One of Britain's oldest sheep breeds is being used to produce environmentally-friendly Christmas trees in North Wales.
Peter and Joy Price have bought a small flock of Shropshire sheep to graze their ten-acre plantation, near Llandegla, Wrexham. It has baffled scientists and wise men for years, but pure-bred Shropshires are "tree-safe" - unlike other breeds of sheep that will strip bark and foliage from trees. So for growers looking to cut their use of herbicides, Shropshire's provide the ultimate in organic weed control and replace the need for mowing and reducing groundwater pollution.
Mr Price commented, "I don't know if the climate is changing but the grass seems to be growing longer each year. As we get older, and can't get down to pick out the weeds like we used to, we thought we could do with some help."
Peter recently became aware of the Shropshires tree-safe reputation, and in the summer he bought eight ewe lambs from established breeders in Penyffordd. Already they have proved their value, though the sheep must be carefully managed to make sure they do their job.
The Shropshires tree-friendly grazing was first identified more than 20 years ago by Graham Allan, a Scottish shepherd who lives in Denmark. He developed and promoted the system in Europe, and in recent years it has been adopted by Christmas tree growers in the UK. The sheep have now started to attract the attention of fruit growers, as they can also help reduce fungal diseases by consuming fallen leaves.
