$Sheep
Member
- Location
- New Zealand
Why did the Romney never take off in the UK?
The widespread adoption by commercial farmers of any sheep breed will occur only if they are satisfied that the virtues of the breed will deliver a positive return, in most cases this is represented as profit from the sale of production output namely lamb and wool. The virtues are made known by a variety of methods such as word-of-mouth, field days and seminars, advertising and other marketing campaigns.
The other critical aspect I would suggest is that not many years ago the traditional stratification of the UK sheep industry supported a viewpoint as to the type of or breed of sheep suited for a particular area hence the continued proliferation and support of local breeds or their crosses. This strength however was also a weakness in that there would have been great reluctance to break away from this structure so limiting a farmer from doing something different.
The Romney Marsh as a sheep breed in the context described above would have been perceived as being suitable only in its local area. Whilst the Romney proved very suitable and adaptable in NZ across all types of terrain and climate this did not mean a great deal back in the UK.
Nowadays in the UK it can be seen that some farmers are willing to break away from the traditional mould and are adapting or refreshing their ideas as to the type of sheep that would best perform for them. With this change in mindset the Romney may well become a breed that will be adopted by more farmers once its virtues are better known. The farmers who have adopted the Romney (or any other breed) as the breed of choice in those areas away from where they originated and have done well will become beacons that other farmers will follow.
The widespread adoption by commercial farmers of any sheep breed will occur only if they are satisfied that the virtues of the breed will deliver a positive return, in most cases this is represented as profit from the sale of production output namely lamb and wool. The virtues are made known by a variety of methods such as word-of-mouth, field days and seminars, advertising and other marketing campaigns.
The other critical aspect I would suggest is that not many years ago the traditional stratification of the UK sheep industry supported a viewpoint as to the type of or breed of sheep suited for a particular area hence the continued proliferation and support of local breeds or their crosses. This strength however was also a weakness in that there would have been great reluctance to break away from this structure so limiting a farmer from doing something different.
The Romney Marsh as a sheep breed in the context described above would have been perceived as being suitable only in its local area. Whilst the Romney proved very suitable and adaptable in NZ across all types of terrain and climate this did not mean a great deal back in the UK.
Nowadays in the UK it can be seen that some farmers are willing to break away from the traditional mould and are adapting or refreshing their ideas as to the type of sheep that would best perform for them. With this change in mindset the Romney may well become a breed that will be adopted by more farmers once its virtues are better known. The farmers who have adopted the Romney (or any other breed) as the breed of choice in those areas away from where they originated and have done well will become beacons that other farmers will follow.