Traditional sheep farming - Swabian Alp to Wales or Ireland

Sheep farming has a very long tradition. In many regions - from the Swabian Alp to the hills of Wales or Ireland - sheep farming and wool production is an important source of income. Controlled organic animal husbandry – this means above all species-appropriate husbandry, feed from certified organic farming and pastures managed according to the criteria of organic farming. There are strict requirements for this, compliance with which is regularly checked by independent, state-approved control organizations. It is true that sheep pastures are not usually chemically fertilized or sprayed with pesticides, but in conventional sheep farming the animals are often treated preventively with medication or they are given regular immersion baths to which medication and chemicals are added. Such practices are not permitted in controlled organic animal husbandry. Organic sheep farmers need to understand the connections and find creative solutions to keep their animals healthy. One of our partners keeps sheep and beef cattle alternately on his pasture: one year the cattle graze, the next year the sheep are on this pasture. The reason? Cattle and sheep like different grasses, the cattle fertilize the pasture heavily and the sheep graze plants close to the root, destroying the habitat of many parasites that would trouble the cattle in the following year. This simple but well thought-out principle of rotation keeps sheep, cattle and pasture healthy.