0:00:05 > 0:00:07We love to bring you the latest from the Scottish countryside,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11but this week, we're stepping back in time with a load of old fossils.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Hello, and a very warm welcome to Landward.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36In a moment, I'll be meeting the scientist
0:00:36 > 0:00:39behind one of the most significant fossil finds in Scotland.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43But first, here's what else is coming up on the programme.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Sarah checks out the latest farming gizmo.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I mean, technology is having such an impact on farming.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52There's now tractors that drive themselves.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Is this the future of farming?
0:00:53 > 0:00:56It's certainly going to be part of it.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59In the news today, changes to tenant farming proposals.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Euan has the latest.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Just because you have a right to buy,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07doesn't necessarily mean a tenant would exercise it.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11And the photographer documenting the lives of Scotland's female farmers.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14I think there's probably one picture that I should take,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16which is of you two standing here.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18- Oh, like drowned rats(?) - THEY CHUCKLE
0:01:18 > 0:01:22OK. Well, I don't know about you, but we're not looking our best.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25One last image. OK, one, two, three...
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Lovely, ladies.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Skye is known as "dinosaur isle"
0:01:32 > 0:01:36because of the interesting fossils that can be uncovered here,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and earlier this week, an exciting new find was announced.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Our colleagues at BBC Earth were on Skye to witness the moment
0:01:45 > 0:01:48scientists discovered hundreds of dinosaur footprints
0:01:48 > 0:01:50near Duntulm Castle.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Skye is unique in Scotland for dinosaur hunters,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59and the footprints are an important find.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06- Hi, Dougie.- Nice to see you. How are you?- Come on in.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08'Steve Brusatte is one of the scientists
0:02:08 > 0:02:10'who discovered the footprints,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12'and I met him back in his lab at Edinburgh University.'
0:02:12 > 0:02:15So, let's talk about Skye. What did you actually find there?
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Well, we were flabbergasted, gobsmacked -
0:02:17 > 0:02:20whatever hyperbole you want to use when we found them.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It's one of the more exciting finds that I've made in my career,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and it was kind of a chance thing.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27We were out in April when it was getting late.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30It was about seven o'clock or so. Starting to get a bit dark.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The tide was coming in, the winds were coming in -
0:02:33 > 0:02:34time to leave!
0:02:34 > 0:02:37And we started to notice these things that looked
0:02:37 > 0:02:39kind of like potholes in the rock and we noticed one,
0:02:39 > 0:02:40and then another one,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44and then another one and they seemed to be in this zigzag sequence,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47hence we found huge track ways left by some of the biggest dinosaurs
0:02:47 > 0:02:50that ever lived, these brontosaurus-type of dinosaurs.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54- And when would they have lived, then?- About 170 million years ago.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57This is right in the middle part of the Jurassic period.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00I walk in the hills often and, you know, you make a footprint -
0:03:00 > 0:03:02next day, the rain comes and washes it away.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04How can these footprints still exist?
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Well, it's a quirk of geology.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08These dinosaurs weren't actually walking on land,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10they were wading in a lagoon.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13So there was probably water up to their knees or so.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16And then you would have storms come in
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and dump a bunch of other sand or mud on top,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and that would kind of seal in the footprints
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and those layers would get compacted over time into rock.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26So it's one of these one-in-a-billion things that these
0:03:26 > 0:03:28dinosaur footprints were preserved.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31And what's so specifically good about Skye
0:03:31 > 0:03:32for dinosaur hunters like yourself?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The amazing thing about Skye - and you never think of Scotland
0:03:35 > 0:03:37when you think of dinosaurs, I don't think -
0:03:37 > 0:03:41but Skye is one of the only places in the world where there's dinosaurs
0:03:41 > 0:03:44from that age, from the middle part of the Jurassic.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47And this was a really important time in dinosaur evolution because
0:03:47 > 0:03:50this was when the first tyrannosaurs were getting their start.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The first stegosaurs - the ones with the big plates on their back.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55The first birds were flying about in the middle Jurassic,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58so Scotland is one of the only places in the world
0:03:58 > 0:04:01where you can find fossils of those things.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07And footprints aren't the only thing dinosaurs have left behind on Skye.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09There's a small tooth here that we found.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'Steve's colleague, Tom Challands discovered this tooth.'
