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Transforming sheep farming practices

As part of its ongoing sustainability and animal wellbeing strategy, The Blenheim Estate is introducing mob grazing, a more sustainable way to manage its 1,000 strong flock of Scotch Mule and Cheviot sheep.

The practice emulates how animals flock and feed in the wild, grazing down the sward equally, and means they eat the most nutritious top third of the plants and trample the less nutritious stalks onto the ground, helping to enrich the soil quality.

This new practice will see mobile electric fencing replace the 2,000-acre estate wooden fencing via a partnership with Rappa Fencing. The new fencing system allows sheep to move to specific new grazing areas quicker and more easily.

A major upgrade of its sheep farming facilities, the transformation forms part of the Estate’s ambitious land strategy that looks at innovative ways to move towards more sustainable farming practices.

It is one of a range of measures being introduced to support its ambition to deliver carbon negative land management within 10 years.

Already, the Estate’s sheep lamb later than many farms because they are reared entirely on grass within the Parkland, keeping them as naturally healthy as possible. Blenheim Estate allows its sheep to give birth outdoors, in order to give the lambs the best spring grass and nutrients they need, making it vitally important that they remain safe and protected from interference from dogs.

The Blenheim Estate has also introduced Pedigree Hampshire Down rams, as it looks to diversify its livestock using native breeds that support its commitment to organic produce.

As the landscape opens up to more sustainable and traditional farming practices, shepherds on the Oxfordshire estate will use an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) equipped with an auto fencing machine from Hampshire-based Rappa to establish terrain for mob grazing, which involves the sheep being regularly moved to different areas of the park.

“We took the decision to do away with all the old permanent fencing and instead use a mobile system which allows us to be much more flexible,” said Blenheim Estate Shepherd Tom Locke.