In defence of sheep
What have the ovines ever done for us? A fair bit, as it turns out.
Sheep don’t get much of a press do they? Apart from their categorisation as less than intellectual (‘being a sheep’ is a synonym for thoughtless following), ovines are the bête blanche of a vocal wing of rewilders for their alleged ‘sheep-wrecking’ of the uplands by overgrazing.
However, those who farm sheep are generally as keen as the next person on biodiversity restoration, likewise in recognising the national wellbeing and the preservation of the history of these isles. Poetess Elizabeth Barrett Browning declared to her amour, ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.’ In the same manner, we list the ways (15 of them) in which we love sheep and how they aid us, might even save us.
1. It was not slavery that gave Britain its original wealth, but the medieval wool trade, as celebrated in the magnificent ‘wool churches’ of the Cotswolds. Riches from that trade made Britain a notably stable society; in homage, the Lord Chancellor still sits on a ‘woolsack’ in Parliament.
2. Sheep meat is replete in protein, healthy omega-3 fats, selenium, niacin, zinc. If the lamb chop is a table familiar, remember mutton, the animals’ mature meat, with its profound depths of flavour.
3. Wool clothing is durable and biodegradable (unlike synthetics, made from fossil fuels).
4. Woollen carpets trap pollutants, leading to a healthier home.
5. Wool makes excellent loft insulation.
6. Sheep can be milked; ewe-milk cheese is undergoing a revival nationally.
7. A sheep is a walking muck spreader, reducing the need for artificial fertiliser.
8. Wool is an excellent organic fertiliser.
9. Dung from a sheep potentially fosters 250,000 insects per year, creating a natural food chain right up to apex predators.
10. The sheep is the emblem of innocence and compassion in the religion of the national church.
Much of the architectural wealth of places such as the Cotswolds was built on the back of the wool trade.
11. Shepherd’s Bush, Shepton Mallet, Lambeth — what would British toponomy be without ovines?
12. Tweed from Scotland, lamb from Wales — sheep are fundamental to local economies.
13. Sheep farms tend to be small family affairs and the backbone of rural society.
14. Britain has more native ovine breeds (about 60) than any other country, developed over centuries to place and purpose, from Shetlands for jumpers to Suffolks for plate. Regard the Cotswold sheep with its lustrous locks and handsome corporeality: it puts soul into the landscape. The ‘Cotswold Lion’ dates from the Roman era and is living national history, as are all native breeds.
15. Conservation grazing by sheep is essential for habitats such as chalk downs.
We could go on, but that would be like counting sheep to send you to sleep.
This feature originally appeared in the September 16, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
