A living part of the environment
Green Label Farms LLP is the part of our business that is responsible for rearing the birds we sell.
Green Label Farms LLP manages our completely integrated farming system from breeding through to hatching and rearing. It’s directly responsible for all the farms in the Gressingham group.
We operate two high quality production systems – free range and indoor.
Gressingham Foods free range rearing system
All Gressingham geese and turkeys, and a proportion of our ducks, are reared using free range systems.
It means that they are reared on open fields for at least half of their lives. The birds have access to food and water and have vegetation for cover.
Free range production means that the birds have the opportunity to make MORE choices, live in spacious open conditions and behave naturally.
Gressingham Foods indoor rearing system
Our indoor reared ducks are kept in barns. They have natural light and ventilation and are stocked to circa 17Kg per square metre – 1/3 lower than the accepted industry standard. They have fresh straw bedding and access to food and clean water.
All birds have a six–hour dark period to replicate the natural daylight patterns (the accepted standard is a minimum 1 hour darkness).
Ducks are kept in safe, hygienic and comfortable conditions away from predators and sudden temperature fluctuations which can cause distress.
Importantly, indoor rearing significantly increases biosecurity, so helping to protect them from the spread of disease.
We’re proud of the high quality systems that we have developed and the way in which we work.
All our birds are fed on high quality feed containing quality cereals, including wheat and soya, sunflower extracts, vitamins and minerals. No meat, bonemeal or other unnecessary additives are used.
We source the straw for our birds’ bedding from local farmers in return for organic manure to benefit their vegetable and cereal production.
Duck farming
Green Label Farms LLP’s hatcheries supply the farms with Gressingham and Pekin ducks each week when the ducklings are one day old.
The ducklings are then reared to processing weight on our farms in East Anglia.
Goose farming
Our geese are reared from May to Christmas using traditional free range systems, and towards maturity our geese are allowed to forage naturally amongst crops for extra enrichment.
Turkey farming
We rear our turkeys to both Free Range and Organic standards and we have accreditations from Freedom Foods, QBT (Quality British Turkey) and the Soil Association.
