PHOTOS: Sheep farmer documents snow struggle
A Cumbrian farmer has gained an avalanche of new followers after posting incredible pictures of his sheep battling to survive in the snow on Twitter.
The farmer – known as @herdyshepherd1 – took the images using his iPhone, which show the daily struggle of battling the elements to keep his stock of pure Herdwick and Swaledales fed.
“Livestock farmers have been having a hell of a struggle to feed their animals,” he said. “For two days we couldn’t get to some of our sheep that were blocked on an intake.
“They had been stuck in a drift and when we finally got to them on Sunday (24 March) with a dog, we were able to feed them.
“We are dealing with a lot of pregnant ewes and as long as we can keep them reasonably sheltered and fed, we will be alright.”
The sheep farmer, who farms in the northern Lake District, said he had not started lambing in earnest yet, but neighbours who had were concerned about the impact of the extreme weather on flocks.
“Some neighbours that lamb earlier than us have lost a lot of lambs, but they cannot get to them,” he said.
“It won’t be until the snow has cleared that they will know how bad it is.”
Since he started posting pictures of the snow crisis last week, @herdyshepherd1 has gained more than 1,500 new followers on his Twitter account.
“Twitter helps people get a glimpse of what farmers like me do on a daily basis,” he added.
“It’s also a useful way for farmers to get their messages out to the wider public. For example, I have been trying to get dog owners walking around the Lake District to think about putting dogs on leads at lambing time.”
