Building an
empire from
a single cow

However Andrew Fisher, who runs and breeds a highly successful herd of cattle in picturesque Pateley Bridge, is just such a story.

From setting up on his own “straight out of school and from virtually nothing”, Yorkshire farmer Andrew has come a long way – and so have his British White cattle.

He purchased a single pedigree British White cow in 2004 and has gone on to build up a 125-strong herd at his 250-acre farm – one of the largest herds in the country.

The herd has a national profile, having won national awards and, along the way, helping to conserve what was once a critically endangered native species.

“I used to breed commercial cattle but they were quite wild and on my own it was very hard work,” said Mr Fisher.

“I decided I’d had enough one day, and saw a British White at Melton Mowbray market and said to myself ‘I have got to have one of those’.

“Soon after, I went to a rare breed sheep and beef sale and bought one.

“In the first year I’d built this up to 20 and five years later, I had more than 100.”

While not as well known, or as commonly-farmed, as the likes of Limousin or Aberdeen Angus, British Whites are a well-respected and admired breed.

As the name would suggest they are characterised by their white colour, which can include red or black markings, and their distinctively tasty meat.

Mr Fisher acts as a proud ambassador and champion for the breed.

“They’re an attractive bunch, so great for showing.

“But they also produce lovely tasting, tender meat.

“They mature and fatten on grass, which adds to the unique and lovely flavour.”

And, as a member and show judge for the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, the charity set up to protect and conserve the UK’s rare native breeds of farm animals and poultry, he embraces the challenges of rearing such pure breeds.

“I love the breeding, the calving, the challenges of keeping pedigree cattle – I love all the aspects of it,” he says.

Farming very much runs in his blood and Mr Fisher’s passion and enthusiasm for the profession are evident when you talk to him.

“My granddad and uncle were beef and sheep farmers so I got my love of cattle from them.

“I worked with them as a young kid and picked up a lot of experience, and during school I worked at a neighbour’s farm too, and got hooked. It is the kind of profession that you do pick up as you go along.

“I learned a lot of valuable lessons that way and always felt like I was picking up stuff all the time.

“When I left school at 16 it seemed a natural path, I suppose you could say it’s in my blood.

“It is a way of life and certainly beats being stuck in an office all day.”

Mr Fisher also enjoys a strong supply chain arrangement. The word of his ‘Nidderdale Diamonds’ spread quickly throughout the area and in the last few years he’s been supplying Harrogate farm shop Weeton’s with an entire animal each week in order to provide premium cuts of rare breed beef to its discerning customers.

“When Weeton’s owner Andrew Loftus came to see the herd, he just said ‘I will take all the meat that you can supply’!”

“It is a privilege to supply Weeton’s and it is a unique breed to their farm shop. If it wasn’t for people like Andrew Loftus, the breed wouldn’t survive – I couldn’t have done all this without him.”

Mr Loftus has since moved on to pastures new, working for Bradford-based supermarket chain Morrisons on a beef project.

His wife is now in charge of Weeton’s.

This year alone he has enjoyed success at shows in Cheshire, Norfolk and in his native Yorkshire.

Having spent many years growing his herd, this year is the first he has actively shown his cattle at agricultural exhibitions

“At the first one I attended, the Cheshire Show, I was awarded seven first prizes,” said Mr Fisher. “I was really pleased – if a little shocked.”

He’s since gone on to win second prize in the Herd of the Year competition, which saw his British Whites competing with herds from across the UK, and says the rewards make all the hard work worthwhile.

“It might sound strange but these shows are essentially my holiday,” he says.

“So, it feels so great to win prizes and it gives me a great deal of job satisfaction.”

Fresh from this recent success, Mr Fisher, 41, has plans to show at his own home town event of Nidderdale Show towards the end of the season.

Mr Fisher’s typical day is one farmers will be familiar with, full of its pitfalls and unique challenges.

“I’m up at 6am, mucking out, checking on the show cattle inside, then checking the stock outside. I rent a lot of acres on the farm so I’m in the Land Rover a lot too,” he says.

And, as many would probably admit, there are days when the lifestyle he loves does get the better of him.

When asked if he ever thinks about giving it all up he replies “every other day in winter” while he laughs.

“When it’s snowing and blowing, I think I might like to be in a nice warm office in the dry.

“But I love the changing seasons and the diversity of the job,” he continues.

“Ultimately, working outdoors is just ‘me’.

“It’s my way of life, and it’s exactly how I like it.”

British Whites themselves are white bodied with black or red points on the nose, muzzle, eyes, ears and teats.

The cows are renowned for being docile and dual-purpose, so they are naturally good milkers and hardy so can be out-wintered.

According to the British White Cattle Society (BWCS), the modern-day breed claims direct links with the UK’s ancient indigenous wild white cattle, which date back to 1553.

In 2008, celebrity Michelin-starred chef Nigel Haworth was the driving force behind setting up his own herd of 90 cows to supply his expanding string of restaurants.

The move recognised the distinct eating qualities of British White beef.

And the BWCS suggest that in 1918 there were only seven recorded herds containing 16 bulls and 115 females.

However thanks to farmers like Andrew Fisher it is no longer listed by the RBST as a rare breed, joining the Longhorn among others in the minority breeds category.

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