Now that there is a reduced workforce available to help with collecting sheep, one of the most arduous tasks for hill farmers is only getting more difficult. In response to this situation, NFU Scotland has this week asked the Scottish Government to consider a new approach to flock inspections, which could see official visits fit around routine gatherings planned by the producer. image expired

Each year, the Scottish Government is obliged to carry out a number of sheep counts and identification checks.  These require producers to gather and present animals for inspection, often from vast areas, in difficult weather conditions and at very short notice.  That process clearly places pressure on farm routines and staff, particularly on hill units and in crofting areas where common grazings are used.

NFU Scotland’s President Nigel Miller said that, as farmers can be asked to gather sheep at short notice, sometimes at lambing or tupping time and occasionally in conditions that can be difficult for man and beast, which takes a long time and much effort in extensive areas, the union was asking the Scottish government to take “a more pragmatic route.” 

He elaborated, “On common grazings, collecting an individual croft’s sheep for inspection can require the assistance of the whole crofting community to gather and separate out animals.”

Miller concluded, “We appreciate that in many cases such a level of co-ordination may not always be possible.   However, we believe a more joined-up approach to inspections of common grazings and extensive hill farms that sees official visits match the producer’s designated gathering window is both feasible and desirable.”