Beef by CJ Brown

BEEF

Design & Photography By CJ Brown

The Sunday Roast

1 - 19

Food Rationing

21 - 33

Prime Beef Cattle

34 - 41

Cattle Auction

42 - 51

Breeding Cattle

52 - 59

Choice Cuts

60 - 79

Smithfield Market

80 - 91

Veal or Baby Beef

92 - 99

Mad Cow Disease

100 - 109

Foot & Mouth

110 - 117

By Products

118 - 135

Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Man’s history of beef dates back many thousands of years, from the wild free roaming oxen depicted in the Lascaux caves of France. Domesticated cattle are known to have been kept in Babylon as long ago as 5000 BC. The ancient Egyptians also left evidence of beef eating; beef ribs that were discovered in the tombs of the dead were meant to provide sustenance on the journey to the next world. Until the last 200 years or so, cattle were important as draught animals to pull ploughs and carts. They were only slaughtered at the end of their working lives and consequently by today’s standards most beef was of very poor quality. Throughout the poorer countries of the Third World cattle are still used principally as draught animals with milk and meat as a secondary income. The manure produced by cattle is important for use as fertiliser and fuel. In the eighteenth century, Robert Bakewell, a Leicestershire farmer, began selectively breeding his sheep and cattle. He only mated the animals that grew best and improved the size and shape of his stock. His aim was to produce animals with a deep body and a large rump and hind legs. Bakewell’s cattle were the predecessors of the modern beef breeds which grow quickly producing good quantities of meat. The rise of beef in the eighteenth century was aided by the introduction of turnips and clover in crop rotations which provided nutritious foods for livestock in the winter. Lighter machinery meant that horses took over much of the draught work previously done by oxen. Today around 2,200,000 cattle are slaughtered for beef each year. These animals consist of steers (castrated bulls), heifers (young females) and young bulls. These animals are born roughly equally to beef and dairy herds.

• Image; ‘The Hall of the Bulls’ in the Lascaux caves, France.

Most of us lead very busy lives and seldom sit down to eat a civilized meal preferring to eat a ‘take away’ or ‘ready meal’ brought from the supermarket in front of the television. However, when invited for lunch on a Sunday why do we always imagine roast Beef to be served ? The association between Englishmen and beef goes back to at least Elizabethan times. In Henry Vth Shakespeare quotes; “give them great meals of beef ... they will eat like wolves and fight like devils”. In the 15th century when the royal bodyguards, “The Yeomen of the Guard”, who were formed under Henry VII th, became known as “Beefeater’s” simply because they consumed large amounts of beef by way of rations. By the late 1600 London was full of butchers shops and cook shops, the heart of the trade being at Smithfield’s meat market. A telling observation by Henri Mission who stayed in London in 1698 tells how “it is common practice, even among People of Good Substance, to have a huge piece of Roast Beef on Sundays, of which they stuff until they can swallow no more, and eat the rest cold, without any other victuals, the other six days of the week”. In 1871 William Kitchener (author of Apicius Redivivus) recommended eating 3 kg of meat each week as part of a healthy diet. He describes in the book how to roast a sirloin of about 15 lbs in front of the fire for about 4 hours. This method of hanging meat on a spit or in the 19th Century, suspended from a bottle-jack demanded a sizeable fireplace and would feed a large household not only on a Sunday but as cold cuts, stews and pies throughout the week. The less wealthy, who did not have the luxury of a large fireplace or the money to buy a large joint, would drop off a smaller weekly roast en route to church at the bakers to be cooked in the cooling bread ovens (bread was not baked on a Sunday). With access for all to cook meat on a Sunday, the tradition of the British Sunday lunch began and still continues today. A good part of the reason the English became the rosbifs of foreign parody is that it was widely felt that this was pretty much the only type of cooking English housewives and English chefs were good at. For all its aura of sumptuous indulgence, roasting is a basic and fairly plain method of cooking. It relies not on complicated seasoning, but mainly on the fat of the meat itself to bestow flavour, while in place of the time-consuming sauces of French gastronomy, it offers only the roasting juices of the meat mixed with simple stock and thickened up with flour, otherwise known as gravy. This prompted the French writer Voltaire’s famous sneer that the English had a hundred religions, but had only one sauce.

‘Rally Round The Roast’

THE SUNDAY ROAST

To the English, by contrast, the French were a nation starved of meat. They got it when they could amid conditions of general scarcity, so unlike the bountiful atmosphere of our own dear Albion, where the figure of John Bull seated at the groaning table, his waistcoat bulging, was the permanent image of a people constitutionally assured of being able to eat their fill. In 1734, the first performance was staged of a song written by the novelist and playwright Henry Fielding, as part of an entertainment entitled Don Quixote In England. The song was “The Roast Beef Of Old England”. Sung to the pre existing tune of another popular ballad, it became an immense hit, and was known and sung fondly until well into the 19th century. The song was adapted and expanded shortly afterwards by the composer Richard Leveridge, who added extra verses that made the connection between the carnivorous manly diet and military success all the more explicit. It wasn’t ragouts (ragouts! they didn’t even sound like food, whatever they were) that helped us smash the Spanish Armada. Nor was it “coffee, or tea, or such slip-slops”, as Leveridge’s lyric had it. It was good, honest, hearty roast beef – and plenty of it. In 1748, William Hogarth painted The Gate Of Calais, better known since as The Roast Beef Of Old England, after his friend Fielding’s song. The picture (shown on right), shows a huge rib of raw beef being delivered to Madam Grandsire’s, an English hotel in the French channel port of Calais. Surrounding the porter as he staggers towards the door with it is a cast of unappetising French characters: a trio of cackling fishwives clutching a skate, a pair of miserable soldiers strutting with their pikes, a portly friar who takes a faintly disgusting interest in the English meat, a couple of emaciated cooks with their bowl of nameless slop, an undernourished wretch in the tattered uniform of the failed Jacobite rebellion, who has nothing to eat but an onion. All are in contrast with the anticipated plenty represented by the weighty hunk of meat at the centre of the scene.

• Image: William Hogarth, The Gate Of Calais, 1749. • Text sourced via Icons web site.

‘Rally Round The Roast’

Serves : 8 - (440 cals per serving). Preparation : 20 minutes. Cooking Time : 1 1/2 hours, plus resting.

Place the beef in a roasting tin, with the thickest part of the fat uppermost.

Score the skin of the beef with a sharp knife, then rub in whole grain mustard.

Position the roasting tin so that the joint is in the middle of the oven and roast at 230 C, Mark 8 for 30 minutes.

Baste the beef and lower the setting to 190 C, Mark 5. Cook for a further 1 hour, approximately, basting occasionally.

Place the beef on a carving dish , cover loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place while cooking the Yorkshire puddings and making the gravy. Increase the oven setting to 220 C, Mark 7.

Pour off about 45ml (3tbsp) fat from the roasting tin and use to grease 8-12 individual Yorkshire pudding tins.

Meanwhile, make the gravy. Skim off any remaining fat from the sediment in the roasting tin. Pour in the wine and boil vigorously on the hob until it’s very syrupy. Pour in the stock and, again, boil until syrupy; there should be about 450 ml gravy.

Carve the beef into slices. Serve with the gravy, Yorkshire pudding and vegetables of your choice.