0:04:12 > 0:04:14I was walking along, looking at boulders,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16and this thing just glinted at me,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18and I knew we had to get it out pretty soon,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22because the tide was just, like, that far below it.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24And, er, so I started chiselling, having a look at it,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27trying to get it out without damaging it,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29by which time the tide was now that far above it,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31and sort of round my knees.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34It was fully underwater and I was really worried that it might pop out
0:04:34 > 0:04:35and just be washed away by a wave.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Thank goodness we did get it out,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39because there's only about three teeth like this
0:04:39 > 0:04:40from the Isle of Skye.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- What is this a tooth of, then? - It's of a meat-eating dinosaur.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46A small theropod meat-eating dinosaur.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Probably something like a velociraptor.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Skye is the only place in Scotland these things can be found,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and the island's becoming more interesting to palaeontologists.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59We're now entering what we might call
0:04:59 > 0:05:02a Renaissance of dinosaur hunting on the Isle of Skye.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06So it's providing a very unique window into this period of dinosaur
0:05:06 > 0:05:11evolution like you can't find in many other parts of the world.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14We're very lucky to have it literally on our doorstep.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17If you want to find our more about Skye's dinosaurs,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19check out the BBC Earth website.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26It's amazing to think that evidence of these creatures that lived
0:05:26 > 0:05:31millions of years ago is out there, much of it hiding in plain sight.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Now, there is a Scottish Fossil Code
0:05:33 > 0:05:35to protect these beautiful specimens,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38so if you want to go out hunting, have a look at it before you go,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40and who knows what you might find?
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Now, from ancient history to the constantly evolving story
0:05:45 > 0:05:47of Scottish farming.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Farming has come a long way since the 1950s and men in flat caps
0:06:03 > 0:06:05and hoeing by hand,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08to milking robots and driverless tractors.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18And the latest bit of technology that is being touted
0:06:18 > 0:06:21as the future of farming - drones.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26We're more used to seeing them on sci-fi films,
0:06:26 > 0:06:31but Simon Gibson-Poole from Scotland's rural college, the SRUC,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35is investigating how drones can make a farmer's life easier.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- Simon, good morning.- Hi, Sarah. - How are you doing?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- What a fancy-looking gadget. - Yes.- What is it?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46This is the college's octocopter that we built here on-site
0:06:46 > 0:06:48to help us survey our crops.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Today, we're surveying this oilseed rape.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53And we're essentially looking for variation
0:06:53 > 0:06:55in the plots that we've got
0:06:55 > 0:06:58to see if certain pathogens, like light leaf spot,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00can be seen from the air.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04- OK. Shall we get it in the air? - Indeed. Let's do it.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The drone's flight path, height and distance are all programmed
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and controlled by a computer.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Only take off and landing are done manually.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Yay! We're airborne.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Yep. It's up in the air, and it's now performing its mission.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21How useful do you think this is going to be for farmers?
0:07:21 > 0:07:22Erm, I think it's going to be very useful.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Areas of the field that you might not be able to spot easily
0:07:25 > 0:07:27from the field boundaries or
0:07:27 > 0:07:31unless you walk through the crop, which is not always a good idea.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32So, for instance, things like potatoes.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35When the canopy is closed, you don't want to be walking through it,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38not unless you absolutely have to.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So getting an aerial perspective at those times is a bonus.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45So, what sort of information can a farmer get from these images?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47You might be able to spot points where the field's not
0:07:47 > 0:07:50performing as well, where there's gaps in the canopy of the crop.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53With better sensors, more complicated sensors,
0:07:53 > 0:07:58you can do the health of the crops more and picking up things like, er,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00certain pathogens maybe coming along -
0:08:00 > 0:08:02you might be able to pick those up at earlier stages.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I mean, technology is having such an impact on farming.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07There's now tractors that drive themselves.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Is this the future of farming?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12It's certainly part of it. It certainly will be part of it.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13Erm...
0:08:13 > 0:08:15It's in an early stage still at the moment,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18but in the future, I think we're going to see this an awful lot more,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20especially as they become more automated.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22They'll become more useful across the board.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I mean, for instance, the Japanese have been using
0:08:25 > 0:08:27large radio-controlled helicopters
0:08:27 > 0:08:31for spraying paddy fields since the 1980s, so they're using them -
0:08:31 > 0:08:34there's no reason why we can't use them in the future.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35'Once the drone is back on the ground,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40'the footage is analysed to see how the crops are getting on.'
