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Documentary, BBC This Farming Life; S01 E02 Scotland
The working day begins as the sun rises above the horizon and it ends long after the sun has set. Across Scotland and Northern Ireland, the struggles and triumphs of farmers and their families are documented to give a unique perspective into the lives of those providing the nation with milk, meat and more. Against a backdrop of some of Britain's most remote and beautiful locations, these farmers go about their day with unprecedented dedication as they tend to their animals, harvest their crops, and care for their own families, as they endeavour to keep everything on the farm running smoothly during often testing times.
#FarmingLife #ThisFarmingLife #Scotland

#FarmingLife #ThisFarmingLife #Scotland
#Documentary
#FarmingLife
#Documentary #ThisFarmingLife #FarmingLife
Transcript
00:00Across some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes of the British Isles.
00:06This is not a bad office, is it? You know, is it?
00:09Scotland's farmers carve a living.
00:13Everything has a time and a season. Nature doesn't stop.
00:17Breeding sheep and cattle.
00:19There's a lot of old friends here. They've come to the end of their working life.
00:22Quite a sad day.
00:24Come on.
00:25Square second.
00:26Bringing new life into the world.
00:30And battling with the elements.
00:34They're all cute in their own way.
00:36And especially if you end up on your plate as a lamb chop. Yum.
00:40Over a year, five very different families let cameras onto their farms.
00:46Hell of a size of nuts on them.
00:48And into their lives.
00:50To share their struggles.
00:52I don't know why you want the flower with us.
00:54Do you need to do this?
00:55And their triumphs.
00:57Look at my baby.
00:59Is alive.
01:01As they try and turn a profit in testing economic times.
01:05That's just depressing, aren't they really?
01:07There's cause for celebration.
01:09Gorgeous.
01:11And a time to reflect.
01:13I feel sad that I haven't provided the next generation to carry on here.
01:17But it's never dull.
01:19Don't let him go.
01:21It's not a job.
01:22It's a way of life.
01:23It's autumn.
01:25In Scotland.
01:27The days are getting shorter.
01:29And on the farms, preparations are underway for the onset of winter.
01:33Autumn can be sometimes the most beautiful time of year.
01:34The colours can be stunning.
01:35But because I don't like winter, it spoils my enjoyment of autumn.
01:39Because I know what's coming around the corner.
01:40The autumn's pretty frantic because there are timescales to get to.
01:41And things that have to be done.
01:42I know what's coming around the corner.
01:43The autumn's pretty frantic because there are timescales to get to and things that have
01:44to be done.
01:45So it is a busy time of year.
01:46So it is a busy time of year.
01:47Sibyl and George Macpherson are very happy.
01:48The days are underway for the onset of winter.
01:49Autumn can be sometimes the most beautiful time of year.
01:52The colours can be stunning.
01:54But because I don't like winter, it spoils my enjoyment of autumn.
02:00Because I know what's coming around the corner.
02:02Autumn's pretty frantic because there are timescales to get to and things that have to
02:08be done.
02:09So it is a busy time of year.
02:13Sibyl and George Macpherson farm 2,000 sheep in 15,000 acres of rugged mountain terrain
02:20in the west of Scotland.
02:24They work two farms.
02:26One they rent.
02:29And the other Sibyl owns.
02:31And has been in her family for five generations.
02:34I was extremely fortunate to be born into a farming family.
02:38I'll never forget how lucky I am to have the opportunity to farm.
02:42It's something that I love.
02:45I don't farm because I think I'm ever going to be rich.
02:49Especially not in this part of the world.
02:52But I do farm because I passionately enjoy it.
02:55And I do think that we are producing something very meaningful.
02:58Not only as custodians of the land, but also in the type of food which we produce.
03:03Shall we make some cheese ones as well?
03:09Eh, whatever.
03:10The first important job of the autumn is to bring down their sheep from the hills,
03:15where they have been living wild all summer.
03:18Busy time because we take all the sheep in off the hills,
03:21make sure that we're only keeping those that we want to keep for the winter and for breeding on.
03:26We only keep those that are able to withstand the Argyllshire winter.
03:30Right, have we got everything?
03:32I have gone before without the sugar.
03:35That would be a disaster.
03:37Today, they're going to gather a flock of 500 sheep scattered over six square miles.
03:44In, in, in.
03:48So they're taking their best dogs and enlisting the help of friends Jake and Arthur.
03:54There we are.
03:55Now, no scrapping.
03:57No, no, no, no.
03:58Will, that's directed at you.
04:00Arthur's a real mountain man.
04:06He's very fit and agile.
04:08Jake, who's been gathering much longer than any of the rest of us,
04:11and that he's been a shepherd around his area for a long time.
04:15The plan is to head to the top of the hill and spread out.
04:20Come on, come on.
04:22Come on up.
04:23Perfect day for gathering sheep.
04:25Sibyl, Jake, Arthur and their dogs will approach from one end on foot,
04:31while George will advance from the other side on his quad bike.
04:37If all goes well, they'll meet in the middle
04:40and drive the whole flock towards the lock and along the glen to the farm.
04:45It really is just us in a line making the sheep aware that we're coming behind them
04:52so they'll start to move the right way.
04:54The important thing isn't to have dogs flying about all over the place,
04:57it's about us, the shepherds, being in the right place behind the sheep,
05:00making a bit of noise.
05:02Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
05:05It's a job that takes some skill.