‘Rally Round The Roast’

MUSTARD ROAST BEEF WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDING’S

Though meat is no longer roasted in front of a fire but baked in an oven we still hold onto the term Sunday â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;roastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. On Sundays throughout the UK, pubs, restaurants and homes are packed with people eating a full roast dinner. A Sunday roast is synonymous to a typical British meal. When shopping for joints, allow 100-175g raw meat per person for boneless joints and 225-350g for bone in joints. Buy beef from a good quality retailer where it should have been matured long enough to ensure optimum flavour and tenderness.

Beef should be dark red in colour with no unpleasant or unusual smells. Look for joints with a good marbling (streaks of fat that run through the leaner parts of the muscle). During cooking marbling helps to baste joints and add flavour. Any visible surface fat should be white or creamy in colour, feel firm, and should have soft waxy texture. Red meat will generally keep for between three to five days in the refrigerator at a temperature between 0-4 C. Always ensure you follow any â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;use byâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dates on the packaging.

VEGETABLES Par cook carrots and parsnips. Put into oven along with you garlic, olive oil & maple syrup for approximately 1 Â˝ hours. Repeat this process of par cooking the potatoes but place in the oven for around 2 hours, soaked in duck fat.

‘Rally Round The Roast’

ALTERNATIVE RECIPES FOR ROAST BEEF Serves : 6 Preparation : Overnight Cooking Time : 1 -2 hours, plus resting

Ingredients: Fore rib beef ( about 4 kgs/9 lbs), French trimmed, on the bone, chinned. You will also need some olive oil, salt and but not least some freshly crack black pepper.

Preheat the oven to itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest setting.

Rub the beef with the olive oil, salt and pepper all over.

Put a heavy-based roasting tray on the hob and when hot, add the beef.

Add the milk, stirring constantly, until you have a runny batter.

10. Leave this to rest, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.

Sear the beef quickly on all sides to colour and crisp the outside.

11. Place 1cm/Â˝in of beef dripping in the bottom of each pudding mould, or if you are using a rectangular roasting tray, place 1cm/Â˝in of beef dripping across the bottom.

Transfer the beef immediately to the oven and leave the oven on its highest setting (about 240C/460F/Gas 8) for 20 minutes.

12. Heat the dripping in the oven (at 240C/460F/ Gas 8) for about ten minutes, until it is piping hot.

Reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and roast for half an hour per kilo for rare, adding another ten minutes per kilo for medium rare, 20 minutes per kilo for medium, and 30 minutes per kilo for well done.

13. Remove the roasting tray from the oven, pour in the batter, and immediately return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, making sure not to open the oven door for the first 20 minutes.

Remove the beef from the oven, transfer it to a carving board and cover with foil.

14. Serve immediately with the carved roast beef.

For the Yorkshire pudding, mix together the eggs, flour and a pinch of salt.

‘Rally Round The Roast’

ALTERNATIVE RECIPES FOR ROAST BEEF Serves : 6 Preparation : Overnight Cooking Time : 2 hours, plus resting

Ingredients: 3kg beef rib, on the bone beef dripping or olive oil. When preparing the vegetables you’ll need 6 chopped carrots, 6 chopped parsnips, 2 onions (cut into quarter’s) and 1 garlic bulb, cut in half.

Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Season the joint heavily with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, rubbing it into the fat and flesh.

Heat the beef dripping or olive oil in a roasting tin and sear the meat quickly on all sides, including the ends, until you get a nice dark brown colour then remove the meat and set aside.

Make a bed of the carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic and thyme in the bottom of the roasting tin and sit the meat on top. Roast for 20 minutes then turn the oven down to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and continue to cook for 20 minutes per 450g for medium or 15 minutes per 450g for rare.

Take the roast meat out of the tin, wrap it in foil and rest it on a plate for a good 30 minutes.

To make gravy, put the roasting tin over a medium heat, tip in a bottle of good red wine, scraping the crunchy bits off the base of the tin. Bubble until reduced by at least half. Add the stock and the juices you have caught on the plate beneath the beef, then sieve to remove the veg.

Food Rationing

WHY WAS RATIONING INTRODUCED ? By the time of the first world war, the Englishmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beef had been reduced to the infamous bully beef, a canned processed meat somewhat like corned beef. It could be stewed up with vegetables, or else in extremities just eaten out of the tin. Nobody mistook it for anything like the roast beef of home, but it had at least some distant affinity with meat. Before the war, Britain imported 55 million tons of food, a month after the war had started this figure had dropped to 12 million. The Ration Book became the key to survival for nearly every household in Britain. The Ration books themselves contained coupons that shopkeepers cut out or signed when people bought food and other items, making sure that everybody got a fair share of the food available. The government was worried that as food and other items became scarcer, prices would rise and poorer people might not be able to afford things. There was also a danger that some people might hoard items, leaving none for others. In April 1916, Britain only had six weeks of wheat left and bread was a staple part of most diets. This resulted in 1916 being an extremely bleak year for families around the country, with the news from the Battle of the Somme and with food in short supply, suddenly the war was brought home to most families. Food prices rose and by October 1916, coal was in such short supply that it was rationed by the number of rooms a family had in its house. The restrictions introduced by DORA failed and the government then tried to introduce a voluntary code of rationing whereby people limited themselves to what they should eat. The standard was set by the Royal Family. However, this did not work. Those who worked in the munitions factories did not have enough food while anyone with money could get more than enough food on the black market. Any area that could grow food was converted to do so gardens were turned into allotments and chickens etc. were kept in back gardens. The powers introduced by DORA empowered the government to take over land when it felt that it was necessary to do so. In 1917, the government took over 2.5 million acres of land for farming. By the end of the war, Britain had an extra three million acres of farming land. Those who would have usually worked the land (young men) had been called up, so the work was done by the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Land Army. Conscientious objectors also worked on the land.

Food Rationing

CANNED BEEF The practice of curing beef was common in many countries all around the world but ultimately the production started in the English industrial revolution. The English & Irish during the 17th century were two key countries supplying it for civilian consumption and as provisions for the British naval fleet. The industrial process at this time in England and Ireland did not distinguish between the different cuts of beef beyond the tough and undesirable parts such as the cows neck and shanks. Instead, the grading was done by the weight of the cattle into small beef, cargo beef and best mess beef, in order of the worst to the best. Corned beef was extremely popular because it was founded before the days of refrigeration. Faced with the challenge of preserving fresh meat for the winter season, butchers would routinely pack beef or pork products in salt to prevent the formation of bacteria and mold. Meats like beef brisket could also be pickled in a spicy, salty brine. At one time, the word corn referred to a number of kernels or seeds, including the coarse salt granules packed around the brisket. Thus the meat was called ‘corned’ beef in reference to the corns of salt. Demand for canned food skyrocketed particularly throughout WW1 as military commanders sought vast quantities of cheap, high calorie food to feed millions of soldiers, which could be transported safely, survive trench conditions, and not spoil in transport. Throughout the war, soldiers generally subsisted on low-quality canned foodstuffs, such as the British “Bully Beef” (cheap corned beef), pork and beans and Maconochies Irish Stew, but by 1916 widespread boredom with cheap canned food amongst soldiers resulted in militaries purchasing better quality food to improve morale, and the complete meals in a can began to appear.

