A WELL-known North Tyne hill farmer is retiring this week after 30 years of breeding Swaledale sheep on the Highgreen estate in Tarset.

And tomorrow Alan Wallace and his wife Divina will be holding a farm machinery sale at Sundaysight Farm, near Bellingham.

“Lambing sheep on bad days is not very enjoyable but most of the time we’ve enjoyed our farming,” said Mr Wallace.

A long time supporter of the annual Falstone Border Shepherds Show, Mr Wallace has traditionally organised and run the sheep dog trials there. He has also been a sheep steward at Bellingham Show, where the family have shown their Swaledales. Indeed, the Wallace’s youngest daughter Vicky is pictured here at last year’s show with one of their champions.

Mr Wallace originally hails from north of the Border and was the son and grandson of shepherds. His great grandfather was also a farmer, so he was proud to get his own tenancy at Sundaysight.

His wife, Divina, is from the North Tyne.

“I was working over here as a young shepherd at a farm further up the valley when we met at a dance,” Mr Wallace recalled.

The couple have two daughters, Rachel and Vicky, who have both been very involved in Bellingham Young Farmers’ Club that celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

“It was a dream come true when we started farming here,” Mr Wallace said. “I always had aspirations to farm on my own as a young man and when you get the chance you take it. It was quite a big step at the time but it’s worked out for us and we hope to have a comfortable retirement.”

Mr Wallace used to keep a 1,150 hefted flock of Swaledale ewes but when they entered a Natural England higher level stewardship scheme, they had to reduce their stock to 900. They also ran a small Limousin cross suckler herd before selling them two years ago.

Over the three decades the Wallaces have farmed at 2,300-acre Sundaysight, a lot of changes have taken place, particularly the price farmers receive for their lambs.

“It’s actually dropped a lot from what it was when we came in,” Mr Wallace said. “I use my draft ewe prices as a barometer for the sheep industry and the first year I sold, the average price was £47.50. This year the average was £72 – that’s less than double the price 30 years ago yet everything else, like feed and fuel, has gone up four times. We are always in the top averages when we sell the draft ewes at Hexham though. It’s just become much more expensive to produce.”

Mr and Mrs Wallace give up their tenancy on Thursday and are hoping to buy a home further down the valley.

Sundaysight Farm is one of three holdings on the 5,000-acre Highgreen Estate, which also includes eight let cottages, commercial premises, a community arts centre and Highgreen Manor. A new tenant has been found who will take it on from May 13 under a farm business tenancy (FBT). It had also been offered as a share-farming agreement by estate owner, Sir William Morrison-Bell, to help extend the opportunity to farmers with lower working capital.

Mr Wallace said that he and Divina were looking forward to their retirement. “I am 65 this year and I always said I would retire when I was 65. There’s lots of places we have never been to, especially in this country. We will have no livestock and we will be able to think, ‘It’s a nice forecast for the week, let’s lock the door and go. When you are farming it’s a seven day a week job and as easy to stop and work yourself than to get someone else in. Now we’re going to have a complete break which will be lovely.”

Saturday’s sale at Sundaysight starts at 10am and will also include additional farm machinery and livestock equipment from Barrowburn Farm, Harbottle. More details are available at www.hexhammart.co.uk

pauline.holt@hexham-courant.co.uk