Sheep are amazing animals with their ability to provide us with both food and fleece

It feels as though there is light at the end of the tunnel.

For most people, this means things returning to a more recognisable way of life. For us it means we are through the busiest and most high pressure months of the year. Though we still have silage and lamb weaning to look forward to, we can spend some time reflecting on the season so far and reviewing any changes made.

We were delighted to see more than one million people sign the petition to UK government outlining concerns around a US trade deal impacting animal welfare and food and environmental standards. This was impossible for the government to ignore and they have responded with positive first steps towards protecting these crucial standards. Still a long way to go, but many thanks to everyone who signed the petition.

By the time you read this we will hopefully have all the sheep clipped – weather permitting! The shearing industry relies heavily on shearers coming from overseas and the restrictions due to Covid19 meant they were a bit late getting started this year.

Unfortunately the wool price has completely bottomed out. The Chinese mills that process most of the world’s wool were shut down for months. Although now open, there is little demand for carpet and upholstery, which is where most British wool ends up. Cruise ships and hotels are big buyers of these products and it is unlikely they will be investing any time soon.

Fortunately we don’t rely on the wool cheque to pay the bills. In recent years wool has been worth around 80p/kg, just about covering the cost of shearing. With reports that it will be as low as 10p/kg this year, it won’t come close. It costs around £1.80 per fleece to pay shearers and wool rollers to come and clip sheep, with each ewe clipping around 2-3kg of wool.

Along with local food, I’m also really passionate about wool. My parents had merino sheep in Australia and although they produced wool for a totally different market, the credentials are the same.

Sheep are amazing animals and their ability to provide us with both food and fleece is why humans have always kept them. Wool is the ultimate renewable, biodegradable, long lasting, warm, fire retardant, breathable, light fibre. It can often cost a bit more to buy, but it will last longer and therefore be better value in the long run and better for the environment. Even when compared with cotton or hemp, wool will have comparable environmental impacts as it doesn’t require irrigation, pesticides or herbicides.

In Selfridges in London a few years ago I watched a big in-store TV ad from Diesel telling their customers to ditch “unethical” wool and buy acrylic sweaters. The rising fury in me was barely contained. Acrylic is basically made with plastic and therefore petrochemicals (it is worth Googling). These are the fibres that contribute to micro-plastics in our waters and CO2 in our atmosphere. There are also concerns that it may be carcinogenic. The goodonyou.eco directory that scores companies on their ethical responsibility gave Diesel the second lowest score. Perhaps they need to look a little closer to home.

The B&B is due to open again in mid-July (restrictions permitting). I have really enjoyed being full time on the farm this year, but like everyone in tourism, the extra money the B&B brings in allows us to carry out maintenance and afford a few extra luxuries, like meals out, holidays and the odd massage. However, I think I have learnt that being flat out seven days a week is probably not worth it and will look to reduce the workload in future years.

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