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Farming for Wildlife on The Isle of Sheppey

Caz Graham meets the only farming family in England also managing a national nature reserve.

What happens when your land becomes designated as a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest' and you have to suddenly change the way you farm? This is the dilemma Philip Merrick faced back in the late 1980s. He tells Caz Graham how he and his family have transformed the landscape and reinvented Kingshill Farm on the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary.

The 3200 acre estate is now home to around 800 cattle, but also provides an exceptional habitat for wading and breeding birds. They are the only farming family in England to be running a commercial farm and a National Nature Reserve. Caz Graham discovers how they achieve the perfect balance.

Producer: Perminder Khatkar.

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22 minutes

Last on

Sun 29 Jul 2018 06:35

Broadcast

  • Sun 29 Jul 2018 06:35