The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2013 - Issue 30 | Page 45

SHEEP

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE SHEEP’S
ROLE IN SHAPING UK LANDSCAPES
The National Sheep Association
(NSA) says it is extremely alarmed by
recent comments from campaigner
George Monbiot in The Guardian
newspaper, that iconic areas of the
UK have been ‘sheep-wrecked’.
NSA says such a stance not only
underestimates the role sheep play in
shaping our rural environments, but
overlooks their pivotal part in ecosystems,
local communities and food production.
Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive,
says: “George Monbiot’s comment in
the Guardian newspaper that the Lake
District is being ‘sheep-wrecked’ is
disgracefully misleading and conveniently
overlooks the fact that the Lake District
and many other beautiful areas of the UK
were carved out and are maintained by
sheep farming.
“As the National Trust, Natural England,
and English Heritage have proposed,
the Lake District is one of the most

beautiful places on earth because of
the harmonious relationship between
sheep, human farming activity, wildlife
and ecology, landscapes and the local
economy. Monbiot’s comments are out of
date and suggest he has not visited the
countryside recently but is trapped in an
image of the mid-1980s when farming
was encouraged, through policies, down
a road that was clearly not sustainable.
Those times are past and Monbiot needs
to get out and have a look.”
The NSA says the bigger issue that
underlies Mr Monbiot’s article, is the
debate about how the UK’s uplands will
look in th e long term.
“On one side we have Monbiot calling
for re-wilding with our uplands going
through a long term transition into forests,
and on the other we have the option
of continuing to improve the delicate
balance between human farming activity
and our environments,” he said.

“The latter is clearly the most desirable
as the thousands of people visiting these
areas testify – they would not visit these
areas and acclaim their beauty if they
were not attractive places to visit. A
transition to forests would lead to huge
disruption and change for our wildlife and
ecology, as we are seeing in some of the
Scottish uplands, where removal of sheep
is leading to a monoculture of coarse
grasses with an associated reduction in
biodiversity.”

Newton Rigg students
learn more about wool
A group of agricultural students
from Newton Rigg College recently
visited the British Wool Marketing
Board in Bradford to find out
more about what happens to their
sheep’s wool once it leaves their
farms.

Stephen Spencer with students and
staff from Newton Rigg College.

To read more, visit www.farmers-mart.co.uk

Tom Peile from Wigton a level 3
Agriculture student said, “I found the day
fascinating and it gave me a much better
insight into what happens to the product
once it leaves the farm”.
Students were given an introduction
to the wool industry and the BWMB’s
work in shearing training, grading and
the auction system by BWMB Wool
Marketing Manager, Stephen Spencer.
Examples of wool in the different stages
of the process were displayed from
greasy wool, scoured wool, carded wool
as well as yarn, and examples of wool
products were also on display. A visit to
the North of England Wools grading depot
in Bradford followed were students saw
wool being graded, packed and tested
before being allocated to sale in one of
18 electronic auctions held by the BWMB
– they were also able to experience a
live auction as British Wool Sale 52 took
place during their visit.

Students also visited Haworth
Scouring Co. to see the next stage of
the process where the wool is washed
and scoured before being processed
into a number of various woollen based
products – from carpets, rugs, soft
furnishings to cloth and insulation.
David Gisbourne from Haworth
Scouring said: “As strong supporters
of the BWMB we are very pleased to
be working with BWMB and the future
sheep farmers of the UK”.
Stephen Spencer commented: “It was
clear from the visit that students were
quite surprised at the scale the BWMB
operates at.”
Speaking on behalf of the group,
Jamie Brownrigg, Agricultural Assessor
and Skills Trainer, said it had been
invaluable in helping them understand
how BWMB operates and why they
were paid the prices they were for their
wool.

FarmersMart Oct/Nov 2013

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