05:08A lot of being able to gather hills is to do with having sheep sense
05:11and understanding what they're likely to do, what their capabilities are,
05:15how fast they can run, and using your head and being tactical,
05:21as well as actually having tremendous dogs.
05:24You can get away with quite a lot if you can read the situation.
05:27Trying to control sheep used to living wild across such difficult country has its risks.
05:34Well, the terrain's quite steep and there's a lot of peat bogs, underground water channels that you could lose yourself in.
05:40I do get a bit tense at gatherings in case anything goes wrong because, well, it's dangerous ground.
05:46It's pretty important to try and get it right, and I do worry...
05:51Hello, George?
05:53Hello, George?
05:55Remember to keep your finger on the button when you're speaking to me, darling.
06:00Get your finger out, darling!
06:03OK, we're slow, sorry, we're coming now, quickly.
06:08Now the entire party must synchronise their efforts or the sheep could escape.
06:13And if any of the weaker ones are left behind, they won't survive the harsh winter months.
06:19We're working as a team here, we're all on a line.
06:21There's Sybil above me and then Jake.
06:23George was further forward than us this morning, so we have to go quickly to catch up,
06:29otherwise the line, the sweet line, is broken.
06:32Come on, come on!
06:34Oh, well!
06:36Together for 17 years and married for 12, Sybil and George are used to working as a team.
06:43We get on extremely well together. I know how incredibly lucky I am that we can work all day and very seldom across word.
06:51I've seen you be sheep and I think I've got more patience than you a lot of the time.
06:55Ooh!
06:56We'll be getting a domestic here.
06:58Oh, right on the top of the hill.
07:01After three hours' hard graft, the worst is behind them.
07:05Two hours should take us home, so we should be fine, eh?
07:11Now it should be fast work, driving the sheep down to the holding pens on the farm.
07:21Oh, it's a pleasure. This is the best part of our job.
07:23It's a fantastic office.
07:30Do you want me to open the gate?
07:32Please?
07:33Oh, no!
07:34Eh?
07:35Please!
07:38Finally, the sheep are in.
07:40Tomorrow, they'll need sorting.
07:42At this time of year, it's important to look through all the sheep that, if there's anything a bit dodgy...
07:48Come on, ladies!
07:49...can either treat it, and hopefully it recovers, or else decide that that sheep's not really fit for living out here any more, in which case she has to go to market.
07:57For now, it's time for a break.
08:01Now we're at the post-gather party.
08:03It's tradition in the West Coast, when you come in off the hill, you get a dram and a beer.
08:09And, eh, we're very much into tradition.
08:12I think it went very well.
08:17It was great!
08:19I'm almost happy. I mean, I think we should be rejoicing.
08:23It's not often, is it?
08:24No.
08:25I'm always moaning and groaning.
08:27There's usually something, aye?
08:28Mm-hm, mm-hm.
08:29But, no, I've got nothing to do.
08:31Well, if you're happy, we're delighted.
08:33I'll just dunk my biscuit.
08:34In the north-east of Scotland, Martin Irvine and his family rent a 240-acre farm, where they rear-pedigree limousan bulls.
08:58He has a herd of 168 cattle.
09:01We've got Iceman and Imperial.
09:04This will be my two superstars.
09:06Come on, man.
09:09They're just big pets, really.
09:12Originally imported from France in the 1970s, limousans are the most popular beef breed in the UK.
09:19And Martin makes most of his money selling his bulls for breeding.
09:26Everybody thinks, oh, I'd be worried a bull, be scared a bull.
09:29But, to be honest, I'd be more worried about the heifers than the females, to be honest.
09:40Martin only had eyes for his cattle, until Mel appeared on the scene.
09:44I first met Mel, would have been in the Royal Highland Show, two years before we started going out.
09:49This little blonde comes across, and she's standing behind my pen of bulls, and the first thing she says to me, she likes Aubrey Rangus.
09:59And me being a limousine man, that was just a no-go.
10:02You know, he's very confident in himself, and I just thought that he was a bit of a big-headed sort of person.
10:11So we bumped into each other a couple of times at Young Farmers, dances, discos, and started speaking.
10:16He came up to me after a few drinks, and said, since when did you get so hot? And I thought, excuse me?
10:26I think a couple of days after that, she came round to mine, and showed her the bulls, and round the farm and stuff like that, and just kind of fired away from there, really.
10:36Together for five years, and now engaged, Mel, a farmer's daughter, has also brought sheep into Martin's life.
10:47She bought their first flock last year.
10:50I doubled my money on them, which was really great.
10:53And Martin, being a sheep-hater, and he hated sheep, and told me that he just couldn't stand sheep, went on to thinking, oh, this is actually quite a good idea.
11:01Martin's embraced Mel's new enterprise, and they recently invested in eight promising young males, or tups, for breeding.
11:13Hell of a size of nuts on them.
11:20Today, Mel will find out if she chose well. She's going to introduce the tups to the ewes.
11:26This is the exciting part for me, I love this part of the year, so.
11:31It's always something that I've liked at the other farm that I grew up on, was putting the tups out with Dad, and you just sort of stand and make sure that they're all going to do their job, well, fingers crossed, so.
11:41I just love that.
11:43Whatever happens in the next five weeks, depends how good a spring we'll have at lambing, so, this is an important bit.
11:49Lots of babies, hopefully.
11:53Watch this wet bit.
11:54First, she needs to round up the tups, 14 in all.
