March 15th 2006
COUNCIL PUTS WELSH BLACK BEEF ON THE MENU
A Welsh local authority has made Welsh Black beef it's the dish of the day, thanks to an award-winning initiative procuring meat from local farms.

Tanya and Peter Bowen have been breeding pedigree Welsh Black Cattle since 1999 on their South Wales farm. For the past year the couple have taken part in a pilot scheme supplying their beef to their local authority, Caerphilly County Borough Council for use at civic functions and sites and by the Meals on Wheel service.

The scheme, which started in November 2004, aims to source meat from local farms and has proved to be a huge success culminating in the authority winning a silver award in the Public/Private Sector Food Initiative category at the True Taste / Gwir Flas Wales Food and Drink Awards 2005-06.

“The users of the service are extremely pleased with the quality of the produce delivered, and make positive comments all the time. The service offered by Peter and Tanya via their butcher is excellent,” said Kath Webb SME Development Officer for Caerphilly County Borough Council.

“The pilot has been running for over 12 months and is a huge success. It has proved that farmers are more than capable of delivering an excellent service. The use of local suppliers is better for the environment, and the local economy, and most importantly we have full traceability of our produce.”

“We know that the discerning consumer demands a quality product with full traceability, and that's why we turned to breeding Welsh Black Cattle,” said Tanya Bowen.

The cattle are farmed in 120 acres of rich pasture land at Tir Lan Farm, which rises to 1,000 feet above Treharris.

The Bowens are members of the Welsh Black Cattle Society's (WBCS) Herd Health Scheme and have bought quality stock from Society sales and established breeders. Their Meadowsweet Herd won the prestigious South Wales Welsh Black Breeders Herd Competition (21-35 cows) in 2005.

“Our young breeding heifers are sold at WBCS sales in Abergavenny and Llandovery, while the bull beef are finished in a diet of ad lib silage and compound feeds at approximately 16/18 months of age. To reduce travelling times they are taken to a local abattoir and reach an average carcass weight of 350kilos.”

Keen to support the local community Peter, who also delivers milk in Treharris sells some of the beef through local butcher, Anthony Hinett.

“Peter and Tanya are to be congratulated on taking part in such a successful initiative,” said WBCS Chief Executive, Andrew James.

“By their involvement in such a scheme they are helping to demonstrate the versatility and quality of Welsh Black beef and bring it to a wider audience.”