Case Study

Farmers

Lloyd and Mei Zhao

Name of farm

China Original Luhua Chicken Woodland Breeding Farm

Size of farm

100 mu (6 hectares)

Number of workers

Four

Location

Feng Tai District, Beijing City

Member of the Model Farm Project China

Since November 2007

Customers

For day-old chicks: Farmers around Beijing For meat and eggs: 1) Luhua Chicken Club members 2) Locals and local restaurants

Enterprises

Livestock

Breeding hens: Luhua

Percentage of eggs hatching: 75-86%

Eggs are sold for RMB10-15/jin or RMB20-30/kg (equivalent to two dozen eggs)

Hatchery capacity: 6,332 eggs

Eggs for hatching are sold at RMB4.5; day-old chicks are sold at RMB6.5-8 and are usually used as parent stock.

Brooding capacity: 50,000-60,000 chicks

Contract broiler: Five farms in Chengde raising 500-1,000 chickens each from one-day old up to five months (1.25-1.5kg each). Hen and cock meat is sold for RMB44/kg.

What makes the China Original Luhua Chicken Woodland Breeding Farm a Model Farm?

Lloyd and Mei breed Luhua chickens, originally from Wenshang in Shandong Province. Luhua are a traditional dual-purpose breed with cultural significance for the people of Shandong. The birds are raised on land which is well covered by trees and grasses; the breeders have large nesting boxes and traditional raised bamboo perches, from under which manure is collected for use as compost.

The broilers are raised by five contract farmers in a mountain village in Chengde, providing them with a regular source of income; they obtain a premium price for rearing traditional chicken. Lloyd and Mei provide advice and training for the farmers and help with veterinary treatment.

Lloyd and Mei are also working with the local government, through the China Poverty Alleviation Fund, to build a slaughterhouse which can be used for processing the Luhua and other chicken in the region. The planned slaughterhouse would be built to WSPA standards and audits from the Model Farm Project would enable farmers to guarantee the welfare and food safety of their chicken from birth to processing.

The China Original Luhua Chicken Woodland Breeding Farm is also a case study for the United Nations' (UN) 'Sustainable Development in Action' project.
Read about the study on the UN website.

Interview with Lloyd Zhao

Why did you become a farmer?

We like life in the countryside and to enjoy the quiet without the noise of cars and polluted air. We like to raise animals and enjoy the harmony between humans and animals.

What are your aims for the China Original Luhua Chicken Woodland Breeding Farm?

We hope we can influence people to spend more time close to nature.

We hope we can influence people to eat organic food and abandon polluted and unsafe food, for a better and healthier life.

If everything goes well, we hope to be an influential supplier of organic chicken products in Beijing or in China and own a famous chain restaurant offering the special taste of organic Luhua chicken.

Our farm is the first and largest supplier of Luhua in China, and aims to:

• Raise the Luhua chicken in an environment as close as possible to that in which it evolved, preventing this special species dying out.
• Breed pure Luhua chickens for farmers who are going to raise organic chicken, helping them to make money.
• Provide a stable supply of organic chicken meat and eggs for consumers living in the city that wish to eat 'safe' food; let people, especially children, eat safe and healthy food with a good flavour, as we did when we were children.
• Operate a model restaurant famous for organic Luhua chicken and develop this into a chain restaurant for Beijing and other cities in China.
• Produce safe and organic chicken products for Chinese consumers, such as packed chicken soup and chilli sauce with chicken meat.
• Export organic chicken products to other countries like Japan, Korea and the U.S.

Why were you interested in becoming a member of the Model Farm Project?

The Model Farm Project (MFP) can provide a platform connected with international scientific research organizations and a channel to the world organic food market; local consumers will pay more attention to our ideas and my products with MFP backing and this will help us to achieve success more easily.

How has the Model Farm Project helped your farm?

The MFP has:

• Helped us to get information on animal welfare; this was a new field for me before I got in contact with the MFP.
• Provided very important advice on how to raise organic chicken.
• Offered chances to get to know people who share the same ideals about organic food.
• Helped us attract attention from media and local government, helping us to introduce our ideas and products more easily.