VISIT TO FIELDSTOWN FARM

Visit to Fieldstown Farm

Peter Duggan, from Bord Bia, accompanied us to Fieldstown Farm between Swords and Ashbourne, a few kilometers from Dublin Airport.  On arriving at the farm gate there was a notice advertising ‘Lamb fresh from our farm to your freezer’.

We were given a hearty Irish welcome from  Padraic McMahon and his wife, Brid. We went into their wonderful farmhouse and they set the table with homemade brown soda bread, cheese, chutney and tomatoes from their greenhouse.  This was enjoyed with cups of tea and coffee and raspberry buns. Padraic is passionate about farming and rearing his animals on the lush Irish grass and clover fields on his farm.

We donned our wellies and raincoats and toured the farm, sheltering occasionally when the torrential Irish rain poured down!  I could see why the grass was so lush with so much water. It wasn’t long before the sun shone again and this combination of rain and sunshine must be the reason for Ireland being called the Emerald Isle – everything is so green.

The first field we visited had a massive flock of Cheviot sheep which are reared for customers to purchase direct from the farm. The sheep had been put into this field only the day before and it had an abundance of clover for them to enjoy.

The lambs and ewes are fed with grass, home grown barley and other GM free ingredients. We saw some sheep with yellow markings, indicating that they had been served by the ram and would be producing the next batch of lambs.  Padraic informed us that all the lambs are castrated which improves the flavour of the meat so that it is untainted.

At present, Fieldstown Farm is given over predominantly to sheep but we also saw within the same field a herd of Charolais and Limousin cattle. They are beautiful looking creatures and were curious to see us!

     

Nearby a large acreage of land was given over to tillage and they had produced an excellent crop of Red Rooster Potatoes – a really fluffy potato – Padraic’s favourite!

Looking in the barns on the older part of the farm complex we saw Rhode Island Red hens which produce a regular egg supply, there were also some other hens and chicks.

In the adjoining barn they had taken delivery of the young turkeys which will be reared for Christmas. These have the freedom of the outdoors and will be reared as free range.  There were two types of white turkey.  We wondered if foxes were a problem but, fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case!



The newly arrived turkeys

Padraic has a designated building for butchering the lamb when it is returned to the farm from the abattoir. Here the lamb is expertly prepared in cuts to suit the customer’s wish. It is is packed in special boxes for home delivery or collection direct from the farm. Customers have a choice of Whole Lamb or Half Lamb boxes.

I was impressed with the farmer’s enthusiasm and passion for producing good quality, grass fed animals and his desire to raise awareness with his customers of the benefits of meat produced in this way. He has a good knowledge of the nutritional benefits of lamb and the minerals and vitamins it can provide for our daily diet as well as being an excellent source of protein. He is also conscious of the need to reduce our carbon footprint which is highly commendable. Fieldstown Farm has been awarded the Bord Bia Quality Assurance certification which is good for the discerning customer and a reward for the hard work put in by the farmer to produce the highest quality products.