Episode 5 Landward

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Landward.

If you think the Scottish countryside

is a glorious and fascinating place, sit right there,

because this is the programme for you.

Later in the programme, I'll be finding out how this,

the humble pint of milk,

could help regenerate rare species that live in Scotland's rainforest.

And here's what else we have this week.

Animal welfare is a theme

as we investigate the underground "sport"

that's putting badgers at risk...

There's not one bit of the country where badger baiting has not gone on.

..and Sarah meets the pig farmers

who have taken control of their own destiny.

When we're finished here,

it'll be one of the most modern plants in Britain,

with the best facilities for animal welfare.

Also, Euan has a bash at making a copper still.

And I'm making quite a good job of it.

But before all that we're heading to Golspie in Sutherland.

Sarah's been to find out about a traditional Scottish food,

produced in a very old-fashioned way.

A hundred years ago, every parish in Scotland

would have had its own mill milling the community's flour and oatmeal.

There are very few water-powered mills left,

but this one - the Golspie Mill, run by Mike Shaw -

is still turning and grinding out an ancient food

that's coming back into fashion.

-Michael.

-Hi, Sarah.

-Good morning - how are you doing?

-Fine, thanks.

-What an amazing place.

-I know - it's not bad, eh?

-And the smell as you come in just hits you.

-Yep.

-Is this what I can smell?

-Roasting peas - yep, roasting peas.

Just that we're going to roast up on this pea roaster,

and eventually grind it up till it's traditional Scottish peasemeal.

The peasemeal is made by grinding the roasted yellow field peas.

To do that, we need to release the water from the millpond

to power the waterwheel.

Should be straightforward...

Use the spanner, here, to wind the plug out. So, pull it towards you.

-Can I have a go?

-Yeah - pull it towards you. Don't drop it.

Yeah, just... That's it.

-Bloomin' heck.

-We can cut that out. We can cut that out.

I'm the sort of miller's helper, then, today, am I?

-That's it. You've done it.

-I've done it?

-It's stopped.

-It's stopped.

-Yep. And if you look down behind you...

-There it goes!

..you'll see it flowing down there.

With water running down the lade, we have power -

and the whole mill comes to life.

Oh! Wow.

What a wonderful sight.

Yeah, sweet.

The original mill's been around since the 1860s,

but it stopped grinding in 1953.

It wasn't until the early '90s that it was restored,

and the water wheel started turning again.

A series of coincidences put New Zealander Mike

in the unlikely role of miller.

Well, I used to travel round shearing sheep further north,

up in Caithness and North Sutherland,

and I met my now-wife doing that, and just married her,

and I found out that her friend's father

had restored and was running this mill, and he was wanting to retire,

so I said, "Yeah, I'll give it a blast,"

thinking maybe three or four years, and here I am 14 years later.

-HE CHUCKLES Never milled before?

-Who has?!

Who indeed!

But now it's my turn.

Are you happy with that sound?

Yeah, that's running sweet about now.

OK, so, what's in there?

This is...

This is grist, this has been through a couple of stones already.

-That's down to, like, a gritty texture.

-Yeah.

-Sort of gritty.

-Yep. It's gritty.

Now, if we run downstairs, we've got about two minutes.

We've got to have a look what's coming out the end,

-and we'll come running back.

-OK.

-Right.

-Right, I'll run with you.

-Right.

-SHE LAUGHS

Whoo! It's coming out!

Right - now, feel that.

Oh!

-You can feel that's nice and...

-So smooth!

-..nice and smooth.

Wow! And the colour of it - that beautiful sort of orangey...

-Uh-huh.

-And what happens to this?

This is the final product, this just needs to be bagged up.

And it's becoming - it's pretty trendy at the moment, isn't it?

Oh, it's coming back again.

It's definitely become a bit more popular.

I mean, you can pretty much break it down

into old folks that had it when they were kids and liked it,

and younger vegany, vegetarian types that are into it.

Generations of Scots may have been brought up on peasemeal -

but I've never tasted it.

Away from the dust of the mill,

Mike's wife Becky is cooking up some old-fashioned brose for me to try -

but she's putting her own 21st century twist on it.

-Hi, Becky.

-Hello, there. How are you doing?

I'm covered in dust from the peasemeal in the mill,

-so I thought I'd better try some.

-Excellent.

-What are you cooking up?

-I've just got it cooking here,

-just as a peasemeal brose. This is the basic recipe.

-Mm-hm.

-It's quite brown.

