Funding to highlight Britain’s sheep heritage to push mutton sales

THOUSANDS OF pounds in funding is being used to help highlight the vast range of the UK’s heritage breeds of sheep whose origins date back thousands of years in a bid to boost markets for the livestock sector.

The National Sheep Association, which represents producers across the UK, is overseeing the drive to explore opportunities for the sale of meat from the nation’s heritage breeds.

A study will look at the potential for increasing markets and the availability of products from heritage breeds, and in particular opportunities to promote hogget (from sheep aged between one and two) and mutton.

More than £23,500 has been raised to conduct the feasibility study, including £14,700 which was announced yesterday from the Prince’s Countryside Fund.

The National Sheep Association’s chief executive, Phil Stocker, said: “This is a welcome step forward for our sheep sector at a time of considerable uncertainty. Whilst standard lamb products have rightly been the main focus of national industry promotion, and will continue to be so, there is no reason why the huge diversity of sheep meat available in the UK should not be celebrated and supported in the marketplace as it is with wine, beer, cheese and many other foodstuffs.”

More than 60 breeds of UK native sheep have evolved since the first domestic animal arrived from the Continent about 6,000 years ago. Many of the breeds can be traced back thousands of years and most have adapted with changes in climate, landscape, soil and food sources.

Many of the UK’s native sheep breeds have evocative names such as North Ronaldsay, Derbyshire Gritstone, Beulah Speckled Face and Rough Fell.