When you’re managing 4,000 breeding ewes across three separate hefts on 27,000 acres of fell land, having identification marks you can rely on is absolutely vital. For Welsh beef and sheep farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, that reliability comes from his branding fluid of choice: Promark.
“I’ve tried different pitches over the years, but we always come back to Promark,” says Gareth. “It’s the right consistency, easy to apply, long-lasting, and made in the UK. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to anything else – it does exactly what it says on the tin.”
Application
Gareth lambs his flock of Welsh Mountain Sheep outdoors from mid-March until mid-May, making it crucial that the branding fluid performs consistently in all conditions. “You don’t want it too wet, otherwise it won’t stick on the wool. But in winter, you don’t want it too sticky either. Consistency is key,” he explains.
Once lambs are pitched in May before heading up to the fell, the marks last almost 12 months. The first gathering of sheep from the fell is in June / July for shearing. At this stage, ewes are shorn, with young ewes marked on the rump and older ewes on the shoulder. Gareth uses three colours, blue, green and red with the letter ‘o’ to distinguish which heft each animal belongs to.
“I don’t want to be remarking sheep,” he says. “It’s vital that the mark remains visible. We’re on open fell with 15 other farms. When we bring the ewes in for shearing across four big days a year, we need to be able to identify ours instantly. On a big day we’ll shear 1,100 to 1,200 sheep, and you only have a matter of seconds at the gate to check them.”
More than just a mark
In addition to pitching, Gareth also uses ear notches on both ewes and lambs. But it’s the Promark pitch that provides fast, reliable visual identification across his hill farm. “Pitching is part of our yearly cycle. That identification stays with the animal for 12 months.”
The hefts rise up to 3,000 feet, so the branding fluid has to withstand a wide range of weather conditions. “The sheep are exposed to wind, rain, snow and sun, and the pitch has always held up,” says Gareth.
Consistency
Gareth’s use of pitching fluid is part of a long-standing tradition. His family, going back to the Owens, has farmed at Tynllwyfan for 375 years, and branding with reliable pitch has always been central to their management system. “It’s always been an O for Owen,” he adds.
After lambing, many of Gareth’s lambs are finished on Anglesey from August onwards, with most sold by December either liveweight or deadweight. Reliable identification ensures that, no matter where the sheep go, they can be quickly and accurately managed.
