Sheep grazing to transform Perth green space

[och aye]

These sheep probably do more good for the railways than some politicians do.

Ewe won’t believe it! Sheep on track to transform Perth green space​

Ewe won’t believe it! Sheep on track to transform Perth green space

Network Rail is marking World Environment Day by introducing a flock of sheep to help restore and protect land in Perth in a bah-rilliant boost for biodiversity.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Network Rail is marking World Environment Day by introducing a flock of sheep to help restore and protect land in Perth in a bah-rilliant boost for biodiversity.

25 Scottish sheep are now grazing within the site, using a natural approach to control invasive plant species and improve the environment, all without the need for herbicides.

The initiative harnesses a simple but effective idea: let nature do the work. By feeding on invasive non-native species such as giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam, the sheep are helping to clear the way for wildflowers, native plants and pollinators to thrive, proving that sometimes the best solutions are the most natural.

Situated on a floodplain, the site is particularly vulnerable to the spread of invasive species. Bringing in the sheep offers a sustainable, low-impact alternative to chemical treatments, helping to maintain a healthier, more balanced ecosystem while protecting its unique heritage planting.

The sheep are being kept in a secure grazing area, and their welfare is being closely managed through daily visits from Network Rail staff and a professional shepherd from D&W Agri, alongside CCTV monitoring of the site.

By avoiding herbicides and encouraging natural growth, the initiative is helping to create a thriving, pollinator-friendly environment and giving the space a new lease of life that’s anything but shear luck.

 

[fwsmVor]

Why does NwR own this land, anyway?

 

[Penmorfa]

They could have a job for life with Network Rail, just give them hi viz jackets

 

[Pigeon]

By feeding on invasive non-native species such as giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam, the sheep are helping to clear the way for wildflowers, native plants and pollinators to thrive

They must be jolly clever sheep to be able to tell which plants are indigenous and which are not. Do they scan pictures of the leaves and look them up on the internet?

I suppose that's the idea - to breed up a strain of super-intelligent sheep that can learn to stand in the cess when a train comes and wave a front leg at it, instead of running down the track in front of it; then they can be issued with PTS certificates and set to actually grazing on the track in those places where it looks like a pasture anyway, which is what I immediately thought of on seeing "sheep on track" in the headline.

 

[bahnause]

They could have a job for life with Network Rail, just give them hi viz jackets

SBB is using a rare breed of sheep since 2015. There is a BBC Article about it

 

[Magdalia]

This isn't new. Network Rail have been using sheep since 2011 see here:

Network Rail uses sheep to save money in Cambridgeshire

A flock of sheep is used to keep land tidy in a pilot project run by Network Rail in Cambridgeshire.

www.bbc.co.uk

Sheep are being used in place of manpower in a bid to save a rail company £50,000 a year in land management costs.

Network Rail has "borrowed" the flock to graze a railway cutting at Great Stukeley in Cambridgeshire.

The land is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is home to rare plants and orchids.