The James Hutton Institute
This page is no longer updated. The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute joined forces with SCRI on 1 April 2011 to create The James Hutton Institute.
The James Hutton InstituteThis page is no longer updated. The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute joined forces with SCRI on 1 April 2011 to create The James Hutton Institute.
EXPERIMENTAL MARKETING OF BEEF AND VEAL PRODUCED FROM
EXTENSIVE AND ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF ABANDONED LAND
Arthur Letzelter, PRN Vosges Du Nord
After five years of active management of vegetation in
an abandoned area with traditional cattle breeds, a number of surplus animals
were slaughtered and marketed by a group of local restaurants. This experimental
and reproducible project was named "Le Paysage, a du goût"
("Landscape has taste"). It made it possible to test the intrinsic
qualities of this beef resulting from the extensive system, by all the
actors in the filière (slaughter-house, butcher, restaurant,
consumer).
In parallel, it appeared a useful opportunity to test
the concept of associating a consumable good (meat) with landscape, especially
during a time when consumers are placing a higher importance on the origin
and the quality of the products which they buy and consume.
WHICH PRODUCT?
Since the establishment of the ecological management of
the abandoned lands in 1991, all the males resulting from the multiplication
of the livestock (currently 120) were castrated. We thus were able to market
older oxen of between 4 and 5 years, with a carcass weight between 280
and 325 kg. The animals (grass fed) were in a good state of finish, so
that their carcasses had a high fat cover.
The clear meat yield (weight of carcass less bones, fat
and waste) was 61%. The proportion of cuts suited to fast cooking 29 %
and that of slow cooking cuts, 71%.
WHICH APPROACH ?
As the animals are outside all year round, they can be
difficult to contain. This explains the German approach, which is to shoot
them while they are still at pasture, and then to take the carcass to the
local slaughter-house.
Slaughter at pasture
Slaughter of cattle at pasture is authorised only for
medical cases, and must be carried out with a certificate of a veterinary
surgeon. Evisceration must be carried out quickly (45 minutes max) and
the animal inspected by the veterinary services of the slaughter-house.
The carcass will not carry the Community stamp.
In our case, the animals were caught and conveyed individually
to the slaughter-house (30 km), then killed by the emergency slaughter
service, in order to avoid unnecessary stress, in particular as the passages
are too narrow for their wide horns (1.30 to 1.50 m).
"Sweated" and matured correctly, the carcasses
were forwarded to a butcher who prepared them so as to be directly used
by restaurants (boned, cut and vacuum packed, and for certain parts, transformed
into sausages). "Sweating" refers to the phase of falling carcass
temperature which reduces the tenderness of the meat if it occurs too quickly.
Maturation allows the meat to undergo a series of physico-chemical changes
which make it tender and juicy. Meat can mature for up to 20 days. For
the cattle, an 11 day non-refrigerated period, maintaining a core temperature
of 7ºC, results in the optimum tenderness (which no longer continues
to improve afterwards).
WITH WHO?
The choice of the restaurateurs was consistent with the
logic of the programme to test the whole of the filière, and in
particular the level of the final transformation of the product. Ten volunteer
restaurateurs thus took part in this operation, knowing that:
the duration of the operation was limited to some 20 days (13 November until 1 December);
the selected period was during an off-peak season;
the expenses of communication with the customers would be covered at a rate of 50%;
a royalty of 4 F / menu was transferred to SYCOPARC to cover the costs of landscape management operations intended;
their direct partner was the butcher, having conditioned
the various cuts and prepared the sausages.
RESULTS
On each level of the filière,
a number of economic, medical, technical and commercial strategies need
to be understood and integrated in an overall project.
Principal reports
the product
The origin and the history of our four oxen could be known
to everyone, so much so that in the plate one could associate the name
of the beast with the piece tasted...
traceability
While taking along one of the animals to the slaughter-house,
an identification tag was lost in the transporter. Without it, an animal
may not leave the slaughter-house. Indeed, the identification of the animals
requires the presence and the correspondence of an EDE (Department Establishment
of the Breeding) ear tag, with the DAB (Accompanying cattle document).
If either are missing, or do not correspond, the veterinary services will
block the animal (there is the possibility of a 5000 F fine) and it will
be disposed of as a casualty.
The gustatory quality of the meat of HLC (here of ox)
is similar to other breeds, though possibly stronger in taste. The proportion
of lean meat compared to the weight of carcass (61%) is lower than that
of an ox of a selected beef breed (69%). The proportion of the pieces with
fast cooking is approximately 30 % (compared to the lean meat mass) whereas
it borders 55% for oxen of heavy race.
The valorization of such meat from an economic standpoint
carcasses is more difficult, unless there is some form of pre-sale transformation
made to the cuts requiring slow cooking.
the butcher
Very satisfied with the quality of the meat, the image
conveyed by this operation, the impact on the company, but realistic with
respect to the possibilities of valorization of the carcasses.
