East German buffalo ranch could offer way out of BSE crisis

Falk Selka, a trained beef farmer from the former communist part of Germany, imported the herd from Canada in 1999 to a 80-hectare farm in Neukieritzsch near Leipzig. He believes bison farming could offer a safe alternative to industrialised beef farming in future. Bison meat can be cut and eaten similarly to beef. But because the meat is so tender, more parts of it can be cut into steaks. "Of course the meat is expensive, it currently costs between 50 and 100 marks (25 and 50 U.S. dollars) per kilo, depending on the cut," said Selka. "But at some point we want to return to the good old days when a Sunday roast really deserved its good name," he said.

Selka fears a growing interest in bison farms, caused by the BSE of "mad cow" crisis in Europe and the resulting drop in demand for beef, might lead to bison herds being kept in stalls and fed industrial animal meal. He says this would lead to more problems. Farmers need to develop new ways of cattle breeding, he said. His herd, one of four bison farms in Germany, eats only grass, hay and, as a treat, root vegetables grown for animal feed. Buffalo ranches do not use industrial animal meal. Selka, aged 48, learned to love bison during a five-year stay in Canada. "I got to know the first whites who were given a licence to breed bison," said the German who left the GDR in 1978 and lived in western Germany for a time before going to Canada. The first time he tried bison meat he was immediately impressed. "It is not comparable to anything else." He says it is very digestible, very low in fat and virtually cholesterol free. Even people who generally cannot eat meat for health reasons, can eat bison, he claims. Selka respects his herd. After all, they are wild animals and a bull can weigh between 1.3 and 1.3 tonnes, while the cows weigh around 600 kilos. Selka's animals are free to roam the fields throughout the year, safely protected behind double fences. "This is no petting zoo, it can be very dangerous, particularly if the bulls are present," he said. It takes around two-and-a-half years to prepare bison for slaughter. But Sleka already has big plans. He hopes to expand his herd from 22 to a few hundred and to extend his 80 hectares over the next few years.

(dpa)