Business / Uradale Farm recognised for contribution to biodiversity
AN ORGANIC certified farm at the outskirts of Scalloway has won the environment and biodiversity category in the Slow Food Scotland awards.
Uradale Farm has been described as making a “significant contribution to Scotland’s environment and biodiversity through long-term organic, low-input farming on Shetland”.
The farm is managed by father and son team Ronnie and Jakob Eunson.
They breed their own native Shetland sheep and cattle and have over recent years developed Uradale into a ‘farm to fork business’, supplying local shops and an ever-growing number of customers with ‘carbon-neutral’ beef and lamb.
They also produce and sell their own yarn produced from Uradale sheep.
And because Uradale’s livestock is not fed a supplement diet of imported soy or grain, the carbon footprint of the animals is significantly lower than that of conventionally farmed sheep and cattle.
Slow Food is a worldwide movement which was founded in the Italy in the 1980s to defend regional food traditions and small producers.
Judicators said those in charge of Uradale “demonstrated how traditional, locally adapted farming can actively enhance biodiversity in a fragile northern environment”.
They added: “By managing land without synthetic chemicals and using extensive grazing, the farm supports species-rich grasslands with wildflowers, insects and pollinators.”
Owner Ronnie Eunson said the farm’s ethos was to strive to produce food and fibre in symbiosis with the environment, not on or against it.
“That’s why we only have native Shetland sheep and kye, breeds that have evolved over thousands of years to be able to cope with the particular climate, environment and conditions of Shetland,” he said.
“This award is a recognition that it is possible to produce 100% organic native Shetland meat that is both tasty and nutritious, but that also safeguards the unique environment and biodiversity of Shetland, especially the irreplaceable peatlands.”
Uradale Farm was also named producer of the year in the 2024 Slow Food awards.
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