Latest News from SmallHolderFeed.co.uk

No imitations, thanks – we’re British

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:20:32 GMT

Mr Fitzpatrick, hosting a celebration of foods with Protected Food Name status at Downing Street, urged more producers to stand up for their food and more consumers to support local produce.

The event showcases UK foods which have Protected Food Name status – a scheme which highlights regional and traditional foods whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed. Under the system a named food or drink registered at a European level will be given legal protection against imitation throughout the EU.

Speaking at the event, Mr Fitzpatrick said:

“We produce excellent food in this country, but we’re not always great about speaking up about it.

“Local produce that is traditionally made, unique and authentic attracts people from all over the world for its taste and its quality – it’s good for local businesses and local communities. And that’s something that deserves protection.

“Through this scheme, we have a way to stand up for local producers and protect their products. So I’m calling on more British producers to get their food protected and for their communities to get behind them. It’s not something that can be done overnight, but it’s worth it, in terms of the protection it gives the producer and the opportunities it creates for their renowned products.

“Ultimately, I want to us to be up alongside France and Italy who among them boast more than 300 protected foods – our food is just as good, if not better, as any other European country’s. I want to see the UK’s regional foods on the world map.

“The EU Protected Food Name Scheme means farmers, producers and shoppers all know that the special foods we’re buying are authentic. And it protects all these small businesses that help keep our rural areas alive.”

There are 38 products currently registered in the UK, including Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese and Whitstable Oysters which serve as major tourism draw cards for their home regions.

In addition, we have submitted 15 applications for protection to the European Commission.

For more information on the EU Protected Food Name Scheme visit: www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/industry/regional/foodname/products/

(As reported by the Defra website)

Defra receives key report on the future of farm animal veterinary services

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:13:47 GMT

The report was commissioned by Defra on behalf of a Government/Industry Steering Group which has been considering whether there is a shortage of farm animal veterinarians in Great Britain.

The report concluded that there was no such shortage nor a lack of interest in veterinary graduates pursuing a career in farm animal veterinary work. The report identified the potential for veterinarians to increase their role as providers of expert advice to the farming and food industries.

Responding to the report, Alick Simmons, Defra’s Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer and Chairman of the Steering Group, said, “I thank Professor Lowe for his work on this report. It provides important new insights into the role of the farm animal veterinarian and I encourage all interested parties to carefully consider the report’s conclusions and how these might be taken forward.”

The report recognises that in terms of the number of animals they look after and the public significance of their work, no group of veterinarians is more important than those involved in farming and food production.

A recurring theme in the report is the need to better align farm animal veterinary services to meet the changing needs of the livestock industries. Professor Lowe recommends the creation of a Veterinary Development Council as an appropriate forum for bring the suppliers and customers of farm animals veterinary services together.

Defra will now carefully consider Professor Lowe’s report and is due to meet with other Steering Group members in November.

For more details see our website: http://www.defra.gov.uk

(As reported by the Defra website)

Organic is better for the animals - and for you, too

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:04:04 GMT

Compassion in World Farming strongly supports organic as the best form of humane and sustainable agriculture. For us, organic means first and foremost high animal welfare standards. For chickens, laying hens, pigs and cows it means a better and longer life, mainly with outdoor access, a balanced diet and freedom from stress.

Organic chickens, for example, are usually of slower growing, more natural breeds. Their life is usually almost twice as long as the one of an intensively reared bird.

Pigs reared in organic systems are weaned much later than standard ones, at 40 days rather than 28. The Soil Association advises its farmers not to wean until they are eight weeks old.

Calves born on organic farms are not exported to the continent, have a natural milk diet and outdoor access.

Organic is not only good for animals, but for people and the planet, too.

Conventional food production makes wide use of pesticides, which can pollute water and the environment, as well as pose a threat to human health. Organic food, instead, is produced with natural fertilisers, less energy and more respect for animals that provide it.

As far as nutrition is concerned, research shows that organic chickens can contain 25% less fat than intensively reared chickens (standard chicken). Scientists say that free-range chickens offer a more beneficial fatty acid composition compared to indoor raised chickens. This is they because free-range and organic birds grow more slowly, are likely to eat grass and exercise more.

Finally, intensive animal husbandry relies on a greater use of antibiotics to treat stressed, disease-prone animals. Resistance to antibiotics is a well-known consequence of such misuse. The spread of the MRSA super bug is probably the most eloquent example.

