Info, news & debate

Cattle

How the study of animal behaviour (ethology) can help you keep livestock more ethically and sustainably

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I want to talk about something which can help us design more ethical and sustainable ways of keeping our livestock. It is a subject that has always fascinated me and, if you keep animals, I think you will find it fascinating too. It is the is the study the behaviour of animals, particularly in their

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A herd of sheep grazing overlooking the sea

Grazing: why simulating wild herds maximises benefits for farmers, livestock and ecology

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“Many sheep farmers waste more than a third of the grass on their farm because they do not plan grazing wisely.” This is according to Susan Buckingham, extension officer at the Institute of Biological, Environment and Rural Sciences’ Grassland Development Centre

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Volunteer at a crofting / educational centre in the Highlands and learn about the ‘shieling’

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This is a farm-based education organisation.  Our story is the ‘shieling’ – a tradition where folk went up to the hills with the livestock. The shieling is a traditional practice of moving up to the high ground or moorland with livestock, to live there for the summer.

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Why do organic farmers have to pay for certification rather than farmers who use toxic chemicals?

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It’s always more expensive to do the right thing isn’t it? Like taking the train instead of driving or flying, or buying recycled products, organic food or natural building materials. If you want to do the environmentally-friendly or socially-just thing, it’s going to cost you more money. That can’t be right, can it?

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desertification

Can constantly-moving livestock help prevent desertification?

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Desertification is the process whereby grasslands slowly turn into deserts, and suggesting that we can help reverse this process with livestock sounds counter-intuitive, especially as livestock is usually named as one of the major contributors to desertification. In the video below, Allan Savory, who has spent a lifetime studying and working towards poverty eradication and wildlife conservation,

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Is eating meat ethical? And what about dairy?

Microdairies: making them as successful as micro-breweries

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A conference on the benefits of small-scale commercial dairy farms of up to 40 cows or the equivalent of sheep or goats. How to establish them and how to promote the concept. For practising and prospective dairy farmers and others with a professional interest in the future of the British dairy industry.

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