'I won't let bureaucracy beat me'
"It's been a long battle but we keep going", insists defiant bison farmer
Farmer George Wakeling is understandably reluctant to chat about the trials and tribulations of rearing the largest herd of bison in Britain. He’s a wary interviewee, bruised by countless clashes with officials trying to confound his most unlikely of businesses by – his words – "tying it up in bureaucratic red tape".
The suggestion that he's the original Jeremy Clarkson happy to pursue repeated battles with officialdom brings him to life with a delighted chuckle, though. “Ooh yes, I like that,” he beams, his wife Ruth nodding and smiling in agreement before he warms to the cause. “They know if they take me on, they’ll have a fight on their hands."
Challenging government
Like Clarkson’s war with councillors over improvements to his Diddly Squat Farm Shop and Restaurant in the Cotswolds, veteran farmer George revels in the conflict. He’s an old hand too, after challenging various government departments for more than a quarter of a century to ensure his magnificent beasts continue to roam the fields of Leicestershire.
George and Ruth stopped conventional beef production at their 200-acre farm in Nether Broughton, near Melton Mowbray when BSE first emerged and Whitehall encouraged farmers to diversify by exploring niche markets.
“I was attracted by the idea of getting back to an animal that nature intended, rather than one bred primarily for yield. Bison has less fat and cholesterol than fish and chicken, and 30% more protein than beef. It’s full flavoured with a slightly sweet taste, and isn’t at all gamey”
George Wakeling, farmer and grantor
Lack of common sense
The farm shop, recent addition of the Through the Gate Cafe and farmers' markets allow the couple to sell their produce, which is greeted with strong demand at agricultural shows, food festivals and game fairs – especially their bison burgers. But as the Clarkson’s Farm docuseries has revealed, trying something different isn’t always that easy, with what George says has been a "minefield of regulations, legislation and a lack of common sense blocking almost every move".
When he started, George used to kill his animals on site at his Bouverie Lodge Farm and send them to a local butcher. But myriad testing regimes and regulations for ‘bovine casualties’ introduced post-BSE meant butchers were no longer prepared to handle the carcasses.
“The sensible way would have been to classify bison as farmed game like deer and kill them on the farm – much better from an animal welfare point of view and for flavour,” adds George. “The authorities said they needed to be transported to a slaughterhouse, but they’re wild animals and become very stressed. In fact, the adrenaline and the corticosteroids which are released can literally ruin the meat.”
Never giving in
George got around some of the hurdles by building his own butchering and dressing facility at the farm, but it has come at the price of many years of stress that confrontation brings. Today, there is relative calm, with smaller boxes to tick to ensure his 150 bison and accompanying deer – penned in by six-foot high fences and sturdy gates – continue to thrive.
And the former dairy and beef farmer who moved into bison and venison after reading an article extolling the good health of American park rangers who've kept both for generations, feels vindicated.
“It’s been a very long battle, but we keep going and they won't beat us. We’ve never made a fortune from it, but sales are still very good and we have a steady income,” he says. “We’re very glad the public has now seen some of the pressures faced by farmers on the Clarkson’s Farm programme. There have been so many obstacles we've had to jump down the years, but we were determined to never give in.”
And he adds with a laugh: “If truth be told I like a bit of a fight anyway."
30lbs
Bison are North America’s largest native land mammals and live on a diet of grass, consuming up to 30lbs of it a day.
35mph
The bulls, which can be up to 6ft tall and weigh 1.5 tonnes, can outrun most horses – reaching up to 35 miles an hour.
Pecking order
Part of George’s passion for fighting authority comes from his attachment to these most incredible of creatures… despite a tricky start. To begin with he thought that handling bison would be like keeping suckler cows, but soon changed his mind. “Handling is very different. Unlike cattle, which have been domesticated over many hundreds of years, bison will not be driven.
“An American farmer said to me that if you want to move bison you need a kettle. Leave the gate open and have a cup of tea – they’ll be where you want them when you get back.”
Generally docile, it’s best to steer clear if their tails are up, a clear sign they’re not to be messed with. They have a highly developed instinct for self-preservation, and if sufficiently frightened, can be deadly. George moves them into huge barns in winter to protect the ground from being churned up. Once indoors, they need four times as much space as domesticated cattle because they have a strict pecking order and can be quite rough with each other.
More hurdles, more determined
Bison can be badly hit by even a low worm count that wouldn’t bother cattle. It’s also necessary to add trace minerals to the soil like copper and selenium, which the animals need in their diet. They are ingested during grazing, and are the only supplements given. The animals enter a four-month semi shutdown in winter when their metabolism slows – a process related to their former life in the wild.
“If you don’t have the weight on in the autumn they may not survive,” George says.
And despite the battles with officialdom, he remains enthusiastic about his bison project. “I know people who have given up because of the red tape, but it’s never once been an option as far as we’re concerned. The more hurdles put in our way, the more determined we became.”
Find out more about Bouverie Lodge Farm here.
