 0:27:21ingested in Scotland or abroad. want to see birds not have lead
0:27:21 > 0:27:25poisoning. That means that there's going to have to be less lead shot
0:27:25 > 0:27:34around the environment. How we get to that is for the shooting industry
0:27:34 > 0:27:37to look at. Individual people who shoot, hopefully they'll see
0:27:37 > 0:27:40evidence that we collect each year and they'll be able to consider that
0:27:40 > 0:27:43evidence and decide for themselves what is more important, really, the
0:27:43 > 0:27:51tradition of keeping lead as a good ballistic or the tradition of caring
0:27:51 > 0:27:57for the wider countryside and the Euan and the impact of lead shot on
0:27:57 > 0:27:59swans, ducks and geese. Now, before I fly off, I've just got time to
0:27:59 > 0:28:06tell you what's coming up on next week's programme.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09The future of Scotland's pig industry. Feed makes up
0:28:09 > 0:28:16approximately 65% of the cost of finishing pigs. It has quite a big
0:28:16 > 0:28:26impact on the profitability of the pig enterprise. And Sarah meets the
0:28:26 > 0:28:28
0:28:28 > 0:28:35green action angels. I'm loving the pink high-vis. I've not seen these
0:28:35 > 0:28:45before. These are uber cool. please join us for that and much
0:28:45 > 0:28:50