A highlander in the Dales
To kick off our filming for the new podcast series we paid a visit to the farm of Robert Philip in Hellifield. Despite the rain soaked morning we were given a warm and enthusiastic welcome by Robert, who keeps a fold (correct term for a herd) of Highland cattle, which he grazes on the hills above Settle and Malham.
Robert switched from dairy farming in 2005 to start Hellifield Highland Beef, producing and retailing his own beef. This meant a complete lifestyle change and, as Robert says, allowed him to take responsibility for setting his own price on a product rather than having it dictated to him. “If I get it wrong now, there’s only me to blame”, he says.
As part of our interview with Robert we asked why he has never become organic to which he replied that the problem is not with the principles of organic farming but rather with the bureaucracy and paperwork required to meet the standards. As he points out, the cattle are raised in a completely organic way and under standards which are higher than many “official” organic farms, the problem is that he hasn’t the time to go through the paperwork to be able to label the meat as organic. This is something experienced by many farmers and is something we’d love to hear your views on.
