BACKGROUND Rob Drysdale, a farm veterinarian, set up StraightLine Beef in 2014 to create an ethical and sustainable beef-rearing system, selling high-quality meat that would be affordable to consumers and profitable for the farm. Since inception, the farm has grown to 4500 cattle spread across StraightLine Beef’s own farm and 11 contracted sites, with 300 animals processed each month. At StraightLine Beef, every new calf is allocated to a group of 25, all of a similar age and from the same origin farm when possible. Each group remains together until close to finishing. CHALLENGES Charlotte French, the company’s Supply Chain Manager, explains that “maintaining these distinct groups enables us to minimize stress and disease, resulting in better growth rates, fewer welfare issues

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