Farming, Food and the Environment

Are you making a conscious effort to consider your environmental footprint this year?

Are you reconsidering what foods you should/shouldn’t eat as a result?

We absolutely agree that everyone should be considering more carefully their shopping habits, and here are a few things to think about….

Farming Systems

We have been horrified to watch footage of huge areas of the Amazon being cut and burnt in order to graze beef cattle. We’ve been shocked (although not surprised) to see images of 1000s of cows corralled in to grass-less feed lots in the States, with nowhere to roam, and fed on grain based diets with the routine addition of antibiotics.

These farming methods are not just limited to livestock production, with vast monocultures of crops, cereals, and vegetables such as soya, avocados and almonds grown in a similarly intensive fashion which is so damaging to the environment and wildlife diversity.

These farming systems will certainly be having a detrimental effect on the environment, but what is vital to remember is that this is not representative of farming systems in the UK. The greenhouse gas emissions produced from beef farming in the UK is 2.5 times lower than the global average with some extensive systems (like ours) much better than that.

It is also important to consider that 65% of UK farmland is only suitable for growing grass and grazing livestock … flood plains, mountain sides, and moorland would not be suitable for growing crops. These grasslands are an important store of carbon because, as plants grow, they take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it as carbon in the soil. British cattle and sheep are predominantly grass fed (100% in our case) and by eating the grass, and their manure fertilising the soil, they are not only producing high quality, nutrient dense protein, but also helping to manage the grassland ecosystems and protect these valuable carbon stores.

Be wary of statistics!

It is easy to get drawn into statistics but we must be sure of what they are really trying to tell us. The levels of greenhouse gas emissions from red meat production is a figure that is widely publicised, however the figures used are global ones and as mentioned, the UK is 2.5 times lower this.

Another popular headline is that agriculture produces more greenhouse gases globally than transport. Actually, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, 5% of direct emissions come from agriculture and 14% of direct emissions come from transport. The misleading figures often used are when you combine the direct emissions from agriculture with the indirect ones, such as associated transport and fossil fuels burnt along the food chain, and get a total figure of 14.5%. The figures also fail to take into account the amount of carbon sequestered back into the soil through the grassland grazed by animals, carbon being returned to the soil through the use of animal based fertilisers, and the many benefits of associated environmental schemes.

What if there were no cattle or sheep

Let’s say we all adopted a plant based diet and there was no longer a need for any cattle or sheep. Firstly, it is likely that we would plant a lot more trees (we’re planting a fair few at the moment anyway). Whilst trees do store carbon they are not as efficient as grassland in doing this, so trees instead of grassland would actually have a negative impact on the climate.

If grassland was left with no animals to graze it (and let’s remember 65% of UK farmland is only suitable for growing grass), it would soon revert back to scrub land making it less efficient at capturing carbon from the atmosphere and making it more prone to fires. There is evidence to show that grassland biodiversity is greater when it is managed with grazing animals rather than being left unmanaged, although we know this is debatable!

With the absence of meat in our diet, we would need to plough large areas of grassland in order to grow more plant protein for humans, which would result in the release of carbon stored in the soil. It would also be heavily reliant on fossil fuel derived and intensively manufactured fertiliser, as there wouldn’t be manure from farm animals available to fertilise the crops. In addition, the ploughing up of grassland would mean that rich and diverse ecosystems would be lost. The grassland would be replaced with crop or vegetable production which would see many insects and plants destroyed during the growing process.

UK farmers and the Environment

We have seen the destruction that some intensive farming systems are having on the environment around the world, however here in the UK farmers care deeply about the countryside, and feel it a privilege to have the responsibility to manage and look after it. Many are participating in Countryside Stewardship schemes where areas of farms are put over to specific environmental specialities such as pollen and nectar plots and wild bird seed areas. Grass margins are left around arable fields providing a corridor and environment for wildlife. Numerous areas of trees have been planted and new hedgerows installed. Restrictions on fertiliser usage, cultivation timings, and management of grass cutting are followed, all with the aim of improving nesting and living habitats for a diverse mixture of flora and fauna to thrive. These are just a tiny example of some of the things UK farms are doing to help protect and improve the environment, both for the benefit of wildlife and also for future generations to enjoy.