11:59Come on, where are you?
12:01It's in here, just a nice little paddock away for everything else.
12:04This is a bachelor pad where the boys are.
12:07Oi.
12:09Come on then.
12:11Her plan is to split them into small groups across different fields, so all the ewes get an equal slice of the action.
12:19Watch!
12:20For males tups to earn their keep across the five-week mating season, they'll each be expected to get 50 females pregnant.
12:32It's going to be a bad life being a tup.
12:38Going to get chilly all year, and there's five weeks of the year, it's just bliss.
12:41So they're a way to get sex for the next five weeks.
12:46They're a way to mate.
12:47They're a way to mate for the next five weeks.
12:49Some of the ewes will also come to the tups.
12:58They'll be in season.
12:59They're ready.
13:00They're ready.
13:01They know what's going on.
13:03The boys that have been at the job before, they'll know what's going on.
13:05They'll be...
13:06To prepare the tups for their grand entrance, Mel uses a thick oily paint called Rattle, so she can keep track of the ewes that have been mated.
13:16So when it comes to lambing, you're looking for the one with the red bums, because when the tup jumps through the yow, his chest will be on our bum and our back.
13:25That's where the paint on Rattle will rub off.
13:27Slap it on.
13:30So that's him got his war paint on.
13:33Girls!
13:35Come on!
13:36Come on, boys.
13:38Come on, girls!
13:40He knows what he's doing.
13:42It's showtime for the tups.
13:48It's quite good watching the tups run away chasing another woman.
13:52They let you know they're in the mood, they're excited.
13:58So this is tuping time.
14:03Now, that ewe that's standing, I would say that she's probably ready to be served.
14:12That's it.
14:14That was it.
14:15I feel pretty good when I see this, like...
14:18Some folk might think it's a bit creepy standing in there and doing their job, but this is what we've bought them for.
14:24This is what they're going to do.
14:27That's the only thing that they need to do, is stay alive and make babies.
14:31Look, down there, we've got a girl with a red bum here, another one with a red bum, another one with a red bum.
14:37So far, so good.
14:40But in the next field, with virgin ewes, or gimmers, it's not so straightforward.
14:46These girls haven't seen tups before, so they might not know what's going on.
14:50They're all running away at the moment, but we'll just walk these boys up.
14:57So that's him on, and that's it done.
15:07So that was literally two seconds, and that gimmer has now got a red mark on her bum.
15:14He's going to have a rest for about five minutes, and then probably have another go.
15:18It'll just literally be two pumps and a squirt, really.
15:25The new tups seem to be up to the job.
15:28And with any luck, come springtime, Mel will increase the size of the flock and their income.
15:35And there goes another one.
15:37Done.
15:38Where there's a willy, there's a way.
15:48In the north of Scotland, near Inverness, John Scott runs a successful farming business,
15:55rearing sheep, beef cattle, and producing crops.
15:58The farm he owns stretches across a thousand acres, and has been in the family for over a hundred years.
16:14I'm the fourth generation farm here.
16:17It's important to me to leave the farm in as good, if not better, heart than we were hunted.
16:22And Dad handed it over in a fairly good condition to us, and we're building on that,
16:27and expanding and improving things for the next generation.
16:31Since taking over the farm, with the help of wife Fiona,
16:35he's taken on more land, and tripled the size of their sheep flock to over 4,000,
16:41improving the legacy for their four children.
16:44Having four kids focuses the mind a little bit.
16:47Not only have I got to provide for the ones that want to farm,
16:52we need to provide for the ones that don't want to farm.
16:56I would have said James is pretty keen on farming.
16:58He's certainly showing all the signs I want to follow in our footsteps,
17:01and that would be fantastic.
17:03Archie's a strong possibility, and I would have said Izzy is a strong possibility too.
17:08Whereas Lexie, no, she's not going to be a farmer, you can tell now.
17:12I see her, I don't know, being a teacher, I think.
17:14So, yeah, we've got to just expand things, I think, and see where it goes.
17:21Today, John's taking his eldest, 13-year-old James, to an important sheep sale.
17:28He shouldn't really be skiving off school, but he tells us all his mates are off today.
17:33It's work experience, so that's the reason.
17:36We do feel that it's important for part of his education that he gets the experience of these sails.
17:45It's been fairly obvious from a young age that he's very keen on farming, and especially sheep.
17:51So the more we can expose him to these type of events and get him involved in them, the better.
17:56He's 13. When I was 17, I started buying the livestock for the farm, so that's only four years away.
18:04So he has to, in the next three or four years, pick up the relevant skills required to start buying livestock.
18:09I would love to follow my dad's footsteps, because he's just, he's done so much for the farming industry.
18:18And I'd like to be a bit like him and do more for it.
18:23And he has promised us he will make up the time and work hard at school the next few days to catch up on anything.
18:30All the homework will be done on time.
18:33Yeah.
18:35So, yeah.
18:41John's here to buy gimmers, and he's asked James to help him choose.
18:46Can you smell it?
18:48Yeah.
18:50I love the smell of the opium rats.
18:52It's coming up to mating season, and John needs new blood to replace the older females who can no longer breed.
18:58Three and four-year-olds, and three and four-year-olds.
19:02With most of his income made selling lamb meat to supermarkets, to get a healthy crop next spring, he needs to keep investing in good stock.
19:11One hundred and eighteen, and one eighteen.
19:13James has been coming to auctions since he was a baby, and should know what to look for.
