BBC Springwatch and BBC Look North

There was plenty of cheery banter in the story developer’s truck at Sherborne in Gloucestershire during this year’s Springwatch Live programme – including an hour’s chat with Pasture for Life farmer and director Jonty Brunyee and his wife Mel.

Hosted by radio presenter and natural history author Brett Westwood, Jonty and Mel talked about how they farm to produce excellent Pasture for Life meat, while encouraging a wide variety of plants to live in their meadows, as well as many insects, invertebrates and mammals.

“We are still learning,” said Jonty. “We say we are at the start of a 30 year project on our farm. There is a lot more we want to do, but it’s not easy.

“As farmers we do need to produce food and we do need to make a living. It’s all about getting the right balance. We try to add value and earn money in different ways as well. Conservation doesn’t always pay the bills so we have to sell our meat locally and add value a little bit. We do get a little funding from the government to help us and I teach at the local university, so I try and bring it all together – but it’s not easy.

“We do have to produce food. But farmers aren’t just there to produce food they’re land managers as well. Producing food, biodiversity, clean soil, nice landscape – the lot. It’s actually a really complex job.”

The couple talked a lot about the regeneration of their meadows.

“Yes restoring wildflower meadows is our passion,” said Jonty. “We’ve lost 98 to 99% of our wild flower meadows since the 1940s. We are trying to recreate them on three quarters of our farm. They are very diverse with 100 different species in the grassland – we call it the Conygree salad bar, perfect for our animals to eat and nibble to thrive.”

“Last year was the first year we were able to take some seeds from one of our exceptional fields and we can now start spreading that around the other fields on the farm,”

added Mel.

Asked whether Pasture for Life farming is just for small farmers or whether it can be scaled up, Jonty replied:

“Oh it can be scaled up – there are plenty of other farmers doing it bigger and better than us on a larger acreage. It’s all about getting close to your customer and trying to tell people the story of what we do to add that value. We want people to come to the farm and to sit quietly for a few minutes in our meadows and just listen and smell and see what they can see and just experience it – a bit of mindfulness in a meadow is crucial.”

As well as this fascinating chat, Springwatch also filmed presenter Martin Hughes Games in some of Jonty and Mel’s meadows, which was broadcast later in the week.

On BBC Radio Lincolnshire and BBC TV Look North

Recently BBC Rural Affairs correspondent Linsey Smith and her cameraman paid a visit to Field Farm near Lincoln where Darren and his family run a Pasture for Life herd of Lincoln Red cows and a small sheep flock.

Darren and Pasture for Life General Manager Russ Carrington appeared on local radio and the lunchtime news, reaching consumers across East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

As part of the film Darren said:

The animals we have are Lincoln red cattle and they’re living at the moment on a 100% pasture fed diet. They are eating grass but also natural plants that are found so this means the meat is really flavoursome and healthy having low omega 6 content.

“Being Pasture for Life certified means that you are guaranteed to know what the animal has eaten and exactly where the meat has come from. It is guaranteed that if you buy a joint of meat from us it has been produced on Field Farm all of its life, eating just a grass based diet.”

Back in the kitchen Russ explained a bit more about the Pasture for Life philosophy.

“Pasture for Life recognises animals that have been reared just on pasture in tune with the environment and animal welfare, producing a really healthy product which has proven science to support that.

“There are a growing number of consumers who really value their product being British, well looked after and fed in a way that provides healthy food for them as customers.

“We are seeing that demand growing and it’s very good to be able to engage with those consumers who may also recognise that with small local family farms, it also supports other parts of the community and social aspects for villages and towns alike.”

On TV, Russ went on to say:

“We have complete supply chain traceability which connects the consumer with the story behind where their meat came from.

“I believe there is a turn in the tide of consumer opinion, not for the mass scale at the moment, but there is a portion of consumers that are looking for a British, local, healthy, good animal welfare product.”

View the piece on BBC Look North here.

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