John Callaghan, Director of Programmes at Compassion in World Farming, explains: “MRSA is yet another potential example of how harmful factory farming is for animals and people. Pigs reared intensively often live in stressful conditions, subject to painful mutilations, unable to express their natural behaviour and prone to diseases. Factory farms where animals are unnaturally crowded and stressed, even with careful management, are always likely to need drugs to keep infections at bay. We should eat less, but better meat- coming from animals that have lived a happy and healthy life”.

For more details see our website: http://www.ciwf.org.uk

(As reported by the Compassion in World Farming website)

Radio Opportunity for Scottish Smallholders

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:09:06 GMT

BBC Radio Scotland is looking for the new generation of people who have turned their back on the fast-paced life of the city to live the good life as a smallholder, or a greenshifter!

Have you been prompted by the credit crunch to swap the office for the garden?

BBC Radio Scotland is looking for families, couples or individuals who are either Scottish or have moved to Scotland to follow their dream in the last two years.

To pursue this please call Rebecca Smith on 01463 702728, or email rebecca.smith4@bbc.co.uk

Come and See Us at the Royal Welsh Smallholder Festival this weekend!

Wed, 13 May 2009 12:02:13 GMT

The Smallholder Range will be attending the Royal Welsh Smallholder & Garden Festival this weekend, at Builth Wells, Powys. With plenty to do for all the family, the show is a real celebration of everything smallholder and is a great opportunity to learn about new breeds, gather information or just have a fun day out.

The Smallholder Range will be on hand to provide information on all of their feeds and answer any feeding queries you may have. This year we have also linked up with the RWAS to provide a servce to those coming to the show to learn more about poultry. Poultry Care Corner will be part of the Smallholder Range stand and will have experts on hand to answer any queries you may have about any aspect of getting started with poultry or waterfowl, and you will also be able to collect your FREE care pack to take home with you.

Have you heard of our new range specifically for Ex-Battery Hens? Come and visit our stand this weekend to find out more!

Royal Welsh Smallholder & Garden Festival, Builth Wells, Powys 16-17th May 2009

http://www.rwas.co.uk/en/garden-festival/

Hugh Challenges Chicken Numbers

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:31:31 GMT

Celebrity chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Compassion in World Farming took the high profile Chicken Out! campaign to the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to expose the Government's plan of increasing the number of birds that will be forced into overcrowded chicken sheds from 2010. Despite growing public concern over the link between poor animal welfare and human health - reflected in a 42% increase in sales of higher welfare chicken from 2007-2008- the UK Government is finalising plans to allow even more overcrowding, with a staggering increase of up to 24% from its previous recommended standards.

This is the equivalent of adding more than 11,500 extra chickens into a large shed that already holds 50,000 chickens, or allowing up to 21 birds to be crammed into one square metre. Each chicken will have up to a fifth less floor space than an A4 sheet of paper - even less than the tiny amount of living space a battery hen currently has to endure.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall called on the Minister for Farming and the Environment, Jane Kennedy MP to exclude this huge increase from UK legislation. The celebrity chef delivered his animal welfare message to Mr Dan Skerten, Jane Kennedy's Private Secretary, in the form of a giant postcard signed on behalf of the 159, 613 Chicken Out! supporters, 216 MP's who signed the Early Day Motion 581 on chicken welfare and Compassion in World Farming.

Lasse Bruun, Head of Campaigns, Compassion in World Farming, said "The Government's proposals, if enacted, would undermine the most basic principles of animal welfare. Intensively farmed chickens are already suffering from lack of space, lameness, weak legs and lung failure, yet this proposal will only make the situation worse and goes entirely against the public's demand for higher animal welfare."

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said " People have become increasingly concerned about the welfare conditions that their food has been raised in. Consumers, especially those on tight budgets, rely on the Government to ensure that the food they have access to is of an acceptable ethical standard. The Government's proposal to reduce welfare standards is not only wrong but ignores this increasing public opinion and most importantly, ignores public interest."

Mike Hancock MP, sponsor of the Early Day Motion 581, said "Stocking densities up to 21 chickens per square metre are simply not acceptable. The British Government should outlaw such extreme densities in this country. It is clear from the soaring sales of higher welfare chickens that the British public want to see better farming conditions for chickens. Compassion in World Farming and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are to be congratulated on their campaign against this extreme overcrowding."

The Chicken Out! campaign has already acheived 159,613 pledges of support (as of 22 April 2009) from consumers who demand higher welfare for chickens.

Sheep Going Nude to Help Economy

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:06:36 GMT

Grazing sheep used on conservation land are helping boost Bedfordshire's local economy by having their fleeces turned into wool.

