Sheep farming in Wales
Sheep farming has been important to the economy of Wales. Much of Wales is rural countryside and sheep are seen throughout the country. The woollen industry in Wales was a major contributor to the national economy, accounting for two-thirds of the nation's exports in 1660. Sheep farms are most often situated in the country's mountains and moorlands, where sheepdogs are employed to round up flocks. Sheep are also reared, however, along the south and west coasts of Wales.[1] In 2017 there were more than 10 million sheep in Wales and the total flock made up nearly 33% of the British total.[2] In 2011 sheep farming accounted for 20% of agriculture in Wales.[3]
Historical development
Sheep farming is an ancient husbandry activity in rural parts of Wales where the climate and soil conditions were not suitable for growing crops other than
By the 13th century, sheep farming in Wales had become a major industry and source of income, largely from wool, much of which was exported. Large flocks of sheep were owned by
Historically, Welsh sheep were shorn twice in the year. Besides the regular shearing in May or June, the
In the 1840s, the hills of Montgomeryshire included flocks from the low country. Towards the south and west, a smaller white-faced breed was more prevalent while in the north-east a black-faced native breed was found. The breed in the valleys had been improved, principally by sheep from Shropshire. The sheep on the higher grounds weighed about 10 lbs. the quarter, while those in the valleys weighed 12 to 14 lbs. The lambing season at that time was in March and lambs were shorn in August.[8] There were fewer sheep in Denbighshire and Flintshire, particularly in Flintshire, than in any of the other counties, and these were mixed with English breeds. Their weight varied between 10 and 20 lbs. per quarter, and the fleece from 2 to 5 lbs.[8]
Husbandry and economics
Twenty per cent of all agricultural work is made up by sheep farming. There are over 11 million sheep in the entire country.
Sheep farming in the mountains of Wales is an arduous task, particularly when the traditional techniques of farming are followed. The activities of sheep farming start with growing grass on the meadows, buying hay from external sources and stacking them. The season starts with the birth of the lambs during spring and continues with feeding, caring, shearing and transportation to market centers, maintaining the fencing around the pens, and taking care of the deserted young lambs or injured lambs. Farms are mostly under small farmers and it is one individual who bears most responsibilities. The sheep farmers' best support is the sheepdog for moving the flocks to better ground or to wintering areas in the valleys, and even in giving them organic treatments in the form of injections and treatments.[11]
In recent years, sheep farming has become less profitable to the farmers for many reasons including the falling prices of lamb meat, weather conditions, the loss of more than one million breeding ewes between 2001 and 2009 and global warming. The threat of the United Kingdom withdrawing from the European Union is also a fear for the farmers of Welsh as they anticipate "doom the Welsh sheep industry". The EU support to the Welsh rural community is reported to be of the order of about half a billion euros a year. The loss on this account could be an additional burden of £40 per lamb on the farmers. Government support has been sought in the way of subsidies and technical support.[7] Disaster struck parts of Wales in March 2013 when the coldest weather experienced in 50 years caused the deaths of many sheep and lambs and hardship to sheep farmers.[12]
According to the Welsh Government:[3]
"Food production is part of the fabric of Wales and the Welsh economy. In 2011 the sheep sector was worth £270 million – 20 per cent of the gross agricultural output of Wales. But of course its value to Wales goes far beyond its financial worth. Its role in sustaining rural and upland communities and their position as part of our social and cultural fabric is priceless."
Environmental impact
The economic viability of sheep farming in Wales is highly dependent upon the single farm payment given by European taxpayers to people who own land on condition they keep it in "Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition". However, this requires the removal of unwanted vegetation such as wild plants.[13] The writer George Monbiot claims that sheep farming practices and grazing prevents natural trees and shrubs from growing and the subsequent fauna associated with such ecosystems flourishing, and that sheep compact the soil contributing to a cycle of flood and drought, thereby restricting the productivity of more fertile lands downstream. Wales imports seven times as much meat as it exports despite 76% of the land in Wales being devoted to livestock farming.[14]
The
Cultural significance
The
References
- ISBN 978-1-4329-5242-6.
- ^ "Sheep numbers pass 10 million mark". BBC News. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ a b c "Support for lamb producers: Statement by Alun Davies AM" (PDF). Welsh Government. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Welsh Food Month: How our lamb came to rule the world". Media Wales. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ H.E. Hallam (ed.), The Agrarian history of England and Wales: 1042-1350, pp.479-480
- ^ R. A. Donkin, Cistercian Sheep, Farming and Wool-Sales in the Thirteenth Century, The Agricultural History Review, vol.6, 1958, pp.2-8. Retrieved 27 June 2013
- ^ a b c "Is Sheep Farming In Wales On The Way To The Slaughterhouse?". International Business Times. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d Youatt, William (1840). Sheep: Their Breeds, Management, and Diseases : to which is Added the Mountain Shepherd's Manual (Public domain ed.). Baldwin and Cradock. pp. 275–.
- ^ a b "Discover the spellbinding story of the Welsh woolen industry National Wool Museum". Official Website of National Wool Museum. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "Producers". Wool Directory. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ "The Reality of Sheep Farming in the Welsh Mountains". Environmentalgraffiti.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "Welsh sheep farms pushed to brink". BBC News. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ Why Britain's barren uplands have farming subsidies to blame, Guardian 22 May 2012, retrieved 5 July 2012
- ^ Sheepwrecked, George Monbiot, 30 May 2012, Retrieved 5 July 2012
- ^ RSPB, State of Nature: Wales
- ^ State of Nature report: Wildlife 'at crisis point' in Wales, BBC News Wales, 22 May 2013, Retrieved 5 July 2012
- ISBN 978-1-137-34107-5. Retrieved 23 June 2013.