The Cotswolds Grazing Animals Project is a partnership project between the National Trust and Natural England in Gloucestershire.
The main aim is to restore, conserve and enhance flower-rich unimproved limestone grassland in the Cotswolds, using native hardy cattle, owned and managed by the two project partners.
A secondary aim is to demonstrate the ability of these types of cattle to thrive on what is seen as marginal land. This includes producing calves and selling beef from the herd.
 
© National Trust
Why have our own cows?
The National Trust and Natural England have struggled in the past to find local farmers who have hardy cattle willing to graze many of these unimproved limestone grasslands. Some of these sites have not been grazed for decades with many not having fencing or a clean water supply.
The grasses are generally nutritionally poor. The sites are often small and fragmented and are typically in exposed locations with steep slopes. They also tend to be heavily visited by the public. Many of the sites are commons and subject to Common land law.
The National Trust’s Belted Galloway and Natural England’s Welsh Black cattle are ideal for grazing these types of sites. They can tackle the coarsest of grasses and are capable of grazing the steepest of slopes, withstanding winters spent out on the exposed Cotswold escarpment. They are also untroubled by people and dogs.
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© National Trust
Over 20 separate sites are grazed by the cattle from the Cotswolds Grazing Animals Project, covering over 150 hectares including three National Natures Reserves and seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest and involving at least ten different landowners.
The National Trust and Natural England employ a full time Stockman to manage the cattle, making sure the animals are grazing in the right place at the right time and equally importantly, liaising with the public and landowners.
The cattle’s welfare is maintained to Freedom Food standards - the RSPCA's farm assurance and food labelling scheme that is dedicated to farm animal welfare. Freedom Food members are subject to an annual assessment by a trained assessor and monitoring visits by RSPCA farm livestock officers.
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What is unimproved limestone grassland?
This is wildflower rich grassland that has escaped from modern farming methods which has sought to ‘improve’ grassland either by using fertilizers and pesticides or by reseeding
Why is it important?
This type of grassland found in the Cotswolds is made up of many different kinds of lime-loving plants including grasses, herbs, mosses and lichens that together provide a home for a variety of insects and birds. As many as 40 different plant species can be found in a single square metre.
© National Trust
Butterflies and bugs
Cotswold limestone grasslands support an amazing variety of insects and other invertebrates. Some of the nation’s most scarce butterflies such as the Adonis Blue and the Duke of Burgundy are found on these sites. Many typical limestone grassland plants support specific plant-feeding beetles and their leaves provide essential cover for ground beetles and bugs.
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How has grassland developed?
Wildflower grassland was created by human activity and has developed since the early farmers cleared the native forest to make grazing land for their livestock. For centuries, these grasslands have been managed for this purpose. Grazing is vital for conserving the unique flora and fauna of limestone grassland.
Why is it under threat?
In the 1930s, 40 per cent of the Cotswolds was covered in wildflower rich limestone grassland. Today this figure is 1.5 per cent or less than 3,000 hectares. Over half of this remaining grassland is now protected as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or National Nature Reserves (NNR).
This decline is mostly due to the intensification of farming by conversion to arable and ploughing and re-seeding with vigorous grasses. Abandonment of grazing with farm livestock has also played a part in this decline. A lack of grazing allows coarse grasses to dominate, swamping low-growing grasses and herbs and eventually everything disappears under scrub and trees.
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Buying beef from the Project
Each Autumn, beef is sold from the Belted Galloway and Welsh Black cattle. Both breeds are slow maturing with castrated males taken to slaughter at two and a half years old, having spent their entire lives grazing herb-rich Cotswold grassland. After hanging for at least three weeks, the meat is butchered locally.
Some of the beef is sold to select local butchers and restaurants however the majority is sold direct to the public in 10kg boxes containing a selection of beef. The boxes are pre-ordered and collected from the office at Ebworth, the meat being fresh, vacuum packed and individually labelled. To put your name down for a box, please use the contact information below.
In 2008, the beef was awarded the prestigious National Trust Fine Farm Produce Award in recognition of it’s superior quality.
Wildlife podcast
Discover what is so special about Belted Galloway cows from Warden Matt Stanway on the Ebworth Estate, in our podcast from last year.
Contact us
Email: Cotswoldsgrazing@nationaltrust.org.uk
Telephone: 01452 810058
Address:
Cotswolds Grazing Animals Project
The Ebworth Centre
The Camp
Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL6 7ES
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