With a name that’s easy to remember SheepKeep is an online resource for shepherds and landowners. Guided by the principle that: “Sheep need grass and grassland is best managed by sheep”, the website has been set up by farmer Tony Prior to match areas of undergrazed grassland with shepherds in search of grazing. Although the website was primarily set-up to match land and livestock in the North Wessex Downs the register now features land and livestock from as far afield as Devon and Yorkshire.

With reduced stock numbers and a mandatory requirement to graze areas for the Single Farm Payment, there is a need to match available stock to ground where they are wanted. Stock owners and land-owners can register details of their requirements free of charge on the website.

The website is also useful for those people keeping a few sheep for the first time with a frequently asked questions section (ever wondered why a sheep can’t sleep on their backs?) and lots of links to information on wormers, grazing licesnses, ear tagging and so on. There are also comprehensive lists of contractors (shearers, fencing, carcase disposal etc) which will be of use to anyone involved with keeping sheep.

The scheme is sopnsored by the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group FWAG.

The website is www.sheepkeep.co.uk