Sheep need to be sheared every year, which is a costly process but the fleeces are usually worth pennies. The Nude Ewe project, supported by Natural England, spins the fleeces into wool and then sellls it to the public.

Money made from the project is given back to farmers to spend on maintaining and looking after the flock. So far the scheme has earned £1000. Grazing sheep eat bramble, shrubs and other coarse vegetation that would otherwise take over habitats such as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).

Fleeces are already being spun from a small flock of Wensleydale sheep which have soft fleeces and produce sought after wool. Heather Webb, co-ordinator for the Bedfordshire and Luton Biodiversity Partnership, one of the partners in the project said ' The fleeces are only worht pennies, it also costs money to repair fences, maintain shelters and deliver medical treatment for the flocks. We are working to help conservation graziers recover these costs.'

Chicken Couple in Eviction Threat

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:35:21 GMT

A couple in Gateshead are facing eviction from their home unless they remove their chickens from their garden.

Elisabeth and Ronald Lewis, are tenants of Gateshead Housing Company, and their tenancy agreement forbids them from keeping livestock.

But Mr Lewis said the birds were doing no harm and that there ‘was no way’ they were giving them up.

A housing company spokesman said that the agreement clearly states that chickens cannot be kept at the property.

Mr Lewis said: ‘We’ll continue keeping the chickens. We’re not giving the chickens up. There’s no way. This is a garden that can easily cope with two chickens. There’s no health hazard, nothing except they (the council) have to have their rules.’

A spokesperson from The Gateshead Housing Company said ‘ Gateshead Council’s tenancy agreement clearly states that tenants must not keep livestock, such as horses, donkeys, goats, pigs, cattle , ducks, geese and chickens at the property.’

He added ‘Animals must not cause a nuisance, annoyance or concern to anyone in the local area including any employee or agent of the council or The Gateshead Housing Company’.

When asked about the possibility of being evicted, Mr Lewis said: ‘We’ll see to that when the time comes.’

As reported by the BBC News website

Whats your animal welfare footprint?

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:23:29 GMT

The RSPCA has launched two new quirky online adverts to encourage people to think about their animal welfare footprint, as well as their carbon footprint.

In the first advert, people are asked to spot the animal welfare problem in a kitchen scenario.

In the second, there's a hidden welfare problem during a family evening meal.

People are then asked to work out their animal welfare footprint by visiting: www.animalwelfarefootprint.com

Doing simple things can make a real difference
RSPCA sustainability and social responsibility manager, Helen Ball, said: "The footprint was developed to help people think about how they impact on animal welfare.

"Directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, we can all influence how animals are treated, the laws that protect them, and how society views them.

"Doing simple things, such as choosing not to buy fur or checking the label on the fake fur trim on a coat to ensure that it contains no animal fur, can make a real difference.

"We hope the ads will make people stop and think about how they shop and the way they think about animals, and encourage others to do the same."

Look out for the ads...
The online adverts are running on websites such as The Guardian, Channel 4, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel / Animal Planet.

RSPCA February 2009

The Price of Poultry

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:03:43 GMT

Back in 1950, roast chicken was a feast day treat and Britons ate, on average, less than a kilo of chicken a year. Now the meat is so cheap it's lost its novelty - smothered in sauces, tricked out with seasonings and covered in coatings. All those chicken dinners, curries, barbecue buckets and tikka-flavoured sandwich fillings add up. Britons now eat an average of 23kg of chicken each a year.
To satisfy our insatiable demand, around 840 million birds are reared in the UK each year. Most of the 16 million fresh chickens we buy from supermarkets each week are reared here, but many are imported. Most come from the EU but others are from Brazil and Thailand - these often end up in ready meals, nuggets and other processed forms.

The welfare state
All this cheap chicken comes at the expense of animal welfare. The factory farming conditions endured by most broiler chickens - reared for meat, not eggs - have been exposed most effectively by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver.
To keep us supplied with bargain birds, farmers pack up to 50,000 (and typically around 25,000) chicks into sheds, dimly lit to discourage movement and ensure they put on weight at an unnaturally fast rate. After reaching the required size twice as quickly as factory farmed chickens did just 30 years ago, the average intensively reared bird is ready for slaughter at 5-6 weeks old. By then there could be up to 19 birds per square metre.
Because the chickens have grown so quickly, their bones can be weak, joints can become infected and some have difficulty walking. Ammonia from the build-up of faeces and urine in the litter on which they sit can cause breast blisters and burns on their feet and legs. The tell-tale 'hock burn' and breast blisters are evidence of poor conditions.

