大象传媒

It鈥檚 mid-March. Farmers across the UK are in the middle of lambing and spring calving when coronavirus grips the nation.

High in the uplands of Northumberland, Emma and Ewan are used to living in isolation on their 100-acre remote and off-grid farm. They are in the middle of lambing 400 ewes when the country goes into lockdown. With just the two of them to man the farm, Emma and Ewan work back-to-back shifts. A good lambing season is crucial for this small farm, and there鈥檚 no back up plan if either of them contract the virus. They must cope completely alone.

In Aberdeenshire, social distancing measures mean new entrant farmers Isla and George French have just lost all their childcare. George, who works as an engineer to supplement the farm, is now working full time from home, and Isla is left to look after their livestock and the farm shop with three under-fives tagging along. Their small farm shop proves a crucial lifeline for locals when supermarket shelves are stripped bare. Isla does her best to cope with increased demand, but the extra work and lack of childcare takes its toll.

In the Lake District, Matt and Dani hit their busiest time of year, lambing over 500 ewes, while 85 cows have just started calving. They normally rely on a team of students to help at this time of year, but coronavirus means all help has been cancelled, and Matt鈥檚 now managing almost entirely alone. The spring markets bring the promise of the first big pay cheque for the new farm, but when the local livestock mart closes, Matt is left with 80 store cattle to house and feed unexpectedly. It鈥檚 a loss of up to 拢100,000, and Matt must figure out a way to keep the cash flowing.

On Scotland鈥檚 north west coast, the announcement that pubs and restaurants must close leaves Helen and Graham Acreman without a market for their free range pork. Miss Piggy, their Gloucestershire Old Spot sow, is not too happy when her teenage daughters move back in. Lockdown provides an opportunity for Helen to spend quality time with son Jack, and Graham reflects on how croft life allows them to live off the land.