A pair of West Devon farmers have won international certificates showing the excellent animal welfare they provide for their beef cattle.

The beef cattle at Hayes Meadow farm near Exbourne are now Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW), Certified Grassfed by AGW and Certified Non-GMO by AGW.

Graham and Jocelyn Macklin manage a herd of Ruby Red Devon cattle at Hayes Meadow farm just north of Dartmoor.

Graham said: "We wanted to offer our customers a clear assurance of animal nutrient quality and traceability in a marketplace increasingly full of misleading ‘grassfed meat’ products and claims, so we sought out trusted certification through A Greener World.

"Our cattle are never fed any grains, soya or other manufactured feeds, so we wanted a grassfed label people could really trust.”

The 'Certified Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) by AGW' label verifies animals are raised outdoors on pasture in accordance with world-renowned welfare standards using sustainable agriculture methods on an independent farm.

Newly launched in the UK, AWA is part of the suite of "Certified By" seals offered by A Greener World Global, along with Certified Grassfed by AGW and Certified Non-GMO by AGW, which are optional, additional accreditations for AWA farms.

A Greener World UK and Europe executive director Wayne Copp said: “We are thrilled to partner with Hayes Meadow in celebrating their farm, and our growing family of farms in the UK and Europe.

"It has never been more critical for farmers to be fully understood by consumers, and we are honoured to support this through an uncomplicated, independent and credible certification marque that can be trusted to mean what is says on that label: Grassfed. Non-GMO. Animal – Welfare – Approved.

"What Hayes Meadow has achieved is nothing short of an inspiration for all forward-thinking UK producers.”

Hayes Meadow is one of 50 farms recently selected to take part in the initial pilot stage of the new Certified Regenerative by A Greener World programme, which will provide a whole-farm assurance of sustainability, measuring benefits for soil, water, air, biodiversity, infrastructure, animal welfare and social responsibility.