Regional Strategy Implementation Unveiled by PFLA
December 3, 2020
The Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA) in the UK has unveiled its new Regional Group Strategy, designed to strengthen local farming groups adhering to 100% pasture-based livestock systems. The strategy includes certification, marketing, and traceability tools to bolster market presence and consumer trust.
The PFLA currently boasts approximately 900 members, with 150 farms fully certified under the Pasture for Life standard. This certification ensures high animal welfare, natural diets, and wildlife-friendly practices, offering members access to marketing initiatives, promotional schemes, and a QR code system for enhanced product traceability[1].
The benefits of the PFLA strategy for local farming groups include:
- Certification and branding that sets pasture-fed products apart in a competitive market.
- Enhanced consumer awareness, driven by the nutrition-focused demand for grass-fed products rich in Omega-3.
- Traceability, enabling consumers to verify product origin, supporting ethical and sustainable farming claims.
- Support in marketing and promotional activities that local groups might not achieve individually[1].
Expansion plans appear to focus on increasing awareness of pasture-fed benefits through education and nutritionist endorsements, growing membership and certified farms to broaden the impact of the Pasture for Life brand, and possibly addressing challenges for farms where pasture-based systems may not be entirely suitable[1].
The PFLA has identified potential regional groups in the South East, the Cotswolds, the lowlands of Scotland, South Wales, Cumbria, Herefordshire, Wessex, Devon, and Cornwall. The South East Regional Group, for instance, heard positive feedback from a butchery representative during its first meeting[2].
The PFLA aims to nurture existing regional groups and establish additional ones, with a goal of 20 or more. The organisation has appointed Charlotte Wheeler as part-time regional development manager to oversee this growth[3].
Local PFLA members are actively involved in the expansion, with 21% already in a local group, and half expressing a willingness to help coordinate a new group in the future[4]. Regional facilitators will be tasked with coordinating activities within each group.
The PFLA also encourages its regional groups to develop relationships with like-minded partner organizations in their area, such as the Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB. A pilot project is even underway to create a new supply of leather for fashion markets from hides of pasture-raised animals[4].
Gary Corps from The Dorking Butchery, Surrey spoke at the South East Regional Group meeting, expressing support for working alongside Pasture for Life farmers[5].
While no direct mention of specific regional expansion details or future strategies for establishing new local PFLA groups was found, the current emphasis on certification growth and consumer education indicates a gradual expansion model based on increasing member farms meeting the strict pasture-fed standards.
Though no explicit information was found about integration with soil health or regenerative practices, sustainable pasture farming inherently supports soil microbial health compared to intensive methods[2][5].
In summary, the PFLA Regional Group Strategy leverages certification, consumer transparency, and educational marketing to support and expand locally-based pasture-fed livestock farms across the UK. Expansion focuses on increasing certified members and raising consumer demand for high-welfare, grass-fed products[1].
[1] Pasture for Life Alliance (PFLA) [2] The Guardian [3] Farmers Weekly [4] The Countryman [5] The Land Magazine
- By focusing on certification, consumer transparency, and educational marketing, the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA) aims to expand local pasture-based livestock farms across the UK, with potential regional groups in areas such as the South East, the Cotswolds, and South Wales.
- The PFLA's Regional Group Strategy seeks to strengthen local farming groups, providing them with tools for certification, marketing, and traceability to bolster their market presence and consumer trust.
- As part of the PFLA's expansion efforts, local member farms are encouraged to meet strict pasture-fed standards and become certified under the Pasture for Life brand, which offers access to various marketing initiatives, promotional schemes, and a QR code system for enhanced product traceability.
- The PFLA also fosters relationships with like-minded organizations, such as the Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB, while exploring business opportunities in sectors beyond food-and-drink, like fashion markets with a pilot project for creating leather from hides of pasture-raised animals.