-It is, yeah - it's just peasemeal and water.

I've put a wee bit of salt in, tiny bit of pepper,

-and that's it, really.

-How good is it for you?

It's really good for you.

It's really nutritious, it's low in fat, full of protein.

It's a bit of a wonder food, really.

Right - is it ready to go?

Yep, I think we'll just add a few things to it.

So, what will we add to it?

Well, I think it's pretty nice with a kind of -

almost like a pate, you know?

So, if you add anything kind of herby or strong is quite nice.

Here I've got some Parmesan, lemon juice,

bit of wild garlic and some olive oil,

which just makes - almost like a hummus, you know,

that kind of paste idea.

-Shall we have a taste?

-Why not?

Right, dip in...

-That's very nice, actually!

-It's quite fresh.

-Mm-hm.

Well, well done you, for keeping peasemeal alive.

-Oh...

-It's quite good! It's quite nice.

A tasty, healthy food produced with renewable energy.

It ticks all the boxes,

but what's so lovely is to see this mill continue to work.

Animal welfare is something close to all our hearts.

And here in this country,

it's the job of the Scottish SPCA to investigate

where they think animals may have been treated cruelly.

Euan's been along to find out more

about their Special Investigations Unit,

and their campaign to stop the illegal practice of badger baiting.

And I warn you, some people may find some of the images in this piece

rather disturbing.

The badger is a controversial creature in the countryside.

It's loved by many, but others blame it for spreading TB to cattle.

This is a badger sett quite close to my home,

and no matter what your views on badgers are,

I like to think that the majority of people would be appalled

at the thought of these badgers, and badgers throughout the country,

being used for baiting.

In simple terms, baiting is about setting dogs on a badger - for fun.

Baiting has been banned since 1835,

but apparently it's still widespread.

I'm being taken to a badger baiting site

by a member of the Scottish SPCA's Special Investigations team.

In order to maintain his cover, he can't be identified.

So, where's it happening?

From Dumfries and Galloway up to Caithness.

It is...

There's not one bit of the country

where badger baiting is not going on.

What we kook at is the tip of the iceberg.

Because of the locations where it's happening,

the people involved, it's not something that's widely broadcast,

so it's very difficult to get information -

and for people to give information on them,

because they know that these guys, they're nasty, nasty people.

A report of people acting strangely led the team to this area.

It was on the 24th of December, Christmas Eve,

when it's thought that at least three men, possibly four dogs,

spent up to five hours on this site looking for badgers.

What would have happened was,

they would have identified all the holes in the sett,

and blocked them off with rocks.

A terrier would have been sent into the last remaining hole

to hunt down the badger.

When it was found, the men would have dug down with spades

and put in a pit bull to drag the badger out.

Once the badger had been brought to the surface by the dog,

it would have been let loose to be brought down by lurcher-type dogs -

and it was down there that the investigators found

the body of a dead female badger.

The case is still under investigation and, to date,

no-one has been charged with this crime.

But the badger isn't the only animal to suffer.

The dogs involved can also receive terrible injuries.

-Hi.

-Hi, Euan.

-So, who have we got here?

Vet Harry Haworth treats the dogs

that are seized by the investigations team -

including this one, a Patterdale terrier called Mercury.

Badger injuries will cause a lot of tearing of the flesh,

rather than, sort of, cutting of the flesh.

So, this wee dog, these injuries are all very old, and all healed now,

but the ones that are most obvious are the ones where the lower...

-All the scarring down there.

-Yeah, that's right.

This chin has got pulled away from its attachment to the gum,

so you can see, now, you can just see the gum, there,

with no skin or chin covering that at all.

But if the dog's in such pain, and there's big lumps hanging off it,

you would have thought the dog would back off.

This is a sort of an adrenaline rush for these wee dogs -

this is what they live for. They get so excited,

and just the sheer adrenaline just takes them through it.

It's a different story an hour or so later, after they've been -

these are very sorry wee dogs, with horrendous injuries.

And these injuries can be life-threatening.

Mercury was confiscated from his owners,

who were convicted of offences relating to badger baiting

and given 250 hours of community service.

They were also banned from keeping dogs for ten years.

It's hoped eventually Mercury can be re-homed.

Badger baiting has been going on for hundreds of years,

but it's been a real eye-opener for me, going out with the Scottish SPCA

to see both the work that they do and, tragically, here,

how widespread this practice is.

And it's also seriously disturbing to know that it's not just the badgers,

but there are other animals involved that get killed and maimed.

