RSPB joins forces with beef farmers for wildlife
With a growing market for beef grazed on conservation land, farmers can get premium prices and do their bit for wildlife at the same time.
Thats the message from the RSPB, which is heading to Beef Expo 2011 on Thursday (May 26) to talk to farmers about how the charity can help their business.
The company started out two years ago in East Anglia and has gone from strength to strength with ten farmers signed up and a growing number of clients including local butchers, restaurants and farm shops. The cattle managed by Riverside Beef are grazed on the beautiful wildlife-rich grasslands of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk which provide a habitat for lapwings, snipe, golden plover and a host of other threatened species.
Jon, who has a background in farming and also works for the RSPB as site manager of the charitys Ouse Washes nature reserve, says he hopes his business will inspire others to follow suit.
We really werent sure whether there would be a market for conservation grade beef, we took a gamble and it is now starting to pay off, he said.
Because the consumer is willing to pay more for our high quality produce we can offer the farmer a premium over and above the normal base price for cattle. And grazing is essential in maintaining healthy habitats for ground nesting birds so its great news for wildlife as well.
Weve had some fantastic feedback from our customers. One that always sticks in my mind was from one of last years Masterchef finalists who contacted the Gog Magog hills farm shop near Cambridge which stocks our meat to tell them the fillet steak theyd supplied him was the best hed ever had. When you get comments like that you know youre doing something right.
Beef Expo 2011 is also a chance for farmers to talk to RSPB farmland advisors about putting in place conservation measures on their land and applying for agri environment schemes.
Gethin Davies, RSPB livestock advisor, said: Events like these are a great way for us to meet farmers, to let them know what the RSPB has to offer their business and to listen to the issues affecting them.
Were hoping to sign lots of farmers up for a free bird survey of their land from one of our experts. The next surveys take place in spring next year so if you want to find out more about the wildlife on your land then come along to the stand and pick up a form.
Grazed pastures are a vital habitat for many farmland birds and we are working with some very passionate beef farmers who put a lot of effort into creating space for nature on their land.
Grazing is the principal tool used by the RSPB to manage many of its important habitats and around 25,000 ha of RSPB land is grazed each year. Around 10,500 head of cattle graze RSPB nature reserves through the summer, the vast majority of which are owned by local farmers. These are in addition to 17,000 sheep and 200 ponies that graze the charitys land to help manage a host of important wildlife around the UK.
For information, to sign up for a free bird survey or to contact an RSPB advisor near to you, visit www.rspb.org.uk/farming