Opinion: Take cattle off grass and we lose the moral high ground
© Chris Brignell/Adobe Stock I wouldn’t be a proper beef farmer if I didn’t have a rant about TB every so often, so I feel this is long overdue.
First thing’s first: I’m a big believer that beef production will play a critical role in our future.
Cattle grazing diverse leys that lock up carbon and improve soil health provide us with a nutrient-dense source of protein that tastes incredible.
It’s a win all round, even before we mention the benefits to biodiversity or water quality.
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We moved to beautiful Herefordshire in 2004. Deep soils and an average 30in of rain a year make it ideal for growing grass.
However, with every passing year there seem to be fewer cattle grazing in the summer.
When you dig a little deeper, it becomes apparent that TB policy is starting to play a big role in how beef will be produced.
Without boring you with detail and acronyms, Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) policy is directly encouraging beef producers (especially dairy beef) to house cattle 365 days a year.
In return, farmers get to buy cheaper, TB-restricted calves and, more importantly, avoid testing.
Just as with Covid, the simplest way of controlling airborne diseases is to lock people up in their homes. Lockdowns were incredibly effective and helped keep mortality to a minimum.
However, after participating in our 378th Zoom quiz, it quickly became apparent that there were some serious consequences and it couldn’t go on forever. Indefinitely housing cattle is no different.
We simply cannot compete on the world market without getting a premium for our product.
Our competitive advantage, especially in the west of the country, is the abundance of grass and our ability to graze it. It’s what consumers expect and are often happy to pay extra for.
Remove the cattle from grass and we lose the moral high ground. Can we really expect a premium for cattle that are never let out?
I certainly don’t blame individual farmers for making the move indoors. It may well suit their system. But it’s the lack of flexibility that worries me.
Approved Finishing Units (Enhanced) are supposed to be a viable option for those wishing to graze, but the rules are so unbelievably complicated that there is only one in the whole of the UK.
Those of us who put grazing at the heart of our system are being left with very few options.
I was lucky enough to host the GB Dairy Calf Strategy TB subgroup meeting recently. Teams from Defra, Apha, the NFU and the Welsh government were all present.
Whether they were actively engaged, or just concerned that I might let the dogs in and lock the door, I felt they actually listened to my concerns and took on board my suggestions.
On one hand we are being handsomely rewarded for planting herbal leys in Mid Tier stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive, but then we are actively discouraged from grazing them. My little brain just can’t compute what the message is.
With cattle vaccination a serious possibility in the medium term, the future looks a lot brighter.
In the meantime, I just hope I’m still allowed to open the barn gates in spring and enjoy watching the cattle doing what comes naturally to them.
Unless the oldest Angus group escapes again… then my attitude may well change.