Climate of change
Celebrity chefs, the RSPCA and other campaigners have been trying to persuade supermarkets not to sell chickens farmed to these most basic standards and encourage shoppers to spend more on higher-welfare birds.
As a result of their campaign, British shoppers have been buying a larger number of well-treated chickens than ever before. These are either free-range birds (organic chickens are by definition free-range too) or birds from indoor flocks reared to better standards equivalent to the RSPCA's Freedom Food label.
According to a survey carried out for Compassion in World Farming, sales of 'standard' chicken fell by 11 per cent in 2008. At the same time 35 per cent more free-range and organic birds were bought. Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and the Co-op now sell only higher-welfare chicken. Sales of these more fortunate birds rose by 42 per cent nationally in 2008. Overall the proportion of British chickens reared to better standards indoors or other free-range or organic standards has risen to around one in five, from only 4.5 per cent two years earlier.

What is higher-welfare poultry?

Millions more British chickens now live in better conditions, yet around 80 per cent don’t meet RSPCA standards. Instead, farms follow a voluntary Assured Chicken Production (ACP) code. The Red Tractor symbol offers a guarantee of the health of the flocks and food safety, and that chickens have been reared to a legal minimum standard.
However, the RSCPA believes that the ACP welfare standards are too low. Stocking densities, the Society claims, are unacceptably high and chickens are encouraged to gain weight as quickly as possible. According to Compassion in World Farming, Red Tractor standards meet only five out of its 13 animal welfare criteria. To qualify for the RSPCA's Freedom Food approval indoor-reared chickens must be a more active breed, have 25 per cent more space, brighter lighting, a better environment - with bales, perches and even footballs to play with - and live for longer than typical intensively reared birds.
Since the chicken welfare campaign took flight and shoppers started looking for the reassurance of a label, many farmers have converted to higher-welfare production. There were 25 per cent more Freedom Food approved chickens sold at the beginning of 2009 than at the end of 2007.

For better or for worse?

Until now, other than the most basic measures to prevent cruelty to farm animals, there have been no legal restrictions on how many birds can be packed into a given space (the stocking density). In June 2010, when a European directive comes into force, the welfare of chickens will finally be protected by law.
Chicken producers across Europe will be obliged to operate to the same basic standards, a move welcomed by British chicken farmers. The ACP code has already included improvements to lighting, but animal welfare organisations say the new rules will not improve conditions for chickens and could actually allow more overcrowding. Red Tractor chickens already have more space than the minimum required under the new rules. RSPCA senior scientific officer Dr Marc Cooper says, "it's a poor piece of legislation that will do very little to improve welfare for chickens".

Cheap chicken - at a price

While some supermarkets have moved away from standard chickens, others still compete to sell them more cheaply than their rivals. The price of a whole chicken has sunk as low as £2. Per kilo, chicken is still far cheaper than other meat, and in 2008 when food prices rose to an unprecedented high, poultry prices rose up by only half as much as those for beef and pork.
Margins are low for farmers producing chickens as cheaply as possible and the fluctuating cost of wheat, which accounts for 50 per cent of a broiler chicken's feed, makes it difficult to invest in changes to their chicken rearing systems. Even so, many chicken farmers have improved the environment for indoor chickens to meet customer demand.

What about free-range and organic?

Free-range chickens must have access to the outdoors for at least half their life and are grown more slowly, for slaughter at eight weeks old (10-11 weeks if they are organic), which means they don't suffer the problems that afflict the fastest-grown chickens.

Organic chickens are allowed to grow more slowly, are not given routine antibiotics or unnecessary medication, and are fed a diet of organically produced feed. All organic chickens are free-range, with more outside space than other free-range birds, and smaller flock sizes. Birds certified as organic by the Soil Association - 30 per cent of all organic chickens - will have been reared to the highest welfare standards.
However, buying free-range (and even sometimes organic) chicken is not always a guarantee of good welfare standards. This is because the stocking densities can be as high for free-range birds as for indoor-reared birds. They may not be able to get outside easily and space itself may be unsuitably exposed, for example. Though the indoor environment is equally important, no extra rules apply to that.

Freedom Food chickens are not necessarily free-range, and some chickens reared indoors may be better treated than their free-range counterparts. While most indoor broiler chickens are slaughtered at 35 days, Freedom Food birds will not reach the 2.2kg weight preferred for slaughter until 49 days - seven weeks. The best sheds have windows to give the chickens daylight, provide enough space for the birds to move freely and flap their wings, perching opportunities and a semi-organic diet.

