October 1, 20232 yr 1 minute ago, Spider said: What the fuck is wrong with sheep??? And don’t say “they’re not native” because neither are we. Nowt. Lots of different types too, some more suited to our environment than others. Been eating some tasty little Shetland from around a mile down the road.
October 1, 20232 yr 1 minute ago, Tonge moor green jacket said: Nowt. Lots of different types too, some more suited to our environment than others. Been eating some tasty little Shetland from around a mile down the road. We used to farm texels and blueface Leicester. They were delicious and having spent a year wandering around Rivington were as homegrown and organic as it gets. However, uncle had to sell the lot because each lamb was only fetching £50/60 and New Zealand lamb was coming in cheaper. Had to watch him sell all 750 at auction in Clitheroe and he cried for more or less the duration. Heartbreaking,
October 1, 20232 yr 32 minutes ago, Spider said: What the fuck is wrong with sheep??? And don’t say “they’re not native” because neither are we. What about scouse sheep?
October 1, 20232 yr 1 minute ago, deeane Koontz said: What about scouse sheep? Think they’re Wirral dwellers
October 1, 20232 yr 38 minutes ago, Spider said: What the fuck is wrong with sheep??? And don’t say “they’re not native” because neither are we. It's the hoomans that manage the sheep. As with most things we're doing now, it's unsustainable and poorly managed. Biodiversity loss is causing as much carnage as CO2 emissions, but rarely gets the same media attention. If we continue at the rate we're going we will lose our key pollinating insects which will have huge repercussions. It's totally unnecessary the amount of land we've given over for grazing. If we're going to capture carbon and restore a healthy insect population then we've got to rethink how we graze livestock. 🐑
October 1, 20232 yr 10 minutes ago, London Wanderer said: It's the hoomans that manage the sheep. As with most things we're doing now, it's unsustainable and poorly managed. Biodiversity loss is causing as much carnage as CO2 emissions, but rarely gets the same media attention. If we continue at the rate we're going we will lose our key pollinating insects which will have huge repercussions. It's totally unnecessary the amount of land we've given over for grazing. If we're going to capture carbon and restore a healthy insect population then we've got to rethink how we graze livestock. 🐑 We mainly had the flock out on moorland and would use pasture/meadow towards winter or in spring for lambing. Can’t speak for other areas but ultimately we have a relatively small island to share amongst all livestock and crops. All I know for sure is that DEFRA is the most over regulated and stringent body in the country
October 1, 20232 yr 15 minutes ago, Spider said: We mainly had the flock out on moorland and would use pasture/meadow towards winter or in spring for lambing. Can’t speak for other areas but ultimately we have a relatively small island to share amongst all livestock and crops. All I know for sure is that DEFRA is the most over regulated and stringent body in the country A lot of changes happening in the farming sector as a whole with a view to environmental policies, and rightly so, but at the same time, the ideological folk with little knowledge of farming don't seem to appreciate the whole story. The other thing about sheep is the ridiculous price for a fleece as "plastic" materials still win out. Put some "levy" on such materials and give natural a chance and the "GDP" from the industry might just rise!
October 1, 20232 yr 2 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said: A lot of changes happening in the farming sector as a whole with a view to environmental policies, and rightly so, but at the same time, the ideological folk with little knowledge of farming don't seem to appreciate the whole story. The other thing about sheep is the ridiculous price for a fleece as "plastic" materials still win out. Put some "levy" on such materials and give natural a chance and the "GDP" from the industry might just rise! Aye few years ago when we last did it, we had kiwis and Aussie lads would come over and charge us 50p per shearing. each fleece probably fetched about 30p and it was always boiling hot, the fleeces would often be full of maggots and dried shit round their arses and the smell was awful. Nice on your skin though
October 1, 20232 yr I've been helping do bits around the local farm, but not had a go at shearing yet. May have a do this time, but I've got another cataract so may have to wait until that's sorted! Wouldn't want to nip off something I shouldn't 😁
October 1, 20232 yr 48 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said: I've been helping do bits around the local farm, but not had a go at shearing yet. May have a do this time, but I've got another cataract so may have to wait until that's sorted! Wouldn't want to nip off something I shouldn't 😁 As long as it’s not your own bits, you’ll be reet. Shearing is a real skill, watching the lads from down under do it is unreal. The best part of the year is midsummer - have to get all the sheep in for injections and foot trimming. You put them in a metal cage that flips them upside down, trim their hooves with secateurs, brush the maggots out, inject them with a cocktail of stuff, bum them, then flip them back and send them on their way. Stood on a broken syringe once, which had snapped off and been in the shit and piss on the floor of the race. Went straight through my welly and through my foot. They looked at me like I was a Neanderthal in A&E. then gave me another injection in the bottom.