“ They are made in their traditional tapered rectangular shape because it is easier to extract the contents in one piece, thus allowing the block of corned beef to be sliced. That’s also why the cans also employ a key that enables the user separate one end of the body of the can: there’s no seam to prevent the contents slipping out. Originally, the cans were made by folding up folding tinplate sheet that produced the correct taper and soldering the seam. More recently this has been replaced with cans that are formed from welded cylinders, then reformed and expanded mechanically. ”

• Quote by John Nutting, Editor, The Can maker magazine, Crawley.

EXTRA PRIOR TO THE BEGINING OF WW2 THE UK IMPORTED

50% OF IT S MEAT During the SIX long years of the war, food packages and supplies were shipped to military personnel serving overseas thereby contributing to the severe shortages at home. 31

Prime Be

e l t t a C f e e

HEREFORD BREED

The most recognizable characteristic of the Hereford breed of cattle is its white face. This proponent feature confers an advantage where visual evidence of ancestry is needed, and has huge economic importance in the commercial cattle trade, far outside the confines of the pedigree world. Hereford bulls were used extensively to upgrade cattle populations when there was a need for increased and improved meat supplies. In the late nineteenth century, when unimproved range cattle were upgraded to useful beef animals, the Hereford was more successful internationally than at home. In mid-twentieth century Britain the breed dominated the commercial beef trade, due to demand for beef from dairy-bred calves. The paper offers insights into the interaction between the pedigree and commercial sectors of the livestock Industry in the improvement of national cattle stocks. There was no breed in existence at the time to fill that need, so the farmers of Herefordshire founded the beef breed that logically became known as Herefords. These early Hereford breeders moulded their cattle with the idea in mind of a high yield of beef and efficiency of production, and so firmly fixed these characteristics that they remain today as outstanding characteristics of the breed. Beginning in 1742 with a bull calf from the cow Silver and two cows, Pigeon and Mottle, inherited from his father’s estate, Benjamin Tomkins is credited with founding the Hereford breed. This was 18 years before Robert Bakewell began developing his theories of animal breeding. From the start,

Mr. Tomkins had as his goals economy in feeding, natural aptitude to grow and gain from grass and grain, rustling ability, hardiness, early maturity and prolificacy, traits that are still of primary importance today. Herefords in the 1700’s and early 1800’s in England were much larger than today. Many mature Herefords of those days weighed 3,000 pounds or more. Cotmore, a winning show bull and noteworthy sire, weighed 3,900 pounds when shown in 1839. Gradually, the type and conformation changed to less extreme size and weight to get more smoothness, quality and efficiency. In livestock markets all over the country are found the cattle from which most stock farmers make a living, and which finish up on the nation’s dinner plates as rump steak, stewing beef and ox tongue. The regular day-to-day trade in commercial cattle does not make the dramatic headlines of the elite pedigree world, yet these workaday cattle have been projected to comprise of around 98% of the national herd. Commercial cattle are by no means a random collection of different breeds and cross breeds: many are well bred but unregistered; some owe allegiance to a particular breed type and others are the result of planned cross breeding programmes. Developed as draught oxen, Herefords are alert, active and well muscled. They are adaptable and efficient grazing cattle; hardly enough to convert forage to beef under a wide range of climate conditions. The Hereford is the ideal

Prime Beef Cattle

farmer’s beast, not needing extravagant labour intensive housing, expensive oil cakes or costly veterinary attention. But, in addition to these essential assets, the key to the breed’s sustained popularity is its distinctive trademark, its white face; positive evidence that a Hereford bull has been at work. It is a characteristic so proponent that every bull passes it on to his or her calves, regardless of the dam’s coat colour or pattern. This trait, ‘colour making’, has considerable economic value in the commercial cattle trade, where visual evidence of ancestry is vital.

• “His contribution to New World and domestic beef supplies.” By Joan E. Grundy

• Photograph of Hereford Bull, Sourced from Ruckmans Farm website.

Although early agricultural writers knew of the prepotency of the ‘white face’, 2 crossing bulls were not important to nineteenth-century cattlemen. The national breeds - at first Bakewell’s Longhorns, which were steadily ousted by the improved Shorthorns of Booth, Bates and the Collings were dual purpose, producing both milk and meat. By the early 1860’s, two-thirds of Smithfield cattle were Shorthorns or Shorthorn crosses. The Hereford was one of several highly localized breeds and types. Sixty-one per cent of the bulls named in the first Hereford herd book of 1846 were bred in Herefordshire; 90 per cent in the three adjoining counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. 4 There was little trade in breeding stock outside areas local to the breed, but the Hereford was especially valued by graziers. Both store and draught beasts travelled the midlands and south of England, making their way towards Smithfield.

ABERDEEN ANGUS

The Aberdeen-Angus breed was advanced early in the 19th century from the polled and predominantly black livestock of North East Scotland, recognized locally as “doddies” and “hummlies”. As with other breeds of farm animals and sheep in Britain, as the breed established using the newly adopted improvements in husbandry and transport. The earliest families trace back to the middle of the eighteenth century but it was once so much later that the Herd Ebook (1862) and the Society (1879) had been founded. The early historical past of the breed is the history of its breeders, revolutionary lairds and farmers, of whom 3 were outstanding. Hugh Watson become tenant of Keillor in Angus in 1808. He gathered new stock from around Scotland and produced livestock of exceptionally high quality and character. William McCombie came from a family of graziers and in early life was once dealing in large numbers of cattle. He took the farm of Tillyfour in Aberdeenshire in 1824 and founded a herd of Keillor blood. His carefully documented close breeding produced outstanding livestock that he showed in England and France to establish the recognition of the breed. Sir George Macpherson-Grant returned again to the inherited property at Ballindalloch, on the River Spey, from Oxford in 1861 and took up the refining of our breed that used to be to be his life’s work for almost 50 years. McCombie and Macpherson Grant became members of

Parliament. By method of line breeding and selection for type, the early pioneers based in Angus, Aberdeenshire, Speyside and the Laigh of Moray, the greatest of pork breeds. Stock from here persisted to lead the breed well into the 20 th century while Aberdeen-Angus stock grew to spread all through Scotland, England and Ireland. The stabilisation of the breed within the USA came about at the end of the 19th century. By 1901, the USA was registering more pedigree cattle than in Britain and now register forty time more pedigree’s. Very quickly the breed used to be to be found in different English talking countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and in South America, particularly Argentina. Nowadays, all those countries have greater populations of pure blood Aberdeen-Angus than the British Isles. Right through the first half of the twentieth century, Britain was considered the fount of Aberdeen-Angus genetics and the leading breeders got here, and to the Perth February sales specifically, for seed stock. The export market was so much more rewarding. On the other hand however, over this era, the size of the cattle was decreased to the detriment of the industrial producers here and overseas. The nineteen sixties bought with it the import to the UK of large muscled draught-bred Continental cattle and the selling of this meat through supermarkets was encouraged and quality was ignored supposedly in the interest of the economy.

Prime Beef Cattle

Meanwhile, the will for faster growing cattle was noted world-wide and our export markets quickly disappeared. The breed within the nineteen sixties found itself going through tricky times. Some progress was once made by means of selecting larger types among. Lately, the breed is a blend of the North American bloodlines with Scottish pedigree and include the British lines. We have with this new stock calving ease and good temperament where the fleshing and the marbling that makes Aberdeen Angus the preferred temperate beef breed around the world.

â&#x20AC;˘ The History of Aberdeen-Angus Beef. By Simon Packer. â&#x20AC;˘ Photograph sourced from the Aberdeen Angus website.

