When needs must, diversification is the name of the game in the farming world. No-one can forget the horrors of the mass outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the 1980s / 90s in the UK when over four million head of cattle were slaughtered in an effort to contain the outbreak. 178 people died after contracting vCJD through eating infected beef and exports were banned, leaving the beef farming world in a spin.

Fast forward to 2019-20 and the outbreak of Covid around the world and the farming industry was again left devastated. Customers of shops including butchers were discouraged from going out, the hospitality industry virtually closed down and the outlets for farming produce were greatly reduced.

In between these two disasters came the Brexit effect which led to many farmers losing their labour supply at all levels, but particularly at entry level. The UK's farming population is, in general, ageing and the influx of young labour from abroad was particularly necessary in this sector.

This has led to farmers having to consider diversifying their income sources. It was quite a common practice in the past to use the farmhouse as a bed and breakfast venue, keeping the farmer's wife busy and this was sometimes accompanied by allowing the guests to visit certain parts of the farm, especially where children were present and wanted to see and pet the animals, insofar as this was possible.

Nowadays, farmers have had to become even more inventive due to circumstances and have discovered many new ways of not simply making money, but opening their farms to the public to help raise awareness.

Take the rise in the number of alpaca farms in the UK, not all linked to farms of course, but many are. Alpacas are relatively low maintenance, quite cheap to feed, both of which combined make them easy and cheap to care for. They are also very docile animals, so they are great around young children, older folk and those with physical or mental disabilities although, unless they have been trained on the halter from a young age, they don't like being petted too much. But they're still a huge attraction for young and old alike.

MW Engineering and Fabrication are here to provide you with the internal pens you will need for their shelter and don't forget that you will need to have at least three alpacas as they are herd animals.

Purchasing one of our catch pens to allow for routine husbandry is another good idea and we make and stock a wide range of alpaca hurdles and all the necessary pins and other ironmongery.

Perhaps a nice little side hustle for the younger members of your farming family?