gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
We have the same issue as @CharcoalWally with selling stock. Not many years ago we had at least five small markets within a few miles of us now we just have Truro, a big old draughty shed where cattle in particular stand on concrete for hours, are shoved around, mixed up and scared witless by incompetent drovers always in a hurry and thats before they are loaded with strange beasts to travel lord knows how far. It's the same with abattoirs. We now only have one that I would call local whereas before we had loads. None of this is condusive to animal welfare, disease control or reduces the carbon footprint of the produce. One of the big supermarkets used to buy my named sire Aberdeen Angus finished beef but persuading buyers to come down to Cornwall to view stores is a non-starter.
I guess this thread is the result of "agro-progress " and the costs to the industry incurred in an attempt to maintain animal health in the face of modern husbandry and public expectations. Maybe in the future it will come a full circle. It would be good to think that we could make that decision before we are forced to but I'm not going to hold my breath.
If you had a lorry load ( either 20 or 40 odd ) then buyers would come to Cornwall!
You should sell them in Exeter, that is the dearest market in the SW for store cattle!