At the closing conference in Mures County, Transylvania, Romania, the most important tasks for extensive sheep farming and the training of shepherds were discussed using strengths and weaknesses analyses and best practice examples. A visit to a mountain sheep pasture provided the project partners with interesting insights. Approximately 300 sheep are tended by five shepherds, and the sheepdogs, which perform various tasks and also kept us visitors in check, are an essential part of the operation. Wolves and bears are not uncommon in this area, but there have been few direct sightings, although fresh tracks have been found. The animals are milked twice a day, and the milk is processed into sheep cheese on site. Tasting mutton in a stew and sheep cheese together with the shepherds was a unique experience. In the evening, the animals are gathered in a pen. This responsible task in the open countryside, with fresh air and views of the mountain landscape, requires hard work in all weather conditions, comprehensive knowledge, and a great deal of discipline.
The Erasmus project group therefore concluded that the following training topics are particularly important and should be integrated into the curriculum:
- Experience in herd management (also with a pilot farm),
- Handling of herding and livestock guardian dogs,
- Animal husbandry and animal nutrition
- Pasture management and botany
- Knowledge of the behavior and biology of herd animals,
- Animal health, animal diseases, hoof care,
- Pasture management, pasture infrastructure (water, mineral supply, shelter, etc.),
- Electric fence for herding safety and livestock protection (defense against large predators),
- Application of environmental knowledge and addressing the natural features and (natural) hazards in the field and in the herd,
- Construction and renovation of the necessary infrastructure(s) on the alpine pasture.
On the Austrian side, the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein and the University of Agricultural and Environmental Education to establish the training of herders and trainers (dual or modular), which were developed in the project. Raumberg-Gumpenstein also has its own pilot farm in the sheep and goat department.
The various specialist disciplines will collaborate within a team of experts, with support from, among others, the Styrian Sheep and Goat Breeders' Association, the LFI (Rural Training Institute), the Austrian Center for Bear, Wolf, and Lynx , and European Hoofcare. Starting this year, the Grabnerhof Agricultural College offers the opportunity to complete herding training as an advanced module within the skilled worker training program. Best practice examples of sheep and goat herding in the Alpine region also exist in Austria (e.g., Hauser Kaibling in Styria with approximately 700 sheep on 500 hectares).
The international project group agrees that support is needed to enhance the status of the shepherd profession and that additional employment opportunities must be created.
Images from the project:
Further information:
eu4shepherds | eu4shepherds.cesefor.com
TRAINING PLATFORM | eu4shepherds.cesefor.com
Link to the German course catalog: Course catalog | Training Eu4shepherds
