On 18 September Sarah Dines MP visited Bubnell Cliff Farm in Baslow to meet local farmer Tom Mills and his herd of English Longhorn Cattle.
Sarah Dines MP said, ‘What a pleasure to visit Tom Mills, the Chairman of the English Longhorn Cattle Society, at his family farm in Baslow. In 2006 Tom graduated from university as a civil engineer but was keen to continue the family's farming tradition and established the Wheatlands herd of pedigree Longhorns. Starting with two cows and their calves, the herd has now grown to beyond 60 cattle in total.
English Longhorns have a deep rooted history as draught animals in Northern England during the 16th and 17th centuries. Their milk was valued for butter and cheese because of its high butterfat content and their creamy white horns were treasured by manufacturers of buttons, cups, cutlery and lamps. These animals were very different to the Longhorns of today, being long in the leg, narrow bodied and coarse, ideally suited to pulling a plough. Robert Bakewell, one of England's great agricultural revolutionaries had a vision of being able to introduce a cattle breeding programme which would lead to the production of better quality animals capable of feeding the growing urban population in the wake of the Industrial Revolution.
The Longhorn breed declined rapidly for nearly 200 years and was at risk of becoming rare by the 1950's and 60's. Thankfully the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, in 1980, stepped in and the breed's future was secured. With the efforts of RBST and growing interest in extensively reared, grass fed cattle, the Longhorn has made a dramatic comeback and in 2016 there were approx. 13800 cattle distributed over 398 herds in the UK and further afield. Tom is very dedicated to breeding the very best in British cattle. Tom is passionate about the breed and is responsible for a great and expanding herd. It is vital that we protect British breeds and the work that Tom and other farmers do across the country is vital. Tom was rightly pleased to show off his fantastic herd and new calves, which were wonderful to watch in the Derbyshire sun.
The farm sell beef direct to the public and seem to be incredibly popular in Derbyshire Dales. I was pleased to support the business by purchasing my weekend meat from him. The beef I bought has already been consumed in its entirety I have to admit and had a fantastic taste and texture. I am passionate about supporting local farmers, they are the lifeblood of our country and we should all take the opportunity to buy beef reared and butchered locally.’