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Drones might not be for every farmer.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Some will embrace them, but others might still want
0:08:46 > 0:08:49that personal touch of inspecting the crops by hand.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51But one thing is for certain -
0:08:51 > 0:08:56it's going to be interesting to see how this technology develops.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59If you've seen something that inspires you in the countryside
0:08:59 > 0:09:01and want to share it, then get in touch
0:09:01 > 0:09:03by going to our Facebook page or e-mailing...
0:09:08 > 0:09:12As we travel about Scotland, we like to stop and ask the folk
0:09:12 > 0:09:15we meet on the street what they love about the local area.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19This week, I'm in the Fort of the Celts, Dunkeld.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26So, what do the locals love about their town?
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I do a lot of running, so it's brilliant.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32There's loads of routes up here.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Lots of nice walking round about.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38The Hermitage, which is just a mile away up north, is spectacular.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42- Uh-huh.- A lot of people come here and actually get married there,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44as well as at the cathedral.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50Once you're finished all that exercise, how do you chill out?
0:09:50 > 0:09:51Where would you go?
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Palmerston's, literally just there.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57It's like a little bit of baking heaven.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59That's what I think about while I'm running.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02It's just that coffee and that fresh scone.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- What do you think is the best thing about Dunkeld?- All.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11All of it? So it's amazing?
0:10:11 > 0:10:14What would you say that people are most proud of about Dunkeld?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Erm... Everyone's just so close. It's quite a tight community.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20It's Crimewatch, Bob!
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- Bob's going past. - When are you back on Sportscene?
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It's Crimewatch!
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Where would you say is the best place to relax, chill out,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31have a...whatever?
0:10:31 > 0:10:32See, I'm in a dodgy position here.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- I can't just pick out one. - Can you not?
0:10:35 > 0:10:37No, otherwise the rest will get on to me.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40"Why didn't you mention me?", sort of thing, so...
0:10:43 > 0:10:45A pint in the Taybank, if it's a nice day
0:10:45 > 0:10:46- which today is not -
0:10:46 > 0:10:49you can sit out on the river and have a pint,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51and watch time go by.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Tell him why you like Birnam Institute.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I like... I like all the...
0:10:56 > 0:10:59HE RAMBLES
0:11:02 > 0:11:03You know what?
0:11:03 > 0:11:06That makes more sense than anything I've said all day.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10So, that's what the locals think is the best thing about Dunkeld,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12but I reckon this deserves a mention.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Before the bridge was built back in 1808 by Thomas Telford,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17there used to be a ferry further upstream,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21but cattle had to swim across, not all of them particularly keen.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Legend has it that a local enterprising farmer
0:11:24 > 0:11:27used to rent out one of his water-loving beasts
0:11:27 > 0:11:28to encourage the rest across.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32I wouldn't fancy it. Far too wide and fast for my liking.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Now, over the next couple of weeks,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39we'll have a guest presenter who hails from Dundee.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Martel Maxwell has been looking at her area's reputation
0:11:43 > 0:11:45for innovation in tatties.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48This week, it's a new way of selling to customers.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51I'm a city girl, and I have to admit it's not always easy
0:11:51 > 0:11:55getting my hands on the freshest veg straight from the farmer's field.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Then I spotted something pretty unusual in my local shopping centre,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02and I just had to meet the man behind it.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11The Grewars have been growing potatoes for more than a century,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14and are one of the biggest names in the business.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16They operate on a massive scale,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19but for their latest venture, they're downsizing.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- Hi, Euan.- Hi, Martel. How are you doing?- Good, thanks.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28You look busy.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- Tell me what you're doing here. It looks organised.- Yeah.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35'Today, Euan Grewar is packing veg to put into vending machines.'
0:12:35 > 0:12:39If you could put four beetroot into each of the boxes,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41that would be great. I'll put in some baking potatoes.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43OK. Four beetroot in each.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Now, why vending machines?
0:12:45 > 0:12:47How did you come up with the idea?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50So, before we started the vending machines,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53everything left here by the lorry load,
0:12:53 > 0:12:5426 tonnes at a time,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and we have been asked to do bags of potatoes
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and we were turning people away,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03so the opportunity to sort of meet that market
0:13:03 > 0:13:06was great, so we saw the vending machine
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and thought it could really fit.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Is this all your own produce?
0:13:12 > 0:13:16So, the potatoes, the beetroot and the leeks, we all grow,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20and the rest is all local, in-season stuff.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Is this us done? Do we have everything we need?
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Do we need the baby leeks?