For the British breeders, the only market is that of the commercial beef manufacturer, and through these producers the consumers of the best beef. The breeders of the Aberdeen Angus have the tools of old at their disposal and choice of stock that were used at Keillor, Tillyfour and Ballindalloch plus with the advancement in genetics and veterinary practice, AI and embryo transplant, and the help of sophisticated performance records.

GALLOWAY Galloway is classified as one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest established breeds of beef cattle. Originally found in the Galloway region of Scotland they know find themselves located all over the world. The Galloway is naturally hornless, despite this, the breed has a bone knob at the top of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skull called the poll. This breedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shaggy coat has both a thick, woolly undercoat for warmth and stiffer guard hairs that help shed water, making them well adapted to harsher climates. The Galloway breed comes from the cattle native to an entire region of Scotland, and originally there was much variation within this breed, including many different colours and patterns. The original Galloway herd book only registered black cattle, but the recessive gene for red colour persisted in the population, and eventually dun Galloways were also allowed into the herd book. As a result, although black is still the most common colour for Galloways, they can also be red and several shades of dun. There are several varieties of the Galloway maintained as consistent strains or breeds.

South Devon cattle, aka Orange Elephants, are the largest of the British Native breeds. They are believed to be direst relatives from the large red cattle of Normandy, which were imported into the United Kingdom during the Norman invasion of England. The breed is a rich, medium red with copper tints; nevertheless it varies in shade and can even appear slightly spotted. This breed is predominantly used for beef production but has been used for dairy in past years. The breed is known to be exceptionally adaptable in terms of living in varying climate conditions, hence why it is extremely well established in five continents. Wherever they have been introduced South Devon cattle have been well accepted and exhibited strong performance for production and profitability. South Devonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are one of the few British breeds to have been selected for drought purposes as well as for beef and milk.

Prime Beef Cattle

SOUTH DEVON

Livestock Auction

Hailsham cattle market South East Marts originates from Haywards Heath Market and a company called T. Bannister & Co which was founded in 1866. In 1988 a restructuring took place with the formation of South East Marts and the joining up of Guildford, Hailsham, Heathfield and latterly Thame and Winslow Markets. 1990 saw the closure of Haywards Heath Market and the smaller market at Heathfield closed a few years later.

What to look for at market: It’s always advised to buy cattle in spring or early summer, this is when the calf is still just a couple of months old and isn’t yet weaned, you will also have the option of taking milk from the cow at this point.

The livestock auction industry has been decimated by the BSE crisis and market closures for twelve months during the last outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The hugely substantial development of central market sites has seen both Haywards Heath and Guildford Market close. Hailsham Market is a traditional charter market, situated in Hailsham town centre, dating back to 1252, and are proud to say that they are the only livestock market still running in Sussex today.

In terms of assessing health, key signs to look out for are a richly coloured coat and an easy going temperament. Any cow, steer or calf you buy must have an ear tag and up-to-date documentation showing it is TT and brucellosis free. You will also have to register your “herd” (even if it’s only two animals) with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), and comply with the various veterinary requirements predetermined by them. All of this documentation has to stay with the cow until slaughter.

Hailsham Market has a dedicated team of staff, with many years of experience under our belts. Not only do they run a twice-weekly livestock market, but also excel their service with ‘On the Farm Sales’, where they run a very efficient survice for clients in conducting on site sales.

It is a fact of rural life that good-natured, healthy, fertile cows with a good few years left in them are especially hard to buy. You can tell the age of the cow by the number of, and wear on, his or her teeth. But that’s a matter for experts. The bottom line is , if you are buying your first cow, especially in a livestock market, you should take an experienced friend.

• Market pamphlet listing the order of cattle sales over the day.

Livestock Auction

Some breeds of cattle are known as ‘dual purpose’ because they are suitable for producing milk and beef. But modern farming divides cattle into either beef or dairy breeds aiming at high productivity through specialisation. British beef breeds evolved in different parts of the country. They include Hereford, Galloway, Beef Shorthorn, Aberdeen Angus and South Devon. In the 60’s larger breeds were introduced from the continent such as Charolais, Limousin and Simmental. The dairy industry needs cows to calve once a year in order to maintain milk production; each cow produces around four offspring in her life, thus creating a surplus of calves. Only one of these calves is needed to replace the cow when her milk yields start to decrease. This means the remaining three calves are available for meat production. Dairy farmers plan in advance which calves will be reared for beef and cross most of the selected cows with a bull from a beef breed. The resulting calf will have 50% beef characteristics and 50% dairy characteristics and will yield more meat than a pure dairy animal. About half of our beef comes from 1.4 million specialist beef cows called ‘suckler’ cows because they suckle their own calves. They are concentrated mainly in the uplands of Britain. These cows are sometimes pure-bred but, more usually, are crosses of two or more breeds chosen to meet the farming conditions. For example, the thick weatherproof coat of the Galloway is especially useful in the wet conditions of its native west of Scotland.

• Glebe House, Framfield, East Sussex.

Breeding Cattle

Breeding Beef Cattle

Not at all, fire away. First of all I’d like to ask why you breed cattle ? Well, I’ve always liked the idea of having livestock, especially when I’ve got a few acres of land, which would otherwise be wasted. Obviously it does bring in a bit of pocket money, but in order to see anything major you would have to do it on a much larger scale than I do. Are their many expenses you have to pay throughout the cows life span or is it a fairly straight forward process ? As I said before, it does bring in a bit of pocket money but that will all be extremely dependent on the weather that year. For example, I’ve had to pay an arm and a leg for hay this year alongside numerous visit’s to the vets, these things all add up. Is the price of hay purely dependable on the weather over that particular year then ? Exactly. Normally I buy a big barrel of hay for between £12 - £15 each, but this year they have been going for around £60 each, that’s simply down to the weather being dry and cold for the majority of the year. I was forced to sell on most of the herd earlier on this year, because for people like me dealing with small amounts of cattle it just isn’t profitable.

• Photograph of Mike Anderson, Glebe House, East Sussex.

Breeding Cattle

Hi Mike, would you mind at all if I asked you a few question’s about your livestock and the logistics behind breeding cattle ?

Rearing Beef Cattle

New-born calves from dairy cows receive colostrum within the first six hours of life and for the first three days. Colostrum is the first milk a cow produces and contains essential antibodies, vitamins and minerals which protect the calf during its life. The calves from the dairy herd are reared on milk replacer diets until they are weaned onto solid food at about six weeks. The dairy cow continues to produce milk which is used for human consumption. Calves in beef suckler herds remain with their mothers for the first 6-9 months of their life until they are separated for finishing. Young female cattle are called heifers; males are bulls. Most males are castrated which makes them less aggressive. These animals are called steers or bullocks. Bulls grow the fastest, heifers the slowest and steers between the two. There are several methods of rearing beef. Most animals spend the summer months in fields grazing and are housed in the winter when the grass has stopped growing. Others are housed all the year round. Housed animals are fed a variety of foods. Grass is fed either dried as hay or preserved as silage. The diets are supplemented with other ingredients to produce more nutritious foods. These supplements can be cereals such as barley or protein feeds such as beans. Cattle diets use feeds which humans cannot consume, e.g by products from flour manufacture or margarine production. Beef animals can only be slaughtered between the ages of one and two and a half years. Generally, animals that graze take longer to reach slaughter weight than those fed on concentrates or cereal based feeding. The average weight at slaughter for steers and heifers is approximately 300 kg. The dressed carcase that ends up at the butcherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shop weighs about half of its live weight. Beef animals are not fed synthetic hormones in the UK or Europe. Beef animals are slaughtered in a modern abattoir where the conditions are strictly supervised and every effort is made to ensure that the operation is humane. The meat is then cut up into various types of joint and the offal, such as liver and the kidneys are separated for sale.

