Supporting and promoting British lamb production has seen a positive upturn since the success of #BritishLambWeek in autumn 2015, and National Sheep Association (NSA) is urging sheep farming Twitter fans to follow this into 2016 by supporting the #Sheep365 movement.
#Sheep365 made its debut on Twitter many months ago – the brainwave of two sheep farmers who met as part of the NSA Next Generation Ambassador programme. But it is now a popular movement showcased on the @LoveBritishLamb Facebook and Twitter pages by Rachel Lumley, the woman behind #BritishLambWeek last autumn.
@LoveBritishLamb is posting a daily image of sheep farming and encouraging other social media enthusiasts to generate their own posts, as well as liking and sharing #Sheep365 content. Volunteers can also take a ‘guest spot’ for a week, with their posts being showcased across both social media channels.
Hannah Park, NSA Communications Officer, says: “Sheep content, and particularly photos, are really popular on Twitter and Facebook. NSA supports #Sheep365 and encourages producers who use social media to remember the hashtag and even volunteer to take a guest spot for a week.
“The interest in #Sheep365 reveals an appetite from the general public in the role of sheep farming, but is also creating an enthusiastic community of farmers who are looking to do something positive for the industry in what has been a difficult time for many. It has got people talking and can only be going the right way in terms of raising awareness and helping to underpin and support our home market.”
Thomas Gibson, an NSA member from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, looks back to when he met Andrew Prentice from the island of Iona, West Scotland, through the NSA Next Generation Ambassador Programme. He says: “#Sheep365 came about after Andrew and I spoke about social media and promoting what we do as sheep farmers. We joked that our most accurate job description was ‘chasing after sheep all year’ and this turned into #Sheep365.”
Having successfully facilitated #BritishLambWeek, Rachel says she is keen to keep the ball rolling with #Sheep365, so long as support for the campaign continues. Posts have already included contributions from Thomas and Andrew, as well as many other sheep farmers who have been keen to get involved.
Thomas continues: “I think #Sheep365 has helped sheep farmers to expose what they do on a daily basis, while allowing them to share this collectively with an audience. I have had lots of questions from people about sheep and what we are doing on the farm as a result of seeing pictures posted with #Sheep365. I think the hashtag can also be used to raise awareness and uphold the sustainable practices sheep farmers use, whilst promoting British lamb as a natural and ecological product to consumers.”
