Paul White

Paul’s Farm

Lancashire

Sponsored by: Massey Ferguson

PAUL’S journey has seen him come full circle, leading him back to in his childhood home of Laneshawbridge, Lancashire. Coming from a rural background, Paul had always dreamed of farming in his own right, however he found himself submerged in politics as a Conservative council leader. After nearly a decade in politics, being elected leader of Pendle Borough Council, while also building a milk and groceries delivery business, Paul was diagnosed with heart failure.

His previous life saw him balancing a 3am milk round, commuting to Westminster and chairing council meetings. But following his diagnosis, Paul left politics and, after a short spell of recuperation, he remembered his childhood dream of buying his own farm. Moving back to Laneshawbridge, Paul saw an opportunity to target a guaranteed market in 2021 when the British Poultry Council enounced a shortage of turkeys for Christmas. “I thought I could try my hand at farming, with something that would arrive and leave within a few months. I had the option of leaving early if I did not like it,” he says. Unsurprisingly, the biggest challenge was securing land but, after finding a small patch of local woodland, he took the plunge and bought 200 poults.

From those initial 200 turkeys, Paul’s flock has now increased to 1,000, which Paul sells direct to the consumer and to local restaurants through his online business, Paul’s Farm. This year saw Paul introduce sheep to the business and, after securing a 2.02-hectare (five-acre) field to rent, he started his small flock of Lonk sheep – a breed which is native to his area of the Pennines. Paul is passionate about increasing awareness of the breed’s meat and wool qualities and holds demonstration nights in local pubs to showcase the quality of the meat. “I have a huge passion for connecting the consumer with where their products come from. My next plan is to create a co-operative where Lonk meat can be marketed as a collective, direct to the consumer.” He also works with local chefs to raise breed awareness and plans to work with Lonk breeders to create a fattening system with hill and lowland producers.

Plans for the future

  • Develop a co-operative to market the Lonk breed to add value to his product and sell meat at a premium price under the Paul’s Farm brand
  • Secure a farm tenancy, as access to land has been his biggest challenge throughout his faming journey
  • Continue to grow his turkey business to generate a quick return on investment while building his Lonk flock