Little Ted faces up to fame as star of a consumer campaign

Ted the pin-up calf is fronting a campaign for fair milk prices, as Lucy Oates reports.

Ted’s owner, Natalie Stoppard, wants to raise awareness among consumers of how supermarket price wars have led to an increase in the number of bull calves slaughtered at birth.

Natalie, of Ellerton, in East Yorkshire, explained: “Low milk prices mean that cows are barely paying their way.”

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And because it’s not considered economical to rear Jerseys for beef, farmers are taking loss after loss.

“However, if the money was there from milk sales, most farmers would rear bull calves to avoid having to shoot them.

“I picked Ted as the face of the campaign because when they’re young, Jerseys look like Bambi.

“It must be so heart-breaking for farmers who have no option but to shoot them when they’ve put so much into rearing their livestock.

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“I’m hoping that when the public meet Ted they will realise what a terrible waste it is to kill bull calves. I want to make sure that as many bull calves as possible get a chance of having a life.”

Although Jersey cattle are usually bred for their milk, rather than meat, Natalie believes that there is a market for Jersey beef.

“Her husband-to-be, Rob Rose, and his brother, Paul, rear Dexter cattle at Rosewood Farm, at Ellerton, and sell direct to the customer to get a better price per kilo.

Natalie says, “Rob and Paul have been selling Dexter beef for eight years and have made it a success by cutting out the middle man.

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“It makes me think that we can do the same with Jerseys. I want to start selling their beef to prevent as many bull calves from being slaughtered at birth as possible. There is definitely demand for the smaller joints and fine-grained meat.

“Also, I think people buy direct from the farm because they like to know where their food has come from. We have an open-door policy. Anyone who wants to visit the farm and ask us questions is welcome.

“I think that if food producers do the opposite, then it makes you suspicious about what they’re doing with your food.”

Natalie discovered her affinity for cattle after reading a book on working oxen. This prompted her to buy a bull calf, named Angus, which she then set about training.

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Angus is now a fully-grown working ox, and can be ridden and used to round up sheep.

“People think oxen are extinct,” says Natalie. “But oxen are cattle of any breed or size that have been trained to work.

“Angus can do all kind of tricks and I’m hoping that Ted will follow in his footsteps, although he has lots of training ahead of him.”

For his big moment in front of the camera, five-month-old Ted visited the Venture photography studio, in York and, according to Natalie, didn’t bat an eyelid when faced with a trip into the busy city centre.

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Photographer Kevin Jacques said: “Ted surprised us all as he was very well behaved and seemed really comfortable around people because of Natalie’s training.

“He was a bit of a Bambi on ice at first on the shiny studio floor but we put down a special cloth to ensure he had a decent grip.

 “It was great to be part of such a unique shoot and see Ted stopping traffic and pedestrians when he entered our studio on the main street as they stopped to take a look.” 

As well as being a star attraction at Rosewood Farm, Ted will also join Natalie and Angus at country shows and other events in his role as an ambassador for Jersey bull calves.

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