The National Sheep Association (NSA) has confirmed that plans are well advanced for its 2023 ‘Sheep Northern Ireland’ event.
It takes place on Tuesday, July 4 at Tynan Estate, Co. Armagh. The event is being hosted with the permission of Kate Kingan and estate owner James Kingan.
NSA regional representative in Northern Ireland, Edward Adamson said: “Sheep Northern Ireland was last held in 2019. However, this is the first time that the event has been hosted on farm.
“The sheep sector has a tremendous amount to offer Northern Ireland’s economy as a whole. Our event is taking place against the backdrop of improving producer prices.
“This follows a slight market downturn earlier in the year,” he added.
“But given the scale of rising costs, flock owners need every penny they can get right now.”
Sheep Northern Ireland
Sheep Northern Ireland also takes place against the backdrop of calls for greater support being made available to the sheep sector in Northern Ireland.
“There are no specific support proposals for sheep within the package of post-Brexit support measures identified by former farm minister Edwin Poots,” Adamson continued.
“This is fundamentally wrong. We are already seeing farmers leaving the sector and I fear this trend will gather further momentum during the period ahead.
“There are no young people coming into the industry. And many of those working with sheep now will be retiring in the near future.”
Adamson believes that the introduction of a sheep welfare payment system, similar to that already operating in the Republic of Ireland, could deliver much-needed financial support for sheep farmers, north of the border.
“An annual payment in the region of £12/ewe would make all the difference in this regard,” he said.
Tynan Abbey Farm
Tynan Abbey Farm has experienced a significant transformation over the past 10 years with soil fertility, grassland management and farm infrastructure all changing drastically.
The 850ac estate farm has been run by Kate Kingan and Peter Mant since 2014. While the farm has been in Kate’s family for centuries, it was rented out for decades prior to her return to the farm and in the latter years fell into poor shape.
In recent years the farm participated in the Northern Ireland Sheep Programme and, as part of this, developed a three- and five-year farm plan, reviewing the farm’s objectives and setting key performance targets to identify areas for change.
This included soil fertility, grassland management, breeding and genetics, health planning and performance recording, all of which will be discussed at the NSA event.
