Herd instinct for buffalo reaps reward

They may not be the most common of farm animals in the region and no doubt they have turned many heads of drivers and cyclists who have passed their farm.

But for the Gills, an experienced and well-respected farming family in South Yorkshire, the water buffalo has proven to be a great success story.

Famed for their good quality and low fat meat, the animals are more commonly farmed on the Indian sub-continent, South America, the Middle East and Southern Europe.

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However, there are now a number of UK farms that are producing buffalo meat, including the Gills from their Nether Rod Knowle Farm at Eastmoor, near Chesterfield.

Richard Gill, the third generation of his family to farm in the area, runs a herd of around 350 of the beasts with their distinctive horns and imposing size.

Up and running for just a few short years, the herd supports a delicatessen, run by Richard’s sister Lisa and her husband Ian, as well as a number of high quality farm shops and restaurants.

His family have farmed in this part of the world sine 1938 where they ran a dairy herd.

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Producing milk from a herd of Holstein Friesians, the family began to experience the same difficulties that all dairy farmers encounter as prices began to fall and overheads rise.

Around the turn of the century, Richard went off to study business at university and during his studies the market for milk, under severe pressure from the billion-pound supermarkets, began to really suffer.

It was clear that the family needed a new avenue. Initially, the Gills bought a hotel in nearby Castleton which they ran alongside the dairy farm for three years.

Lisa worked there alongside her mother and father. However, during Richard’s studies, he had a brainwave.

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Lisa said: “When Richard started at university doing agricultural management one of the parts of the course was to rearrange a farm in a hypothetical sense.

“At the time we were obviously a dairy farm so on paper he looked at the idea of running some buffalo and producing buffalo mozzarella.

“However, after more thought he began to wonder about the prospect of the meat.

“The more we looked at it the more we realised this was something we could work with.”

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In what Lisa concedes was a “make or break” moment the family decided to sell off their hotel and focus entirely on the water buffalo, a move that was a huge step for the family.

“My dad started out with four milking cows and then took over from my grand-dad and began milking 250 holsteins,” said Lisa.

“So naturally moving into this area was a big shock.”

The move was not entirely without planning though as the family did put in time to make sure they knew they could do it.

Lisa said: “We went around a few farms, maybe five or six, and cottoned on that this was something we could do on a decent size.”

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The market did indeed prove strong and it quickly became obvious that a farm shop alongside the operation would fare well.

However, the family quickly realised that operating one from their farm at Eastmoor would probably not be viable due to its remote location.

Instead, the Gills spent money on a former butcher’s shop in nearby Dronfield Woodhouse. Dubbing the new business Farmhouse Pantry one can buy an array of water buffalo derived products, including sausages and burgers.

Acting as specialist butcher and deli, it also offers local vegetables and bakery goods, sourced from farms in the region.

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All of the beef sold there is reared on the Gill’s own Eastmoor farm and is hung for a minimum of three weeks.

Lisa’s husband Ian is the master butcher at the business, having learned the trade and done his training at other high class butcheries and farm shops on the nearby Chatsworth estate.

Richard and Lisa are proud of how well the business has done, with a strong customer base already in operation.

And, having run the shop for well over two years, Lisa has her sales pitch regarding the buffalo meat down to a tee.

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“It does really well, perhaps due to the health benefits it offers. It has half the fat and cholesterol but has twice the amount of calcium and protein than other read meats. In terms of health benefits alone it is the right move.”

None of the animals themselves are imported, having been reared in the UK and sourced from other farms around the country.

All are free range and reared and produced entirely organically.

She said: “All of the animals are free range and they are treated very much like normal beef cows. They are very easy to look after.

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“You cannot force feed them like beef cows. They eat a normal diet of grass, silage and organic corn.”

Indeed, the enterprise is fully certified by the Organic Farmers and Growers.

The farm itself is enrolled in the Higher Level Stewardship scheme and been awarded the environmental quality mark.

Currently, the Gills are in the middle of a lapwing regeneration programme which is yielding decent early results.

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While the deli in Dronfield is the principal outlet for water buffalo, the family also sell to some very reputable and high profile customers in the local area.

If you visit the official farm shop at the Chatsworth estate you will find the Gill’s water buffalo burgers and sausages for sale.

Other customers include the prestigious Pavilion Gardens venue in Buxton, as well as an array of country pubs around South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

Elsewhere, the Gills are regular fixtures at farmers’ markets in Leeds, Buxton, Castleton, Retford, Stone, Leek, Worksop, Belper, Chesterfield, Bakewell and Buxton.

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Lisa concedes that it is very much a niche market they operate in but one that seems to be doing well for the farm.

They are also now offering a service allowing people to place an advanced offer for the buffalo, with customers able to collect at any of the markets listed above or from the shop.

The same offer applies to people seeking a joint of lamb or pork, or whatever else they have to offer from the shop.

The whole operation now provides some decent local employment and showcases more of the innovative spirit that is seeing Yorkshire’s farming industry through these changing and challenging times.