Group warns of hill sheep numbers

URGENT action is needed to preserve the pure mountain hill sheep breeds, according to the ICMSA Sheep Committee chairperson James Brosnan.

He said the numbers of pure hill sheep breeds in Ireland have dropped over the last number of years, and with full decoupling now in place that trend will accelerate in the years ahead.

Mr Brosnan called for a payment to hill sheep farmers of €10 per ewe for the first 100 ewes, where a farmer maintains a register of the mountain breeds. This payment could be a stand alone scheme, or it could be linked to REPS as a supplementary measure.