All we like sheep have gone astray....

 ....so said Handel in his oratorio The Messiah! Whether or not that is the case we can't deny that sheep are an ever present conspicuous feature of the countryside and we all have our opinions on them. My recent fb and instagram post on the Open Gates Outdoors feeds showing a photo of a particularly mangey looking sheep near Strines made me reflect more deeply on sheep.  For me, on the plus side sheep create sheep trods which make running across rough ground easier and quicker but on the negative side I am told they spread ticks. Where do the sheep in the Peak District come from and do they have a positive or negative impact on the environment? The second question is a moot and divisive point so I don't intend to come down on one side or the other but to merely highlight an argument for each side.

From what I can make out from some initial research there are two predominant breeds of sheep in the peak district - except for in Chatsworth which, as you might expect, is a little bit special, and where there are many different breeds. There are the ones with black and white faces called Derbyshire Gritstone which originate from the Goyt Valley and have been bred since around 1770. Then there are the ones with white faces, called Penistone Sheep which originate from the south Pennines and are so called because they were first sold in Penistone in 1699 https://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/sheep-peak-district.

Those on the side of sheep argue that manure from grazing animals including sheep contribute up to 35% of organic soil matter which provides an energy source for vital organisms such as protozoa and nematodes and that sheep grazing lessens the need for artificial pesticides https://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/workspace/pdfs/nsa-the-benefits-of-sheep-in-arable-rotations.pdf.

Those against sheep point to the remote areas of Kinder (and Bleaklow) that have changed from this 

to this since being fenced off from sheep in 2011 thereby preventing peat erosion which causes a loss of invaluable carbon banks and silting up of rivers https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/fence-to-keep-sheep-off-kinder-scout-1915709.

I told you I wouldn't resolve it! One final point in favour of sheep is how they seem to instictively occupy the high point on the horizon as you approach often making an eye catching sillouette. Leave a comment and let me know what you think...

George
Open Gates Outdoors
16.6.23









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