FOOD
Ron beefing up
meat as a
real winner
By Peter White
It seems the horse meat
scandal has been galloping
through the front pages of
virtually every newspaper
in the country, as well as
jumping on to our television
screens with every news
bulletin.
But while the debate
over what is actually in
our burgers and meat balls
seems no nearer reaching the
finishing post, at least there
has been some good news for
the Island’s beef producers.
More and more people
want to know exactly where
their beef is coming from,
and have taken the attitude
that it is no good gambling
on a no-hoper, and have
decided instead that there’s
no place like home.
Island Life visited Ron
Holland at Kemphill Farm,
Havenstreet, to discover why
Island-reared beef is proving
the real winner. Ron has
nearly 200 head of cattle
on his farm, and each week
about five are slaughtered
and sold to local wholesaler
Island Foods for distribution
to leading hotels, restaurants
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www.visitislandlife.com
and other outlets.
Ron admits: “We are
quietly pleased that this
horse meat scandal has come
to light, because there is no
way some suppliers could
be selling beef at the prices
they were. At least on the
Island everyone knows who
is doing what; but in Europe
it does seem there is fraud.
Beef is a global commodity;
there are huge amounts of
horse meat out there waiting
for fraudsters to use. It is
unforgiv eable, but the good
thing is that no one is going
to die from eating a horse.”
Since the horse meat
scandal began virtually every
Island supplier has been
sourcing their beef from
the Island. Ron is one of
a handful of main graziers
and cattle fatteners on the
Island and he explained that
there are strict rules to beef
producing, with cattle even
having their own passports.
They are bar-coded and
show everyone, especially
the Government, all their
movements.
Ron attends Frome market