Abbwell Pastoral Holdings

Abbwell Pastoral Holdings are sustainable livestock farmers. We use a wide variety of practices, not only to raise animals humanely and produce better products but also to build soil and sequester carbon, mitigating the effects of greenhouse gases. At the heart of our sustainable livestock production is well-managed pasture, forest or rangeland, where animals can move and graze freely.

Raising livestock on pasture is labour-intensive and expensive, from pasture and farm management to securing reliable processing facilities. The resulting products are therefore more expensive as well. For those able to pay a premium, each purchase represents a worthy long-term investment in a dramatically different food system that is healthier, not only for consumers but for pasture-based livestock farmers, animals and the environment.

Animals raised on pasture are generally healthier and under less stress than those raised in confinement. They have widely varied diets that depend on the grasses and other forage available in the area; they roam freely and express natural behaviours like rooting and scratching. Pasture-based farmers ensure their animals always have access to fresh water, and supplement their diets with vitamins or minerals as appropriate. Farmers also make sure that there is adequate shelter, whether trees or a formal structure, to protect livestock from the elements.

Grazing on pasture is appropriate for cattle and other ruminants, whose multi-stomach digestive systems naturally extract nutrients from grass and plants. Consuming roughage is essential for these animals to produce saliva, which neutralizes their natural stomach acids. When ruminants are fed a grain-based diet, however, much less saliva is produced and has the opposite effect of acidifying the digestive tract: intestinal damage, dehydration, liver abscesses and death can result.

At Abbwell Pastoral Holdings, our mission is to produce a small range of prime-quality products for general market consumption in an economically sustainable way.

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