Crofter returns for BBC Alba An Lot lambing special
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LIFE on a croft during the winter months and lambing season is to come under the spotlight in a new two-part BBC Alba documentary.
The two-part An Lot Spring Special, produced by MacTV, looks at life on Sweeny’s croft in Ness in the Outer Hebrides.
Part one An Lot – Mìosan a’ Gheamhraidh (The Croft –- The Winter Months) and part two An Lot – Na h-Uain (The Croft – Lambing) deliver glimpses into two very different seasons in the crofting calendar, each posing its own unique set of challenges. However, the daily work on the croft never stops, whatever the weather.
Thankfully Sweeny – who also manages the local football team and who has had to buy himself a new suit after being elected as a local councillor – has his dad on hand to collect the eggs and David ready to help with just about everything else!
Over the winter Sweeny prepares for the year ahead, a new tractor is on the way and, for the first time, he plans to get a ‘department’ bull from the 100-year-old scheme which loans out bulls. He travels to the stud farm at Knocknagael, near Inverness, to speak to manager John Cowan about how the whole process works.
In an attempt to build income from wool, Sweeny visits British Wool's depot in Ross-shire to speak to the company's Head of Operations, Billy Hewitson, to explore what the future holds for the product.
Always looking at ways to diversify, Sweeny meets buffalo breeders Nikki and Ollie Lake at their farm in Moray to learn about the docile animals and what they have to offer – apart from lots of licks to the face!
While there is plenty to do and some time for fun, the winter months are not without their dangers for someone working alone with animals. Sweeny finds himself in the A&E department of Western Isles Hospital after a Highland cow’s horn stabs his leg.
In An Lot part two, the focus is on the life-and-death drama of lambing season with Sweeny on his croft at the northerly tip of the Isle of Lewis. For the first time, the cameras stay with Sweeny day and night, over a two-week lambing period.
Following a cold, wet winter and rising feed prices, a good lambing season has never been so vital for all island crofters. Sweeny’s sheep have been wintered on good hill pasture on the mainland and scanning will tell him if tupping has been a success.
Like most crofters, Sweeny scans his sheep with ultrasound to know how many lambs they are expecting. It means he can make sure those expecting twins or triplets are taken inside and get enough to eat.
Once home on the island, the sheep are prepared for lambing but there are many issues for concern during this fraught time. Will Spring bring better weather, will the predators be a threat to lambs born out on the moor and outlying pastures?
There is always the risk of eagles taking lambs at this time of year and Sweeny has secured a three-year contract to supply data to the Sea Eagle Management Scheme monitoring them and collating sightings. Other birds can also cause damage to new-born lambs and Sweeny has to take a lamb to the vet to get stitches after a nasty crow attack.
In the lambing shed and out on the croft Sweeny is kept on his toes, and must be ready to deal with any emergencies. With most lambs born just before dawn, sleep for the crofter is rare and sporadic. However, this is a rewarding time and for Sweeny the sight of healthy lambs leaping around the croft is what makes it all worthwhile.
The An Lot Spring Specials air on BBC Alba on Monday, May 1 at 9pm and Monday, May 8 at 9pm, respectively. Both parts will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer for 30 days.
BBC Alba HD is available on the following platforms: Sky 117 (Scotland)/Sky 169 (rest of UK); Virgin Media 120 (Scotland)/Virgin Media 161 (rest of UK); Freesat 109; BBC iPlayer.
BBC Alba SD is available on Freeview/You View 7 (Scotland only).
