SHEEP-KEEPING CLOSE TO THE BALTIC SEA2010-03-28 15:12:28
One start-up action has taken place. Perhaps, it has not been altogether a big success. But it has taught important lessons.
The point of departure have been informations by the Estonian nature protection authority (Looduskaitse, regional branch for Läänemaa/Western Estonia/ Die Wiek, the latter the German language name - one of the important European bird regions) concerning the progressive wandering away of birds, especially migrating species, from the Baltic Sea close plains, because of the massive progress of reed and juniper into their resting and nesting habitats.
The animals need spaces without high growing vegetation where they are safe from predators.
Ahead of Second World War there was no problem because the plains were used as agricultural land and thus kept free. The peasant settlements became parts of the Soviet kolhos system and died out.
The Kolhos units were not interested in the unfertil and partly swampy plains and, therefore, neglected them. The sea-close regions, for military reasons, were only accessible with special permits, another reason for the abandonment.
After the political changes tries to resume agriculture there could be observed. But the tests were soon given up, due to the low out-puts.
The coastal plains, until to-day, are kept open - as far as possible - by mowing and shrubs cutting which is paid by the environmental protection authority. Rural people who own tractors and mowers gain an extra income from this modality.
In the longer run, it will become impossible to maintain this system because of budgetary shortages but also because the pays are insufficient to finance the replacement of the out-dated Soviet times tools.
The situation led to a connection with the sheep-breeders section (Vereinigung Deutscher Landesschafzuchtverbände e.V.) of the the German Peasants Association (Deutscher Bauernverband), which, in the beginning, demonstrated vivid interest because many German sheep-keepers have to give up because of difficulties with the many necessary road crossings.
Several sheep-keepers reacted on an internet presentation and started to think about a change to the East - a reaction contrary to the typical behaviour of this trade which is characterised by adherence to the place of origin. Nevertheless, almost all gave up emigration plans.
Ony two brothers - one married with a big number of small children, the other a bachelor without adherents - settled in Estonia (Virtsu/Werder - in German - close to ferry connecting the main-land with the island of Saaremaa/Oesel - see the Province Oesel map in the maps collection contained in the download) with the (modest) help of the above mentioned authority.
This settling has a very specific precedent. The brothers, originating from the Siegen (North Rhine-Westphalia) had worked as sheep-keepers in the German Land Hessen. After the re-unification of Germany they moved to the Land Brandenburg where they used a former military territory for grazing.
At that place they got into contact with a Latvian, an influential person in his country, who convinced them of the advantage to make a fresh try in the Latvian Gauja National Park region. The move of humans and animals took place at a not very suitable time of the year with precarious transportation means.
They suffered considerable losses. The envisaged settling place lacked minimal commodities and was unhealthy. Additionally, the advisor withdrew because he learned that he could not profit from the settlers, and, additionally, that they did not increase his social reputation.
By good fortune, the brothers had contacted the Baltic Sea Foundation, shortly before they went to Latvia. The Foundaiton, as a precaitonary measure, had arranged with the mentioned Estonian natural protection authority a settling of these sheep-keepers in Estonia, in case of failure of the Latvia experiment.
This, finally, became the sheet-anchor. About one year ago, the shepherds moved to Estonia. In spite of a series of new disadvantages they have been able to keep up-right and it can be anticipated that they will advance, not in the short but in the long run.
The start in Estonia was difficult, not only because of their specific history. The local and human environment was - and still is - not very inviting for the new comers who inteded to undertake a better start but, at the same time, the difficulties, in principle, did not differ very much from the situation on new-comers to any rural region in Germany.
Landowners, who had benefitted from the restitution of their real estate, used their strong position to exploit, as far as possible, the weak position of the new-comers. They did not take into account their weaknesses. They were rather selfish, ruthless than having pity with them and their precarious situtation.
Although vast extensions of good qualtiy land are now State property - this is mostly due to to missing restitution requests of pre-WWII-owners - it was not possible for these new settlers to make use of un-used State land.
Until shortly, State owned rural real estate was daministered and put at the disposal of the municipalities where old friends co-operated, aiming at avoiding competition from out-siders or at exploiting them.
The two shepherds rented land, of course trying to avoid high lease rent and to obtain EU subsidies.
More than one of the owners kept the EU support for the maintenance of rural production spaces for himself. This did not only deprived the shepherds of the fruits of their labour, it caused severe damage to them because the rentability of animal-keepers work is composed by the profit derived from the animals, plus State subsidies.
There is still another stumble stone on the way to success. In the Baltic region, lamb meat for commercial users mostly is imported, or from Australia or from New Zealand because of good quality and comparably low prices.
Indeed, there are several EU licensed slaughter houses. But their processing methods - according to the observations of the experiended shepherds - are far from meeting the normal hygienic and quality standards.
Even high quality animals - as far as age and living on the best possible natural pastures are concerned, are converted by the deficiencies of the slaughter houses into low value products.
The brothers will have no other choice than, step-by-step, developing a slaughtering line by themselves what, of course, requires the respective license with which they will have more difficulties than those who already operate.
Additionally they will have to find co-operation willing reliable business partners with the necessary investment capital.
The process goes ahead. This, what is reported here, is the beginning of 2010 status.
hossa a landscape