Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority: Marketing traditional beef
Erskine developed a strategic marketing and action plan for traditional breed beef which are reared on environmentally sensitive areas found on the Limestone pavement areas of the Yorkshire Dales.
Many areas throughout northern England, have suffered through intensive farming, particularly sheep production and recently the devastating effects of the foot and mouth epidemic. Traditional beef breeds have been reintroduced to regain the balance and help conserve and enhance the biodiversity of the region that only mixed livestock farming will produce. This will positively exploit the environmental assets of the area.
The project was sparked into life by the introduction of traditional native breeds on the internationally significant limestone pavements found within the Yorkshire Dales. These areas fall within the remit of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and it was their entrepreneurial and innovative Limestone Country Project that was instrumental in the development of this program.
The challenge was that the breeds of cattle which thrive in these inhospitable areas do not conform to the requirements made by supermarkets and most butchers even though the meat is vastly superior to continental breeds. The result is that the cattle do not command a high price via auction and therefore unsustainable for the farmers.
Erskine:
- worked closely with the northern National Parks, Regional Development Agencies, County Councils, English Nature, Countryside Agency and potential program farmers
- engaged with the plethora of agencies and organisations that are involved with beef production throughout the UK
- teamed up with Sophie Grigson, the TV cook and cookery writer, who acted as an advisor on the technical aspects of the beef, public relations and of course suitable recipes for the product
- developed a suggested pricing structure and supply chain (we even bought some live animals and processed them to make sure the figures and suggestions were correct)
- created the strategic marketing and sales action plan for the product
- named and developed a marketing company to help sell the beef known as Feast – the food and drink people - Yes, its working!
More about the Limestone Country Project
This is a five year £1.27 million project to encourage a return to sustainable mixed livestock farming on the internationally important limestone country of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA). It is funded by the European LIFE Fund grant, the Yorkshire Dales National Parks Authority, English Nature and the National Trust. The project’s partners are the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, Grazing Animals Project and the National Beef Association.
The study was principally funded by the single regeneration budget (round six) programme administered by North Yorkshire County Council and undertaken by Erskine Corporation. Additional funding was provided by Erskine Corporation, the Yorkshire Dales National Parks Authority, Yorkshire Forward, North Yorkshire County Council and the Sustainable Development fund administered by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.
Louise Williams, Limestone Country Project OfficerThank you both for the really excellent work you have undertaken for the project. It is very important that we work with such dynamic and motivated partners.
Project leader
