06/13/2025
WHAT DOES A HEFTED FLOCK MEAN ?
DO MP’s realise that “hefted flocks of sheep” on the moors, hill, dales and on open farmland have taken generations to develop that heft ?
DO MP’s realise that the heft plays a crucial role in animal welfare ?
DO MP’s realise how “hefted sheep” actually protect our moors, hills and dales from wildfires ?
DO MP’s realise that ignorance is not an excuse for poor and dangerous policy making ?
Over time, sheep develop an incredibly strong sense of "heft" or belonging to a particular place but a sense of belonging is a far too simple an explanation, because hefting is a far more complex and fascinating phenomena than most people could even comprehend.
Hefting to an area might be an area of moorland without physical boundaries and particular hills or vales. In a nutshell individual sheep and individual flocks pass knowledge to their offspring by showing them certain places, demonstrating where and where not to go and even leading lambs a carefully tested route for safe passage along a particular path along the edge of a ravine. Each sheep is also hefted to a specific flock, they know their own flock intimately and do not stray from their own group. They know exactly which flock they belong to and will not join other flocks even when grazing close to them and without boundaries between the flocks. To enrich our knowledge further I should add at this point that sheep dogs share this heft. They work with the farmer to gather the flock when required and they exhibit an incredible affinity with their own hefted flock or herd. They too understand the boundaries of the heft, can find the flock while completely out of earshot of the farmers voice or whistle and know the exact places the flock will be in inclement weather.
This intuitive phenomenon has evolved over centuries and for sheep, farmer and dog is particularly important in hill or moorland areas where physical boundaries are impractical but it is far more powerful than simply knowing hazards or an invisible boundary. One extraordinary example of hefting on our farm is that we have identified ewes showing their lambs the very place where they were born, which in turn became the very place where they themselves lamb safely (a survival instinct perhaps) and their own lambs will return to lamb in the same area for generations to come (only changing the location if they loose a lamb to a predator or disease) It is a sheep’s way of passing on life skills and knowledge to generations in the future.
To anyone with no depth of knowledge about animals hefting is an extraordinary and mysterious thing, but to sheep, cattle and pony farmers, crofters and carers of livestock (and wildlife) on the hill, dale, moorland and even lowland, we have always accepted hefting as the norm because we have grown up with these animals and have observed their idiosyncrasies and their natural behaviour every day of our lives. Sheep are a brilliant example but many other species heft.
In the case of native flocks and herds we know that hefting is their way of ensuring survival of the flock or herd for generations to come. Farmers work with flocks and herds to facilitate their natural hefting instincts by ensuring access to certain land at certain times of the year when farmers know that the hefting instinct is particularly strong (harsh winters, drought, storms, lambing etc) That is particularly true of generational family farms where critical information about the heft has also been passed down from generation to generation. These farmers did not have to think about where the flock would shelter from the last mega Storm, they knew exactly where they would be because the flock always takes shelter in different places when storms come from North, South, East or West. The sheep could be taken hay and feed to the exact places where the farmers knew their own flock would be taking shelter (often pinpointed within vast areas of moorland) at the drop of a hat because the farmer is totally in tune with the heft of his flock in certain weather conditions. On a moorland hefting is critical to the flock and for animal welfare. Take that symbiosis away and you completely deprive the animal of its security, cause massive stress to the flock and go against nature and the powerful knowledge and instincts of the heft of individual sheep, the flock and the sheep farmer.
So hefting is not just the knowledge of boundaries, the best grazing, places to avoid, places where poisonous plants grow or where predators live, where to lamb safely and where to shelter from heat, storms, snow or a particular prevailing wind. It is knowledge about everything that is passed down from ewe to lamb, ensuring that the flock continues to flourish. Hefting is hard won over generations and yet so little is known about it outside farming circles.
In addition to this amazing instinct that has evolved, hefting also contributes to the health and stability of the local ecosystem by creating sustainable grazing patterns developed over many generations. The Lake District and Dartmoor are very good examples known for their extensive hefted sheep populations but the UK is rich with flocks of hefted sheep because of the tapestry of small family sheep farms and crofters which have facilitated hefting of their flocks over many family generations, because these generational farmers understand exactly how, when, where and why hefting occurs and plan their management, husbandry and their lives arround it .
What many people do not understand is that hefted sheep also help prevent wildfires by reducing the amount of dry vegetation that can fuel fires. They follow paths and routes that their mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers trod…. and generations before that. These are natural firebreaks. Their grazing activity also consumes dry & brittle grasses and shrubs, decreasing the overall fuel load. This, in turn, lessens the potential for fires to start and spread. This phenomena was first recognised in the 17th Century when it was noted that sheep created and followed specific paths, eat a variety of vegetation including dead grasses, shrubs, and even leaves from fallen trees, which would otherwise dry out and become highly flammable.
By consuming and trampling vegetation to follow paths and established routes, sheep alter the structure of the understory, reducing the continuity of fuel and creating "burn breaks" that can and often do stop a fire. Also, while not directly related to wildfire prevention, hefted sheep grazing also benefits ecosystems by controlling invasive weeds and promoting the growth of native plants which have evolved to thrive, and which are therefore far less likely to die, dry to a crisp and catch fire.
Wildfire Early Warning System:
Shepherds, who have to accompany or regularly check their flocks, provide early warnings of wildfires and their presence definitely deters arsonists, according to efncp.
Very few people understand hefting. It is time to spread the word so that politicians, campaigners, rewilding companies and charitable organisations can properly consider heft when they are making policy decisions about any native, rare breed and hefted flock or herds of livestock. They must consider the heft as part of animal welfare considerations when determining policies that disturb any heft.
Who in their right mind would wish to stop this after generations of family sheep farmers and crofters carefully nurturing it ?
