Sheep

Sheep farming has a long tradition in Switzerland that goes back thousands of years, especially in the Alps and Southern Alps. Nowadays, Swiss farmers keep sheep primarily for the production of lamb meat, but the meaning of sheep milk production has steadily risen in the last years. In addition, sheep are very important for landscape maintenance.

Sheep are ruminants, mainly eating hay and grass, which they digest throughout the day. The frugal and robust animals are therefore particularly important for the Swiss alpine farming, where they contribute to the preservation of pastures and biodiversity and combat overgrowth. Of the approximately 340,000 sheep that exist in Switzerland, about half spend the summer on alpine pastures.

In Switzerland, tens of thousands of sheepskins are accumulated every year, which have to be incinerated due to a lack of demand. By processing these hides, we are contributing to the meaningful use of available resources.

Learn more about the sheepskins.