The Support Our Sheep campaign has been launched. With this S.O.S. campaign, the Texel Sheep Island Association is drawing attention to sheep farmers who are facing rising costs and lagging revenues.

First donation among the sheep

The kick-off took place on Wednesday, July 8, in a meadow near Den Hoorn. The website steunonzeschapen.nl went live amidst a flock of sheep. Alderman Edo Kooiman made the first donation of one hundred euros. “Texel sheep farming is an inseparable part of our island. This campaign shows that we stand together,” he said at the start.

From shearing to a bucket of feed

You can contribute via steunonzeschapen.nl:

• € 15 = a shearing for three sheep
• € 25 = two buckets of sheep feed
• € 50 = hay and straw during lambing season
• € 100 = annual costs for one sheep
• Another amount is also possible, from €5 up to a maximum of €1,000.

The entire proceeds go to Texel sheep farmers. They receive an amount proportional to the number of sheep grazing in the pasture. They can use that money for, among other things, shearing, sheep feed, hay and straw, veterinary care, and machine maintenance.

Why S.O.S. is needed

The abbreviation S.O.S. was not chosen by accident. Sheep farmers are facing rising costs and lagging revenues. As a result, businesses are closing down and there are few successors. The consequence: 30% fewer sheep in the pastures, on the dikes, and in nature reserves. Sheep are important to the island. They belong to the open landscape, the dikes, the nature reserves, and old areas such as De Hoge Berg. They graze where machines cannot reach, thus keeping parts of the landscape in shape. The turf walls, sheep sheds, and rolling meadows are also part of that picture. You can read more about this on our page No Texel without sheep.

Part of a larger plan

Support Our Sheep stems from the plan ‘Sheep Farming on Texel – Healthy and Sustainable in 2035’. Through this, the Schapeneiland Texel association is working on a future for sheep farmers on the island. The Municipality of Texel previously made a starting budget of 40,000 euros available for this purpose.

More news