This product, different from the traditional carcasses,
requires for the butcher to adopt a new approach to valorization (which
requires creativity).
the restaurant
Very satisfied with the effects of the communication and
with the success of the operation. Rarely has a promotion operation of
this type not had a similar response from the public. Nearly 600 kg of
lean meat was marketed, which represents approximately 3000 meals. The
restaurants are keen to extend the duration of the operation. Additional
restaurants have subsequently expressed their interest to promote operations
of this type.
the consumer
Two levels of answer were provided by the consumers.
Above all, there was widespread support for the operation.
Their written appreciation was expressed within the framework of a questionnaire
which was given to them after the meal. In both cases, the association
of two concepts - produce quality and landscape - was sufficiently deeply
felt to permit the prediction that in the future, a large proportion of
consumers will not be indifferent to the idea that such products contribute
to a pleasurable lifestyle, and in addition guarantee a quality product.
Regional natural reserve of Vosges du Nord: The ecological management
of abandoned land, an innovative solution to maintain open spaces no longer
able to be maintained by agriculture
SITUATION
The park was created in 1975 in response to territorial
changes - the charter was revised in 1994. The park extends to 102 communes,
122 000 ha, and has 76 000 inhabitants, straddling the Bas-Rhin and the
Moselle regions. Three great landscape sectors are: the Alsace Piedmont,
plateau and forest (70 % of total surface of which 80 % is national forest).
CONTEXT
For 20 to 30 years, there have been changes in land use
within the valleys of the forest and plateau sectors: agricultural activity
has intensified on the plateau and the agricultural pluriactivity has disappeared
in the forest sector. These developments led to the abandonment of the
valleys more difficult to exploit, which had traditionally been maintained
by mowing or grazing.
This change resulted in important landscape and ecological
problems: timber plantations, hydrological problems, embankments, the unplanned
establishment of leisure infrastructures (ponds, country cottages...).
There is increasing political and social pressure favouring the maintenance
of open spaces and recultivation of these areas. This will is strong and
is shared by local elected representatives, the agricultural world, and
other key actors, and it is planned to co-ordinate the initiatives (legal,
technical and financial) within an overall planned framework.
There is a need to find, complementary to the existing
structures (OGAF, agri-environmental measures, funds for the management
of rural areas), a durable device, from the economic and ecological point
of view, to underpin the re-establishment of grazing of the valley floors.
ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF ABANDONED LAND
Obectives
In the communes where there are no more farmers, to implement
an action plan for the reconquest of the valley floors, in order once more
to open up the landscape.
To preserve, and even improve the ecological potentialities
of these environments.
Method
Within the framework of a co-ordinated management scheme
for open spaces which defines the ecological and landscape priorities,
the environmental management zones are determined.
The municipal council takes care of the mobilisation of
the areas concerned and obtains the agreement of their owners for the introduction
of grazing. Under council control, repair work can be undertaken to prepare
the pasture, using the existing funds for management of the rural areas.
The council prepares fences and enclosures for the animals.
Within the framework of a contract, the co-operative union
for the park supplies a herd of Scottish Highland cattle. The park becomes
owner of this herd. The council nominates one or two persons, often former
farmers, specifically in charge of the daily monitoring of the livestock.
Start of the operation in 1991
Livestock: 108 Highland cattle, kept on 140 ha distributed
throughout 15 parishes.
OVERALL CONTEXT OF THE INSTALLATION OF ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT
IN THE ABANDONED AREAS
The ecological management of the abandoned areas forms
part of an overall process for the development of the region. This process
includes the use of decision-support tools which allow the co-ordinated
implementation of plans and indicates tools for necessary action.
DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS FOR THE COMPLEMENTARY LEVELS
The level of the Park corresponds to the level of definition
of the objectives: the charter and the plan for the Park, prepared under
the control of the co-operative union for the Park, fix the fundamental
principles for the development and management of the landscapes (scale
1/50,000).
The level of intercommunality is adapted to the thinking
on space and the landscape (approach by valley...): the landscape plans
(1/25000) and the inter- commune action plans which result from this are
approved by the publicly-owned establishments of inter-commune co-operation
or by the communes of a valley, of a landscape sector.
The communal level corresponds to the operational scale:
diagrams of management of the natural spaces prepared under the control
of the communes allow participative involvement of the actors concerned
with the management of natural spaces: to share the diagnoses, to define
together the objectives and the priorities of intervention, to treat on
a hierarchical basis measurements to take, to mobilise the various means
of intervention.
TOOLS FOR THE ACTION
Legal tools: Land Use Plans, Regulations of plantations,
Risk assessment plans.
Existing devices: Agri-environmental measurements, Funds
for the management of rural areas...
Devices created at the local level: Ecological management of abandoned areas.