19:19One eighteen, something come up here, because that's a pair of right-givers, and they've been on the hill all summer.
19:23The hill, proper hill-givers.
19:25Well, sure-tune is learning much, isn't it?
19:27Well, he's picking up bits and pieces all the time.
19:29Have you learned anything yet?
19:30On to here we go, from Adam Bump, from Charlie.
19:36Sweet-givers coming in again.
19:37Lovely heads to the weak-givers there.
19:39That's the type of gamers that I would.
19:41This is the top.
19:42One eighty, one fifty.
19:45It's a seller's market.
19:46Everyone's after new stock, and the prices are high.
19:49One hundred and forty.
19:51Dugan Hill, number one.
19:54There's no way at that money.
19:56Just out of my budget for food.
19:58They're working to a budget of a hundred and twenty-six pounds per gimmer.
20:04And James spots a batch that looks promising.
20:07I think we'll grow well.
20:10We've got a bit more growing to do, but I think we'll do well.
20:13One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:14One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:15One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:16One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:17One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:18One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:19One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:20One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:21One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:22One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:23One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:24John's got firm.
20:26Just put sixty-one givers there at one hundred and thirty-eight.
20:28One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:29One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:30One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:31One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:32One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:33One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:34One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:35One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:36One hundred and thirty-eight.
20:37John's got firm.
20:38I just got 61 givers there at 1.38, which is slightly more than I'd ideally like to pay, but it's the trade of the day, so, yeah, I need the sheep.
20:51I think they had a bit of potential about them. I had my advisor with me. Just honest sheep.
20:57James has chosen well.
21:00What do you like about the tablet?
21:0830 miles off the west coast of Scotland, in the Outer Hebrides, is the remote island of Lewis.
21:24Sandy Granville moved here 12 years ago, leaving behind his career as a criminal barrister in London, to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who used to be a crofter on the island.
21:38Do you want to sit?
21:42With his wife, Ali, they own two crops, small agricultural plots of land, where they rear a dozen highland cattle and a hundred black-faced sheep.
21:55They sell their beef and mutton online to their customers across the UK.
21:59Our meat is very special indeed, because of the diet of our animals, and the time they have, and they've lived pretty much wild all their life.
22:12We always give a warning, danger. Eating this meat could spoil your palate for the ordinary stuff.
22:24Their speciality is wedder mutton, the meat of a two-year-old castrated male sheep, a Lewis delicacy.
22:31The difference between lamb and mutton is the difference between veal and really good beef.
22:39If you want a proper grown-up taste, you've got to have a proper grown-up animal to get your meat from.
22:49Mutton is becoming particularly fashionable, and Sandy likes to provide a bespoke service to his customers, hand-delivering the meat himself twice a year.
22:58Today, he's setting off on a four-day road trip.
23:05We're going into town, into Stornoway, then going on the ferry and have a nice, quiet two or three hours there,
23:12before going down near Inverness and on to Glasgow.
23:16Tomorrow, we'll go on down to London, making deliveries all the way.
23:20It's a 1,600-mile round trip, during which Sandy will deliver 300 kilos of beef and 150 of mutton to eight loyal customers.
23:32To ensure it arrives in perfect condition, he's converted the back of his Jeep into a makeshift fridge.
23:38This is the car chiller, and we've got gel ice packs to go all round everything.
23:47Unless we've got a heat wave, that's going to stay beautifully chilled until it's delivered.
23:56This delivery will bring in £4,000, a big chunk of their yearly income.
24:02Sit down, Doyle.
24:03Get out of it, you silly sod.
24:09Sandy also wants to spread the word about the quality of Lewis's meat.
24:14Selling our meat to the outside world could be the salvation of old-fashioned crosting on the island,
24:20because if we don't manage to revitalise that, there will be no sheep on the hills in a few years.
24:25Sandy's first hurdle in getting this prized meat to the outside world is getting it off the island on the ferry.
24:36It's always a great relief, because if the weather turns here and the ferries don't run,
24:43you're left with a ton or two of meat, wondering whether you're ever going to get it across and deliver it.
24:50Sometimes we have gales here that last for days.
24:52Today, the weather's on his side.
25:07I've downloaded quite a few episodes of In Our Time that I'm going to listen to in the course of this journey.
25:14And it's great leaving Lewis occasionally and seeing some trees.
25:19And I'll be back before the whole experience pulls on me.
25:23Coming into Ullapool.
25:32This is the end of Scotland.
25:34Good fish and chips here.
25:36Quite busy with fishing boats.
25:38Nice sailing country.
25:41Keen to get ahead, and his meat delivered in perfect nick, Sandy was first on the ferry.
25:47But it means he'll be lanced off.
25:48So we'll just wait patiently while everybody else gets off and goes on the way.
25:54And we won't be tempted to start overtaking people, because we know there's another hundred cars in front of them.
26:01Although once the traffic's clear, he has been known to put his foot down.
26:06Well, I had been stopped a couple of times.
26:10I paid the penalty.
26:11But I did sell some mutton to one of the policemen who pinched me.
26:19Sandy's mission to deliver the mainland from inferior meat is back on track.
26:25But to stop it from spoiling, he must now stay on schedule.
26:28North of Aberdeen, pedigree bull breeder Martin is on his way to meet fiancée Mel.
26:42With just seven months until their big day, the couple are also thinking about starting a family.
