Part-time future for small-scale sheep keepers
Part-time future for small-scale sheep keepers
A fantastic standard of
entries meant the last
category of our Sheep 2000
essay competition,
sponsored by Intervet, was
the hardest to judge.
Eventually, the judges
decided on the entry of
Shropshire sheep farmer
Janet Thain
MY dear son and daughter, the view from my window will, hopefully, be yours one day, but with the house and fields will come – the sheep.
Even now I can see you holding up your hands in horror at the thought of taking over 150 ewes of mixed parentage and extremely dubious profitability.
Of course, the sensible thing to do is to take the whole bunch down the market and let the fields out as grass keep.
But you would then lose control of your land to another mans desire to make a profit. I hope you will see that there is possibly a future in keeping the flock, albeit as a part-time occupation, especially as in this internet age you have the fall-back of another income.
When we bought the flock 10 years ago, our sheep numbers were almost an irrelevance in the village. Since then the surrounding local farmers have sold up, retired or are about to retire and we now find ourselves to be one of the largest sheep farmers living in the community.
Sheep do still graze the neighbouring fields, but few people can put a face to their owners. Sadly, this is occurring throughout rural communities; middle-sized farms with full-time farmers are disappearing and will continue to do so.
The larger units, with all their economies of scale will survive, increase in size and sell produce to the national supermarkets. But nature abhors a vacuum and I believe a network of new part-timers will arise to farm smaller acreages attached to old farmhouses.
These people will play an important role in their villages and also supply local butchers whose customers prefer not to eat cellophane-wrapped products.
I think you could be part of this trend, but it certainly will not be an easy option; you lack the invaluable experience which comes with being born into the job.
On the other hand, you can handle new technology, and a small unit can be adaptable. If you really like sheep – and mud – you will enjoy the challenge of keeping ewes as individuals and persuading them to make a profit, which means looking after them well.
Costs will be tight, and you should administer expensive drugs and vaccines only for known problems, building up your flock immunity by breeding your own replacements where possible.
Continue with those breeds that we have found to be worm resistant on our land and take note of any tests that you may be able to do yourselves to monitor diseases.
Organic farming is probably not an option on a small, purely grassland farm rearing just sheep unless the rules are changed on worming, although it is worth keeping an eye on any developments in that quarter for added value.
This brings me onto the matter of subsidies. These have been a great support over the last 10 years to our flock, but I fear they will disappear. They will last as long as the EU and this government find it expedient to provide them.
Certainly, I feel the UK is not viewed as a nation whose agriculture is considered needy of support, particularly with more poorer countries entering the EU.
As a small unit, you may be lucky and some subsidies may remain for such farms, but, remember, hill farmers have tended to benefit first if budgets are limited, and we are not in that category. Take what you can while it is offered but devise ways of doing without subsidies as they will go.
Keep abreast of political trends. Governments tend to dictate what might be desirable without any consideration for practicalities. You think that tagging sheep when they leave the premises is going to be another laborious expense? Wait until each lamb has its own passport.
Im only half-jesting and if/when it comes, you do have the ability with a smaller unit to cope with this and the technology to keep up with the paperwork. By all means lobby for something more sensible, but when the writing is on the wall dont whinge, be the first to get on with it.
Assuming you take on the future flock, what are your marketing options? At present it is easy to use the local livestock markets which perform a fair job. Pity the auctioneer a little, he has to balance his one customer who wants to sell dear with his other who wants to buy cheap.
I can see that the small producer is a less valuable customer to the local market when viewed in isolation, but what if small producers supplied most of the weekly sale? A wise auctioneer may be in an ideal position to advise, co-ordinate and disseminate information to small producers in his area about buyers requirements and other marketing matters. You might tactfully persuade him it is his own idea.
Public opinion
You may, of course, not have this option. Markets are closing, one suspects as much due to the development value of sites as to losses. Public opinion may swing against this system despite all the welfare standards in place.
Again, you have to think on your feet. Others will be in the same position as yourselves and selling co-ops have had some success. Beware, though, of putting all your eggs in one basket with one buyer, his profit requirements may transcend his loyalty to you.
Option three is to sell direct to the public. You would need a lot of small producers to make the marketing infrastructure viable, but it is not an unobtainable goal given sufficient determination.
Last, keep faith with your ewes, keep your land in good heart, and keep going. One day, the public will prefer their meat to come from animals that are not treated like machines, and they will pay for it.
Above all, keep smiling! *
Essay winners
Winners of the farmers weekly/Intervet Sheep 2000 essay competition sections – industry professional, student and farmer – will be presented with their prizes at Sheep 2000.
Full report next week.
Sheep keeping may become a part-time occupation, with producers falling back on other income.