Heavy heart as ewes are sold

The Beast from the East certainly made its presence felt as it ripped across the country last week with its effects still being felt in many areas. We are a week on from the first of the snow, and the wind is still blowing strongly in from the east, accompanied today by freezing sleet and further snow.

Today I spoke to a farming friend in the Borders and you could hear the exhaustion in his voice. They are still digging out sheep from snow drifts. Yesterday’s tally alone stood at more than 100 sheep saved but the sadness in his voice could not hide the fact he knows some will perish.

Snow drifts are to the tops of the dykes allowing the sheep to wander where they please. A desperate and difficult situation to be in when they are trying to manage heavily-in-lamb ewes.

My heart goes out to any flocks which started lambing in these devastating conditions.

Last weekend I had to oversee the sad task of gathering my neighbours’ ewes in from the common grazing for the last time so they could be sold.

A family bereavement and the fact the lady is waiting for an operation were contributing factors to the decision.

I posted on to Facebook pictures and a short video of the ewes with the words please share. I was blown away with the response with over 110 shares and 11,000 views in 24 hours. The ewes sold away better than expected considering the weather and the time of year.

All found new homes in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney with a little help from social media.

It was hard standing in the ring selling the ewes but not half as hard as passing an empty hillside the following morning where they had been hefted all my life.

Some will ask what does it matter, it was only 82 hill ewes? But those 82 ewes are the dripping tap which will eventually drain the tank of much of the reserves of sheep on our hills. Already, where this has happened communities are disappearing, replaced by holiday homes, with quaint names like The Sheiling, giving a nod to their past and former glory.

A late spring combined with a shortage of fodder and I fear there will be others who make the choice to sell their ewes. The current upturn in the lamb trade may offer some a reprieve.

I sound like a stuck record but we must dramatically up the consumption of lamb in Scotland so we have a strong market for the remainder of the country’s ewe flock.

Alongside the home market let’s cash in on the visitors who love to photograph the sheep and their surroundings when visiting Scotland.

We need joined up thinking to get greater volumes of Scotch Lamb on menus throughout the country’s hotels and restaurants.

A late spring combined with a shortage of fodder may prompt others to sell their ewes.