Another feel good movie

Not to be outdone by the Danes (Arla), Dutch dairy company Friesland Campina have released a video about milk. It has a very modern feel and shows cows quietly grazing under the stars as urban society rushes to and fro. The film again demonstrates the power of images of cows grazing grass. I know Friesland…

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Free range in Scotland

Tomorrow I am heading north to Scotland to talk to farmers about Free Range Dairy. Despite the perceived challenges to grazing cows in the northern reaches of the UK, there has been quite a lot of interest in my initiative from ‘north of the border’. I have always maintained that a farmer who grazes his…

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Eating responsibly

I have just had the unenviable task of putting down (shooting) a six month old calf on the farm. The animal in question has been suffering from a respiratory infection for a number of weeks and was obviously in great discomfort, despite our attempts to nurse it back to health. This is a task which…

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European Antibiotics Awareness Day

Resistance to antibiotics is one of the greatest threats to modern health experts say. The Health Protection Agency warns that some bugs such as E Coli and Gonorrhoea have developed resistant strains, following the unnecessary use of antibiotics to tackle mild infections. This Sunday (November 18th) is European Antibiotics Awareness Day, which hopes to raise…

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The Wight Stuff

I have just been reading about a great campaign put together by dairy farmers on the Isle of Wight, which has established a brand for milk produced on the Island– The Wight Stuff. Back in the 1960’s there were over 300 dairy farms on the Isle of Wight but there are now only 16 left.…

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Rip Off Food

  The first of a new series on BBC 1, called Rip Off Food, was shown at 9.15 this morning. You can find a link to this programme here (opens in a new window). The programme, presented by Gloria Hunniford, revealed how food companies and supermarkets mislead consumers with the labelling they use on food. This…

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A wider view

I am really grateful for all the feedback I get on the Free Range Dairy initiative and welcome anyone to submit stories about their own experiences of farming and related matters. Below is a really interesting post from John Lawson who, although no longer farming, finds that his current business faces similar challenges to dairy…

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Put grass in your glass!

  I hear that Mary Berry, writer of cookery books and Great British Bake Off judge, has a new series on BBC2 called The Great British Food Revival and one episode is all about ice cream. Mary has labeled many ice creams as being almost 99 percent “synthetic junk”. Apparently it only has to contain…

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Closer to Nature

Have you seen any good films lately? Well, if you haven’t, may I recommend a real ‘feel good’ movie from Arla Foods? Closer to Nature isn’t packed with high octane action for the adrenalin junkies, but it does contain some wonderful scenery and, for those of you who are animation fans, look out for the…

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