Our impact

Policy and the carbon-focused supply chain are shepherding grazing livestock systems in one of two directions: sustainable intensification or conservation. Both are characterised by the term ‘land sparing’.

Sustainable intensification

This version of business-as-usual suits big business and falls under the auspices of carbon tunnel vision — the focus on narrow emissions metrics favouring intensification. This will likely lead to farm aggregation and poor nutritional, environmental, and animal welfare outcomes (Benton, 2022).

Conservation

This means a small number of commercially inviable animals occupying conservation sites that are reliant on nature-based payments or tourism and that lose the benefits of multi-functionality and biological intensity found on the best agroecological or regenerative farms.

Each positions grazing animals as an anachronism rather than a keystone species in our food system… when managed well.

Whether it is replacing chemical usage in arable rotations or using adaptive grazing management to grow more grass, grazing animals are and have been for centuries, a vital tool in making farming systems work financially. If we are to regenerate our farming communities, they will need to be at the heart of the solution.

Grazing animals as strategic economic assets

The land use debate tells us that conventionally farmed livestock compete for land with human-edible crops. 

But this is not the case for 100% pasture-raised animals, because they can thrive on plants that humans can’t consume. They can graze on temporary grasslands as part of a regenerative cropping system; preserve protected habitats; be rotationally grazed on permanent pasture unsuitable for crop production; and be integrated into agroforestry systems. A win-win for the UK and the multi-functional requirements of land management. 

Grazing ruminants on 100% pasture unlocks the potential to produce more food from the UK’s grassland, reducing the need to import feed from abroad.

Farm profitability is linked to inputs. The supplementary feed and chemicals linked to high-input systems cost money and are subject to the supply chain disruptions and price fluctuations that come as a result of socio-economic or environmental stressors. 

The sunlight and water needed to grow pasture are free. Grazing animals can help farmers reduce dependence on inputs and develop financial resilience. Plus, when human edible crops won’t grow, grass often will. This means livestock represents a valid profit centre and can mitigate losses experienced elsewhere in a mixed farming system.

And this doesn’t come at the expense of animal productivity. There is a correlation between livestock productivity when grazing more diverse pastures (Jordan et al., 2022). Diverse swards have been shown to improve environmental performance, without reductions in productivity, even with a reduction in inputs (Weigelt et al.,2009).

Pastures contain a variety of plant species, from grasses and herbs to wildflowers and clovers. Diverse, they support a range of wildlife above ground and nurture life in the soil below. Grazing animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and deer, are ecosystem engineers — vital to the preservation and restoration of our valuable pastures. 

Biodiversity

Grazing ruminants are the most important factor shaping and stabilising pasture biodiversity. 100% pasture-based systems have more species richness, contain more legume and forb species, and have lower proportions of perennial ryegrass than improved grassland systems. Plus, vegetation height increases.

These tall, diverse pastures are beneficial habitats for wildlife, ranging from invertebrates, such as butterflies and bees, to mammals and birds.

Remove grazing animals, and this biodiversity is lost. 

This life above ground reflects the health of the soil beneath our feet. Grazing is linked with improved soil health, from soil moisture, carbon, and nitrogen content to soil invertebrate abundance.

The carbon footprint of pasture-based farms is significantly lower than that of farms where cereal crops are grown to feed animals. Grassland helps capture and store carbon so less is released into the air to harm the atmosphere. Grazing animals return nutrients and organic matter back to the ground as they deposit their dung, ensuring the soil remains healthy and fertile. In turn, healthier soils give farms greater resilience against climate change and extreme weather events. 

As humans, we know we should eat a diverse diet and steer clear of ultra-processed foods. So would the same not be true for grazing animals?

Animals expressing natural behaviours

Ruminants evolved to eat pasture. It’s true that fields of grass can provide all the nutritional components an animal needs. But diverse pasture provides an even better diet — rich in essential vitamins and minerals drawn up from the soil below. 

Low-input, pasture-based systems are linked to less stressed animals that live longer and are more fertile than those farmed intensively. Given the freedom to express their normal behaviours, they often live in family groups and are able to select which plants they eat. They are less likely to suffer from disease and require little veterinary attention or antibiotics. 

Flavour and nutrient-rich food

Regardless of the genetic makeup, gender, age, species or geographic location, pasture-fed animals produce more nutrient-rich milk and meat than grain-fed and finished animals.

Pasture-fed produce contains higher levels of certain beneficial nutrients, vitamins (A and E), minerals (zinc, iron, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, potassium), and antioxidants (SS-carotene, β-carotene) than grain-fed alternatives. 

It also tends to be lower in total fat, to have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and to have a lower, more balanced (and healthier) ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids, together with significantly higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid.

[Research from Van Vliet et al, 2021; Butler et al, 2021; Davies et al, 2022; Davis et al, 2020; Dunne et al, 2009, O’Callaghan et al, 2016]

When cattle are taken off grass and given a grain-rich diet, which is the way most beef is fattened these days, they lose their valuable store of omega-3 fatty acids. 

Finally, the taste of 100% pasture-raised meat reflects the quality and diversity of the plants the animals have eaten and the health of the soil beneath their feet. Just as wine from different regions has its own distinct terroir, meat can carry the distinct flavour of its region.