Buying eggs

Thanks to EU regulations we have been able to choose whether to buy eggs from hens kept in cages, indoor barns where they can move freely or from free-range birds, with daytime access to outdoor runs whenever they want. This information has been given on egg boxes since 2004. Eighty-five per cent of UK eggs come stamped with the red 'Lion Quality' mark. The mark indicates that they're included in what is essentially a food-safety scheme (all Lion Quality eggs are from hens vaccinated against salmonella) but the scheme also sets higher standards of welfare than those required by law.
Sales of free-range eggs are soaring, and now account for 40 per cent of what we buy - up from 15 per cent ten years ago. While the UK has the largest number of free-range hens in Europe, demand for free-range eggs currently exceeds production. Yet more than half the eggs sold are laid by caged hens; four per cent are from barn hens.

The RSPCA will not give the Freedom Food label to eggs from caged hens, of which there are an estimated 19 million. Their laying lives are short - most are no use after a year - and miserable.

The worst cages were due to be phased out in Europe by 2012 and replaced with 'enriched' cages, with a small amount of extra space, but still not enough for birds to move around freely. Welfare lobbyists believe these are little better and would like all cages banned. Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and the Co-op have taken the decision to stop selling eggs from caged hens.
Even free-range laying hens usually have their beaks trimmed (a practice that will be banned in the UK from 2011) to prevent them from pecking each other. Most of the birds are kept in very large flocks. Freedom Food laying hens have larger areas to roam and don’t have their beaks trimmed. Organic laying hens are kept in smaller flocks than free-range are and have twice as much indoor space - and Soil Association hens have even more outdoor space. Their beaks are not trimmed, either.

Labelling

Here's what the various symbols and terms found on chickens and eggs mean:
Chicken
? The 'Red Tractor' symbol is part of a voluntary scheme. Birds with the symbol meet assurance standards, guaranteeing the health of the flocks and food safety. Red Tractor chickens have been reared to a minimum welfare standard. These are conditions for 'standard' chickens and already exceed the EU welfare rules being introduced in 2012.
? 'Extensive indoor' or 'barn-reared': these chickens mustn't be packed more than 15 to a square metre of living space (and not more than 25kg/sq m in combined weight); they shouldn't be slaughtered before they are 56 days old.
? 'Free-range': the maximum indoor stocking density is 13 birds per square metre (and not more than 27.5kg/sq m); in addition, each bird, for at least half its life, should have continuous daytime access to open-air runs with a maximum density of one bird per square metre.
? 'Traditional free-range': the maximum indoor stocking density is 12 birds per square metre (and not more than 25kg/sq m); continuous daytime access to open-air runs should be given from the age of six weeks, and these runs should allow at least 2sq m per chicken; poultry houses shouldn't contain more than 4,800 chickens. Slow-growing varieties of chicken should be used, with a minimum slaughter age of 81 days.
? 'Free-range - Total Freedom': in addition to the criteria for 'traditional free-range' chickens, these birds should have open-air runs of unlimited area.
? 'Organic' chickens are free-range and slower grown. They are slaughtered at 81 days, given organic feed and no routine antibiotics. They are kept in smaller flocks, with more space to move about inside and out.
? Freedom Food is the scheme for animals reared to the RSPCA's welfare standards. Chickens are more slowly grown and stocking densities are lower, though they are not necessarily free-range birds.
Eggs
? 'Farm fresh' is a meaningless description. The eggs could have been laid by chickens farmed in battery cages. Boxes must state whether eggs were laid by caged hens.
? 'Barn eggs' come from hens kept indoors in sheds, with no more than nine birds per square metre. Perches must be provided and other environmental conditions met. They can be Freedom Food approved.
? 'Free-range' egg production provides chickens with daytime access to runs covered with vegetation, with a maximum 2,500 birds per hectare.
? 'Organic' eggs are from chickens with more privileges than free-range and are produced according to EU laws on organic production. Growth promoters, artificial pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and commercial fertilisers cannot be used in the feed for organic production.
? The 'Lion Quality' mark on the shell of eggs is a guarantee that the eggs were produced to higher standards than required by UK or EU law. All Lion Quality-marked eggs have complete traceability, a 'Best Before' date on the shell and compulsory vaccination of the laying flock against salmonella.
? Freedom Food eggs meet the RSPCA's animal welfare standards. Battery hens do not meet the standard - only barn or free-range eggs qualify for this label.

Taken from the BBC News - February 09