How Ronnie got into rearing Shetland Kye and why he chose this particular breed:
Growing up in Lerwick around his fathers butchery influenced Ronnie’s perspective of the meat industry. He knows Shetland farming inside out and has spent a large part of his career promoting Shetland lamb and beef. He moved to the Uradale Farm in 1995, where he started ploughing and regenerating the land. It has been a long struggle to get the farm to where it is today. The 750 ha farm is made up mostly of heather moorland, perfect for his animals to graze on and Ronnie is convinced that this land helps to produce superior meat. The quality of the fat and meat in the Shetland Kye make an incredible final product. To prove the benefits of eating this meat Uradale Farm has been involved in extensive scientific research into healthy fats and the nutritional value of Shetland meat compared to other red meat. They are perfectly suited for the Shetland climate, proven by the fact they have been present on the Shetland Islands for the past 3000 years. Ronnie has always been fascinated by native Shetland breeds and the Shetland Kye was therefore a natural choice for him. He has fought long and hard to put Shetland meat back onto Britain’s plates, and wants to convince people of the superb taste and it’s health benefits.
The challenges that Ronnie is facing producing Shetland Kye:
Uradale farm is an organically run farm. While this has its obvious benefits Ronnie often struggles with some of the regulations and bureaucracy, calling for greater flexibility in order for Shetland farms to be run in a truly sustainable way. Another challenge he faces by running his farm organically is that he has to rely on clover to provide all of the nitrogen for the soil, making his farm very reliant on the weather.
Products that Ronnie is offering:
Ronnie offers a range of Shetland Kye products that are available in certain outlets across the UK. He also farms Native Shetland sheep at Uradale Farm, another forgotten food.
Ronnie’s favourite Shetland Kye recipe: Coming soon
Contact details:
Address: East Voe, Scalloway, Shetland, ZE1 0US
Phone:01595 880 689
Email: ronnie@uradale.com; sue@uradale.com
Web: http://uradalefarm.blogspot.co.uk/