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Yeah, baby leeks in and then we're ready to go.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- OK. - So, we go and load up the van.
0:13:32 > 0:13:33Then we're on our way.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Today's destination is the Overgate Shopping Centre in Dundee.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39How often do you come out to restock?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42We stock the machines every morning.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Someone leaves with the van at six o'clock, half-past six,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50every morning, and they're freshly stocked every day,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and sometimes more on weekends or busy times,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55like the run-up to Christmas.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59On our way to Dundee, we stop to restock one of Euan's
0:13:59 > 0:14:01other vending machines on a local farm,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and we meet one of his customers.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Won't have beetroot today,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08but usually, I buy everything here, you know,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12eggs, carrots, sprouts, the lot.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14And why do you come here rather than your local supermarket?
0:14:14 > 0:14:17I just think you're supporting local suppliers,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20you're helping the local farmers.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24I come from a farming family, so I think it's a good thing.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27And now it's back on the road again.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31I have to say, a veg van isn't the usual way I get to the shops.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33And here we are at the vending machine.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36A-ha! What's been the reaction, Euan, when you first put this in?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- What are people saying? - We've had some amazing reactions.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42I mean, when we first put it in here,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44we were installing the machine early morning,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and the cleaners that were here at the time
0:14:47 > 0:14:50were a bit...thought we were mad,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53in the middle of Dundee, trying to sell fresh fruit and vegetables.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55But it's been amazing.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58By Christmas time, they were pre-ordering their stuff
0:14:58 > 0:15:01for us to set aside, because they loved it.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02Euan, it's been a pleasure.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04I guess you'd better go off and restock your next machine.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08I'm going to hang around here and meet some of your customers.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- That's great. Thanks, Martel. - Bye, Euan.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13It reminds us what a great position we're in,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15in terms of Dundee,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17with all the fantastic agricultural land around us,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and we would be buying locally.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23You've got your tatties and your eggs and your vegetables,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and you can make a meal from that without having to go shopping.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29You've got to have your fresh fruit and veg, everyone knows that,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32so having made it easier to get is surely better in the long run.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Somebody wanting to make a pot of soup,
0:15:34 > 0:15:35- they've got everything here. - Yes.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39That's what I said. You've got all your ingredients for a pot of soup.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42So, the people here seem to be convinced.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Well, I've certainly worked up an appetite,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46so tatties for tea tonight.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52And next week,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Martel meets the farmers using potatoes to make vodka.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Now, two weeks ago, we had a special programme
0:15:58 > 0:16:02looking at the proposals for land reform in Scotland.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06The aspect of the changes we didn't explore was farm tenancies.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Euan's tackling that now.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Almost a quarter of Scotland's agricultural land is rented,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17but that's a lot less than it used to be.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25Since 1982, the area of let land in this country has fallen by 44%,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29so why are landowners so reluctant to let out their land?
0:16:29 > 0:16:31First of all, they say they're concerned that
0:16:31 > 0:16:36changes in the law may force them to sell off their land to tenants,
0:16:36 > 0:16:37and secondly,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40they can make more money just now by working it themselves,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42due to the current farm subsidy regime.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44What's the difference, you might ask?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Well, with the cost of farmland so high,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50a healthy rental sector is one of the few ways available
0:16:50 > 0:16:53for young people to get a start in farming.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Have a look at this.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59For sale in the paper, a small farm of 126 acres
0:16:59 > 0:17:02with a three-bedroom house in Aberdeenshire.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05The asking price - £750,000.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Three-quarters of a million pounds.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Imagine a young person going to try and get a loan for that
0:17:11 > 0:17:13and, to be perfectly honest, you might be struggling
0:17:13 > 0:17:18to make a full-time living off a 126-acre farm.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19When farms appear on the market,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23they're often snapped up by neighbours looking to expand.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Unless they inherit a farm, leasing is often the only way
0:17:28 > 0:17:32that a young person can get a start in the industry,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36which is why the Scottish Government wants to promote the rental market,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38and also to give some protection to tenants.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42They want to expand the class of people who can inherit
0:17:42 > 0:17:44a secure farm tenancy -
0:17:44 > 0:17:46not just sons and daughters,
0:17:46 > 0:17:47but nephews and nieces,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and partners' children too -
0:17:50 > 0:17:52change the way rents are calculated,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54to take into consideration
0:17:54 > 0:17:57how much money a good farmer can actually make,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and introduce the right for a tenant to force the sale of the farm
0:18:01 > 0:18:05if the landowner repeatedly fails to meet their obligations.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10We have suckler cows as well, maybe 60 to 70 suckler cows.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14'Ian Muirhead's family has farmed here in Stirlingshire
0:18:14 > 0:18:17'since the 1880s. He doesn't think the proposals go far enough,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20'and he wants farmers like him, with a secure tenancy,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23'to be given the right to buy their house, steading
0:18:23 > 0:18:25'and a proportion of their farmland.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Although the bill is welcome,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30a lot of the solutions in it are sticking plaster,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32and they don't address the root problem,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35which, in my view and the view of many people,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38is that we have a concentrated land ownership pattern,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41and if you look at the experience of European countries,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44where they have brought in reforms, for example,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46a conditional right to buy for tenant farmers,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49which has led to less concentrated land ownership,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51one of the upturns of that
0:18:51 > 0:18:54actually has been much larger tenanted sectors,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58which means there's more opportunity for young people to get a start.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Is it not a bit ironic, though,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03this has all been driven by tenant farmers wanting security,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and if that goes through,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08that'll mean the landowner doesn't have any security?
