Quality Assurance
Animal Welfare
Our animal welfare standards are guided by the Five Freedoms:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst –
by ready access to fresh water and a diet designed to maintain full health and vigour. - Freedom from discomfort –
by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area. - Freedom from pain, injury or disease –
by prevention or by rapid diagnosis and treatment. - Freedom to express normal behaviour –
by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animals’ own kind. - Freedom from fear and distress –
by ensuring conditions and treatment to avoid suffering.
ORGANIC
The farm is managed organically and we are inspected each year by Organic Farmers & Growers. We do not use any artificial fertilisers or pesticides, and we only use drugs such as antibiotics if we really need to for welfare reasons.
PASTURE FED
Pasture containing grasses, wildflowers and herbs is the natural diet of cattle and sheep. Yet today, very few animals are fed on pasture alone. Many farmers now try to produce their meat as quickly as possible, by feeding things like cereals and imported soya, and keeping them indoors for some, or all of the time. So animals are vanishing from our fields and the tasty, healthy, grass-fed food they produce is hard to find.
The Pasture-Fed Livestock Association brings together British farmers committed to producing high quality food in a more natural way.
Grass fed should mean 100% grass fed. Our pasture fed production has been certified by Pasture for Life since 2015.
Environmental Management
Most of our farm is managed under a detailed Environmental Stewardship Scheme (Organic Entry Level and Higher Level) agreement with DEFRA. This voluntary agreement guides the way we manage and create the wildlife habitats on the farm.
We also work closely with the National Trust who developed a whole farm environmental plan for the farm, drawing on the Trust’s expertise in wildlife, landscape, heritage, access and resource protection.
All farmers must, by law, also meet a large number of environmental regulations and cross compliance measures which include everything from soil protection and waste recycling to hedgerow trimming and field margin management. Farmers in the UK have to meet the most stringent regulations in the world.
Fine Food
We believe in food that tastes and looks good, and is safe to eat. We do not rush or push our animals, and we butcher the traditional way with good hanging times that allow the meat to mature. Our repeat customers are our taste test. Visit Customer Feedback to see what customers have said about our produce.
We have won a number of National Trust Fine Food awards for our produce over the last 5 years. Our hogget and beef are a particular favourite with the testing panel.
