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Dairy Sheep

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General

There are approximately 200 flocks of dairy sheep, totalling 12,000 ewes. The main British breeds are Friesland, Colbred, Dorset and British Milksheep or crosses of these.
Over a 210 day lactation, yields of 150 litres (cross-bred) to 600 litres (pure-breds) are possible. The main outputs are milk, cheese, yoghurt, wool and lamb. Cheese is the major item. The British Sheep Dairying Association (BDSA) recommend a minimum economic herd size is considered of 250 - 300 ewes but advise that milk units should operate with 400 - 500 ewes with a lactation average of 250 litres. A lambing percentage of about 175% should be capable.

Please remember that special consideration must be given to the VAT aspects of diversification as the new activity may not be treated the same as the existing farm business from a VAT standpoint.

Market

The BDSA lists over 40 different varieties of sheep cheese, yoghurts, milk drinks and ice-creams. Farm gate sales and health food shops are the principal outlets. Sheep's milk competes directly with goats milk, but sheep's milk cheeses are the main product, eg Roquefort, Briney Feta. There is room for import substitution and there also is a market for people who are allergic to cows milk.

Physical Requirements

Land:
10 - 12 ewes/ha.

Buildings:
Winter housing 1.5 sq m per ewe. Milking parlour. Milk storage < 4oC Rooms for processing (At least 3 rooms are required for cheese making).

Stock:
Flock life 4 - 6 years. Feeding: Ewes, 0.5 kg concentrates/litre milk.

Costs

The following costing information is general and current prices should be sought for budgeting purposes.

Capital Costs

  • Friesland Ewe £300, other breeds, £150 - £200.
  • Rams £200 - £300.
  • Small milking system £3,000 - £10,000 + building conversion (smaller systems for up to 50 sheep, larger systems for 100+ sheep).
  • Pasteurisation equipment £2 - £5,000 If processing: Cheese processing equipment £4 - £7,000 + buildings conversion (must have separate processing room). Yoghurt Batch system £7,000. Cartoning equipment £4,000 PLUS working capital for at least one year

Running Costs

  • Concentrates: 0.5kg - 1kg per ewe per lactating day depending on milk yield @ £150 / tonne
  • Concentrates: £15 per lamb Vet & Med: £7 - £10 per ewe
  • Forage @ £10 - £15 per ewe
  • Sundries £15 - £20 per ewe
  • Labour @ £40 - £50 per ewe

Returns

  • Milk @ 75p/litre
  • Lambs @ £30 - £40
  • Cull ewes @ £12 - £18
  • Wool @ £1.50 - £2.00 per ewe
  • Cheese for wholesale @ £6 - £7 per kilo with retail sales 40 - 60% higher

Constraints

Code of Practice on Hygiene Control of milk sheep, the Scottish Government. Food Safety Act 1990. Finding a market may prove difficult Trading Standards. Rates on any processing facility.

Training

LANTRA has a list of courses for which include a variety of farm diversification topics which can be downloaded here.

Grants

Through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) 2007-2013 funding is now available for rural businesses throughout Scotland for diversification and renewable energy projects. Specifically, support is delivered through Rural Development Contracts – Rural Priorities which was launched in April 2008. For further information about what support is available see the Section on Rural Development Contracts – Rural Priorities.

Further Information

Publications

Practical Sheep Dairying (1989) - Olivia Mills (Thorsens) £14.95.

Milking Sheep for a Living - NAC Conference papers, Stoneleigh 1987.

Milking Sheep - Stuart Ashworth, SAC Technical Note T104.

See Landsman's Bookshop Ltd's Dairy Product Section

Contact

Mr Scott Murray
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC Consulting, Bush Estate, Penicuik,
Edinburgh
EH26 0PH
TelWork 0131 535 3430
Fax 0131 535 3431

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