Nov 21 2008
Beasts of the East
 |
|
|
The local abundance of grain provides feed for many pig herds and poultry flocks, while areas of grassland support beef and dairy cattle, as well as sheep. Norfolk has a long association with poultry, especially the Norfolk black turkey.
Many traditional butchers hang, cure and cut the meat from these animals with great skill, providing simple but delicious food. Milk, from both sheep and cattle, goes to make cheese, yoghurt and ice cream.
Livestock graze many of our most cherished landscapes, playing a vital role in sustaining them. Wherever land has resisted the plough, livestock have been put to graze. Over the centuries these animals have shaped the landscapes that now seem so natural.
Many distinctive landscapes now depend on regular grazing by sheep and cattle. The heaths of Norfolk’s Breckland and the Suffolk Sandlings; the coastal grazing marshes of the Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk costs; the chalk downlands of the Chilterns; smaller areas of local grassland across the region: All would quickly revert to scrub if they weren’t regularly grazed.
Mixed Farming
Across the region, grazing was historically part of the mixed farming widely practised. Even in areas well suited to more intensive and productive arable farming, it made good sense to keep grazing animals, as the interdependence between livestock and cultivation makes for a highly efficient use of resources.
In the summer months, cattle and sheep happily graze any areas too damp or steep for effective cultivation. In the winter they can feed in part on by-products of cultivation such as straw and turnip tops. Meanwhile, the animals’ manure helps to enrich the soil and the male cattle might be used as draught animals. For the farming community, the livestock provide valuable milk, meat and material.
Changes in the 20th Century
Post-war intensification in farming has resulted in increased specialisation, both at farm level and regionally. Improved drainage has allowed many of the areas once fit only for grazing to be cultivated. The use of artificial fertilisers has reduced the dependence on animal fertility, while tractors have consigned draught animals to history. Economies of scale encourage farmers to concentrate on just a few products, while our food system now operates at a national and global scale. Farms require just a fraction of the labour they once demanded and very few provide any food directly for the farmer, let alone the wider community.
Mixed farms are now a rarity and many are entirely dedicated to arable production. Numbers of grazing animals in the East of England have diminished considerably. Nonetheless, a fair amount of grassland survives, particularly in the river valleys and the more distinctive landscape areas. There is now recognition that this element of our region’s farming is both economically and environmentally important and must be protected.
