The Twizell Farm Galloway Herd

We are excited to announce we have Galloway in stock, which has come to us from The Spours family farm in the Northeast and the Galloway Cattle Society. The farm is tucked away in the moorlands of Northumberland and the success story behind the Galloway cattle is just the beginning of closed-loop regenerative farming for this family.

At Twizell Farm, the land is widely spread in large blocks of heather moorland and improved lowland. Previously used to farm commercial cattle and sheep who would chew their way through every grass and herb, leaving little left to grow. In 2010, part of the land in the heather hills was designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), meaning the way the land was managed needed to change to encourage the wild juniper plants to grow.

The Spours family were left with a decision to make - which native breed would work best? And after plenty of consideration, a herd of Galloway's were introduced to the land. Easy to manage cattle and superior eating quality were just a few benefits, as well as being non-selective grazers which would suit the SSSI scheme greatly.

The farmer, Daniel Spours, who farms in partnership with his brother, Richard, father, Lawrence, and Uncle, Paul, said "It was a bit of a leap in the dark but I am really impressed with the Galloways and particularly how well they are finishing", "our original goal was to have a 60-cow herd, but we are now going to increase numbers to 90 purebreds as we now know the full potential of the breed" he added.

Now, five years on from investing in the hardy Galloways, the Spours family are not only reaping the benefits of conservation grazing, but they are also selling quality meat and plan on increasing the herd. To see the growth of one of Britain's oldest and purest heritage breed cattle is magnificent. At Farmison & Co, we are working with the Galloway Cattle Society to help revive the breed. By providing farmers with a direct demand from our customers we are encouraging farmers to rear cattle that over time have been pushed to one side due to their slow-growing nature. The success story from Twizell farm is just the start. We are helping farmers who specialise in rare and heritage breeds to get their meat back on the market, and Britain's plates. Although we are based in Ripon, we can target our wide database of engaged customers across the UK, who are specifically looking to eat heritage meat. Working with breed societies such as the Galloway, the Gloucester, and the White Park allows us to marry old farming techniques with the modern butchery, keeping up to date with shopping habits and making better meat accessible to all.

You can check the availability of our Galloway beef here.