Sweet taste of hill farm success

摘要

The problems of marketing hill lambs was the key subject for discussion when Hawes farmer Patrick Sowerby invited Maurice Hall of Hawes Auction Mart and Heather Bailey of the newly formed Dales Quality Meats initiative for a workin breakfast. Hill lambs taken straight off their mothers in late August and early September are a unique product producing the sweetest possible meat and offering real potential for niche marketing to premium oullets, believes hill farmer Patrick Sowerby of Mossdale Farm, Hawes. However, on a farm like his own, Mr Sowerby says that these lambs are only available for about two weeks of the year, the nature of the lamb then changing as supplementary feeding is given to maintain weights. While lamb taken direct off its motheris also produced at the lowest cost, it is also coming on to the market during a glut period, which tends to depress prices, he says.