Saturday last I had a rare day away from the smallholding to attend the Wiltshire Horn Sheep Society show and sale at Stoneleigh livestock market near Rugby. I went with a friend who lives near to us and who also keeps Wiltshire Horn sheep. He had planned to take some sheep to the sale but Suffolk, and also now much of the eastern counties of England, is designated a Restriction Zone because of recent cases of Blue Tongue disease which affects ruminants. Its now a big problem for sheep and cattle farmers who are in the Restriction Zones as it is currently illegal to move livestock to a non-restricted area with only a few exceptions to the rule.
Anyhow, the show and subsequent sale went off well and there were some good examples of Wiltshire Horn sheep on show. The prize winning sheep were sold at the higher prices as might be expected. The winning bid for the top ewe was 650 guineas.
Co-incidentally, DEFRA last week designated the Wiltshire Horn a Breed At Risk. This means it is a rare breed that is vulnerable to disappear. This would be a particular shame given that it is a primitive breed of sheep thought to have been the original sheep breed introduced to Britain by the Romans.
Once common, Wiltshire Horns are not a breed that commercial sheep farmers nowadays keep. They are noted for being self-shedding so their fleece is not very suitable for wool production. They are an excellent meat breed but take longer to grow for the commercial market. The survival of the Wiltshire Horn breed relies on smallholders and small scale farmers to keep the breed going.
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| First placed ewe lamb |
I did wonder what sort of effect the Blue Tongue was having on you and your neighbours. I do hope your friend and other Wiltshire Horn enthusiasts are able to keep the breed alive. I can see why these sheep are not considered commercial - but there is more to life than economic values, surely? Will DEFRAs decision be a significant help to such farmers?
ReplyDeleteDEFRA's decision might tempt others to keep Wiltshire Horns. Apart from being self-shedding so its not necessary to get them sheared, as a 'primitive' breed the have fewer obstetric complications during lambing.
DeleteI love the idea of you and your friend keeping this special breed of sheep going, and I hope that they will not be touched by this Blue Tongue ailment. They are certainly a very appealing breed of sheep.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope so. We are monitoring them closely for signs and symptoms.
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