Breeding Cattle

Rearing Beef Cattle

J.Heath & Son

Yes, J.Heath & Son is a family business. It was started by my grandfather back in 1945 and was taken over by my father when he retired. Six years ago my father was diagnosed with bowel cancer, at this time my father stepped down and I took over running the shop. After noticing the sign downstairs in your shop, is it awards like “Sussex Butcher of the Year” which help the business compete against large supermarkets & any other threats? Winning awards like Sussex butcher of the year is a brilliant marketing tool. It does help in fighting threats such as super markets and farm shops etc, but I think our biggest tool is the way we buy and hang our produce. Do you buy your beef locally? If so, is this due to being more cost efficient or simply because that’s what the customer wants? Yes we buy our meat “pure bred Sussex beef.” Locally. Not only because, yes I do feel it’s what the customer wants. But it’s also a way of ensuring I get the quality our reputation is built on. Hand picked by the farmer. It is slightly cheaper to buy direct from the farm but not a lot. I can use the farms we buy from as a good selling point. You mentioned something about Cattle Passports? Could you explain briefly about what these are? Passports for cattle are all about traceability. It’s needed to sell the animal. It tells the animals age and breed, a bit like having a pedigree on a dog. You need to have the age of the cattle, as all beef for human consumption needs to be less than 24 months. This is to combat BSE “mad cow disease.”

J.Heath & Son

Is J.Heath & Sons a family run business? If so, for how long?

J.Heath & Son

CHOICE CUTS

A - Neck B - Chuck & Blade C - Fore Rib D - Sirloin E - Rump F - Topside Silverside G - Oxtail H - Leg I - Thick Flank J - Thin Flank K - Brisket L - Thin Rib M - Thick Rib N - Thick Rib O - Shin

As with most large animals, different parts of the carcass are more apropriate for different cooking methods. This is due to several factors, for example the amount of fat or sinew plus the amount of work the area has been put to throughout the animal’s life: the parts of its body which are used frequently build up connective tissue and tend to be tougher e.g. the neck which is constantly moved about in order to the animal to graze. Unfortunately, the closure of many butchers’ shops has meant that people no longer know which part of the animal they are buying apart from the generic “stewing steak” or roasting joint. However, if you are lucky enough to still have a good butchers or farmers market nearby, then asking for a particular cut can certainly enhance the likelyhood of cooking a succesful meal. Beef is divided into four quarters – two forequarters and two hindquarters. The forequarters run from the neck to the loin. They often require slower cooking methods, such as stewing, braising and pot-roasting. The hindquarter is the back end of the animal, with more tender cuts that are suitable for roasting and quicker cooking methods.

Choice Cuts

Smithfield Market

Smithfield’s livestock market grew in size and significance over the centuries until by the end of the Eighteenth Century the number of animals being brought into London from around the country was causing mayhem in the area and encroaching on the nearby streets and houses. In 1852 the Smithfield Market Removal Act was passed, relocating the livestock market to a new open site north of Islington. Plans were immediately put into place to start a new market in the area, which would specialize in cut meat. The arrival of the railways had already brought about an amazing revolution in the movement of animals. Before then fresh meat could only be transported on the hoof, which took time and was wasteful, as it was reckoned that each cow lost about 20 pounds in weight on a 100 mile walk. By 1849 almost one million of the animals sold at Smithfield came to London by rail.  So when plans for the new market were drawn up they also included an underground area where meat could be unloaded from the trains. However it needed an Act of Parliament to erect the new buildings. The City of London Corporation acquired that in 1860 and the City Architect, Sir Horace Jones, was charged with designing the new market. Work began in 1866, the first stone was laid in 1867 and the whole project was completed a year later, a vast cathedral like structure of ornamental cast iron, stone, Welsh slate and glass. It was a place full of light and air, consisting of two main buildings linked under a great roof and separated by a central arcade, the Grand Avenue.   The opening ceremony on 24 November 1868, headed by the Lord Mayor of London, was a grand ceremony and banquet attended by 1200 guests with music by the Grenadier Guards and lavish feasting on “boars’ heads and barons of beef”, while the toast was “tolls to the Corporation, cheap meat for the people and fair profits to salesmen.”

• History of Smithfield Market sourced from City Of London Website.

Smithfield Market

SMITHFIELD MARKET

Smithfield Market

VEAL OR BABY BEEF Veal is the meat of young cattle (calves) as a contrast to beef from older cattle. Although veal can be produced from a calf of either sex or any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy breeds. Veal is a controversial issue in terms of animal welfare but there is a demand for it within the UK and all around the world. The idea of traditional veal farming is to keep the meat as tender and pale as possible whilst getting a decent yield of meat. For many people, veal is associated with animal cruelty. But what should be done with the calves that are a by-product of the dairy industry? The truth is that if you drink milk, you should consider what happens to the calves afterwards. The females cow’s can join the herd or be sold to another dairy farmer, but the herd ultimately only needs one bull, seeing as dairy cows are generally not suitable for beef. In parts of Europe, such as Italy and the Netherlands, people still quite happily eat “white veal” the anemic color comes from the lack of iron in the calf’s diet. The animals are reared in horrific conditions that would be illegal in other countries, including the U.K. The babies are taken from their mother, kept in confined conditions, and fed a cocktail of formula milk and other chemicals without sufficient dietary goods. In the U.K. you can buy ethically raised veal under the name “rose veal”, so called because of it’s pink color. Instead of being put down after a few days, or sold to Europe to be raised under possible inhumane conditions as “white veal”, the animals are suckled by their mothers, eat grass and live for about six months (longer than most pigs for example). The humane standards are endorsed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). In the U.S., similar humanely raised veal is growing in popularity. It’s sold under a variety of names including meadow, red, rose, pastured, grass-fed, free-range and suckled. The meat is still tender but it has more flavor than white veal. Many people think it actually tastes better. Certainly if you care about animal welfare, it’s in better taste.

“ The most intensive confinement systems, such as restrictive veal crates... All prevent the animal from a normal range of movement and constitute inhumane treatment.” Pew Comision On Industrial Farm Animal Production.

There are primarily three types of housing: hutches, stalls or various types of group housing. While young calves are more vulnerable to disease they are kept in this manner to keep them isolated and also so they cannot move around so the meat is less muscular which is more desirable. Free raised veal calves require no housing and can roam freely with their mothers and the herd. We have historically imported thousands of tonnes of veal each year but practices are now changing and local butchers, farms and supermarkets are beginning to sell English veal. In order to keep up with milk production cows have to calve regularly. The heifers can be reared for milkers but the bull calf’s don’t make good beef so historically the farmer would slaughter the male calves shortly after birth or send them to the continent to be reared for veal. Most of the calves exported end up in the Netherlands and Belgium where the barren group housing system is used and some undertake even longer journeys to Spain and Italy of up to 100 hours. According to the Meat & Livestock Campaign we have been importing 95% of the 2,000 tonnes of veal we eat every year from the continent but clearly the system has been failing. Traditionally veal calves are kept in these close pens, which is awful as cows are social animals and they can be kept in the dark, fed on only milk and are anaemic. Welfare standards are not as high as ours and the public need to understand that the veal raised in the UK might be more expensive but the animals have had a far better life. British veal calves are raised to a much higher standard, which is seen by the colour of their meat. Unlike the white/beige colour of meat from animals restricted to milk and little movement, it is a deeper pink colour giving it the name of Rose or Rosé Veal. Some English producers are even calling it “Baby Beef” which is one way of getting around calling it veal! It does look like more consumers are realising the pros of buying British Veal and now larger branches of Marks and Spencer and Waitrose stock only British veal and Tesco has both British and Imported Veal.

