Compassion award is music to the ears of Hampshire Jersey Beef farmers
Once a sideline, farming is now the main activity for Jane and Paul Denley and they have expanded from 1 Jersey cow to a 110 strong herd.
Woodlands Jersey Beef
Teaching and playing the clarinet, saxophone and violin is perhaps not the usual sideline for beef farmers but that’s exactly what the owners of Woodlands Jersey Beef, Jane and Paul Denley, do. In fact, until four years ago farming was the sideline. The couple originally kept one Jersey cow to feed the family but today has a 110 strong herd and they are looking to expand further.
The Hampshire based farm is up for a Good Calf Commendation at Compassion in World Farming’s annual Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards on 27 September, for the work they do with Jersey bull calves. Generally perceived by the rest of the ‘trade’ to be too light to be worth using for beef production, Jersey bull calves are usually culled at birth and their carcasses discarded. However, the Denleys, members of the NFU, have made a thriving business by buying these ‘waste’ calves at 10 days old from five Jersey dairy herds in the Hampshire region and turning them into premium beef that is sweeter than other meat and used by top restaurants including Le Gavroche and renowned chef, Michel Roux. They also sell their beef range online, at farmers’ markets and are opening a farm shop imminently.
Jane Denley said: “I have always been concerned by the treatment of dairy bull calves, particularly Jersey calves and was lucky enough to be in a position to do something about it. We entered the Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards because it is a great way to raise awareness of what we do, which is good for our business, but also to raise awareness of the poor treatment of bull Jersey calves. We also firmly believe that the meat we produce is superior to other beef and have dozens of testimonials to prove it.”
The calves are fed on twice daily milk feeds for four to five months until they are weaned and put out to pasture. The calves are then grown-on in natural outdoor surroundings in Hampshire for two to three years, fed on grass, hay and sugar beet to supplement their winter diet. Woodlands Jersey Beef never use supplements or routine antibiotic treatments – just fresh air, rain and natural feeds. Woodlands Jersey grass fed beef is 100% natural and is matured on the bone for 28 days to give deep textures, rich marbling, exceptional succulence and outstanding flavour.
Steve McIvor, Director of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming, said: “The work Woodlands Jersey Beef do to improve the plight of Jersey bull calves and the fact that they have been able to make a successful and profitable business out of it is a fantastic story and an example to everyone.”