SHEEP IN BRITAIN

At one time the wool trade was the most important in Britain. Many towns were built on the profit from wool which was mainly used to make cloth for clothes. The importance of wool in the Middle Ages is well illustrated by the 'Woolsack', a large square of wool covered with red cloth, which is still kept in the House of Lords. Today wool is far less important to the economy due to imports of fine wool from Australia and the use of cotton and artificial fibres. Even so there are still more than 42 million sheep in Britain which account for over 30 per cent of the sheep meat produced in the EU. Sheep are hardy animals that are suited to a wide range of conditions. They can be kept in the open for much, if not all, of the year. Britain's most important sheep product is meat, particularly lamb. Wool now forms less than 5 per cent of the income from sheep. Over 70 breeds of sheep are found in Britain which is more than any other type of livestock. This situation arose because in the past sheep in different parts of the country were bred to suit very specific conditions. As a result small areas developed their own breeds. Today many of these breeds are numerically small because they are less productive. The major breeds can be classified into three groups: ·  Mountain and Moorland/Upland These are small, hardy sheep which are sure-footed and exhibit good mothering abilities, reflecting the harsh, damp climate and rugged terrain which is their native home. Upland sheep are often allowed to roam over large areas of land so that they can find sufficient food to survive. The sheep in many upland areas are brought down into the valleys in the winter so that the farmer can keep a close watch on them. In the summer these fields are left ungrazed and the grass is made into silage or hay which is fed to the sheep during winter. Typical upland breeds are Scottish Blackface, Welsh Mountain and Swaledale. ·  Longwool Larger in size that the mountain breeds these sheep are best suited to good quality grassland. Whereas these breeds were mainly kept for their wool, they are now used to produce rams for cross-breeding with the mountain breeds. The resultant hybrid, or half bred as it is known, is both prolific and fast growing and is the ideal mother of lambs bred for slaughter lamb production. The main breeds in this category are the Border Leicester and the Bluefaced Leicester. In spite of the large number of pure breeds of sheep, in recent years cross-breeding has become very popular as cross-breeds tend to be stronger and grow more quickly. Common crosses include the Greyface (Border Leicester X Scottish Blackface) and Mule (Leicester X Swaledale). ·  Terminal Sire Breeds These are compact, muscular types of sheep which are suited to good quality grassland and kinder lowland environments. Having fast growth rates and high yields of excellent quality meat these animals are used to complement the maternal characteristics of the mountain and longwool breeds. Suffolk and Hampshire breeds are typical of the terminal sire breeds, though over the last decade an increasing number of European breeds, such as the Charollais and Texel, have been kept in Britain.The choice of breed must be carefully matched to suit the conditions. For example a Suffolk would be ill-suited to mountain conditions, whereas it would be wasteful to keep Welsh Mountain sheep on lush pasture as other breeds would be more productive. Sheep dogs are vitally important to the sheep farmer. Without them he would have great difficulty in rounding up sheep, particularly on large hill farms. Training and handling sheep dogs is a very skilful job and many competitions, known as sheep dog trials, are held to find the best dog and handlers. The most common breed of sheep dog is the Border Collie. All-terrain vehicles (four wheel motorbikes) are also increasingly used to help the modern shepherd check his stock and care for them correctly. The Shepherd's Calendar Most sheep kept in Britain are seasonal breeders, mated in the autumn to produce lambs in the spring when the weather conditions improve and grass starts to grow. The following dates relate to an average lowland farm, though some flocks lamb earlier than others and some may be up to two months behind these dates, (especially mountain and uplands). August and September The shepherd's year really starts in late summer when he begins to prepare the ewes for mating. This involves ensuring they are in good condition, physically and healthwise, and is sometimes known as 'flushing'. Thin and fat ewes may be separated from the rest to be given special diets, and disease prevention techniques such as dipping are practised. Dipping in a special disinfectant solution kills the sheep scab mite which can be a serious disease of sheep. To be effective the sheep must be completely submerged once and remain within the bath for at least one minute. October The ewes are mated with a ram. The date of mating is carefully times so that lambs are born when grass or an alternative feed is available and assistance from the farmer is on hand. Generally farmers like the lambs born as early as is practicable because they are then ready for the market earlier and fetch a higher price. November, December and January Because grass no longer grows in the winter, the sheep diet must be supplemented with other foods, such as hay, silage and root crops such as turnips to compensate for the lack of grass. The shepherd must keep a very close watch for foot rot which is common in the wet conditions of this time of year. In some areas the sheep will be housed indoors during these months. February and March The start of lambing. This is the busiest time of the year for the shepherd who may be up all night ensuring new-born lambs survive. The greatly differing conditions in the upland and lowland areas are clearly shown in the number of lambs born. Most upland ewes have one and occasionally two lambs, while lowland ewes usually have two and sometimes three. It is not unusual for a third lamb to be neglected by the ewe. If this happens the farmer will try to get another ewe, with only one lamb, to look after it or alternatively it may have to be bottle fed. April Until grass growth is fast enough to feed all the ewes and lambs, extra food is provided. This may be to ewes and/or lambs and sometimes the lambs are allowed to graze areas the ewes cannot enter by using gates so small only the lambs can pass. Sometimes lambs' tails are docked (tails cut short) to prevent trailing on the ground and picking up diseases; some male lambs may be castrated. May Worms and fly attack are a risk to sheep in May. Shepherds, where possible, utilise 'clean', worm-free grazing for their sheep, often alternating grazing annually between cattle and sheep. Where this is not practicable the sheep are dosed against worms. Preventive treatment to fly attack is also used. This may be in the form of dipping or, more frequently, a pour-on liquid is applied to the sheep's back. June The sheep are shorn. Shearing is best done in warm, dry weather. An average shearer can shear about 80 ewes each day, while an expert may be able to shear more than 300. Shearing does not hurt - it is their equivalent of a hair cut. Lambs do not need shearing. July The lambs are weaned - that is to say they are separated from their mothers. This normally occurs at 12-16 weeks of age and coincides with a decline in the ewes' milk production. The farmer may select some of the best female lambs for future breeding, but the majority will be reared and prepared for sale for slaughter. .

         http://www.foodandfarming.org/. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.