0:19:08 > 0:19:11The clue is in the question, which is right to buy.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Obviously, a tenant would have to pay a fair price for the farm,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17should they wish to buy it,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19but at the same time, just because you have a right to buy
0:19:19 > 0:19:22doesn't necessarily mean a tenant would exercise it.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Now, if you've got good relations with your landlord
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and you share investment and things work well,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29then the likelihood is, you'll say,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32"Well, I have that sanction if things go badly wrong
0:19:32 > 0:19:35"or if the next generation of landlord treats you unfairly,"
0:19:35 > 0:19:38but at the same time, for those that are in a bad situation,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40or want to invest or diversify,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42and the only way the bank would allow them to do that
0:19:42 > 0:19:44is if, obviously, asset-based finance,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46then they have that option,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48and you've seen that in the crofting situations.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51People have that right to buy. It's like an insurance policy.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'Ian is on a secure tenancy,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56'but other farmers on shorter contracts
0:19:56 > 0:19:59'have told us they've been given notice by their landlords,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01'worried about the coming changes.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04'Sarah-Jane Laing from Scottish Land and Estates,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08'the body that represents estate owners, recognises that picture.'
0:20:10 > 0:20:11I think it's definitely happening,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14and I don't think it's happening to traditional landlords.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16I think you've got owner-occupiers
0:20:16 > 0:20:18who are looking to maybe rent out a couple of fields,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22they're not doing that because these guys do not feel confident
0:20:22 > 0:20:24about putting their land in tenancies at the moment.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28'Sarah thinks the system needs a shake-up.'
0:20:28 > 0:20:30The old traditional ways,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33I'm not sure if they're fit for purpose any more, if I'm honest.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I think we have to look at what the sector will look like in 20 years.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39You've got guys here who are owner-occupiers,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41they're also tenants, they're also contractors.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It's not just about you're either a tenant or an owner or a landlord...
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- So you're not against change? - Not at all.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49The industry does need to change
0:20:49 > 0:20:52to have the future that we're all trying to achieve.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53What about the right to buy?
0:20:53 > 0:20:56People talk about the absolute right to buy and there was a suggestion
0:20:56 > 0:20:59that perhaps there could be a conditional right to buy,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01you could buy the farmhouse, buy the barns.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- How would you respond to that?- What you've got in the bill at the moment
0:21:04 > 0:21:07is almost a conditional right to buy, a qualified right to buy,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10where the landlord isn't meeting his obligations, and again,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12I think that's something that can be justified.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17I can't see any reason, any rationale, for giving somebody
0:21:17 > 0:21:21a right to buy business assets against the owner's will, though.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24This morning, the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs Committee
0:21:24 > 0:21:28issued their stage one committee report on the Land Reform Bill,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31their take on the current proposals, if you like.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35They say the government should consider introducing a right to buy
0:21:35 > 0:21:37for secure tenants in certain circumstances.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41They also said there should be a statutory code of conduct
0:21:41 > 0:21:43to control the behaviour of land agents.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47They're the people who negotiate farm rents on behalf of landowners.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Food security is usually considered a fundamental priority for any
0:21:54 > 0:21:58agricultural policy, but getting this one right goes beyond that.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02The future of our young people, the day-to-day lives of tenants,
0:22:02 > 0:22:03and the rights of landowners
0:22:03 > 0:22:07all rest in the balance in Holyrood at the moment.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10It's a tremendous responsibility. Let's hope they get it right
0:22:10 > 0:22:14or, at the very least, make a step in the right direction.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16After all that legal argument,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18I think we need something a bit different.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22From law to art - Sarah has been to meet a photographer
0:22:22 > 0:22:24documenting the lives of some of our farmers.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I'm on the road with professional photographer Sophie Gerrard.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37She's no stranger to remote country tracks.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39There's a narrow wee bridge here.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Sophie's spent the past three years travelling across Scotland
0:22:45 > 0:22:50to photograph the women who farm the most isolated and inhospitable land.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Today, I'm joining her on a shoot in Dalmally, Argyll.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05I think we're in luck. We've got a break in the weather.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07It's really looking much nicer.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Does the weather really matter?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14No. I think you take it as you find it, really.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17So, why did you set out on this project?
