A former Defra board member has been slammed for arguing that the UK should get rid of sheep.

Ben Goldsmith took to social media and said 'the sheep have got to go', adding: “Sheep have a brutal impact on the hydrology of our landscapes, compacting the soil and expunging vegetation, thereby making soil erosion, flooding and seasonal drought ever more frequent and ever more severe and costing the country billions each year.”

He described sheep farming as 'hopelessly non-viable' and 'propped up solely with taxpayer subsidies.' “Sheep are not native to Britain. They come from the arid hills of Asia Minor. They must suffer terribly soaked through and exposed on our windy, wet hillsides year-round.

“But what’s really needed is a fair and just transition across our sheep-wrecked landscapes back to extensive farming with native cattle, of the kind that once grazed and browsed in vibrant wood pastures across vast swathes of Britain.”

The comments have been described as a 'naïve and uneducated view' by the National Sheep Association (NSA), which represents the views and interests of UK sheep producers. Its chief executive, Phil Stocker, said: “Sheep have been in the British Isles since the Neolithic settlers landed on our shores around 3000BC – 5000 years ago.

“They have created and maintained some of the most loved landscapes we see and enjoy today including nine of England’s 13 National Parks that are situated in upland areas. It is no accident that most of our National Parks are in areas predominated for generations by grassland and sheep.

“The unique environment, working for most times in harmony with sheep farming, is highly valuable in relation to water management and quality, carbon sequestration, and nature, and provides people with social and health benefits.”

The organisation pointed out that 53% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) land is located in the UK’s uplands, with 96% of those areas being in favourable or recovering condition. The NSA added that upland farmers had long managed these landscapes and many of these areas were now flourishing, with appropriate grazing proving key to conserving many priority habitats, such as limestone grassland and upland heath.

Mr Stocker continued: “Both the Countryside Stewardship schemes, HLS, and the new Environmental Land Management schemes have the environment and nature at their heart, ensuring the wildlife of Britain has increasingly improving habitats. The success of many of our native wildlife life cycles are directly linked to livestock grazing providing food, nutrients, and a favourable environment.”

According to NatureScot, 55% of Scotland’s agricultural land is dedicated to upland sheep farming and mixed sheep and beef cattle farming.

The 2021 Scottish Agricultural Census shows the number of breeding ewes increased by 1% to 2.57m in 2021 and the total number of sheep increased by 2% to 6.83m sheep.