Society member and young breeder Evan Turner, Longway, was among a successful quartet of young shepherds from the UK to claim prizes at the recent Ovinpiades European Young Shepherd of the Year competition, Paris.
The event, held as part of the Salon International de l’Agriculture, featured more than 50 young shepherds from across Europe, with Evan taking second spot overall.
The demanding one-day competition tested every aspect of modern sheep husbandry. From breed recognition and prime lamb selection to an electric fencing challenge and a detailed written questionnaire, the competition required not only practical skill, but technical knowledge and calm professionalism under pressure.
With all four of the UK’s team having been winners of NSA Next Generation Young Shepherd Competitions sponsored by the Texel Sheep Society’s Youth Development Programme (YDP), it was pleasing to see Herefordshire-based Tom Garlick claim the overall championship and Scottish shepherdess Keira Smith take fourth. Claiming fifth overall was Northern Ireland’s Jack Maxwell.
Society YDP coordinator Ailish Ross said it was a great result for the UK team and testament to the Society’s continued support of the NSA’s Next Generation Young Shepherds’ competitions.
“The Society places huge value on supporting these young people in their sheep farming endeavours and will once again be sponsoring the competitions at the NSA Sheep Event and Scot Sheep this summer.
“Congratulations to all the UK team and particularly Evan, who showed just what great talent there is among the Society’s younger members.”NSA’s technical communications officer Anna Wilson, who accompanied the group, added: “I am immensely proud of their achievements at this competition. The language barrier and differences in animal husbandry could have been overwhelming for many, but all our competitors handled the situation beautifully and demonstrated their knowledge of European markets when asked questions about finishing lambs. The comments received from judges about their stockmanship, animal handling and industry knowledge was a pleasure to hear.”