Murray Greys ~ Urban Conservationists

Saltwells Local Nature Reserve lies in the heart of the West Midlands. At 100 hectares it is one of the largest urban reserves in the country and is an area of real countryside surrounded by housing estates, industrial parks and a large shopping centre. The site is owned by the Local Authority, which employs a team of wardens to manage the site. Their work includes site maintenance, habitat conservation, education and, for the last 12 months, cattle husbandry.

A large part of the site is neglected heathland reverting to scrub and species- rich grassland. It became clear that a small herd of cattle would prove invaluable in assisting with the management of these areas. At a one-day cattle husbandry course we had the good fortune of meeting Charlotte Gibb, who used to be the Murray Grey Society secretary. Although several breeds met our criteria of being docile with the public, easy to handle and easy to fatten on poor quality grass we were steered (I’m sure with no bias!) towards Murray’s.

We then made contact with a local breeder (Paul Hemmingway) who helped us select 6 one year-old steers. These were introduced to the site in June 2003 and were deemed an instant success. Not only were they totally relaxed around visitors and their dogs, but quickly got on with the job of eating off rank vegetation and scrub growth.

It was important from the start of the project that the cattle should be commercially viable. So often in conservation grazing schemes the animals involved are ‘written off’ and no return is seen on the initial investment. At Saltwells we have always hoped that the cattle should at least pay for themselves and hopefully make a small profit. At the time of writing (June 2004) we are arranging the sale of the first batch of our fat cattle to a local butcher who has a market for native breed ‘named’ beef. At the same time we have ordered 4 more steers from Paul, which we will over-winter on site and fatten ready for sale next summer.

Murray’s suit our purpose very well; they appear to be commercially viable, even on our small scale, are adapted to living out all year (with hay in the winter) and most importantly interact well with visitors. We will continue to use them in our situation and are already recommending them to colleagues with similar aims.

Jonathan Preston
Senior Warden
Jonathan.preston@dudley.gov.uk