26:48Mel, she just sees a baby and she lays an egg.
26:50She's like that.
26:51She's very broody.
26:52She's just biting at the bit.
26:54She's ready to start a family.
26:55And so am I, I suppose.
26:56Dad, I want to be an old dad.
26:57I'll be 30 at the end of this year.
26:59Just hoping for boys, to be honest.
27:03Need more boys to work on the farm.
27:07Mel and Martin are not regular churchgoers,
27:10so have decided on a humanist minister to perform their ceremony.
27:20Hi, Andy.
27:22Today, they must agree their wedding vows.
27:25Have you had a wee look at vows?
27:27Five more ideas?
27:28Tonight.
27:31Mark down a few things that I would like.
27:34I haven't even shown you.
27:35I've never seen this.
27:35I've never seen this before.
27:37This is very usual.
27:39It's fine.
27:40It has to be said that the bride does usually take the lead with...
27:44You better read it, because I haven't read it.
27:45So when you arrive, what's quite nice is if you sort of say thanks to your dad, I'll just give him a hug or a kiss, you might shake his hand.
27:57And then actually about how you greet one another.
27:59It's just good to have thought about it and agree that, you know, maybe you kiss him on the cheek, maybe you kiss her hand, or maybe you just hug, or, you know, maybe you just say hello.
28:06He's your mum.
28:07I knew you were going to say that, I knew he was going to say that.
28:10It's that you guys.
28:12Yeah?
28:14So, yeah, just to think about.
28:15Have I kissed on the cheek or something like that?
28:17No, I don't think so much.
28:18Yeah.
28:18Would you like me to introduce you at the end of the ceremony as Mr and Mrs?
28:21Yes.
28:22Yes.
28:23Yes.
28:24Mr and Mrs Irvin.
28:25Oh!
28:26Mrs Irvin.
28:27Mr and Mrs Irvin.
28:28Martin and Mel will tie the knot over their own personal vows.
28:34Each time I drape it, I might say something like, may your marriage be blessed with love.
28:39By chance, the minister's using ribbons the couple are very familiar with.
28:44What are the qualities?
28:45May your life be blessed with expensive bulls that will wear the shrimp.
28:49You don't want to be blessed with expensive.
28:51Yeah, because that means money.
28:52That's what Martin does as a living is breed bulls.
28:54Yeah, breed bulls.
28:55Ah, okay.
28:56Okay.
28:57And they wear this ribbon around their neck when we sell them.
29:00This is exactly the same ribbon.
29:01Yeah, exactly the same.
29:02Yeah.
29:03Yeah, exactly the same.
29:04Here you go.
29:05So, let's say, you know, finish this and then I would create the knot.
29:08Mm-hmm.
29:10That's good.
29:11That went really well.
29:12I feel relaxed and ready for it now.
29:15Yeah, it's starting to get real, isn't it?
29:17Yeah.
29:18Very much.
29:19Yeah.
29:20Cheers, young.
29:31In Argyle, Sybil and George also have an important day ahead.
29:36Come in here, Teb.
29:38Teb.
29:39Hold it.
29:40Having gathered in their flock, they're now rounding up the older females,
29:44who would struggle to rear lambs through the harsh winters on the mountains.
29:49It's a very difficult day this morning.
29:50Our old friends, it's sheep that we've had and they've come to the end of their working
29:54life here.
29:55So, we're selling them on and hopefully that somebody from a low ground farm will like them
29:59and buy them and they'll have another couple of years of breeding elsewhere.
30:02But for us, they've reached the age where they have to leave the hills.
30:06And as I say, it's a day tinged with sadness.
30:09A lot of old friends here.
30:11And, as I say, quite a sad day.
30:12Right down now.
30:13Right down.
30:14Right down.
30:15Thelew, Teb.
30:16Thelew, Teb.
30:17Thelew, Teb.
30:18Thelew, Teb.
30:19Thelew, Teb.
30:20Thelew.
30:21Thelew, Teb.
30:22Thelew, Teb.
30:23Thelew, Teb.
30:24Thelew, Teb.
30:25Thelew, Teb.
30:26Thelew, Teb.
30:27Thelew, Teb.
30:28Thelew, Teb.
30:29Thelew, Teb.
30:30Thelew, Teb.
30:31Thelew, Teb.
30:32Thelew, Teb.
30:33Thelew, Teb.
30:34Thelew, Teb.
30:35Thelew, Teb.
30:36Thelew, Teb.
30:37Thelew, Teb.
30:38Thelew, Teb.
30:39Thelew, Teb.
30:40Thelew, Teb.
30:41Thelew, Teb.
30:42Thelew, Teb.
30:43Thelew, Teb.
30:44Thelew, Teb.
