All roads led to farming for National Sheep Association’s Phil Stocker

Family links with a Welsh livestock farm sparked Phil’s initial interest in agriculture. He left school at 16 to take up a farming apprenticeship on a mixed unit, going on to obtain a National Diploma in Agriculture and a qualification in farm mechanisation.

From there he took on a role as a machine driver and farm mechanic, but it wasn’t long before he missed working with livestock. This led to a farm manager’s job in North Wiltshire, where he managed a pedigree British Blonde herd and an arable rotation. It was here that he and his wife, Maxine, established their own sheep enterprise.

“We purchased draft Beulah Speckled Face ewes from the hills and found they performed well when put to a Suffolk tup and grazed on lower ground,” he explains. “Flock numbers went up to 250 head and we sold lamb locally via a box scheme, which was fairly unusual in the 1980s.”

The couple then took on a share-farming arrangement in West Somerset, where they increased their flock to 500 ewes – but the culmination of the five-year agreement prompted another change of direction.

“I spent three years working for the RSPB as a livestock manager, during which time I established grazing agreements on a large acreage of reclaimed salt marsh,” says Phil.

Environment and re-wilding schemes have forced a reduction in hill sheep numbers, such as these Rough Fell Mules

“The aim was to manage the land to maximise the number of over-wintering wildfowl and to create habitat for resting waders.”

While the RSPB work satisfied his interest in the interaction between farming and nature, Phil was keen to return to commercial farming, but a position as an estate manager in Gloucestershire came to an abrupt end in 1997 when the large suckler herd was culled due to BSE.

Phil’s next move was to the Soil Association where he worked as an organic conversion advisor until his promotion to director of farmer and grower operations.

After a 16-year stint, Phil joined the NSA as its chief executive in 2011 and last year won an award for his outstanding contribution to British agriculture.

“The NSA is an extremely active organisation. When I joined we had four staff working at headquarters – today there are a dozen, plus our regional representatives,” he says.

“The association has 6,500 members as well as more than 80 affiliated sheep breed societies.

“I feel we have made great strides in encouraging the awareness of the wider value of sheep farming in terms of its inter-connectedness.”

While Phil admits that traditional flock keeping systems have been under pressure, he is fairly optimistic about the industry’s future.

“There is no doubt that environment and re-wilding schemes have forced a reduction in hill sheep numbers, along with the requirement to meet tree-planting targets. I personally feel that there are better alternatives to planting trees in the hills and uplands and think the move has largely been driven by the relatively low value of the land.

Environment and re-wilding schemes have forced a reduction in hill sheep numbers, such as these Herdwicks

“In my opinion, sheep numbers were pushed to an artificially high level during the period where farmers were supported by headage payments. I will admit that in some UK regions a degree of environmental damage was incurred.

“More recently, the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.

“In some areas, the widespread removal of sheep has led to a proliferation of coarse vegetation which has become a monoculture. This does not help to promote a diverse habitat for wildlife and it increases the risk of wildfires.

“Nevertheless, we are seeing growing recognition that sheep have a part to play in habitat creation as well as maintaining domestic food production and supporting rural communities,” says Phil.

“Sheep also help to maintain a landscape which is greatly appreciated by the public and make a contribution towards carbon storage and tackling the climate change emergency.

“In addition, sheep farming is increasingly being recognised as having a valuable role to play in mixed farming systems and we are seeing their re-introduction on a large number of arable units where they can help to improve soil health and encourage biodiversity. This, in turn, may open up opportunities for upland sheep farms, as it may revitalise the traditional sheep stratification system which was the backbone of the industry for many years. ”

At home, the Stockers have a small flock of Ryland and Shropshire sheep.

The couple have two children – Giles, who is a tree surgeon, and Esme, a textile artist who uses felted wool in her creative endeavours.

The family’s enthusiasm for keeping sheep is shared by four grandsons, with the elder pair each receiving a Ryland ewe as a Christmas present last year.