This year the national Beef Expo in Bakewell (20th May 2016) will include the first ever organic focus area as well as a new seminar from the Soil Association on opportunities for organic beef farmers. The Soil Association is the UK’s largest organic certification body and is presenting the benefits of going organic to attendees at the show.
 
Liz Bowles, head of farming at the Soil Association said; “We are delighted to be a part of this year’s Beef Expo at Bakewell at a time when all beef producers are being challenged by farmgate prices due in part to falling demand for all red meats in the UK. What is becoming ever clearer is that consumers do want to know more about where their food comes from and how it is produced. Many organic beef producers are responding to this consumer preference by developing more direct to consumer supply chains and are being rewarded by rapid business growth.
 
“We are also seeing an increasing awareness within the farming industry of the important role which grazing livestock can perform in maintaining soil health and soil organic matter. This highlights a need to re-evaluate how we construct enterprise gross margins to value the contribution of livestock properly within the whole farm system.”
 
The Soil Association seminar will take place at Beef Expo on Friday 20th (repeated twice during the day) for all wishing to find out more about organic beef. ‘Thinking of going organic?’ discusses more about organic beef production techniques, including the benefits of going organic.
 
Speakers include Tim Bevan (Farm Business Advisor, Soil Association), Philip Douthwaite (Townsend Farm, South Warwickshire), Andrew Sebire (Lower Hurst Farm, Derbyshire), Tim Leigh and Peter Jones (Organic Livestock Marketing Cooperative).
 
Seminar includes:

• Practicalities of organic beef production
• Farmer’s experience of the organic beef market
• Procurement and marketing opportunities

 
Philip Douthwaite runs a mixed farm including 200 organic suckler beef cows in South Warwickshire. He said; “Born, reared and finished on our farm our organic beef is produced using natural methods and fed using only crops grown on the farm. Cattle are winter fed on a totally mixed ration with all feed produced on the farm including limited amounts of cereals from the wheat, oat, barley and bean crops grown on the 200 acres of arable cropping. The farm has been organic since the 1980s. All stock is finished at 19 to 22 months and sold through OLMC either to ABP or Dawn, or to a butcher and farm shop.”
 
Philip will be talking more about his experiences at the Soil Association seminar.
 
For more details on organic contact goorganic@soilassociation.org
To find out about the Beef Expo & book tickets: http://www.nationalbeefassociation.com/beef-expo/