The Journal of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, with kind permission of the RBST.
What Will Happen Next Year by Richard Lutwyche, Editor
I would be the first to acknowledge that predictions and star gazing belong in other publications but a major fundamental change takes place in just a few months that will have far reaching consquences on the keeping of liverstock in these islands. All direct headage subsidies on cattle and sheep will disappear and be replaced by a Single Farm Payment which appears will be quite a bit lower than the total subsidies enjoyed by most livestock farmers.
Robert Forster of the National Beef Association wrote a very thought-provoking article in the Autumn edition but it is worth contemplating the situation a little bit further here. Firstly, for those of you not involved in keeping livestock, it is worth making one very fundamental point. Subsidies given to farmers are not made in the spirit of unbridled generosity even though one might be led to believe so to listen to some politicians who are eager to point out that no other industries enjoy such largesse. Both before our entry to the Common Market and since, subsidies have been paid in many areas of food production (but not all), in order to keep food prices low for the consumer. It was considered political opinion that it was better to subsidise food prices than to give cash benefits to the poor who might not then spend them wisely. There too was an element, especially in a relatively short period in history when we suffered two world wars, of ensuring a proportion of self-sufficiency in food production so that the country could not be held to ransom by other powers with control over shipping routes.
On January 1 2005, that all changes on the back of new legislation from Brussels, interpreted and implemented by Defra in London and its equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The change in emphasis is now away from out-and-out food production, a policy followed since World War 2, to a greater emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the environment. Many of the ways of achieving this are still being hammered out but this is the general drift. Farmers, as one succinctly put it, are to be paid to be park keepers.
Much of this is to be welcomed. The area around us will be more carefully tended and there will be a move away from the excesses of intensive farming. As well as being a move towards greener policies, the hope is that farmers will gradually turn towards more traditional breeds that suit such husbandry. Certainly, it is hard to see a future for the more widespread breeds and their crosses, which rely on heavy feeding of concentrates in order to achieve a saleable carcase, when more traditional breeds will do the same job mainly on grass, albeit more slowly. This can only be good for our rare breeds with ever increasing demand for many of them. Some will achieve our ultimate goal of returning to the mainstream world and indeed, others may be propelled towards our lists - it will be interesting to see how the Watchlist might have changed over the next decade.
But it is not all good news for rare breeds and their keepers. Undoubtedly, a number of farmers will simply throw in the towel and give up. Farms will be broken up into smaller units and with the current policies on housing development, much agricultural land will surely be built over. There seems to be no policy of maintaining any level of self-sufficiency in food production in the UK today. The attitude at Government level is that we can import whatever we need, whether it is Kenyan beans, Israeli strawberries, Chinese honey or Botswanan beef. That is very laudable if food producers in the Third World are not being exploited but we know that is not the case and there are huge environmental issues in carting such produce halfway round the world when more of it could be grown here. There are also serious health issues; it is ironic if British farming is squeezed out of existence by red tape intended to guarantee public health only to be replaced by food imported from countries where there are lesser controls.
If the agricultural industry is broken by Government policies and the ruthlessness of the supermarkets, rare breeds will not prosper and we shall have a greater uphill struggle to help and support them. The next couple of years will involve a lot of change and we hope that it will be beneficial to rare breeds. It is not guaranteed.
Sheep farmers and farm workers who have retired due to ill health are needed for a new study into the effects of low-level exposure to hazardous chemicals on the farm. Could you take part?
A research team from University College London is to study whether long-term low-level exposure to hazardous chemicals on the farm has any adverse effects on health.
The project, co-ordinated by Sarah Mackenzie Ross and funded by Defra, will focus on retired farm workers in addition to working farmers.
Many other studies have failed to include retired farmers and farm staff and this may mean that the risk of developing ill health following exposure to hazardous chemicals has been underestimated.
The study will be centred on the counties of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, Herefordshire and Wiltshire. The researchers need to find at least 80 farming people from these areas who have worked with sheep and have a history of long-term exposure to chemicals on the farm. They will have had to retire (at any age) due to some form of physical, mental or emotional ill health.
For comparison, two further groups of 80 people need to be recruited. One group will be people who retired on ill health grounds but have a limited exposure to hazardous chemicals and the other will be farmers/farm workers who are still working. Participants will initially be contacted by telephone and asked a few questions about their work history and current health. At a later date they may be asked to take part in a clinical examination - usually in their own home - comprising of memory and problem-solving ability tests. However, Defra will only provide funding for the clinical examination if enough people can be recruited to the study.
Feedback will be given to everyone who has taken part in the study and a report will be prepared for Defra. The results will be used to devise effective policies and recommendations about the use of chemicals on the farm, aimed at improving safety and working conditions.
If you have retired on ill health grounds over the last 20 years and would be willing to take part in this study, please contact Kelly Abraham or Virginia Harrison - tel 020 7679 1891 or email kelly.abraham@ucl.ac.uk or virginia.harrison@ucl.ac.uk by Dec 1, 2004. Please pass this information on to anyone who may not have seen this article and could be interested in taking part in this study.
Professor Jeff Wood, University of Bristol
Benefits of grass feeding
Grass is an abundant natural crop in the UK which can be utilised by cattle
and sheep, the ruminant species, to produce high quality milk and meat. Making
optimum use of grasslands for producing these products seems to offer
opportunities for producers wishing to reduce production costs and fits well
into the new EU and Defra agendas for more extensive livestock production and
improvement of the rural environment. At Bristol in collaboration with
colleagues in the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER),
University of Reading and Harper Adams University College we have also found
some real advantages for grass feeding in terms of the quality of meat
produced.
