UPLAND MANAGEMENT - THE
IMPORTANCE OF CATTLE
 The Heather Trust is a charity that works throughout the
UK to promote integrated moorland management. One of the
most important parts of this work is to emphasise the positive
link between grazing and good moorland management. To a
very large extent, grazing animals have shaped our moorland
areas and they remain the ultimate moorland manager. In
recent times, sheep have been the main graziers in many
areas and the important role played by cattle in shaping
our moors has been forgotten.
There is no avoiding the fact that management of some of
our moorland areas recently has been less than exemplary.
The combination of bad burning and grazing practices has
tended to favour the moorland grasses rather than heather
and other dwarf scrubs. This has tended to produce a monoculture
of coarse, unpalatable grasses in many areas and there
is a move to see this trend reversed. Forget fancy words
like biodiversity, where there is a variety of vegetation
there is better grazing for livestock, and other mammals
and there will be greater numbers of insects for birds.
 Where some dwarf shrubs remain, the sensitive use of grazing
can help to achieve this reversal. Cattle have a very important
role to play in this work, as they are able to graze the
coarse grasses in the summer to release the dwarf scrubs.
In the summer months on grassy moors, the standard agri-environment
scheme stocking rates should be forgotten. More often than
not, it is not possible to get enough mouths turned out
to control the summer grass growth. However, for grazing
not to be detrimental to the emerging dwarf shrubs, it
is important to reduce the grazing level, possible removing
all grazing, over the winter.
The Heather Trust has a demonstration project that is funded
by DEFRA to set up four moors across England & Wales.
One of these moors is Marsden Moor at the northern end
of the Peak District National Park. The National Trust
owns this moor and The Heather Trust is working on this
area to encourage the regeneration of heather on an area
that is dominated currently by Purple moor-grass. Blue
Grey cattle are already grazing on part of this moor and
it is hoped to expand their activities, in combination
with other intervention techniques.
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More information about The
Heather Trust is available at www.heathertrust.co.uk or
by telephoning Simon Thorp 01387 723201. |
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other Blue Grey links
the bluegrey
Looking after the environment at
Hotbank
Blue Greys at Ardjachie
Farney Shield Blue Greys
Bloch Blue Greys
Spoutbank Blue Greys
Glensaugh Research Station
The Contribution to Biodiversity made
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Outwintering Cattle
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