But the bottom line - it's illegal and it's got to stop.

And you can help to stop it.

If you see suspicious activity in the countryside,

groups of people with excited dogs,

digging in strange places - inform the police and the Scottish SPCA.

Do not approach them.

Your vigilance could help to stamp out badger baiting for good.

For every badger baiter out there,

thankfully there are thousands of people

working to improve Scotland's countryside -

and I'm off to meet one of them now.

This is Scotland's rainforest.

Twisted oak, ash, hazel and alder,

as far as the eye can see.

But I'm not just here to admire the trees -

I'm here for something living on them - lichen.

Scotland is one of the most important habitats for lichen

in the world, with more than 1,500 species.

But they are under threat.

More than 200 Scottish lichens are considered rare

and in need of protection.

And I'm off to meet someone who's determined to do just that.

Sally Eaton is a plant conservation officer

at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

-Hi, there, it's Sally, how are you?

-Hello!

-Good to see you.

She's here in the woods of Glen Creran

to pursue her love of lichen.

Why are you so passionate about them, then?

I'm particularly passionate about this community of lichens -

these are the rainforest lichens.

We're so lucky in Scotland to have temperate rainforests,

and these species in particular,

we've got really high numbers of them.

In a lot of Europe they're really quite rare.

And it's that passion to protect these great species

which is leading Sally to try some unusual lichen rescue.

Lichens play an important role in our forests,

providing food and shelter for animals

and helping to create healthy soils.

Sally is taking me a short distance to another woodland -

but it could be another world.

So, here we've got this enormous big old oak tree.

-Now, if this was back in the ancient bit of the rainforest...

-Yeah.

..I'd expect this to have at least a couple

-of those rainforest species on it.

-Uh-huh.

But, if you have a look round here, there's absolutely nothing at all.

-So, this is just moss, is it?

-Yeah, this is just moss.

This forest used to be a commercial plantation.

The conifers that were here have gone,

but the lichen has been slow to return.

This is only three miles along the road -

so, how do you hope to get the lichen to this part?

Well, one of my ideas is to actually translocate the lichens here,

and that involves bringing some of the lichens

from those ancient bits of the temperate rainforest

-and actually sticking them onto these trees.

-OK.

Yes, you heard correctly -

we're going to stick the lichen to the trees.

First thing, get the top off the superglue

without killing or breaking the lichen.

OK, here we go.

So, this lichen...

in a natural situation it will attach itself to the tree

with this kind of fuzzy stuff - it's a bit like a natural Velcro.

-Uh-huh.

-But because we've prised it off the tree,

that's not going to work, so that's why we're using the glue.

And to make sure the lichen stays in position

while the glue dries...

Well, all I'll say is - they're not mine!

I chose tights, just because a bit of light is still getting through,

and there's air still getting through,

so it's not going to kill the lichen.

It's traumatic enough that we brought it all the way here,

and we've attached it to a new tree.

So, we're just trying to make the process as easy as possible.

Next up, a technique that's never been tried before -

sticking propagules - the lichen equivalent of seeds or spores -

onto to the tree using curdled milk and bicarbonate of soda.

And this is simply a case of pressing them on, then.

-No!

-No?

-That would be too easy!

-Of course it would.

What I want you to do is use this paintbrush to try and flick them in.

So, if you kind of do that kind of a motion...

-Oh, right.

-..over the top of the lichen.

-Gracious.

It's hoped the goo will stop the propagules being washed away.

And it turns out I'm pretty good at this.

So, that's one tree done -

how many do you hope to bring back to lichen life?

Well, what I'm hoping to do at the moment

is just trial these methods on a few trees,

but, if they work, then we can hopefully use this method

throughout the west coast of Scotland,

where we've got these restoration sites.

It makes sense to me for us to just give nature a helping hand,

and try and bring these things back in,

rather than waiting - it could be decades or hundreds of years.

These methods might seem a bit odd,

but, if they work, not only will we be protecting rare lichens,

but also the plants animals and birds that thrive because of them.

On Landward we go to every corner of Scotland,

and on our travels we like to ask the folk we meet

what the best thing about their patch is.

This week I'm in a beautiful spot

just a few miles southwest of the Glen Creran rainforest.

This is the unofficial capital of the West Highlands,

and many people just pass through here on their way to the islands -

but, frankly, they're missing out.

So, what is the best thing about Oban?

It's the lovely views.

Got a lovely bookshop, we've got lots of coffee shops.

Pulpit Hill, up there. It's a lovely view.

