Coming home to the family farm in Tempo, Co. Fermanagh 12 years ago, Alastair Armstrong returned to a lifelong interest in breeding pedigree livestock and hasn’t looked back since. He leads on the farm alongside his father Sinclair. They gradually increased sheep numbers, now running 250 North Country Cheviot ewes plus 100 gimmers across the farm’s 160 acres, as well as 1200 acres of hill grazing on the heather/grouse moor of the nearby Aughentaine Estate, Fivemiletown. In addition, Alastair shepherds the 100-ewe flock owned by the estate.
On farm, Alastair’s aim is to run the most efficient system possible. An objective that he believes must be encouraged on all Northern Ireland farms with future support from government enabling this.
Alastair was part of the first Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) Next Generation group. Shortly after joining this group, he was co–opted on to the hill farming committee and was a rep for four years on the animal health and welfare committee.
Alongside the focus on beef and sheep sector support, Alastair and the hill farming committee members are working on other key issues including an upland extensification scheme to replace the Areas of Natural Constraint. Peatlands has also been an important area of work with the committee recently responding to the 2021-2040 strategy. Farmers managing these areas deserve more recognition and support for their professional expertise.
Conservation Management Plans have been an ongoing matter for the past four years and while the work was scaled back during the pandemic, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) have now committed to push on. The committee want to see more engagement with NIEA and local farmers in relation to these as its their livelihoods that matter.
The hill farming committee works closely with the NI Sheep Scab Control Group. It has been very welcoming that £200k has been allocated to an educational program this year.
The work with Ulster Wool continues as does the promotion of the benefits of wool. The committee would like to see primary sheep producers better rewarded in the future.
The UFU is now part of an Industry Wildfire Forum and hopefully can address some concerns in relation to stocking rates, the timing and type of grazing. As well as better and safe use of controlled burning and helping to reduce fire load and land abandonment.