0:23:17 > 0:23:20For me, it was an exploration of my country
0:23:20 > 0:23:25as I returned to it after living away for approximately ten years,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28living down south and living overseas.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31So, the landscape of Scotland, when you're away from it, I think,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36for me was often reflected as this picture-postcard romantic view,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and I really wanted to scratch that surface, learn what was
0:23:39 > 0:23:43the real story of our landscape, and reconnect with it myself.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- You feature just women. - Mm.- Why?
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Well, the more research I did about the landscape, the more I realised
0:23:52 > 0:23:55that the perspective of it is often seen through male eyes,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57and I just wondered, where were the female voices?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And there's this feeling of a farmer's wife, you know,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02the job description of a farmer's wife,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05somebody very much behind the scenes.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07These women that I'm photographing are not farmers' wives,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09they're farmers. They're front and centre,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12they're making life-and-death decisions every day,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14they're responsible for the landscape and for the livestock,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17and they feel a great sense of responsibility and custodianship.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20They want to improve it for future generations.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- So, who are we meeting today?- Today, we're meeting Sybil MacPherson.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27She's one of the first people that I met when I started this project.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31- Yeah, I recognise this photo.- These old fleeces and this beautiful barn
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- are one of the images from the series.- Fantastic.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35- Shall we find Sybil? - Yeah.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46- Morning. - Hello, Sophie.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- Hello.- Hi, Sybil, I'm Sarah. - Very pleased to meet you.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54'Sybil MacPherson has lived on her Dalmally hill farm her whole life.'
0:24:55 > 0:24:59It's been in her family for more than 170 years.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- It's been in the blood for a long, long time?- It has, yes.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07It has, and I feel very, very attached to all of it.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08Well, we're here to watch what you do.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11You've got work to do and you've got photos to take,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- so shall we crack on? - Yeah, sure.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30And after three years, Sophie has a stunning collection of photos.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32A selection of them is currently
0:25:32 > 0:25:35on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41She's called the series Drawn To The Land.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I get the sense that you want to be
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- as sort of unobtrusive as possible. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00I think the sense of being a fly on the wall as much as I can,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and hoping that Sybil just gets on with...
0:26:03 > 0:26:05CAMERA CLICKS
0:26:05 > 0:26:08..her day, without really paying too much attention to me.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09That's the idea.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Well, wowee!
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I don't know about you ladies, but I'm feeling a bit damp,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20a bit like a prune.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21THEY LAUGH
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- It's very damp. - Very wet.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26It's amazing, look at that.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27Amazing view.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- Even on a day like today, would you be anywhere else, Sybil?- No.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33No, it's a fabulous place to be,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and I know how incredibly fortunate I am to be living and working here.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And how have you felt about being Sophie's muse?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43I felt very nervous at first. I couldn't quite really think
0:26:43 > 0:26:48that anything here was particularly fascinating, other than the view,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52but Sophie made me think long and hard about what it meant to be
0:26:52 > 0:26:55part of the ground here for generations and generations,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59and made me really think a lot more and deeply about
0:26:59 > 0:27:00how much I feel about the place
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and about the land and about the nature and everything about it,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05so, yeah, she's opened my eyes up
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and become a really good friend, and it's been a fabulous experience.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I think there's probably one picture that I should take,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13which is of you two standing here.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Like drowned rats? OK!
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Well, I don't know about you, but we're not looking our best.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19THEY LAUGH
0:27:19 > 0:27:21One last image. OK, one, two, three.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Lovely, ladies.