We are huge ambassadors for UK farming and more specifically sheep farming, without whom we would simply not exist.
Sheep have been resident of the UK since Roman times, and became hugely important when wool, meat, milk and skins formed the basis of Medieval trade. Today, meat is still the main product of sheep farming, but milk now has its own growing market and of course wool is what we at WILD are really interested in. The sheep sector employs 34,000 people on farms and a further 111,405 jobs in allied industries such as ours. This contributes a huge £291.4m to employment.
Every single day of the year, sheep farmers are hard at work across the UK tending to their flocks. Carrying out hugely beneficial environmental work from helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increasing biodiversity, to sequestering carbon from our atmosphere.
Despite being one of our countries largest industries, UK Farmers are among the poorest in our working population.
UK Sheep farming is an invaluable tool not only for improving and safeguarding our beautiful countryside, but also for tackling and mitigating against threats such as climate change, flooding and soil degradation. UK sheep farmers are some of the best in the world for these efforts. For example, did you know that the carbon footprint of a kilo of lamb produced in this country is just over half that of the global average? This is thanks to our high standards and efficiency of production methods.
Source: www.nationalsheep.org.uk
Sadly, despite these great statistics, and being one of our countries largest industries, UK Farmers are among the poorest in our working population. Farming poverty, poor working conditions, mental & physical health, education and training needs and often huge debts are all familiar topics for our beloved farming community.
WILD is a tiny business but we want to help make a difference and build a healthier world for farming families so we are currently working with The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) to figure out how we can channel some of our efforts and income in this direction. RABI are a small national charity established to support UK farmers and their families. Through careful research and pioneering new support services and tools RABI are shining a light on a variety of complex needs and challenges facing our Farming friends. Keep and eye out on our social channels for how we will be contributing to this fantastic charity but in the meantime you can find out more on their website and in the short film below.
Author
Lela Brooke.
Sources referenced linked
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