About Rutland Organics
Organic Farming since 1999
Henry and Pat have been farming at Cuckoo Farm since 1994. Organic conversion started in 1999, firstly with the poultry (turkeys and chickens) also fallow deer, and then the whole farm. Felicity joined us in 2001 helping us do our first on-farm processing of organic turkeys and has been a stalwart of the farm ever since. We started breeding our own heritage turkeys in 2004 and sell day old poults to other farmers to rear, as well as rearing some ourselves for Christmas. EasyCare™ Sheep were introduced to the farm in 2009.
Roland and Becky, our son and daughter-in-law joined us in 2017 and opened a campsite (www.cuckoofarm.co.uk). Roland trained as a butcher and now prepares all our own meat for our on-site farm shop. He also started an outdoor organic rare-breed pig enterprise.
The sheep and pigs go to a local abattoir and return the next day to hang in our coldroom. The free-range organic poultry are slaughtered humanely in our own on-farm licensed abattoir. This avoids any transport stress for the birds.
Recently, Boer and African Pygmy goats have been introduced to the farm. The campers love them, but we are still trying to get to grips with their independent nature!!
Acknowledgements
Soil Association Licence Numbers G5618 and P7892. They inspect us, our paperwork and all our fields, sheds and livestock. It takes a whole day. They also inspect 10% of their farms each year without telling you they are coming!
We are members of OrganicallyBred.org and one of two turkey breeders in the UK who produce fully organic turkeys from organic parent stock.
Rutland County Council Environment Health inspect us and gave us a 5 star rating for Food Hygiene.
The Food Standards Agency issued us with Certificates of Competency to Slaughter Poultry after the Animal Health (Veterinary) Department tested and issued the original License to Kill. They can inspect us at any time we are slaughtering poultry.
And finally...
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and Leader (Peterborough and Rutland) gave us a grant towards setting up and equipping our farmshop, the butchery and coldrooms.
