A way of generating more income from sheep and a never-ending challenge – that's how Kirkby Stephen farmer Colin Dent describes his commitment to breeding North of England Mule gimmer lambs even though he isn't a hill farmer and his sheep enterprise relies on bought-in draft Swaledale ewes.

But like all sheep producers, recent weeks have been a harrowing time for the Dent family as the foot and mouth crisis threatened to disrupt the traditional sales of north country breeding sheep – a situation that Colin hopes has now have been averted.

“It looks like the huge numbers of Mule gimmer lambs produced in the north of England will now be sold this autumn, but it's been desperately worrying.

“If Mule breeders had not been able to get these gimmer lambs away it would have been a massive blow to the sheep industry - not only here in the north but there would have been a big knock-on effect in commercial flocks in the midlands and south,” says Colin.

Although farming 350 acres at Greenriggs just outside the town of Kirkby Stephen – where he also milks 65 cows – the holding also farms 100 acres of Severely Disadvantaged land about seven miles away to provide summering ground for Swaledale ewes and their Mule lambs.

The farm carries 470 Swaledale ewes bought in mainly as three and four-shear draft ewes.

“We're unconventional in that we don't run a hill farm but we breed Mule gimmer lambs. The aim of the business is to try and earn a premium price compared with what we might earn by simply producing a crop of prime lambs – and then there's the on-going challenge of trying to breed better and better North of England Mule gimmers.”

Colin who farms with his wife June, firmly believes the sheep industry will continue to rely on the Mule as the most economical, productive and easily shepherded ewe for large scale commercial prime lamb production.

“Mule buyers have tried keeping ewe lambs by terminal sires and out of Mules as flock replacements, but they soon come back north for the true North of England Mule.. They admit that they lose mothering ability and lambing percentage. They come back because of sheer economics and in turn it brings a vital flow of cash back into north country farming.”

Colin, who also runs a flock of 40 Bluefaced Leicester ewes, says the trend for heavier lamb crops from pure-bred Swaledale ewes is helping to maintain the lambing percentage in the North of England Mule.

“Swaledale breeders have made big improvements in lambing percentage over the years and although the prolificacy of the Mule is something that comes predominantly from the Bluefaced Leicester, the higher productivity of the Swaledale is compounding the Mules' reputation.”

Around 20 Bluefaced Leicester tups are used for crossing on the Swaledale flock. This year a new sheep shed was used at Greenriggs to house the flock in early January in preparation for lambing in April. Recent years have seen the flock achieve an average lambing percentage of 184%.

“Being able to lamb inside made a big difference and we were able to turn ewes and lamb out on to rested land in the spring.”

This year Colin hopes to sell around 400 North of England Mule gimmer lambs at the two NEMSA sales held at Kirkby Stephen. Last year his top pen of Mule gimmer lambs reached £90 apiece.

“There are plenty of North of England Mule gimmer lambs bought for tupping that cost around £60 a piece and at that price - if she produces a single lamb as a hogg and then two lambs a year for the next five years – she's got to be just about unbeatable.”