Sheep are disappearing from our hills - and our dinner plates

For generations, Neil Heseltine's family operated Hill Top Farm on the hillside of Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales, with sheep being the primary focus of the business. However, over the past two decades, there has been a significant shift away from sheep farming as the farm's 1,500-acre land went from hosting over 800 lambing sheep to just 45 this spring.

Neil admits that the farm's financial stability would have been jeopardized had they not made these changes. While many upland farmers continue to keep sheep, this trend mirrors a broader shift across British farming. The average British farmer is 60 years old, and rising costs for fuel, fodder, and subsidies have put pressure on profits.

Additionally, reductions in subsidies and potential increased competition from overseas trade deals have further impacted the industry. With 14.7 million breeding ewes in the UK, the lowest figure in living memory, and overall sheep numbers at 30.4 million, many wonder if we have reached "peak sheep" in the UK and what this means for the future of consumers and the cherished landscapes of the UK's uplands.