 A bit of Rabbit History
Rabbits have been produced for meat for hundreds of years. The Normans introduced them in the 12th century for their meat and fur. Not 20 miles from our site is the oldest "Rabbit Farm" on record, where wild rabbits were kept and bred for meat in enclosed warrens.
Several different breeds of Rabbits have been developed for meat production, with the New Zealand White and the Californian being the most commonly produced, because of their fine meat. During and after the second World War hundreds of thousands of families kept a few Rabbits for breeding "in the back yard" because of the shortage of meat.
Rabbit meat has also been imported from other Countries for a long time. One of the biggest suppliers was China, although that was stopped a few years ago as a result of unwelcome illegal residues being found in their frozen Rabbit meat. Quite a bit of Rabbit comes into the UK from France and Belgium, mostly fresh. The problem there has been variable availability and pricing and - dare we say it?! - our Rabbit really is better anyway! And we offer a wider range.
This year, it is 36 years since we started in the Rabbit Business. After 11 years, in 1985, we expanded our operations by starting a small meat processing unit to help meet the growing demand for top-quality farmed Rabbit Meat.
In 1990 we became an EU Approved processing plant (Registered number UK 5408) and we are now regularly very close to the top of the list of all UK Meat Processing Plants for the standard of our Hygiene and our Processing Facilities - as regularly independently assessed through the Government Food Standards Agency.
A high proportion of our Sales go into the high class Restaurant and Catering trade. We do not supply supermarkets, so any farmed Rabbit you may find there is imported. As a result, our Internet Sales to UK Consumers are growing rapidly - we are proud to be recognised for supplying excellent quality products at sensible prices. In everything we do, we aim to do it to the best standards possible. We have always taken real pleasure in giving our Customers - big or small - unbeatable Service. In an age when all businesses talk about the importance of their Customers, and then leave you hanging on to an unco-operative automated telephone service for ages while your blood-pressure rises - we actually DO try to do our best and really value our Customers. Try us!
The Welfare Code, laid down by the Government, for the breeding of Meat Rabbits in the UK, requires facilities vastly superior to those used on the Continent. (See the section on Animal Welfare). This is reflected in the cost of providing such facilities and, as a result, means higher production costs for our Supplier Producers. For this reason our products may be slightly more expensive than some imported product. If you want cheap and nasty - we don't do it! Animals - any animal - bred in cramped conditions will not thrive and that is always reflected in the quality of the end product. But our product quality, and Customer service, mean that we believe we give better value for money than can be found anywhere else. Woldsway Customers are Satisfied Customers!
| Animal Welfare
We believe that any animal deserves to be properly housed, properly fed and properly cared for. We lay down high standards for our Producer Suppliers and their facilities are regularly inspected.
These are not just words - that's the way we work. Over the years, we have worked with a number of our Producer Suppliers in helping to develop improved housing systems that are better than anything else available and we are always trying to find still better ways.
A lot of our Rabbits are now grown in open-topped pens. The Rabbits have a good deal of space to run around in but, as a result, take longer to get to market weight. In practice it's not unusual to see all the rabbits in a pen all crowded together down one end of the pen, often almost on top of each other, it seems! We do also grow some fatteners in standard cages, but again with much more space per rabbit than you would see elsewhere.
Most of the rabbit bought in this Country is imported from Europe. Let me tell you about just one example of the difference in standards that operate: for many years the UK had a requirement that an adult rabbit (anything over 12 weeks old) should have a floor space allowance of 6 square feet. Last year that was increased to 8 square feet. All UK cages and pens have to be specially made to meet this standard because the standard cage used all over the continent - for a Doe and her litter - is approx only one third of that size. And because animals housed that way are under much more stress, on the continent it is not uncommon for medication to be added to the feed to reduce mortality etc.
We do NOT add ANY medication to our feed. If stock are properly housed and looked after it is not necessary. The feed we buy for our stock is the best available and, in addition, they have free access to prime quality hay. Costs are, of course, higher because of the extra space provided and higher labour costs, but I am convinced this is the right way to go in terms of animal welfare. I also believe that, because the rabbits get more exercise, the muscle - in other words the meat - is better developed and has a better texture. Also because of the quality and variety of feed they have, the meat tastes a bit better too! That's my belief - tell me what you think, please.
I have to confess that, when comparing these systems with what I have seen in a number of European countries, I take a certain amount of pride in knowing that we are way ahead of anything else around. They might be able to produce rabbit meat more cheaply "over there" than we can with this system (they don't have to meet the UK Welfare Codes that we do - even though the UK imports loads of their rabbit) , but the way we do it produces a happy, superb meat rabbit. |
| Rabbit Quality Standards
In order to sell Rabbit meat - whether farmed rabbit for human consumption, or wild rabbit for PetMeat - we have to be approved to do so by the Meat Hygiene Service (part of the Food Standards Agency) who visit us to ensure that our facilties, practices and paperwork systems meet the relevants EU Regulations. On top of that, we have a MHS Appointed Veterinary Officer here monitoring and reporting on what we do, every time we process. Hygiene standards are continuously monitored and recorded, product samples (both farmed and wild rabbit) are regularly sent to an outside independant Approved Testing Facility who report back on every batch tested. You can probably imagine the total amount of peperwork involved!
What does all this mean? Well, it's all designed to ensure that the product YOU buy is of first class quality. But more important than all the paperwork & systems etc., I believe, is the Attitude Of Those Doing The Job. WE have always strived to do all we can to ensure that you never have cause for complaint - about the product quality OR our Customer Service. So if you ever feel that something is not quite right, or you believe you have a complaint about the products or our Service, or anything to do with us - WE WANT TO KNOW please.
Tel: 0800 298 5000
email: db@woldsway.co.uk |
| Q & A
Q1: What medication is used in Rabbit Meat Production?
A1: Largely because Rabbits bred for meat are housed much less intensively than some other livestock, Rabbits - properly housed and cared for - are pretty healthy animals. It is most certainly NOT the practice to administer antibiotics to prevent illnesses. If some treatment is necessary to address a particular problem in a Rabbit, antibiotics might be used in the short-term with the specified withdrawal periods being duly observed. My own attitude is that if or when medication becomes necessary other than very occasionally, then somewhere along the line something has gone wrong. Much better to get the environment, feed and management right to absolutely minimise the need for medication. Easier said than done, but that doesn't alter the truth of the statement.
Q2: What are they fed on?
A2: We use the best pelleted feed available, made only from grassmeal and grain products - absolutely NO animal by-products. In addition, we feed a lot of top-quality Hay - they love it and it does help minimise digestive problems.
Q3: Does myxomatosis affect farmed Rabbits?
A3: It can do. It practice, rabbits housed in a good environment are unlikely to catch it. For the disease to affect a Rabbit, the Rabbit must be bitten by an insect carrying the virus (usually a mosquito, or possibly a flea). In a well run unit, there will not be any fleas. Mosquitos are a more difficult problem as good ventilation is obviously essential and mosquitos could come in that way. In our own units all incoming air goes through filters, which keeps such pests out - in theory, at least! (Can't stop them going in with you through the doorway!). It is possible to vaccinate against the disease, but it is pretty expensive at well over £2 per dose (against 4p to 5p on the continent: same product, same manufacturer, but the UK government does not allow us to import it to use it - yet another example of the uneven EU playing field that operates against so much of British industry.) |
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