30:45when it comes their time but it's sad because you know that they're you're
30:51never going to let them run wild on the hills again
31:05Sibyl's 60 ewes will be sold at an annual auction for black-faced sheep just
31:10down the road in Dalmalley the sale attracts buyers from all over Scotland
31:16and is her best chance of finding them a new home
31:21Sibyl's ewes are next in the ring still the same churning and butterflies in the
31:26stomach every single time it's sheep that you've looked after for five years and
31:33they've done their best and and because they've got a bit old you take them along
31:37and sell them and obviously there are days when your heart is completely broken
31:41George is a lot more able to cope with these donors than I am but he's quite
31:46tolerant with me when I sit in tears I don't get so emotionally tied to several
31:50to them I mean to me that's not a working sheet
31:55but most auctions prices are in guineas one guinea is one pound and five pence and
32:02and Sibyl set a price of 50 guineas per you in the hope the low price will
32:07encourage buyers
32:1055
32:1355
32:1455
32:1655
32:1856
32:1957
32:2058
32:2158
32:2259
32:2360
32:241
32:252
32:263
32:274
32:2864
32:2964
32:3064
32:3159
32:3265
32:3364
32:3465
32:3565
32:3765
32:3830
32:3960
32:4065
32:4165
32:4250
32:4332
32:4465
32:4565
32:4765
32:4862
32:4965
32:5064
32:5165
32:5265
32:5365
32:5665
32:5765
32:5965
33:00doing a job for someone else after we've finished with them and quite pleased with the trade as
33:05well well for sure yeah huge huge huge plus that we must be doing something right for the hours
33:10on bull breeder Martins farm on the other side of Scotland an important sale is also looming
33:40he's putting four of his beloved pedigree limousines into the most prestigious auction of
33:49the season in Stirling this is the boys here two pence we've got imperial nice man this is iron
33:58hide the big lad and ice the young boy there's two boys here the imperial nice man since we're
34:04calves you just kind of fell in love them specially ice man when he was a calf he was just a picture
34:09you're just like a mushroom a muscle we couldn't wait to get a holder on him get the clippers on
34:14to him dress him up and just start handling these bulls are the cream of the crop and they get special
34:21attention from Martin you've got a bond with them they know me I know them and they're hopefully
34:29we'll sell the whole lot but you'll miss this dude because you're just gonna go bond with
34:32they're kind of like the apple of your eye pretty much keeping his favorites isn't an option as a
34:38small family farm the bull auctions bring in most of their income but the prices are set by the buyers
34:45on the day this is like payday so I'm gonna it means a lot four bills could be 20 grand it could be 30
34:52grand or it could be 10 grand you don't know with so much riding on the sale Martin drafts in Mel to
35:04help give the bulls a special makeover this is a superstars and they get all the goodies all the
35:12auction all the pampering the washing he gets loved pretty much hopefully we'll sell him and he'll spend a
35:18life being a dad I like a bit of TLC they love it there's a spot about usually about here they lick
35:30and they just love it the tail usually goes yeah and nothing's too good for Martin's bulls I've just
35:40turned on the soap to come through the power washer and Martin is power washing onto the bills so it gets
35:46blown right to their skin and then we comb it through and then it's washed off so we don't
35:52use soap it's coconut shampoo this isn't the only hairdressing trick he employs we're going to take
36:01some hair off the front of his back leg we're going to take some hair off the back his front leg and
36:06help make this space in the middle wider so that's make them look longer I think it's quite therapeutic
36:16really sitting spending two years clipping a bull it's quite chilled and nice like as long as he stands
36:22at peace the bulls are entered into competitions at the sterling auctions if they do well this could
36:29increase their sale price you wouldn't look in the bar and they are looking apart for good bulls just
36:35hopefully good in there and we get justice for that and trades good Sandy has made it to the south of
36:48England with his precious cargo of meat without being stopped for speeding having made deliveries in
37:02Scotland and Lincolnshire he's now halfway through his run and has three more stops to make I don't charge
37:09for delivery but of course I charge people enough to deliver quite a good profit so a good profit is
37:17it is essential I have to resuscitate extensive crofting by making making our product a worthwhile thing for
37:27another generation a certain number of my friends bought the beach and friends of friends and the
37:38story has been spreading like a ripple Rupert and Anna in Reading have been loyal customers for many
37:50years number two when I make my deliveries I'm as welcome as the drug dealer to the addicts they're
38:00all dying to get that Lewis beat really really nice cut me whoops really bloody as well Sandy's customers buy his
38:11meat by the animal 175 pounds for a weather and 400 pounds for quarter of a cow Sandy comes down twice a year now
38:19we have the the mutton delivery and then we have the beef delivery and we just use it over the year so we have a do it we have an
38:26animal and a half mutton animal two I think and then the beef animal and then that will keep us going for
38:32the year so that's that's all our meat saves you it saves you for meeting second plate meat yes
38:38absolutely and the meat the mutton meat is so different to lamb it's got such a nice I say it's
38:46game he's kind of just too easy to say that I wouldn't call it game you know it's just a full flavor full flavor
38:52yeah mature flavor not the eating little babies
39:00next stop london
39:07carrying down the m4 delivery and healing
39:10before cutting through the center of london to to chiselhurst where we have another delivery
39:20so far his makeshift cooler has been doing its job but he's got two more deliveries to make
39:27and the traffic is building
39:30now we're just bumping into the traffic jumps that's a pity
39:35it's not great news for his precious cargo
39:50400 miles north martin's cruising down an empty motorway on his way to the sterling auctions with
39:57his own precious cargo the four limousine bulls a lot of people will get haul layers or contractors
40:04to drive their livestock down but when you're driving your cell you can take a cell down at your own
40:08speed and you can look after your imported cargo in the back he's hoping to sell the bulls for a good
40:15price but before he can enter the sale they must pass an inspection of vets and judges the dreaded panel
