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Raising Romneys in the UK

by Angela Doughty

My husband, Roger, and I took up sheep farming in 1985 when we bought 25 in-lamb (bred) Romneys. Those first sheep taught us a lot. We'd been on several training courses before we bought our smaliholding, but hadn't much practical experience.

Fortunately the ewes had lambed before, so they knew what to do. Since then, we have expanded the flock, experimented with another breed and added Devon cattle and Haflinger ponies as well, but Romneys remain our first love. We do have a problem in that we live 200 miles away from Romney Marsh where Romney sheep are still the principal breed. In our part of England, down in the southwest peninsula, Romneys are definitely "foreign". We always have to show them in the Any Other Breed class at agricultural shows, and it's not often that we can get a good price for them at multi-breed auction sales. But, we can nearly always in classes for wool, either on the animal or as fleece, and handspinners pay realistic amounts for our best wool. We hope 2001 will see the establishment of a regional Romney breeders group. This will certainly help with promotion and marketing, and will help supporters of the breed to get to know one another.

2000 was a difficult year for UK farming. 24,000 people involved in agriculture left the land, there were 83 farmer suicides, and severe floods occurred after rainfall varying between 180% and 200% of "normal". The average annual income for those who remained in farming fell to the equivalent of S5,800 and the average age of farmers rose to 55. Not surprisingly, it seems that youth is finding other, less stressful and better paid ways of earning a living.

Some things point to a better year ahead. Of the total 2000 UK wool clip (46 million kilos, or approximately 101,200,000 lbs.) only 1% remained unsold. The Wool Marketing Board, which buys and sells nearly all UK 'wool, celebrated its 50th year by producing a training video for trainee shearers, who came forward in useful numbers. Consumption of lamb meat increased by 10%, mostly through ready prepared meals and restaurants. Preparations are well under way for testing rams of all breeds for scrapie resistance, with a view to eliminate the disease from the UK flock within the next few years.

In the Romney Society, a new Secretary took over in 2000. Alan West, formerly a lecturer at Hadlow College of Agriculture, became only the fifth secretary since the Breed Society was established in 1895. He has brought the Society into the modern world by starting work on a website and personally visiting all the members of the Society throughout the UK. He can be reached by email at alan.t.west@btinternet.com.

Alan takes over a Breed Society with 65 pedigree flock owning members and an equal number of ordinary members. About 2,500 pedigree Romney sheep are registered each year, so that means there are about 13,000 registered sheep alive at any given moment. The oldest existing flock dates from 1822, though records show Romneys on that farm from at least the 17th century. Romneys are, in fact, still the second most common breed in lowland Britain. There are about 200,000 commercial, purebred Romneys in the UK and Romney Marsh, their traditional home is SE England, remains the most intensively grazed sheep pasture in the world. A bleak, treeless landscape, reclaimed from the sea two thousand years ago, Romney Marsh's harsh environment produced a hardy, long-lived sheep that evolved in comparative isolation, probably from Roman times. The large flocks, managed with minimum human interference, now show resistance to scrapie. foot rot, mastitis and intestinal worms. With farming margins now so tight and public demand for "naturally" produced food ever increasing. the Romney breed seems poised for growth.

We are always pleased to hear from flock owners in the USA. Roger and I really value the friendships we have made with American sheep people and look forward to more wonderful trips across the Atlantic. I have contacts with a number of UK sheep organizations, so please get in touch if you think I may be able to help. Our email address is radoughty@hotmail.com or telephone 044-13 63-83281 (remember, we are 5-8 hours ahead of you).

Very best wishes for 2001!

Last updated 6/10/01. Reproduced from the Winter 2001 Romney Ramblings.

All membership questions and Association business should be sent to the ARBA Secretary, Jean Kamenicky, at secretary@americanromney.org. This includes any comments on this web site or suggestions for content.