• Photograph Keith Mann. “From Dusk ‘til Dawn.” 2001.

Veal or Baby Beef

HOUSING

CULINARY USES Veal has been an important meat in Italian and French cooking since ancient times. The veal is often in the form of cutlets, such as the Italian cotoletta or the famous Austrian dish Wiener Schnitzel. Some classic French veal dishes include, friend escalopes, stuffed paupiettes, roast joints and blanquettes. As veal is lower in fat than beef the cook has to take care not to overcook it as it can become tough. It can even be coated in preparation for frying or is eaten with a sauce. In addition to providing meat, the bones of calves are used to make a stock that forms the base for sauces and soups such as demi glace. The stomachs are also used to produce rennet which is used in the making of cheese.According to the Meat & Livestock Campaign we have been importing 95% of the 2,000 tonnes of veal we eat every year from the continent but clearly the system has been failing. Traditionally veal calves are kept in these close pens, which is awful as cows are social animals and they can be kept in the dark, fed on only milk and are anaemic. Welfare standards are not as high as ours and the public need to understand that the veal raised in the UK might be more expensive but the animals have had a far better life. British veal calves are raised to a much higher standard, which is seen by the colour of their meat. Unlike the white/beige colour of meat from animals restricted to milk and little movement, it is a deeper pink colour giving it the name of Rose or Rosé Veal. Some English producers are even calling it “Baby Beef” which is one way of getting around calling it veal! It does look like more consumers are realising the pros of buying British Veal and now larger branches of Marks and Spencer and Waitrose stock only British veal while Tesco has both British and Imported Veal.

KEY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Shoulder Rib Loin Sirloin Foreshank & Breast Leg

Veal or Baby Beef

4 3

2 1

6 5

MAD COW DISEASE Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is a neurodegenerative disease found in cattle. The disease primarily causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has an extremely long incubation period, ranging from 30 months all the way to 8 years. Usually the disease only effects the elder cattle, around 4-5 years old, but all breeds and ages are equally susceptible. BSE made the most impact on the farms of the United Kingdom, effecting more than 179,000 cattle were infected and 4.4 million slaughtered during the eradication program. The disease is extremely easily transmitted to human beings by simply eating beef or any other food, which has derived from a contaminated carcass, including areas of the brain, spinal cord and even the digestive tract. However, the infectious agent, although most highly concentrated in nervous tissue, can be found in virtually all tissues throughout the body, including blood. In humans, the disease is known as a variant of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD or nvCJD). By October 2009, this variant had killed 166 people in the United Kingdom and 44 elsewhere. Between 460,000 and 482,000 BSE infected animals has entered the human food chain before controls on high risk offal were introduced in 1989.

â&#x20AC;˘ Photograph by Dr. Art Davis, APHIS. Victim of BSE.

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Mad Cow Disease

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BSE is the disease in cattle, while VCJD is the disease found in humans.

BSE

VCJD

Austria

Belgium

133

Canada

Czech Republic

Denmark

Finland

France

900

Germany

312

Greece

Hong Kong

Republic of Ireland

1,353

Isreal

Italy

138

Country

102

Mad Cow Disease

Country

BSE

VCJD

Japan

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

875

Saudi Arabia

Slovakia

Spain

412

Sweeden

Switzerland

453

Thailand

United Kingdom

183,841

175

United States

188,743

280

TOTAL :

103

EPIDEMIC WITHIN THE UK A British inquiry into BSE concluded that the epizootic was ultimately caused by cattle being fed the remains of other cattle mixed into their food, this is what caused the infectious agent to spread. There was however studies which indicated that the cause of BSE may be form the contamination of MBM from sheep with scapi that were processed in the same slaughterhouse. The origin of the disease itself still remains unknown. The infectious agent is distinctive for the high temperatures at which it remains viable; this is what contributed to the spread of the disease in the United Kingdom, which had reduced the temperatures used during its rendering process. Another highly contributing factor was the feeding of infected protein supplements to very young calves. The use of meat and bone meal, produced from the ground and cooked left over’s of the slaughtering process, as a protein supplement in cattle feed was widespread in Europe prior to 1987. A change to the rendering process in the early 1980s may have resulted in a large increase of the infectious agents in the cattle feed. A contributing factor was suggested to have been a change in British laws that allowed a lower temperature sterilization of the protein meal. Later the British Inquiry dismissed this theory saying “changes in process could not have been solely responsible for the emergence of BSE, and changes in regulation were not a factor at all.” The first confirmed animal to fall ill with the disease was in 1986 in the United Kingdom, this was confirmed a whole year later with the indication that BSE was present. Following from that in November of 1987 the British Ministry of Agriculture accepted that there was a new disease they had to deal with. Consequently, 165 people (up until October 2009) acquired and died of a disease with similar neurological symptoms subsequently called vCJD, or variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease.

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Mad Cow Disease

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Epidemic within the UK BSE Timeline

Dec 22 1884 - Farmer from Midhurst, West Sussex, notices cow behaving strangly.

September 1990 - Ban on using cow brains and spinal cords in Animal feed.

Sept 19 1985 - Post mortem carried out on brain tissue from cow on same farm.

July 1993 - 100,000th case of BSE in Britain.

Nov 1986 - BSE first identified in laboratory.

September 1995 - First deaths from new variant CJD.

5 June 1987 - Chief Vetinary Officer informs ministers of new disease.

December 1995 - Ban on using mechanically recovered meat for human consumption.

31 Oct 1987 - Central Veterinary Lab publishes description of symptoms and pathology.

21 March 1996 - Government announces suspected link between BSE and human equivalent, CJD.

April 1988 - Government establishes the Southwood committee to look into BSE. It concludes that BSE had probably been spread in animal feed.

27 March 1996 - EC announces worldwide export ban on all British beef.

July 1988 - Ban on feed derived from protein introduced. August 1988 - Decision to slaughter all BSE affected cattle within the UK. February 1989 - Government bans beef offal from baby foods. July 1989 - EC bans export of cattle born before July 1988. November 1989 - Ban on use of cows brain and spinal cord for human consumption.

21 May 1996 - UK begins policy of non cooperation with EU partners until ban is lifted. 24 May 1996 - The UK applies to the European Court of Justice to have the ban overturned. 12 June 1996 - UK proposes phased lifting of ban, including exemption of cattle from herds certified as never having had BSE. 21 June 1996 - European Heads of Government agree to the Florence Framework for the progressive removal of the ban. The Agreement outlined five preconditions for the resumption of exports:

March 1990 - EC restricts exports of cattle to those under six months.

•

May 1990 - Agriculture Minister John Gummer and his daughter eat beef burgers in front of British press.

