Devon neighbours debate farming and rewilding in new documentary

Two Devon neighbours, farmer Derek Banbury and conservationist Derek Gow, clash over how the countryside should be managed in James Dawson’s documentary. Their dispute over traditional farming and rewilding gives the film a way to explore environmental damage while showing sympathy for a farming way of life under pressure.

Banbury raises dairy cows and grows crops, while Gow has replaced sheep with wild boar and champions restoring wildlife. The boar sometimes escape and are blamed for harming sheep; the film also considers possible wolf reintroduction. Gow points to insect declines of up to 70% in some areas, linked to insecticides and monoculture, and the neighbours move towards coexistence. The film opens in UK cinemas on 2 October.