I got married here - I'm an Aussie.

I'm having to think about that, cos there's not really an awful lot.

SHE LAUGHS

The boat to Mull!

I think it's more about places to see.

McCaig's Tower's a beautiful place to go and see,

cos you can see the whole town from it.

This magnificent monument

was commissioned by John Stuart McCaig more than a century ago.

The big-hearted banker wanted to give local stonemasons work

during the long winter months.

His plan was to put in an art gallery and museum,

along with statues of his family within these glorious walls.

However, when he died, his relatives put paid to those plans,

and we're left with this magnificent folly.

The people are great.

And if you look lost, they'll look at you, laugh at you -

and if you can understand them, they'll give you directions.

What is the sign on an OS map for chip shop?

You've got local bands playing most weekends.

I think one of the best places would be Julie's cafe.

Opposite the distillery,

so you can do the distillery and Julie's cafe in one fell hit.

It's a lovely place to come to.

Come to Oban and see the lovely people,

especially on a sunny day.

In my opinion, one of the best things about Oban is the seafood.

For years, people have been enjoying the fruits of these waters,

and nowadays you can go for a pricey platter in a fancy restaurant -

or there's always the cheap as chips option.

Oh!

Fresh, delicious, and a pretty good view.

While I enjoy my fish and chips, Sarah's off looking for pork.

Things have been gloomy for the Scottish pig industry of late -

processing plants have closed,

forcing Scottish pigs to endure long journeys south to England

because we can't cope with the amount of pigs we produce.

It's not good for the pigs, not good for the farmer,

and confusing for the consumer.

From a quick look at the supermarket label,

it's sometimes difficult to know where the pork has come from,

or how well it's been looked after.

Now Scottish farmers have grouped together to change all that.

They have bought an abattoir in Brechin.

It's not a very glamorous topic, I know,

but when it comes to animal welfare, it's a very important one.

The pig producers are running the abattoir along with pork giant Tulip,

and most of the Scottish pork products produced here

will have the Specially Selected Pork label on their packaging.

It means the animal welfare standards of the pig farm,

and the abattoir, have been independently assessed.

This sign of quality has been largely missing from our supermarket shelves,

and I asked chairman of the new company Roderick Bruce

why it's so important.

So, I've got some pork in front of me,

stamped with the Specially Selected Pork stamp.

Just describe what that actually means for the consumer -

what are they getting when they buy this pack of pork?

It's giving the consumer a guarantee

that the highest welfare standards have been adhered to.

This stamp guarantees to a consumer that the pork inside the pack

has been born, raised and slaughtered in Scotland.

When our team tried to find this stamp, it was quite hard to come by.

Yes. Once we're finished here, then it'll be far more readily available.

-So, once this is finished...

-Yes.

..we're going to see a lot more of this in the shops.

Certainly.

The plant currently slaughters 4,000 pigs a week,

but that will soon double,

meaning all pigs reared in Scotland could be slaughtered in Scotland.

When we're finished here,

it'll be one of the most modern plants in Britain,

with the best facilities for animal welfare.

Philip Sleigh from Aberdeenshire

is a member of one of the farmers cooperatives

that set up the new abattoir.

-Hi, Philip. Sarah.

-Good to meet you.

-I'm ready to go.

-Could you dip your feet, please?

-Absolutely.

I'm looking forward to seeing this new facility.

He's confident about the future for Scottish Pork.

So much so that he's invested £300,000

in this new shed for his pigs.

SHE CHUCKLES Come on, then.

-Right, so, what have we got in here?

-These pigs were weaned yesterday.

Just newly in here.

They're still on dry food at the moment,

and then, five o'clock tonight, they'll get on to liquid food,

and they'll grow very well from then on.

How is this so different

from, perhaps, a shed that was 30, 40 years old?

One thing, we have slightly more room in this building,

so the pigs have enough room to grow.

The slats are the newest slats we could get - nice plastic slats,

they're comfortable, they're good for their feet, they're comfy to lie on.

The ventilation is better - we've got good ventilation,

there's always plenty of fresh air in here.

And was the new expansion at the abattoir -

was that a good motivation for you to do something like this?

Having the conviction that the plant is going to be expanded

and made for the future, that gave us a lot of belief that, yep,

now's the time to go.

Let's be right up there, and professional about our job.

These days, we're more used to hearing negative stories

about the farming industry, but what's so encouraging

about this story is that pig farmers are optimistic about their future,

and it's a future that they've created by buying their own abattoir.

