THE FIVE ESSENTIAL FREEDOMS:
The sheep’s fibre is harvested through a process called shearing. It is a bit like getting a ‘number 4’ haircut. Our sheep stations are dead serious about ensuring minimal stress on the animal. How serious?
Traditionally shearers are rewarded on the amount of sheep they shear. But ours are Softcore Radicals. They are challenging this standard by introducing a new performance score card that measures shearer’s success based on “The Sheep Experience”. Lake Hawea Station has also painted the flooring on which sheep are shorn white, so that any bleeding caused by cuts (which can happen when using a machine shear) is highly visible.
These changes to standard shearing practises have caused quite a stir in the New Zealand farming industry, with LHS being accused on all major farming-related media outlets of “Woke Farming”. Lol.
These changes to standard shearing practises have caused quite a stir in the New Zealand farming industry, with LHS being accused on all major farming-related media outlets of “Woke Farming”. Lol.
FAQ: Do sheep dogs harm sheep?
Absolutely not. Our sheep freely roam vast lands. Herding and guardian dogs help shepherds move the flock with calmness and make sure that no lamb gets lost in the high country. Sheep dogs also protect the flock from predators. They are an incredibly important part of high-country farm life and the shepherds teach young Shepherd dogs to handle and manage sheep gently.
FAQ: What about mulesing?
We have a strict no mulesing policy, but in any case, mulesing is also prohibited in New Zealand. For those that don’t know, mulesing is a surgical procedure that removes a section of skin from the sheep’s rear. It is carried out to reduce the risk of attack by flies (often described as flystrike). Our farmers have adopted integrated strategies to manage the risk of flystrike, without mulesing.