These environmental activities not only benefit the wildlife, but also the planting of trees and hedges, coupled with the management of grassland, is brilliant at removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the plants and soil. Whilst there is undoubtedly more that can be done, UK agriculture should be seen as a major part of the solution to climate change, not part of the problem.

Food Miles and Seasonality

We live in a world where people expect all produce to be available all year round. Despite it being winter, there is an expectation that you will find strawberries, asparagus and sugar snap peas all available on supermarket shelves. We also have a taste for the exotic – who doesn’t love a mango or avocado? Delicious, but they can’t be grown in the UK. Of course in order to meet consumer demand these are flown and shipped from all over the world. But at what cost to the environment? Surely we are better off trying to eat what is available seasonally and produced locally to us? Not only would we be reducing food miles and the impact this has on the environment, but we would be supporting UK farmers and growers to produce food to some of the highest standards in the world, whilst contributing to local environmental schemes.

This isn’t just limited to fruit and veg production either. We all find meat on our supermarket shelves which has been shipped in from all over the world. This shouldn’t be the case … we can produce the finest quality meats right here in the UK, produced to the highest welfare standards. It is the desire for cheap meat that has resulted in the importing of these products. In doing so we are effectively exporting our carbon footprint because as we’ve discussed, much of this meat production is produced with little care for the environment.

So what can you do to make a difference?

Buy local. Both meat and non-meat products! Don’t fly green beans in from Kenya when you can eat cabbage from a local grower.

Buy unprocessed. Remove unnecessary manufacturing, transport, packaging …

Buy seasonal. No, sugar snap peas do not grow in the UK all year round.

Know your farmer. Find local farmers where you know the provenance of the product. Choose a grower with robust environmental schemes, who considers the most appropriate use for the land they have, and farms alongside the environment. Buy meat that has been slowly fattened on a grass-based diet.

Balance. Eat a little of each food group so you can contribute to a varied and well managed environment, with no need to intensively farm individual food groups.

Reduce waste. Don’t obsess over used buy dates, cook with or freeze left overs, meal plan and write shopping lists to reduce mindless purchases when out shopping.

Eat less, eat better.

Just a few of the things The Northmoor Meat Company does to support the environment

• Following regenerative farming practices such as mob grazing and rotational grazing of cattle and sheep

• Grazing of flood plains not suitable for the growing of crops means a natural method of grassland management 

• Wading bird scrapes have been established in river meadows, providing a habitat for birds such as curlew and lapwing

• Restricted hedgerow cutting to allow birds to nest, whilst protecting a valuable food source for them

• Pollen and nectar plots planted to encourage, birds, bees, bugs and butterflies

• Supplementary feeding of bird seeds to farmland birds

• Wild bird seed plots are planted, providing an abundance of feed and a protective habitat for small birds during the winter

• Bird and owl boxes are located throughout the farm

• Planting of new hedgerows

• Grass fed beef system – everything is born and bred on the farm, and fed only grass based products (grazing pastures from April – November, and eating home produced grass silage during the winter months)

• Spreading of cattle muck on to arable fields to reduce the need for fertiliser and to improve soil structure

• Using Zero Till drilling to ensure the soil structure isn’t disturbed and carbon remains stored in the soil

• Break crops are planted to lock nitrogen in to the soil

• Restricted mowing dates of grassland to allow ground nesting birds to fledge their young

• Restricted applications of sprays and fertilisers to protect watercourses

• Overwintered stubble providing a habitat and food source for many different bird species

• Spreading of green hay from Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve to increase wild flower biodiversity in our own river meadows

• Thriving bee hives located adjacent to our pollen and nectar flower plots