Countryfile (Sunday 3rd February 2008) PDTV (XviD)

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Countryfile (Sunday 3rd February 2008) [PDTV (XviD)]

NATURE: Countryfile
On: BBC 1 North West
Date: Sunday 3rd February 2008
Time: 11:00 to 12:00 (1 hour long)

John Craven visits the glorious South Downs to see why it may soon become Britain's next National Park. He meets the woodsman whose amazing 'Tree House' became one of the most memorable projects on Channel Four's Grand Designs. Charlotte Smith discovers why we love the wood pigeon, but hate it's city slicker cousin. Adam Henson investigates where the meat comes from in our ready meals, and how the labels may mislead.


From the BBC's Countryfile website...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/countryfile/

South Downs National Park
The public enquiry into the boundary of the proposed South Downs National Park re-opens on 12 February. Campaigners are fighting for more land in West and East Sussex and Hampshire to be included within a revised perimeter.
In 1947, the South Downs were on the first list of areas to be considered for special park status; preserving the best landscapes in the country. From that list todays National Parks were born. In 2005 the New Forest was designated the 14th park and the first new one for 50 years. Many people believe a South Downs National Park is long overdue.

* The Natural England enquiry service can be contacted here - http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/contact/enquiries.htm
/>* The South Downs Campaign - http://www.southdownscampaign.org.uk
/>* Campaign to Protect Rural England - http://www.cpre.org.uk/home
/>* Association of National Park Authorities - http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk
/>* English National Park Authorities Association - http://www.enpaa.org.uk
/>* National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty - http://www.aonb.org.uk
/>* Council for National Parks - http://www.cnp.org.uk
/>
Food imports
With 40% of the food on sale in the UK imported, we ask if we are always aware of the origin of the food we consume, and whether we should care.
Adam Henson investigates how easy it is to disguise the true country of origin. For one week only, he transforms from farmer to meat producer, making his own 'chicken bites' product. Is he able to market his product as British, within the law, if he makes it with imported chicken?

* Food Standards Agency on Imported Food - http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/imports/
/>* National Farmers Union - http://www.nfuonline.com/
/>
Woodpigeons
Woodpigeons now outnumber 'common' pigeons in most urban gardens - in London it is by 2 to 1. Changes in agriculture and more people feeding birds have prompted this increase. Charlotte Smith goes in search of woodpigeons in town and country, learning more about the difference between them and their feral cousins.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) continually runs the Garden BirdWatch Survey, with around 16,000 homes recording data all year round.

* British Trust for Ornithology - http://www.bto.org/
/>* BirdWatch results for woodpigeons - http://blx1.bto.org/gbw-dailyresults/results/gbwr270-20.html
/>* BBC Woodpigeon Wildfacts - http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/255.shtml
/>
Fishmonger video diary
Local shops are considered key to a thriving high street. More than two thirds of people say that a fishmonger is the retailer they would most like to see. So what is it like to set up shop selling fish? Rob Latimer is a fisherman who has swapped the sea for the high street in Tyne and Wear. Yet his new career seems no easier.

* Billingsgate Seafood Training School - http://www.seafoodtraining.org/get_into_fishmongering_at_billingsgate_seafood_training_school.htm
/>
Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
Set in almost 80 acres of the Sussex countryside, the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum looks more like a film set for an opulent rural drama. It houses nearly 50 historic buildings that date back from the 19th to the 13th century. John Craven steps into the past to discover how these buildings were rescued from destruction, carefully dismantled and rebuilt at the museum.

* Weald and Downland Open Air Museum - http://www.wealddown.co.uk
/>
Lawnmower racing
With engines revving, a set of highly tuned racing machines position themselves on the race track to compete in a prestigious race; that of the two-day Cross Country Lawnmower Race. More than 40 pristine mowing machines line up to tackle jumps, water splashes, hairpin bends and twisting sections, all at high speed. Ben Fogle attempts the course and catches up with some of the lawnmower enthusiasts.

* British Lawnmower Racing Association - http://www.blmra.co.uk
/>
Microbreweries
Scottish & Newcastle, the last British-owned big-brand brewery in the UK has announced it is selling to Carlsberg and Heineken for £7.8bn. After a decade of falling sales, breweries closing down and selling out, there is a light at the bottom of the cask.
Around 70 microbreweries opened last year to supply the increasing demand for real ales, and these small companies are helping to lift the declining beer industry in this country. Charlotte Smith visits Robert Wicks who opened his brewery four years ago and is now supplying supermarkets, pubs and local shops with his ales. Around half of all breweries are based in rural locations, and Robert's brewery is on a tenanted farm in Kent. His rent helps the farmer cover his costs and effluent from the brewery is used on the field as a fertilizer.

* CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale - http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=aboutalearticle
/>* Westerham Brewery - http://www.westerhambrewery.co.uk/Brewery.htm
/>
Maldon Mud Race
Adam Henson visits Maldon in Essex to take part in their annual Mud Race. Racing through the thick mud of the Blackwater Estuary, 190 competitors battle around this unusual race track.

* The Mad Maldon Mud Race - http://www.maldonlions.co.uk/events/mudrace/
/>
Ben Law - Woodsman
John Craven pays a visit to a 100 acre woodland called Prickly Nut Woods and its owner Ben Law, who has lived and worked there for around 20 years as a woodsman. John finds out how he manages his woodland using traditional crafts and ancient techniques.
He also takes a look at the house Ben built (featured in Channel 4's Grand Designs programme), where he used traditional techniques and sustainable material from the forest to build his family home.

* Ben Law website - http://www.ben-law.co.uk
/>* Permaculture Magazine - http://www.permaculture.co.uk
/>* The Woodland Trust - http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk
/>

Video info...

Freeview DVB -> VirtualDubMod -> De-interlaced XviD (2 pass) & LameMP3

AVI File Details
========================================
Name.........: Countryfile080203.avi
Filesize.....: 501 MB (or 513,872 KB or 526,204,928 bytes)
Runtime......: 00:59:14 (88,839 fr)
Video Codec..: XviD
Video Bitrate: 1050 kb/s
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 128 kb/s (64/ch, stereo) CBR
Frame Size...: 704x400 (1.76:1) [=44:25]


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