So, next time you're out shopping, look out for Scottish pork.

Here on Landward we all like a dram -

and we're not the only ones.

It's a drink enjoyed the world over -

and whisky production is booming,

with over 30 new distilleries planned across Scotland.

Euan was the man lucky enough to get the job of finding out

how the increase in demand is affecting all parts of the industry.

I'm in the Spey valley,

home to some of the most famous whiskies of them all.

But I'm not on my way to a distillery -

I'm on the track of one of the trade secrets behind any good dram -

the copper still that it's made in.

And new distilleries are springing up all over the globe,

and that boom in business is leading to an increased demand

in the skills of the people of this area.

And I'm here to find out how they're coping.

This is Rothes, home to Forsyths.

The family have been Coppersmiths here since the 1890s,

producing the stills in which the whisky spirit is distilled.

In a small town like Rothes, they're one of the main employers.

-Richard. How are you?

-How are you?

It's fantastic.

Richard Forsyth is the fourth generation

of his family to work here.

Although he's the boss,

he still likes to get hands-on in the hammer shed.

So, why copper, then? Why not stainless steel?

Why not brass? Why not cast iron?

Er, I think it was firstly used

because it is a soft, pliable metal, it shapes easily.

They have since found

that copper is actually a very integral part

of the whisky-making process.

It's like a catalyst, and actually helps to clear the spirit.

So, what's the key processes in this?

I mean, you're starting with a bare sheet of metal,

and creating art.

Yeah, it is. It's very much a craft.

We cut, roll, weld, shape.

I used to get great satisfaction from making these swan necks,

and to see the finished product does give you a sense of achievement.

So, you've got different ones here.

I mean, you've got this one, which is kind of quite bulbous,

-and then you've got dumpy ones and narrow ones...

-Yeah.

Can you change the shape of the spirit with this?

To a certain degree -

the size and shape of the pot still does affect the spirit.

Something like that, which is quite a dumpy one,

what sort of flavour would you expect to come from that?

We would expect a smaller, shorter, dumpier head

to make a heavier spirit.

Bigger necks, taller necks, tend to produce a lighter spirit.

So, it's not just mythology, then - there is a bit of magic in this.

-There is a bit of skill.

-There's a lot of mythology.

It's not an exact science.

There's so many different things affect the flavours of a whisky,

and the shape and size of a copper pot still is only one small part.

That may be so, but it's a crucial part.

Forsyth's currently have orders for almost a hundred pot stills

on their books - that will keep them busy

for the next two and a half years.

Their stills will find their way into distilleries

as far from Rothes as Russia and Taiwan.

And it's not just for whisky -

they can be used in the production of rum, tequila and bourbon as well.

Despite the obvious skill required in creating these things,

I'm desperate to give it a bash -

literally.

It takes five years to become a qualified coppersmith,

and the skills that are going on here today,

Richard's grandfather would have recognised.

-And I'm with Robbie Taylor, the work supervisor here.

-Yes.

What are we doing? I've got my wee hammer...

You're actually smoothing a weld on a swan neck, here.

And I'm making quite a good job of it.

When we weld copper, we need to smooth a weld.

Right, so how hard should I be hitting this?

-Er... Do you want me to have a go?

-Yeah, let's have a wee shot.

Right, OK. So, slightly more aggressive.

Slightly more than you were.

So, how long is it going to take you to make all this?

About six to eight weeks, depending on the size of the still.

So, are you coping with the pressure, with the demand?

Well, we're getting there.

We've got a lot to do before the end of the year.

Do you get that sense of pride at the end of the day?

That's almost a daft question,

because, you know, I've been saying it all day - these are works of art.

Oh, yes, definitely - you've got to have a pride in your work,

and you see some of the stuff that's getting made in here,

it is, it's high quality.

Aye. I'm certainly getting a lot of satisfaction out of this.

I mean, I've got a wee bit of work to go on this one, but look at that one.

I did that earlier on today.

It's thirsty work -

but I need something more than just water

and at the distillery just across the road from the workshop,

I can sample a dram from one of Forsyths own stills.

I've had a truly amazing day.

Just to see the skills

and the traditions that have been passed on for generations,

but at the end of the day,

the only real way to check how good a still is to sample the product.

I've got some water from the back burn,

I've got some whisky that was made in one of those Forsyths stills...

add the water...

and you see how good their stills are.

These are very good stills.

Trust me. Slainte.

The lucky devil.

Thanks so much for your company. Bye for now.