A selective slaughter programme of “at risk” animals to speed up the eradication of BSE in the UK.

•

Improved identification and tracing.

106

BSE Timeline

•

Legislation for the removal of meat and bone meal from feed mills and farms.

•

Effective implementation of the Over Thirty Month slaughter scheme.

•

Vigorous and effective removal of specified risk materials from carcasses.

18 July 1996 - The European Parliament sets up a Temporary Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged maladministration in relation to BSE in the EC.

2 October 1997 - A proposal for a UK Date Based Export Scheme is submitted to the European Commission along with a paper giving the scientific rationale for the proposal. The proposal includes plans for the compulsory slaughter of all offspring born to BSE infected cows on or after 1 August 1996. 9 December 1997 - The UK proposal is considered by Scientific Steering Committee which responds positive but indicated the Commission would need to be satsified with the control mechanisms.

December 1996 - Britain announces that the backlog of animals waiting to be slaughtered under the Over Thirty Month Scheme is cleared.The selective cull of cattle most at risk of BSE is announced which means that the UK has acted on all five pre-conditions of the Florence Agreement.

December 1997 - Government announces one-off compensation of £85m to beef farmers.

April 1997 - The European Parliament sets up a new Temporary Committee to monitor the European Commission’s follow up actions to the first committee’s recommendations. It produces its final report in November 1997.

February 1998 - Government bans sale of beef on the bone.

May 1997 - Government says it may ban imports of beef from Germany and other EU countries which do not observe Britain’s strict abattoir hygiene controls. 30 September 1997 - The Advocate General says the EU beef ban was lawful and on 5 May 1998 the ECJ upheld its validity. Although a ruling on the vailidity of the ban was still nine months away, the UK concentrates its efforts on lifting the ban through negotiation and agreement with EU partners.

January 1998 - A £2m marketing campaign is launched to attempt to restore confidence in British beef. The EU makes a financial contribution to the scheme.

9 March 1998 - Public inquiry into the origin and spread of BSE and its human equivalent, CJD, opens in London. 16 March 1998 - EU vets approve the removal of the ban on British beef exports from certified heads in Northern Ireland. 1 June 1998 - Northern Ireland farmers resume exports - the first time UK beef has been sold abroad since March 1996. 10 June 1998 - The European Commission recommends lifting the export ban on British beef for animals born after August 1996.

107

Mad Cow Disease

Epidemic within the UK

Epidemic within the UK BSE Timeline

28 September 1998 - Although not a pre-requisite of the Florence Agreement, a computerised cattle traceability system is introduced to the UK. It holds details of all cattle registgered or imported into the country. 28 October 1998 - An amended proposal is accepted which was voted on by the Standing Veterinary Committee on 4 November 1998. The proposal was due to be tabled at the November Agricultural Council for discussion and a vote. 23 November 1998 - European Union farm ministers lift the 32-month ban on the export of beef from the UK. Resumption of exports is expected in March 1999. 15 November 1999 - The UK requested that the Commission take legal action against France for refusing to lift its ban on British beef. 30 December 1999 - France responded to the Reasoned Opinion, maintaining the ban on British beef. The Commission were to pursue the case through the ECJ in 2000. 17 January 2000 - Great Britain introduced a system of numeric ear tagging for cattle to comply with 29 March 2000 - German ban on UK beef formally lifted. 30 March 2000 - The Prime Minister announced that the FSA was to undertake a review of BSE controls in relation to the food chain.

108

15 January 2001 - Letter sent to all cattle farmers in the UK to notify them of a new survey to examine a random sample of fallen stock for BSE in line with Commission Decision 2000/764/EC, which amends Decision 1998/272/EC. 20 March 2002 - The European Commission sent France a pre-Article 228 letter, asking for an explanation of Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to comply with the ruling of the ECJ on the beef ban. 17 July 2002 - The EU Commission requests that the European Court of Justice impose a financial penalty of 158,250 Euros per day on France for non-compliance with the ECJ ruling that its ban on the import of UK DBES beef was illegal. 25 October 2002 - The French Government announced that the ban on British beef was formally lifted and that British beef could now be imported to France. 22 May 2003 - Inaugural meeting of the Animal Health and Welfare Panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). 1 July 2003 - Animal By-Products Regulations 2003 came into force. These laid down health rules for animal byproducts not intended for human consumption and included updated controls on the transport. 26 April - 7 May 2004 - Inspection of UK BSE controls by officials from the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Food and Veterinary Office.

Mad Cow Disease

24 October 2005 - TSES in Great Britain: A Progress Report â&#x20AC;&#x201C; December 2004, which updated to 31 December 2004 information about the measures taken to protect public and animal health in Great Britain and about the progress in eradicating BSE, was published and copies were placed in the House libraries. 2 May 2006 - Commission Regulation (EC) No. 657/2006, which lifted the ban on the export of cattle and beef products from the UK, came into force. 5 December 2008 - Authorising fifteen Member States, including the United Kingdom, to revise their annual BSE monitoring programme by raising the lower age limit for BSE testing from over 24/30 to over 48 months.

â&#x20AC;˘ BBC News Monday November 23, Published 1998 & from : archive.defra. gov.uk/foodfarm.

109

FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE Foot and mouth disease is an acute infectious viral disease causing fever, followed by the development of blisters chiefly in the mouth and on the feet. It is probably more infectious than any other disease affecting animals and spreads rapidly if uncontrolled. It affects cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats. Wild and domestic cloven-hoofed animals and elephants, hedgehogs and rats are also susceptible. Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease, and the authorities must be informed of any suspected cases. The disease does not pose a serious threat to human health. The disease can be airborne, and under favourable conditions may spread considerable distances by this route. The last UK outbreak in 1981 was thought to have occurred after the virus was spread on the wind from infected animals in Northern France to the South Coast of England. The virus is present in great quantity in the fluid from the blisters, and it can also occur in the saliva, exhaled air, milk and dung. Any of these can be a source of infection to other stock. At the height of the disease, virus is present in the blood and all parts of the body. Heat, sunlight and disinfectants will destroy the virus, whereas cold and darkness tend to keep it alive. Under favourable conditions it can survive for long periods. The incubation period for the virus is from three to eight days, but it can take two to three weeks for the virus to spread. Animals pick up the virus either by direct or indirect contact with an infected animal, or by contact with foodstuffs or other contaminated material. Cattle trucks, lorries, market places, and loading ramps where infected animals may have been present are sources of infection until effectively disinfected. Roads may also become contaminated, and virus may be picked up and carried on the wheels of passing vehicles such as delivery lorries, milk tankers etc. Any person who has come into contact with diseased animals can spread the disease; and dogs, cats, poultry, wild game and vermin may also carry infected material. Imported meat, infected with the virus, may also be a source of infection.

110

Foot & Mouth Disease

111

The disease rarely kills adult animals but can cause up to 100% mortality in young stock. Adult animals infected with the disease rapidly lose weight and condition, and it is the financial implications of this for the livestock industry which are one of the main reasons why the rapid spread of the disease is feared. The disease is endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America, with sporadic outbreaks in disease-free areas. Countries affected by Foot and Mouth in the past twelve months include Butan, Brazil, Columbia, Egypt, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Malawi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Taipei, Tajikistan, Uruguay and Zambia. The last major outbreak of the disease in the EU was in Greece last year.

