For Hannah Thorogood, a first-generation Lincolnshire farmer, grazing her sheep on solar land gave her a leg-up in the industry
On a blustery Lincolnshire morning, Hannah Thorogood paused between two ranks of solar panels. Her sheep nosedived into the grass under their shelter and began to graze.
“When I first started out, 18 acres and 20 sheep was as much as I could afford,” said the first-generation farmer. “Now, because I can graze this land for free, I have 250 acres and over 200 sheep. Solar grazing has given me a massive leg-up.”
Across the UK, a growing number of farmers are discovering that the free grazing opportunities offered by some solar panel sites are a toe-hold in an industry where land is often unaffordable or unobtainable.
Dr Liz Genever, a farmer in south-east Lincolnshire, has been able to triple her sheep numbers thanks to free solar grazing.
“If I could increase my flock to the full potential offered by the local solar site, I could potentially increase my income from sheep from £20,000 to £60,000,” she said. “There’s been a massive acceleration in the last five years in solar grazing. “It’s a really important opportunity for sheep farmers.”
The opportunity could not have come at a better time. The UK has traditionally been largely self-sufficient in sheep meat. But high feed and farming costs, market uncertainty and low profitability have seen flocks fall to their lowest number ever recorded.
Read more: The Guardian
