Changing sheep breeds

[Long Croft Farming]

Very true... but leaving the tails on adds fuel to the 'unkept/unmanaged stock' look of them, which is a shame.

If your tagging/recording every lamb at birth - is a rubber band that much extra work/cost?

I think public image is the big problem here, we should be looking for any excuse not to mutilate tails. The only reason we prefer to look at short tails is because that's what we're used to. The more people avoid tail docking (on shedders) the less 'strange' these sheep will become and the less chance of buyers penalising.
Docking tails because you don't like looking at them, isn't a good enough reason, sorry

 

[Keepers]

Perhaps it is possible to breed short tails into the shedding breeds in years to come, have exlana cross shetland lambs here with short tails, and the shetlands are fully shedding thus the crossbred lambs will also be, so maybe it is possible to breed it in without losing shedding characteristics

However I personally think there is no need to dock shedding sheep's tails, I have gotten used to the long tails. I saw some exlana ewes from a flock at the exlana sale last year with short tails and to me they really just didn't look right

Everything woolly here gets docked and balled, I leave single ram lambs entire but this year with hardly any singles I just did them all, does ear notching count as an unnecessary mutilation? I hope not....

 

[Long Croft Farming]

Perhaps it is possible to breed short tails into the shedding breeds in years to come, have exlana cross shetland lambs here with short tails, and the shetlands are fully shedding thus the crossbred lambs will also be, so maybe it is possible to breed it in without losing shedding characteristics

However I personally think there is no need to dock shedding sheep's tails, I have gotten used to the long tails. I saw some exlana ewes from a flock at the exlana sale last year with short tails and to me they really just didn't look right

Everything woolly here gets docked and balled, I leave single ram lambs entire but this year with hardly any singles I just did them all, does ear notching count as an unnecessary mutilation? I hope not....

ear notching doesn't count, its for the greater good

 

[Nithsdale]

I think public image is the big problem here, we should be looking for any excuse not to mutilate tails. The only reason we prefer to look at short tails is because that's what we're used to. The more people avoid tail docking (on shedders) the less 'strange' these sheep will become and the less chance of buyers penalising.
Docking tails because you don't like looking at them, isn't a good enough reason, sorry

It's not just the public... it's other farmers and the live buyers in fat rings. If you get financially penalised, is it worth leaving tails on? (same goes for castrating the boys). Less of an issue if you send dead weight, but that's not an option for all... and others choose not to use that option!
Live buyers are fickle and have great prejudice over anything which isn't 3/4 bred terminal... regardless of how good the carcase actually is.

I certainly wouldn't call rubber banding tails - at acceptable, legal, lengths - as mutilation!

Whilst 'easycares' and wool shedders remain minority breeds withing UK sheep industry, there will always be stigma towards them. There is very little any of us can do about that... unless we all abandon the stock we have, and completely revolutionise the UK sheep industry - and force an opinion change. That will never happen.

 

[Ysgythan]

Ear tagging often results in mutilation and you have to do that.

 

[Nithsdale]

ear notching doesn't count, its for the greater good

So is banding tails, or castration.


You can not blurr the lines. If you want to stop the practice of one, you must stop all.

 

[Long Croft Farming]

It's not just the public... it's other farmers and the live buyers in fat rings. If you get financially penalised, is it worth leaving tails on? (same goes for castrating the boys). Less of an issue if you send dead weight, but that's not an option for all... and others choose not to use that option!
Live buyers are fickle and have great prejudice over anything which isn't 3/4 bred terminal... regardless of how good the carcase actually is.

I certainly wouldn't call rubber banding tails - at acceptable, legal, lengths - as mutilation!

Whilst 'easycares' and wool shedders remain minority breeds withing UK sheep industry, there will always be stigma towards them. There is very little any of us can do about that... unless we all abandon the stock we have, and completely revolutionise the UK sheep industry - and force an opinion change. That will never happen.

No, you're right change is always slow in this industry.
I would also agree mutilation is a harsh word for the process of legal tail docking, but we're educated, its the public that I worry about .
Education is also key for buyers IMO. Sometimes we have to do things because we think they are right, not just to make money in the short term......taking a hit now in the hope of educating and making something more acceptable in the future.

 

[Long Croft Farming]

So is banding tails, or castration.


You can not blurr the lines. If you want to stop the practice of one, you must stop all.

I understand we cant stop it all but I was only really referring to tails on wool shedders

 

[Long Croft Farming]

Ear tagging often results in mutilation and you have to do that.

that's ok though cos all the vegans, veggies and antis have there ears AND noses pierced

 

[Nithsdale]

I understand we cant stop it all but I was only really referring to tails on wool shedders

I know... but we are going through this with working gun dogs currently in Scotland, where tail docking has been banned.

The general public get a miss-informed uneducated idea (some) sheep really don't need their tails docked, itl be a campaign to stop the practice all together.... to the suffering of wool sheep nationwide

 

[Long Croft Farming]

I know... but we are going through this with working gun dogs currently in Scotland, where tail docking has been banned.

The general public get a miss-informed uneducated idea (some) sheep really don't need their tails docked, itl be a campaign to stop the practice all together.... to the suffering of wool sheep nationwide

I'm with you, but on the other hand, why should shedding sheep have to be the freaks, it just seems a little fudged up that they get penalised for being left in there natural 'state'.....for want of a better word

 

[Nithsdale]

I'm with you, but on the other hand, why should shedding sheep have to be the freaks, it just seems a little fudged up that they get penalised for being left in there natural 'state'.....for want of a better word

That's a question for our wider society in general... where the artificial/fake/manipulated appearance have favour over the natural.

Something I don't think will ever be 'righted'.

 

[baabaa]

No, you're right change is always slow in this industry.
I would also agree mutilation is a harsh word for the process of legal tail docking, but we're educated, its the public that I worry about .
Education is also key for buyers IMO. Sometimes we have to do things because we think they are right, not just to make money in the short term......taking a hit now in the hope of educating and making something more acceptable in the future.

change could happen overnight
next election if big if we end up with a lab gov or even a lab-lib and a vegan minster
whats the betting those nasty farmers wont be stopped mutilating those lovely little lambs ,apple pie issue

 

[Nithsdale]

change could happen overnight
next election if big if we end up with a lab gov or even a lab-lib and a vegan minster
whats the betting those nasty farmers wont be stopped mutilating those lovely little lambs ,apple pie issue

History shows agriculture tends to do better under a Labour govt. meaning change is less necessary... as incomes are better.

 

[Ysgythan]

History shows agriculture tends to do better under a Labour govt. meaning change is less necessary... as incomes are better.

That was when Labour wanted cheap food for the masses. Now food impacts inflation so they all want to keep food cheap.

 

[Nithsdale]

That was when Labour wanted cheap food for the masses. Now food impacts inflation so they all want to keep food cheap.

Agree.

But I was pointing out the fallacy of Labour being bad for farming.

The 'out' campaign for EU has already written it clearly on the wall they want even cheaper food prices...

 

[Ysgythan]

I saw that. Will farmers vote in as a result though?

 

[Nithsdale]

Doesn't appear to have made much impact. Just my opinion but, as farmers, if we vote out we are putting our own heads in the hangman's noose. There is no appetite in Westminster to protect our industry, on any level.

 

[baabaa]

History shows agriculture tends to do better under a Labour govt. meaning change is less necessary... as incomes are better.

when in history did we have as many loons in the shadow labour government as now?

 

[Nithsdale]

when in history did we have as many loons in the shadow labour government as now?

They arnt the ones wanting to rip us away from our largest trading partner, and feed us to the dogs.