The Munching Grassland Managers
Regular visitors to Denmark Farm will be familiar with the sight of a small herd of Highland cattle who are on loan to us by local grazier Gwyn.
Our mobile management team of Highland cattle munch our grasslands in just the right way to encourage a myriad of wildlife – tackling tougher plants so that others can thrive, and leaving uneven tussocks of grass where wildlife can overwinter. They thrive on our unfertilised, organic pastures and help to maintain Denmark Farm’s wonderful habitat mosaic.
Photo taken by Natasha Wynne-Hughes
We don’t want to shy away from the fact that these wonderful beasts are beef cattle and will ultimately be slaughtered for their meat. Eating meat can be a bit of a controversial issue nowadays, and no meat more so than beef. However, some people may not be aware that grass fed meat undertaken for conservation grazing and management is not the same as intensively reared meat fed concentrates, often from soya etc. A lot of organisations are now saying ‘eat less but better meat’, for those who are not vegetarian or vegan.
Here at Denmark Farm, and many other nature reserves, a lot of important habitat would be lost without some sensitive conservation grazing.
Conservation Grazing is livestock grazing, which delivers multiple benefits for wildlife and people now and into the future. These benefits include:
- Maintenance of our species-rich wildlife habitats by controlling aggressive and invasive species, sustaining open and wooded habitats and creating gaps for new species to germinate.
- Improving farm incomes through better grazing management of marginal land and the marketing of wildlife friendly and local produce.
- Helping make communities safer and healthier through reducing fire risk and improving access to green space.
- Improving resilience by encouraging sustainable management of soils, supporting flood risk initiatives and promoting healthy population of pollinators.