Marketing lamb in the South Downs and Brabant
Sheep are used to preserve the landscape, in the chalk grasslands of the South Downs as well as in the heath of Het Groene Woud in Brabant. But how can you make more money with the lamb and mutton you sell in butchers and supermarkets? In 2006 English and Dutch farmers visited each other to learn from each other.
In the Netherlands it becomes quite common to use sheep for nature preservation. The use of old Kempen sheep races to manage the heath in Brabant was subject of the conference held on 20 October 2006. The marketing techniques used by the South Wold Lamb Company were a new sound for the participants, mainly ecologists.
The heath landscape of the Kempen is a result of using old agricultural methods. "The Kempen sheep belongs to the biodiversity of the heath, just like the alcon blue and the black grouse", stated Loek Hilgers, chairman of the foundation Stamboek Kempisch Heideschaap (Pedigree Kempen Heath Sheep) during the conference on the old sheep race. "The podzol soil that is characteristic for the heath, originates after thousands of years management by farmers." Now the nature organisation Staatsbosbeheer uses the shepherd and his flock to manage nature.
But who is going to pay for the nature management the shepherd and his flock provides? In the Netherlands Raymond Schrijver of the Agricultural Economic Institute (LEI) is calculating on a business plan for shepherd Chris Grinwis who runs a flock in the north of the Veluwe, within the framework of the concept of Farming for Nature. "Biodiversity, recreation and cultural history will become new services for the nature managers", he said. "But the government will be indispensable to provide the money. It is difficult to market those new services."
In the South Downs in England the money comes from the consumer. "The consumer drives what we do", stated Chris Clark of the South Downs Lamb Company. The flocks that graze on the Downs deliver lamb chops for the local supermarkets. Therefore the quality of the products comes first, than animal welfare, after that traceability, and lastly the environmental effects of the sheep.
In November Lifescape organised a visit for Dutch sheep farmers and nature managers to the South Downs, to see for themselves how the South Downs Lamb Company works. The group visited the Leconfield Estate, which has about a thousand breeding ewes in the scheme, to understand the benefits to farmers involved in the project and to learn more about the agreed protocols. The estate visit was followed by a visit to Michael Courtney butchers in Midhurst, suppliers of South Downs lamb, to understand its appeal to local people, followed by lunch at the Weald and Downland Museum.
Neil Hill, South Downs Joint Committee landscape enhancement initiative officer said: "The visit illustrated to the Dutch farmers and policy makers the benefits of linking the landscape to local branded produce. By visiting the Leconfield farm estate, the Midhurst butchers and hearing about the local abattoir, both the financial benefits to producers and the added value to consumers were made very clear."
The tour led to in-depth discussions as to how a similar scheme could work in Holland. Farmer and chairman of the National Landscape Het Groene Woud Frans van Beerendonk was enthusiast. "They have anticipated perfectly to the wishes of the people for a real South Downs landscape with more chalk grassland. An initiative with potential, certainly in this area that is used as a recreational garden for Londoners. It is also very good for the farmers." Van Beerendonk was critical about the control farmers have on the independently operating lamb company.
The Dutch agricultural magazine Nieuwe Oogst was enthusiast about the exchange. The journalist concluded that the 28 sheep farmers that supplied the South Downs Lamb Company on average earned 2628 pounds more per year than average farmers (see diagram in Dutch).
Since the visit the marketing of the Kempen heath sheep has undergone serious changes. In November 2007 the brand Kempen Lam was introduced to reach similar profits for the Dutch sheep farmers. The South Down Lamb Company has extended its business to selling beef.
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