40:22i feel a bit nervous you're worrying because it means so much if you feel the panel the bull that
40:29you were hoping to get five six thousand for well you're not going to be selling them and that's money
40:33you're losing and money is important right now so you can hear this kind of sick sick you hear this
40:40kind of sick feeling in your tummy and then you'll you'll have that feeling right to the point of you
40:45passing the panel
40:52the sterling auctions are the most prestigious cattle sales in the uk they take place three times a year
40:59across three days and attract buyers from across the country over 800 pedigree cattle will be put on
41:06show and then up for sale providing they have the panel's seal of approval to prove they're physically
41:13fit for the job the vet looks at his teeth and into his eyes see everything's okay there and he'll
41:20measure his testicles to see that they're big enough and then we walk around in a weak circle and there's
41:26a couple of guys that make sure that they're walking and their feet's okay
41:32animals that fail are given a red dot i've seen two red dots so far it's just uh today i wish it
41:40nobody i know what it's like to get a red dot it's a terrible feeling because you've thought
41:43much of a bull and it's been rejected and where are you going to get five six thousand now you can't
41:48show them you can't sell them so it's money coming in it's a big worry it's a terrible thing at a red dot
41:53i'll be fine won't it yeah you're a good boy yeah first to face the judges is ice
41:59thank you
42:15next martin's brother darren leads in ironhide
42:18i do get nervous i get nervous for mine you know it's part of the farm it's just so much of a
42:26relief when we get out there and there's no red dot it's vet's decision and his decision's final so
42:34you've just got to take it on the chin and get on with it
42:40both bulls pass they both got clear yeah so they're through no dots so that's good so
42:46i have the other boys two boys to go now so i'll just take them out and do the same again and hope
42:50for no colored dots this time now it's the turn of imperial and martin's star bull iceman
42:59fingers crossed everything will be okay i'm confident but you never know you know there could
43:03be something i've not seen or missed my cousin got one of their bulls thrown out um because it had a
43:09different size testicle so but they had them already vetted at home and they passed at home
43:14but they didn't hear so you just never know ironhide and iceman make it through
43:22all four of martin's bulls will enter the sale tomorrow here comes a happy martin
43:27hey oh well that's no bad happy with that yeah it takes the pressure off me i've got a smile in
43:33my face now and the color back in your face yeah yeah just that yeah
43:44in london sandy has made it through the traffic and is on the final stretch of his meat delivery run
43:50it's a nice warm night really probably a little too warm for my meat his route is taking him
44:00through his old stomping ground when he was a criminal barrister
44:05saturday night they're all they're all off out for the on the revels there's just so much going on
44:12isn't it it's not something you're going to replicate at the art center in the store away
44:24i always enjoy these trips i especially when i'm going through london and i see the old places
44:31and even the scenes of the crimes and cases i've worked on after 25 years there's plenty of these
44:38scattered around the place
44:42sandy's last customer has arranged for him to leave the mutton delivery in his shed
44:48despite the delays his makeshift cooler has held out well the only thing i do really miss is lovely
44:58nut brown draft bitter beer when i was living in india i never realized just how spoilt i was
45:06having pufffuls of the stuff tomorrow he'll be heading back to lewis and his life rearing livestock on his
45:15craft
45:17it's sometimes said that this crafting way of life is very hard work and it does have its difficulties but i
45:25think that i have a role in what is a dying way of life and many people work harder for less pleasure
45:42it's the next day at the cattle auction in sterling each of martin's four bulls has been approved by the
45:56panel to enter into the sale later this evening but first there's a competition to judge the animals in
46:03each class certificates are awarded to the best in show and a rosette should lead to a better sale price
46:10they do their tails back home like that it fills up a space in between their legs so
46:16the bigger and the poofier it's like girls back combing their hair to make their hair look big
46:22you'll see this one coming up real nice
46:30suitably primped and primed ironhide the oldest of martin's bulls is going first
46:36he couldn't look any better if he tried what really was a ticket first second or third that's
46:41where you want to be really the competition's strong so if you get a ticket up at the top end it'll help sell
46:47them ironhide is up against other limousand bulls of a similar age
47:00they'll be looking for correctness so good on their legs nice big bum a nice top line a good head
47:08every judge is different some judges might like them big and tall with not so much bum
47:14where some will go for the smaller with a bigger bum so it just depends on your judge so
47:25it's a great result ironhide wins first prize
47:33he's gonna get a better start
47:37that's an excellent selling point for us
47:39there's three younger bulls still to go all 16 months old they're going on show together
47:48this is the last class so hopefully we'll go in and carry on our good luck and get some tickets
47:55this will be a hard class it's a younger class if they're here they're here for a reason because
47:59they're good
47:59mel's showing the mushroom of muscle iceman
48:08darren's with imperial and martin's in charge of ice
48:21it's good news iceman comes first ice second and imperial is in fifth place
48:29it's a little bit more
48:37we never expected to hear as good a day as we did so now we're delighted and this will look good
48:42as a selling point of view in that card above your pen and the bulls looking like they are
48:47so hopefully the buyers will start wandering in and the sale will be good and hopefully
48:52the sale starts in two hours
49:07in london sheep farmer john scott and wife fiona are also hoping to see off the competition
49:14at a national farming awards ceremony
49:23we're completely out of our comfort zone like a fish out of water
49:27i'm having a clue where we're going desperately needing to see my collie dog and some grass
49:33but thoroughly looking forward to the evening
49:34john's put himself forward for the uk's sheep farmer of the year award
