Teenage Dorset breeder one of the first to bring sheep in from GB

On Saturday, 15 year old Sam Reaney, from Markethill, was finally able to bring home a pedigree Ram Lamb purchased from Pembroke breeder David Lewis - after a lengthy two month process of form filling and regulations. But it will be another 30 days before the ram is able to leave his quarantine pen and get to work on the Co Armagh pedigree flock.

Sam’s mum Ruth said she hadn’t been aware of just how complicated it would be to bring the sheep home to NI, but what drove her on was the fact it was a Christmas and birthday present for her son who runs a flock of 20 breeding ewes.

She said the process would put her off, but in order for pedigree breeders to source new bloodlines it may be a necessary evil.

Ruth explained: “We moved to Markethill three years ago and it was always Sam’s dream to get sheep, so we bought him a wee flock of Dorset sheep. He kind of does it himself actually, he’s only 15 but he runs the whole thing himself and he is a member of the Dorset Society. He shows his sheep at Armagh show, Castlewellan and he was at Balmoral as well.

“He started this when he was 12, so each year he has kind of added on. He funds this all himself, he rents the land himself, he pays for all his ewes, the meal, the up keep, everything.

“He is very much the businessman and does it all himself. Even injecting or any work he just does everything himself.

“He wants to go on and do veterinary, but he is very much into the Dorsets and he loves the Dorset lambs.

“He has really, really missed the shows this year - he’s not really happy about that at all. He has won quite a few rosettes and awards for his sheep and has done very, very well. He has also had a few ewes that have got top prices as well and he won a whole load of awards at Armagh show.

“Sam met David Lewis at the Balmoral show in 2019 and he actually was judging Sam’s sheep. David would have very, very good stock and he is very well known as one of the top breeders so he always wanted to get a ram off him. It was always our intention to get a ram from him - we wanted to do it last year but with the lockdown that stopped us and then we said we would do it this year but with the Brexit everything made it very, very difficult, but we were determined and we are going through the process at the minute, but it is a very long process and I think that is why nobody has done it.”

The Reaneys believe they are the first people in Northern Ireland to import an animal from the mainland since Brexit kicked in.

Explaining the process, Ruth said they had to apply for an import licence from DAERA and then you also have to be signed up for Traces NT because of the protocol.

She added: “It means that we are seen as basically haveing one foot in the UK and one foot in the EU and the thing is that it has to be done by the exporter, but he can’t do it because he is in the UK. So people from the UK can’t create this Traces account. We have had to do that and then it has had to be all validated and then you have to create what is called CHED forms. The ram has had to go through numerous blood tests as well, that is all part of this to get the certificates and also the people who have to sign the certificates have to be registered in this system as well which is very, very complicated.

“The ram has to be quarantined for 30 days in England and 30 days also when he comes over here.”

The Reaneys have had to construct a quarantine pen in their yard for the ram.

“When he arrives here he has to go through customs and he has to be inspected as well. We have to electronically send off the forms when we are at Cairnryan port and send to them to Larne and you can’t send them any sooner or any later. When you arrive in Larne and they receive those forms then the Customs come out and inspect your load, what you are carrying and you cannot leave there until they have signed you off.”

Ruth said they had started the process about two months ago and the ram finally arrived on the farm on Saturday.

Speaking ahead of the trip Ruth said:“At the minute he has most of his blood tests back and I have just got back validation from Traces this morning. So then I have to create the CHED form which is all electronic which means all the vets that inspect him go onto this form and sign if off. It is hard to explain because it is so complicated. By the time the Ram lamb is out of quarantine the whole process will have taken around three months to complete,” she added.

“There are very rigorous conditions for the quarantine as well. No other animals are allowed, if an animal is quarantined with them, say if there is a bulk load, then an animal can’t leave that pen and if an animal does leave the pen then there has to be a whole testing session.

“I didn’t realise how complicated it was until I started,” she said. “I had contacted people and asked them to bring the ram in and they all said no, ‘there’s no way I’m going through that’. Everybody was saying the same thing that they don’t want to be involved because it is too much hassle.

“Even Dorset shows have been cancelled because they know that are not going to get the custom from here. A lot of people would go over from here to Carlisle, Stirling and the Dorset Society sales but because of the whole protocol and the way things are working that just hasn’t happened.

“I think the only drive that pushed us through this is because it’s a gift for my son. This is what he wanted for his Christmas and birthday present. We promised him we would get a ram this year. He wanted a really good ram from David Lewis so this was a promise we made to him and only for that we probably wouldn’t have done it. But you don’t want to let him down.”

When asked if it had put Ruth off she replied: “It probably has. It is a long process to go though. I would think twice before doing it again.

“We were wanting to buy in quality so you are pushed to go that extra mile to go across the water because there is more variety over there but if it was just for adding sheep to your flock then it probably wouldn’t be worth it because it is a very long process. It’s not worth the hassle and you need to be an absolute whizz on the computer. There’s not even a lot of information out there as to how to do it. I have spent days and days on the phone to Larne port, to DAERA, to multiple people and emails and emails and everybody has been telling me different stories, because it is only really now that we are getting a picture. Because they didn’t know either, its a learning process for them and they really didn’t have a clue either so it was quite hard to get a definite answer as to what do I do and what do I need to get this ram home.”

The ram is now in quarantine in Co Armagh and Sam no doubt will be looking forward to a good crop of lambs and more rosettes and top prices in the not too distant future.