October 1, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, Spider said: We mainly had the flock out on moorland and would use pasture/meadow towards winter or in spring for lambing. Can’t speak for other areas but ultimately we have a relatively small island to share amongst all livestock and crops. All I know for sure is that DEFRA is the most over regulated and stringent body in the country You’re usually one to side with what the science says. So I’ll leave it here for you. https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2020/05/11/biodiversity-impact-of-upland-sheep-grazing-will-take-decades-to-recover/amp/ As with other farming practices, it needs to adapt. It’s not ideological to suggest over grazing damages an eco system 😂
October 1, 20232 yr 22 minutes ago, London Wanderer said: You’re usually one to side with what the science says. So I’ll leave it here for you. https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2020/05/11/biodiversity-impact-of-upland-sheep-grazing-will-take-decades-to-recover/amp/ As with other farming practices, it needs to adapt. It’s not ideological to suggest over grazing damages an eco system 😂 Fair enough. It’s a few years since the flock was sold and now I just wander around the moorland lamenting the loss of livestock 😞
October 1, 20232 yr The sheep shit helps the mushrooms grow. They can stay for that alone, the tasty bastards
October 1, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, Spider said: Fair enough. It’s a few years since the flock was sold and now I just wander around the moorland lamenting the loss of livestock 😞 Fair do’s. They’re great livestock, engrained in our culture and still farmed in much the same way they always were. We just need a bit of balance & to let the land breath a little
October 2, 20232 yr 16 hours ago, Spider said: As long as it’s not your own bits, you’ll be reet. Shearing is a real skill, watching the lads from down under do it is unreal. The best part of the year is midsummer - have to get all the sheep in for injections and foot trimming. You put them in a metal cage that flips them upside down, trim their hooves with secateurs, brush the maggots out, inject them with a cocktail of stuff, bum them, then flip them back and send them on their way. Stood on a broken syringe once, which had snapped off and been in the shit and piss on the floor of the race. Went straight through my welly and through my foot. They looked at me like I was a Neanderthal in A&E. then gave me another injection in the bottom. You're dealing with a sizeable, commercial flock there. This place is small scale, used predominantly for quality fleece/wool, with a bit of lamb. Shearing with hand shears some of the time. Feet are an issue on damp ground of course, but not too bad.
October 3, 20232 yr On 01/10/2023 at 17:22, London Wanderer said: You’re usually one to side with what the science says. So I’ll leave it here for you. https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2020/05/11/biodiversity-impact-of-upland-sheep-grazing-will-take-decades-to-recover/amp/ As with other farming practices, it needs to adapt. It’s not ideological to suggest over grazing damages an eco system 😂 This has been well understood for a long time. We cut down much of the woodland that used to exist in this country and that affected the environment. Together with beavers we modify our environment to suit our needs. It's now dawning on us that we need to do more to protect the land, but to select sheep as somehow being worthy of more scrutiny than other practices is bizarre. So long as we farm and grow produce then we are making a negative impact to a certain extent. Building a house damages the environment. Even moving to a more plant based diet won't stop it, even if it does reduce certain issues. A far more complex situation than simply stopping sheep farming.
October 3, 20232 yr 9 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said: This has been well understood for a long time. We cut down much of the woodland that used to exist in this country and that affected the environment. Together with beavers we modify our environment to suit our needs. It's now dawning on us that we need to do more to protect the land, but to select sheep as somehow being worthy of more scrutiny than other practices is bizarre. So long as we farm and grow produce then we are making a negative impact to a certain extent. Building a house damages the environment. Even moving to a more plant based diet won't stop it, even if it does reduce certain issues. A far more complex situation than simply stopping sheep farming. I honestly don't know where you've got the idea from that I think they are 'worthy of more scrutiny'. You've gone a bit off on one over this. It seems we agree that there is an issue with overgrazing and biodiversity loss. Not at any point have I said that sheep farmers hold a monopoly over other damaging practices. Sheep farmers need to adapt but it would be pointless if we don't change other things. Pollution from factory farms, dangerous pesticide use, monocrops damaging soil etc. I hope that the other things highlighted meet your requirements mate.
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