PREVIOUS OUTBREAKS The last instance of foot and mouth disease was in 1981 on the Isle of Wight. The outbreak was brought under control and only 200 cattle and 369 pigs had to be slaughtered. But the epidemic that broke out in 1967 did not follow the same story. It took five months to be brought under control and resulted in the destruction and disposal of over 440,000 animals. It cost Britain an estimated £150 million in slaughter costs and lost sales plus an extra £27 million in compensation – equivalent to about £1.6bn today. In 1967, the disease was first identified on a farm in Oswestry, Shropshire. However, unlike 1981, it spread quickly and 2,364 outbreaks were confirmed by the time the disease was eventually stamped out. The Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) ordered the slaughter of all infected animals on farms. Carcasses were then burned on site and the remains buried.

112

Foot & Mouth Disease

“There were clouds of choking, black smoke billowing from the burning carcasses as you drove around the countryside. Producers who were not affected devoted their time and effort to minimising the risk of the disease spreading to their farms. No one was too sure at the time how the disease was spread and spread straw soaked in disinfectant at busy road junctions and county boundaries.”

• Quote from Robert Davies, Farmers Weekly correspondent, recalls the 1967 crisis.

113

FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE On Monday 19 February 2001, vets at an abattoir in Essex isolated a batch of pigs from Northumberland with the disease’s characteristic lesions. It sparked an immediate investigation. As a result, within a week cases had been found as far afield as Northumberland and Devon. This was the beginning of the worst outbreak of foot and mouth to hit the UK in living memory. Britain saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms in most of the British countryside resulting in over 10 million sheep and cattle killed in an eventually successful attempt to halt the disease. With the intention of controlling the spread of the disease, public rights of way across land all over the country were closed by order. This ultimately damaged the popularity of the Lake District and Britain as a tourist destination during this period. By the time the disease was halted in October 2001, the crisis was estimated to have cost the United Kingdom £8 billion. The Report from the Royal Society (opposite page) shows clearly the major impact that the FMD 2001 epidemic had on the UK:

• Words: Report from the Royal Society Infectious Diseases in Livestock, 2002. • Photograph Sourced via USDA online center. 2010.

114

began and involved 2030 cases spread across the country. Some 6 million animals were culled (4.9 million sheep, 0.7 million cattle and 0.4 million pigs), which resulted in losses of some £3.1 billion to agriculture and the food chain. Some £2.5 billion was paid by the Government in compensation for slaughtered animals and payments for disposal and clean up costs. About 4 million of the animals were culled as part of disease control (1.3 million on infected premises, 1.5 million on farms defined as dangerous contacts not contiguous with the infected premises, and 1.2 million on contiguous premises, many of which were also defined as dangerous contacts). The others died under various types of ‘welfare cull’. At one stage, it was suggested that in addition to the six million animals mentioned above there could have been up to 4 million further young animals killed ‘at foot’ (i.e. Slaughtered but not counted).Defra believe that these estimates of additional ‘at foot’ animals are, however, likely to be high, because at least some of these young animals were included in their original figures. The foot-and-mouth outbreak had serious consequences upon tourism-in both city and country-and other rural industries.”

115

Foot & Mouth Disease

“That outbreak was the worst experienced by Britain since proper records

116

Foot & Mouth Disease

IMPACT ON TOURISM The European Commission immediately banned all British milk, meat and livestock exports until the disease had been contained. All 300 animals at the abattoir were slaughtered in an attempt to control the outbreak but the disease spread across the UK and over the next year more than 2,000 animals were diagnosed with foot-and-mouth. The burning of animals on mass pyres became the vivid image of the 2001 outbreak. Cumbria was the worst affected area with more than 800 cases. To prevent the spread of the disease, public rights of way across the UK were closed. Parts of the countryside were closed off to stop the disease spreading. The disease destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of farmers, while the Countryside Agency estimated the cost to tourism alone at between £2 billion and £3 billion. The UK was declared free of foot-and-mouth disease in January 2002. An inquiry into the outbreak - the Anderson Inquiry - made its report in July 2002, with its main recommendation being that the government needed a new “national strategy” to help contain any future animal health outbreak. The report recognised ministers were facing a virtually unprecedented situation and had to make decisions under intense pressure. Farmers received £1.34bn in compensation for livestock losses, but just £39m was given to the Business Recovery Fund aimed at rural businesses that suffered losses.

• Costly Memories of foot-and-mouth, Friday 3rd August 2007, BBC News. • Photograph from Watchtree ‘Nature Reserve’ at Great Orton airfield burial site.

117

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOT JUST FOR DINNER For as long as animals have been used for food, by-products have been just as important to humans. Cattle provide us with many parts of a cow other than Beef which are used to create industrial, health and food products, many of which we consume every day. Most people understand that cattle provide us with healthy meat but few understand that 99% of every beef animal is used. It is estimated that these by products contribute to approximately 10% if the value of the livestock. The following photographâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s display household products which derive from fats and proteins :

118

By Products

Fig 1- Toothpaste

119

Fig 2- Candle

120

By Products

Fig 3- Plastic

121

Fig 4 - Aftershave

122

By Products

Fig 5 - Paint

123

Fig 6 - Photographic Film

124

By Products

Fig 7 - Cosmetics

125

Apparel To make leather, a cow is slaughtered and its skin is removed. The skin is then salted and organized by size and colour. The manufacturer moves the skin to the tannery to tan the hide to make it softer, durable and more resistant to odor. The hide is dried and separated by quality. The cowhides with damages and tears cannot be used whole and might be used to make patchwork products. Cowhides provide us with leather which is used to make:

126

By Products

Fig 1- Leather Belt

127

Fig 2- Shoes

128

Fig 3- Wallet

129

Fig 4- Furniture

130

By Products

Fig 5- Bag’s

131

TRAVEL Cattle by-products even help us get us to where we are going, whether it be by land, air or sea : •

Tires contain stearic acid which makes rubber hold its shape under continuous surface friction.

•

Antifreeze contains glycerol derived from fatty acids to keep engines running cool.

•

Asphalt has a binding agent from fat.

•

Glue from beef protein is used in car bodies.

•

Numerous lubricants and fluids contain fatty acids from inedible beef fats and proteins.

•

Steel ball bearings contain bone charcoal.

•

Other products include hydraulic brake fluid, aeroplane lubricants, runway foam, car polishes and waxes and textiles for car upholstery.

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By Products

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PHARMACEUTICAL pRODUCTS •

From the Pancreas : Insulin – For treating diabetes and high blood. Sugar Chymotrypsin – Promotes healing of burns and wounds. Pancreatin – Aids in digestion of food. Glucagon – Treats hypo glycemia or low blood sugar.

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From the Liver Heparin – Anti-coagulant. Liver Extract – Treatment of anemia Vitamin. B-12 – Prevention of B - complex deficiencies.

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From the Bone Bone Marrow – Treatment of blood disorders. Soft Cartilage – Plastic surgery component Bone. Meal – Calcium and phosphorous source.

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From the Blood Blood Factors – For treating hemophilia, killing viruses and making anti-rejection drugs. Iron – Treatment of anemia. Thrombin – Coagulant which helps blood clot.

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End of Line

Thank you to everyone who featured or helped in any way with the development of this book. All photographâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s featured within this book, unless stated otherwise, are under the ownership of CJ Brown. Type set in Baskerville and Mr.Eaves. Digitally printed by Hello Blue, Bristol.