Brookfield Farm Veal Mince

Price per kg: £4.50, Ethically Reared British Veal from Brookfield Farm, Dorset Freedom Food: RSPCA-monitored, high-welfare British veal Approved by Compassion in World Farming Age of animals when butchered: up to eight months Low in fat, high in protein Brookfield Farm High Welfare Veal began with a meeting of two men at a North Dorset country pub. One was fifth-generation dairy farmer David Tory, concerned about his dairy bull calves. His neighbour Ben Bayer, head of the family firm DB Foods in Dorset, was looking to source genuinely ethically reared meat. Over a beer the men solved both their problems - and began to re-invent British veal farming. Male calves dont produce milk, obviously. Less well-known is that they dont make good grass-fed beef either. In the past that meant shooting day-old calves and supplying the deeply unpleasant live export trade. To rear veal calves in a wholly new way, David and Ben formed a unique farmer / producer partnership in Tarrant Valley Livestock. Ben had bought Brookfield Farm in the idyllic Tarrant Valley, and so the name was born. What is ethically reared veal Veal isnt `baby calves. Calves reach 400 kilos and are reared for up to eight months, considerably longer than most farm animals. Whats high welfare veal A major hurdle for Brookfield Farm Veal was the justified perception of veal farming as cruel. It was. Even after the barbaric crate system was outlawed, that reputation persisted. Brookfield Farms answer was to bring into veal farming (1) the RSPCAs Freedom Food and (2) Compassion in World Farming (CiWF). In engaging the interest and cooperation of both bodies, David and Ben developed a rearing model that has earned widespread acclaim and won awards including a CiWF Good Calf Commendation, of which theyre rightly proud. Brookfield Farms animals live in big airy barns, with low stocking densities and limitless clean straw, high quality feed and fresh water, meeting the highest standards in farm animal welf...