Omega-3 fatty acids in grass-fed beef and lamb
In a recent project funded by Defra, MLC and Industry as part of the LINK
Sustainable Livestock Production Programme, we have confirmed that a
grass-based diet significantly increases levels of the so-called omega-3 fatty
acids in beef (Figure 1). Ryegrass silage was used throughout the period from 6
to 24 months and compared with a barley-soya concentrate.
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| Figure 1 |
The omega-3 fatty acids in the beef are derived from alpha-linolenic acid which is present in leafy grass and is the starting point for several "long chain" omega-3 fatty acids which are formed in the animal and also in people. In contrast, cattle fed concentrates produce fatty acids of the omega-6 series derived from linoleic acid. Consumption of beef with the levels of omega-3 fatty acids we have seen in grass-fed beef would make a significant contribution to levels recommended by nutritionists for a healthy diet. It also helps to reduce the levels of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet which, nutritionists say, is too high.
These effects of grass feeding on levels of omega-3 fatty acids in muscle are also seen in lamb.
Shelf life and vitamin E in grass-fed beef and lamb
The steers fed grass silage were processed at the Bristol University
abattoir and many measurements made on the meat produced. In loin steaks, the
colour shelf life of beef was higher on the grass diet (Figure 2). This was
directly related to a higher concentration of vitamin E in the muscle. It seems
that leafy grass or well-conserved grass silage is an excellent source of
vitamin E. Again we have seen the same effect of grass feeding on levels of
vitamin E and shelf life in lamb.
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| Figure 2 |
Flavour of grass-fed beef and lamb
In the large LINK project on beef, loin joints were aged for 10 days then
steaks were grilled and tested by the Bristol University Taste Panel. The
grass-fed beef had slightly higher flavour intensity scores than the
concentrate-fed beef but the differences were not large. Part of the project
included cattle fed fresh grass rather than silage.
In this case the Taste Panel definitely preferred these to the concentrate-fed steaks. In lamb we have seen clear advantages of grass feeding on flavour. In a group of Suffolk-cross lambs reared at Harper Adams, a grass-fed group had higher lamb flavour and overall liking scores than a concentrate-fed group (Figre 3). In a study with the University of Zaragoza in Spain British taste panellists preferred the flavour of grass-fed lamb and Spanish taste panellists preferred the less intense flavour of light, grain-fed lamb. So flavour preference depends to an extent on the kind of product we are used to.
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| Figure 3 |
Problems with grass feeding
These meat quality advantages of grass-fed beef and lamb seem clear. In
practice, however, there are problems. Grass growth is variable, depending on
the weather, and nutrient levels including omega-3 fatty acids fluctuate
accordingly. It is more difficult to regulate the growth rate and levels of
finish in grass-fed cattle.
Commercial processors say they much prefer the even weights and fat levels of concentrate-fed animals. Finally, changes in the CAP and the economics of the beef industry seem at present to favour rapidly grown concentrate-fed cattle. The future probably lies in combining grass and concentrate feeding to optimise growth without losing the nutritional and meat quality benefits of grass feeding. It is probable that in the longer term extensive production will be economoically more advantageous than at present.
Traditional breeds in grass systems
One reason why grass-fed cattle produce poorly finished carcasses is that
the main breed types used (e.g. Charolais x Holstein) are too big. Their feed
requirements cannot easily be satisfied from grass. One solution is to change
to smaller breeds such as Aberdeen Angus or the composite Stabiliser breed
recently introduced to the UK.
Traditional breeds have an important role in grass systems. They generally have low maintenance requirements and can produce finished carcasses at less than 30 months of age from grass. They may also be more friendly to the grassland environment, being less selective in their grazing habits. This would increase the biodiversity of grasslands, an important part of Defra's new strategy for agriculture.
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| White Park cattle grazing at the Cotswold Farm
Park. Photo by Eileen Hayes |
Bristol, in collaboration with IGET, RBST, English Nature and the National Beef Association, is to begin a new project to examine the role of different breeds in improving grassland biodiversity and producing high quality products. The health of the cattle will be studied by Bristol University vets to test claims that cattle reared on unimproved grasslands are more healthy. We will examine both commercial and traditional breeds because the results will be useful for the traditional breed producers supplying niche products to Accredited Butchers in the TBMM Company scheme, those in the Traditional Breed Incentive Scheme and also for those supplying the mainstream beef market.
An overall aim of the research is to produce objective scientific data to underpin Brands for grass-fed beef. Steers of different breeds will be reared on different grassland sites in England from next May. RBST and TBMM are helping us to locate cattle for the trial at present. The RBST contact is Dr. Dawn Teverson.
At the initiative of the Trust's Patron, the Prince of Wales, there is a new push to get mutton back onto British menus. The National Sheep Association have got involved and are organising National Mutton Week during the week of November 8th.
The TBMM Co is looking longer term and is endeavouring to develop a market that embraces the conservation grazing initiatives to produce a high quality product. At present, the market associates mutton with old ewes at the end of their breeding life but the TBMM Company wants to develop the market for 2-3 year old wethers spending two seasons on conservation grazing land before being finished for the market at a Finishing Unit. This is not necessarily just about primitive breeds but should include examples of all types for evaluation by the Accredited Butchers. The initial market will be through the quality restaurant trade and they will be looking for larger joints than the retail sector.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in his latest book, the River Cottage Book of Meat, points out that the market's domination by lamb as opposed to mutton is the equivalent of only eating veal, never beef, and we can all relate to how different those two products are. Mutton has a much greater flavour than lamb and is ideal for slow roasting, braising and stews. Its reintroduction would create a new 'meat' for people to enjoy, especially during the winter months. It would dovetail too into the growing awareness of healthy eating of meat produced off grass (see Jeff Wood's article, above)