Yorkshire Dales National Park

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Yorkshire Dales National Park

• Area 1,760 km2
• Resident population 19,500
• Nature conservation designations SSSI 500 km2
  (of which 400 km2 is Natura 2000)
• Farming 1,100 farm holdings with 900 full time
  farmers
• Tourism 7.5 million day visits, 1.3 million
  staying visitors

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Project area
Project area of 11,100 ha covers the United
Kingdom most important limestone region in the UK
and includes 12 internationally important
habitats (Natura 2000) The range of habitats
present includes the most extensive series of
limestone pavement in the UK along with the most
extensive area of upland limestone grassland.
Malham Tarn wetland complex is considered to be
one of the most outstanding in the UK.
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Farming in the Dales

• Long history of pastoral farming
• Farming is marginal remoteness, climate,
  terrain
• Primary land use hill sheep flocks and suckler
  cow herds
• Agri-environment covers large areas of land
  addressing overgrazing of 1950s-1990s
• Reduction in cattle since 1970s

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Economic viability

• Average farm size is 357ha (but ranges from 200 -
  1,1005ha)
• Livestock numbers, 500-2000 sheep
• Most of the land is classified as very poor by
  DEFRA in terms of agricultural quality
• 60-80 of gross margins is derived from subsidy
  and agri-environment payments
• A need to improve efficiency cut costs (ie out
  wintering reducing reliance on feed)

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Impacts of agricultural support

• Recent years costs of livestock production have
  outweighed market returns shortfall met by
  direct headage subsidies.
• 2003 reform of Pillar I and II of the CAP,
  combined with broader socio-economic change with
  have significant impact on farm structure.
• Reduction of Single Payment year on year will
  place greater emphasis on improving market
  conditions.

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Ecology Natura 2000 habitats

• Karst landscape with habitat mosaics
  grasslands, blanket bogs, juniper, woodland
• Degraded habitats many in unfavourable
  ecological condition
• Cattle have an important role in the management
  of wildlife habitats

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Natura 2000 - key management issues

• Availability of farming systems and cattle
• Grazing regimes/stocking calendars required under
  agri-environment are different from conventional
  husbandry systems
• Remoteness of land and provision of livestock
  handling facilities and water supplies
• Cattle need to be adapted to physical conditions
  and be able to graze through winter months
  (benefits of native breeds?)
• How to support this management??

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How to solve the problem? development of the
project

• Our key partner is the farming community
• Established good working relationships
• Effective dialogue talking and listening
• Working together on ideas
• Mutual understanding and ownership of the project

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Project Objective
To Restore Habitats within the Ingleborough
Complex and Craven Limestone Complex Special
Areas of Conservation (SAC) by encouraging a
return to mixed farming using hardy cattle
breeds
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The Project in action - Farm Management

• Environmental audits and whole farm plans
• Management agreements on Natura 2000,
  complementary to agri-environment measures
• Annual costs
• Capital costs
• - stock protection
• - provision of water
• - cattle

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Land Management achievements

• 18 herds of traditional breed cattle grazing
  gt1850ha of Natura 2000 (and also other areas of
  the farm)
• Provision of 7 new stock watering facilities
• Provision of handling facilities for remote sites
  and mobile cattle crushes for shared use by
  farmers.

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Ecological Benefits

• 3 years research data indicate improvements to
  limestone pavement and grassland habitats with
  cattle grazing
• Satellite monitoring provides valuable
  information on animal behaviour and grazing
  preferences.

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Other achievements

• Project has raised the awareness of the
  importance of cattle in upland nature
  conservation.
• Project has influenced the development of
  Environmental Stewardship (the English
  agri-environment scheme) which now include
• - Whole farm agreements
• - Farm Environment Plans
• - Cattle options

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Environmental Stewardship

• From 2006 schemes now support the maintenance of
  cattle grazing in uplands and on grazing marshes
• - Cattle grazing supplements
• - Native breeds at risk supplement

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• c.3,000 ha under cattle grazing agreements
• Of which c.1,100 under new Higher Level Scheme

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Natura 2000 selling a product

• Growing market in the UK for quality beef
  valued for taste and structure of the meat
• Good environmental management can help in the
  promotion of local or farm brands
• Good premium prices can be obtained

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What are we trying to sell?

• Growing interest in products with strong local
  provenance, high standards of production and
  beneficial to environment
• A local story
• Quality product
• Premium prices

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Healthiness and quality of meat

• Initial results suggest better taste and texture
  in native breeds
• Early indications that grass-fed cattle produces
  higher ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats
  and more anti-oxidants
• Still awaiting further analysis, including those
  comparing animals fed on improved vs biodiverse
  grasslands

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Limestone Country Beef Producers Group

• Formation of group committed to working
  together to supply a potentially lucrative market
  to best advantage
• Production of marketing plan
• Development of brand criteria
• Review Options for marketing
• Also identified that assistance was needed in two
  main areas
• Selection of Stock to Market
• Sales co-ordination

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Approach to marketing

• Farmers manage the land and cattle
• Environmentalists support the project and supply
  guidance.
• Fieldsmen check quality of animals
• Marketing and sales people advise on options

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Limestone Country Beef - Selling Criteria

• Environmental simple and easy to follow
  length of time spent on Natura 2000 grazing (and
  final grazing season prior to slaughter), 50 of
  adult life on agri-environment land
• Finishing criteria grass-fed only?
• Traceability - standard slaughter methods,
  approved sales channels, food labels, Spot checks
• Quality Fieldsman, hung for three weeks,
  feedback from cutters and butchers.

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Options for selling

• Three options considered
• Direct Consumer marketing box schemes, farmers
  markets, mail order, farm gate etc
• Selling to retail and wholesale restaurants,
  butchers or food processors
• Working with a larger retailer regional
  supermarkets etc
• Need to balance most lucrative markets and those
  which require the least input.

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• Limestone Country Project farmers are making 25
  - 160 gross margin per head (equivalents) more
  than when they were farming sheep.
• Can achieve between 0.5 and 2.0 kg/dw more
  for their cattle than main commodity price but
  only when premium prices are obtained.
• In the absence of niche marketing the prices
  obtained are much less than commercial cattle or
  sheep

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Conclusions - the future of the Limestone
Country

• Cattle have an essential role in the management
  of wildlife habitats (but maintaining cattle in
  the uplands may be for conservation reasons only
  and agri-environmental support will be needed)
• Need to ensure that current agricultural and
  environmental policies do not lead to further
  moves away from farming with cattle.
• May need flexible and local mechanisms to
  identify and address farming issues and
  management of Natura 2000
• Need to assist farmers to help them develop the
  premium markets needed to stay profitable.
• The wildlife and landscapes of Natura 2000
  clearly have potential as selling points in niche
  markets, but there is a need for formal
  accreditation of products and more work needed to
  increase public awareness.

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Thank you