49:42having made it to the short list of three tonight they'll be announcing the winner it's quite a
49:47prestigious thing to make the last three um we're delighted to be there we're here to win we're not
49:52here to make up the numbers we'd love to win um and if we don't we'll always be disappointed but
49:57uh it's not the only end up i think it would mean a huge amount to win yeah just to be just to be
50:07recognized from out with your local local community and actually to bring it back for the local community
50:13as well would be really good
50:18it's the oscars of the farming world and winning will bring industry recognition and put his farm on the map
50:25the publicity could help increase the price tag of the breeding stock he sells
50:38and boost his profits take your seats please ladies and gentlemen the evening's presentation is about to begin
50:48for john whose mission is to expand the business so he can pass it on to his children
50:53this title will be a step in the right direction
51:12all of tonight's winners will be featured naked in this year's farmers weekly calendar
51:17you were told right
51:23the sheep farming award is one of the last to be announced john has a long wait ahead
51:33in sterling the evening bull auction is in full swing
51:36today is just so full on and you're running about here there and everywhere and it's all a build up and
51:47then you get to this point and you're a bit nervous you don't know what they're gonna sell
51:52martin and mel have done all they can now it's down to demand and the appetite of the buyers
51:57this year the market price for bulls has been dropping
52:05iron hide the oldest of martin's four bulls is going first we should be getting five six
52:11thousand five iron hide the worst case scenario we get four worst case scenario we don't sell them
52:23this last two years we've always been chasing money for some reason as much money as we've been
52:27taken in it goes
52:32it's so hard to know how much money is coming in and you're trying to keep things with the
52:37bunker and keep your money coming in it doesn't come in you've got to wait for it it's hard
52:40it's the biggest fear is taking money and making money and if something goes wrong
52:44you're going to be in trouble
52:48it costs over three thousand pounds to raise a bull for sale
52:53so to make money martin's put a reserve of four thousand guineas or four thousand two hundred pounds
52:59on ironhide
53:00three thousand five three thousand five hundred three thousand five hundred three thousand one
53:04out
53:04oh jesus
53:05oh jesus
53:09good bull
53:10so he first got
53:11he first got good bull
53:18suddenly the bidding stalls
53:20three thousand eight
53:21i'm very sorry not today
53:22did it
53:23of course it's quiet
53:24oh it's quiet
53:26ironhide fails to make his reserve price
53:30oh that's just depressing that really
53:32isn't it
53:35not enough but we'll go try the next three i'm not looking very excited for us really
53:40hard work really hard work
53:42this is payday for us and you know there's a bull we should have been selling for four thousand six thousand
53:47and easy it's unsold after getting first in his class it's pretty sad like
53:53oh there's a sale in a month's time i'll try him at that and hopefully get him sold
53:59martin must pin his hopes on his three younger bulls
54:05at 16 months old they're approaching the height of their reproductive prime
54:10so the demand and prices should be high
54:12five three five three five three three eight three eight three eight imperial is first in the ring
54:20martin set a reserve of five thousand guineas per bull
54:29imperial fails to make his reserve
54:36ice doesn't hit his target either
54:38you can see there's just there's no atmosphere there's no buzz it's hard work really hard work
54:49if he's to take home any money today his last hope rests on this bull his mushroom of muscle
54:56ice man
54:56the minimum he'll accept is five thousand guineas
55:15at last a sale
55:18we did really well at judging we never expected so we thought that would help the sale
55:22the sale's just not being a good sale it's not it's not the best day but i'm coming home with two
55:27young bulls i'll keep till february and uh just back to work on the farm tomorrow and just gone with
55:31things i sold one bull five grand happy enough for that better than nothing i suppose
55:40in london at the awards ceremony john scott is still waiting for a result
55:44sheep farmer of the year is one of the last categories to be announced
56:01finally it's time
56:04so let's remind ourselves of who's in contention for the cheap farmer of the year is next
56:09john's competing against two successful farming enterprises
56:13one from warwickshire sales of greenfield lambs at farmers markets on his website have gone from
56:19strength to strength ensuring the other from cumbria size of flock and turnover have improved
56:25dramatically since john took over the management six years ago and from fern farm in russia john
56:31scott having doubled the amount of land on his farm and tripled the size of his flock could this give
56:40him the edge i was very nervous of the lead up to the award be announced i made a conscious decision to
56:47make sure i drunk plenty of water because if it wasn't water beside me i might have drunk beer and that
56:52would be good result the winner of the sheep farm of the year is john scott john has beaten his two
57:10rivals and the dozen other entrants
57:16please congratulate your sheep father of the year john scott ladies and gentlemen
57:31in a state of shock we've come here we had high hopes of winning the sheep farm of the year award and
57:36we've won it taking it home to the east of ross and the highlands and then it's got my name on it
57:41there's very much a team effort from dad kids jona and all the team we're just delighted we'll each other
57:50yeah an amazing place to come yeah fish out of water i'm looking forward to getting a hold of my
57:57forward like my dog next time sybil must tear some families apart for a few days the cows will break
58:09their hearts looking for the calves i must say i find it quite upsetting to listen to them
58:15on lewis sandy needs to get his boat back on the water we used to take sheep out to the islands and back
58:23and am struggles to keep sheep dog jim under control he hasn't bought sheep for three weeks and he's just not listening
58:35meanwhile in the suburban home as robots take over the physical work immersive fitness could be the future
58:41back in time for the weekend the last in the series next then immersive hiring no suits need apply
58:47and a love of beer is a must as the workers of a scottish craft brewery decide who's the boss in an hour
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