How is herd butchery different from ordinary butchery?

This strategy not only supports biodiversity, enhances soil health, and sequesters carbon while also promoting animal health. Animals raised on pasture are able to graze on a variety of grasses and forages. Grass-fed and regenerative farming methods are frequently used in herd butchering. In order to meet consistent demand, regular butcheries frequently follow a continuous schedule, processing animals all year long. The interdependence of the health of the soil, plants, and animals is reflected in holistic land stewardship.

Another distinction lies in timing and scale. The result is a system that nourishes ecosystems rather than depleting them, creating a ripple effect of benefits. Herds can be processed in whole or in large parts at once by farmers, which promotes pasture renewal and lessens overgrazing. In contrast, herd butchery typically adheres to seasonal or rotational patterns that correspond with cycles of land management, growth, and grazing. The significance of obtaining a favorable price when selling livestock: Every bullock and heifer you sell will lose weight between the time they leave your farm and the time they reach the slaughterhouse, with the exception of show winners.

As of March 2025, the amount being added or subtracted is 5p per kilo. Before sending your cattle out, you must take measurements, record their weights, and send the butcher high-quality photos of your animals because each one will differ in weight, fat cover, MB percent, and muscle quality. A butcher's final price will depend on several factors, including the quality of the muscle in the carcass, the meat and bone yield (MB percent), and the fat cover (the thickness of the layer of fat on the outside of the animal).

This implies that you will probably receive less than you anticipated, even if your animals are well-fed and raised when they leave your farm. As each animal will vary in weight, fat cover, MB% and muscle quality, it's essential that you send the butcher high quality photos of your cattle in addition to taking measurements and recording the weights of the animal before you dispatch them. Although it feeds millions of people and does its job, the system can seem disjointed. The story is reversed by herd butchery.

To begin with, herd butchery is closely linked to the concept of knowing the history of your food, which is what makes it different from other methods. The animals may have been transported across states or even countries, reared in small spaces, and processed in enormous facilities where efficiency is the top priority. The emphasis switches from volume to care and quality. A particular herd, raised by a farmer you may actually meet, is what you're dealing with rather than an anonymous supply chain.