Mob grazing describes the keeping of large numbers of grazing animals on small areas of pasture and moving them frequently. The grazed land has a long rest period before the grazing animals are returned. This mimics the natural system of large herds in the wild that graze and trample the ground before moving on. This management tool is used infrequently in England but is thought that the practice may deliver benefits not only to the farmer but also the environment and historic assets. Through literature review and stakeholder consultation, this project sought to establish the evidence base to better understand the wider benefits of this grazing practice, what goods and natural capital are delivered and the drivers and barrier to uptake.
The review found that very little primary research has been conducted in the UK on mob/holistic grazing. Most of the available research to date is from overseas where soil, climatic, social and economic conditions may be very different to the UK. No research studies were found that directly investigated the effect of mob grazing on the historic environment and there is little evidence regarding the benefit of mob grazing to trees. Through stakeholder consultation it identified that first time adopters in the UK face a steep learning curve, and clear guidance is lacking about the practice and what the benefits are. Although evidence suggests that there are benefits in terms of productivity of adopting mob/holistic grazing, the system requires significant investment in infrastructure and time/labour inputs.