Matt Bowman currently holds a world record. He is the only Soil Association certified organic egg producer to be selling his eggs to Tesco. He is also the only organic egg producer on the Isle of Wight providing local organic eggs to the island's one and only Tesco store. I'm not sure this fact reflects well on the success or otherwise of the Soil Association egg production standards, but "going with" the Soil Association has proved a successful marketing and business proposition for Matt. As he says "If you want to grow, farm or process anything organic, go for Soil Association certification, don't even think about anything else."
The expansion into egg production has come about as result of the Soil Association ethic of promoting sustainability, i.e. the objective for organic food production to be a totally sustainable system, with the inputs and outputs being generated as far as possible within the same system. Matt's family have historically been involved in milling, his mother's family being millers for the last 200 years. Initially Matt rented a watermill on the island, then bought a watermill on the mainland in South Oxfordshire. Problems with planning and development on this site forced Matt to sell up. Whilst wondering what to do with the capital from the sale, Matt heard from a family friend who was retiring and selling a 100 acre arable farm back on the Isle of Wight. Although the farm had no buildings at all, Matt secured planning permission to build an electric mill and after a 20 month organic conversion period, began producing organic wheat and rye. This organic arable production is at the heart of his business, producing organic flour products and various dried pastas, all under the 'Stoneground Flour Company' brand. The flour and pasta products are sold to local Bakers, Farm Shops, and Delicatessens and in bulk to outlets on the mainland. Matt also undertakes 'toll' milling for other arable producers and is a member of a small local grain cooperative which supplies additional grain to his 'Stoneground' brand.
As Matt says "The idea of introducing livestock to the mix had been on the back burner for the last 2-3 years", but it was only in January this year that Matt's first Liberty mobile house was erected on the farm. By the end of February there were 400 birds installed on a range of approximately 2 acres. Obviously the idea of mixing livestock with the arable crops is to provide 'home grown' fertilizer, thus fulfilling the sustainability objective. 400 birds didn't sound like much of a contribution to me toward what must be quite a fertilizer demand over 100 acres, but Matt has calculated that 400 birds on site equates to £3,500 worth of bought in organic chicken manure.
The aim is to move the mobile house, complete with the birds inside, every 3 months so that the birds get fresh ranging and Matt gets fresh manure around the farm. After each move Matt uses a quad bike and chain harrow to spread the manure and litter from the house across the 2 acres, then ploughs and sows the next crop. Having experienced one 'move' to date, which was easy as far as the mobile house was concerned, Matt would advise anyone else considering the idea to ensure it is done at dusk, when all the birds are inside, perching comfortably and dozing.
The egg collection and marketing is a very simple operation. The eggs are delivered into an integral egg room by hand conveyer, they are stamped with the appropriate number and packed as 'mixed sizes' into boxes branded with Matt's own patented label 'Island Maid'. The eggs are not 'Freedom Food' or 'Lion' but marked solely with the Soil Association logo. Matt confirmed that he is complying with all the salmonella vaccination and testing requirements, even though flocks under 500 birds do not have to comply. This is mainly because Tesco need reassurance in relation to food safety concerns.
Supply to Tesco only started in May but already Matt is finding demand is outstripping supply. Given the likely seasonal uplift due to all those summer tourists, and the fact that he has local farm shops and other outlets queuing up for his eggs, Matt is convinced there is room for expansion and has purchased another Liberty house and hopes to have this in production by September, if not before. His biggest headache at the moment is sourcing organic pullets.
Matt is convinced that for his business, enrolling as a Soil Association processor and grower over nine years ago has been the right move. "I know my business and my hens are being managed to the Rolls Royce of standards."
But that doesn't mean that he doesn't question their rules or changes being proposed to standards. He says that "I don't just accept a change, I expect the background and motivation to be explained and for it to be practicable. If it's not, I'll challenge it." One aspirational idea that the Soil Association are proposing to introduce, that Soil Association poultry producers must grow 50% of their own feed, currently concerns Matt. "It's just not a viable proposition and will further alienate potential Soil Association producers."
Apart from achieving a very nice premium for his eggs, Matt saves on organic feed costs by supplying bi-product from the milling process and the harvest from 30 acres of organic wheat to his feed supplier, Humphrey Feeds, who then use this in the production of their organic poultry feed.
So what of the future? Matt certainly sees the egg business growing, but doesn't want to go too large, perhaps four houses, a total of 1600 birds. The mill has been achieving steady growth over the last 18 months and currently an extra building is going up to house expansion. Matt has taken on a manager to handle the milling side but wants to keep the tending of his organic hens all to himself and he says "Given how successful the venture has been so far, I wish I'd bought some hens years ago."
Strikes me, the miller has become rather a convert to livestock!
