Silence of the lambs: Anger as former Defra adviser says sheep 'must go' from UK hills

Sign up for View email from Westminster for expert analytics straight to your inboxReceive our free email View from WestminsterPlease enter a valid email addressPlease enter a valid email addressI would like to receive emails about offers, events and updates day of The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}An error has occurred. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A former adviser to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has sparked anger after saying sheep 'must leave' UK hills United.

Ben Goldsmith, brother of former Tory MP Zac Goldsmith, said animals are 'the biggest obstacle to meaningful nature recovery in Britain's national parks and other marginalized agricultural landscapes' .

< p>Mr. Goldsmith, 42, believes sheep should not be subsidized and claimed the UK is 'depleted of wildflowers, birdsong and wildlife' due to 'forensic grazing by dozens of million sheep".

Ben Goldsmith says he no longer buys lamb or mutton

( Getty)

"The sheep must go," he said in a Tweet that sparked a backlash on Tuesday.

Animals are to blame for the objection to the reintroduction of lynx and wolves, he also claimed.

"Sheep have a brutal impact on the hydrology of our landscapes, compacting soils and pushing out vegetation, making erosion increasingly frequent and severe seasonal floods and droughts costing the country billions of euros every year,” he writes.

“Sheep are not originating from Great Britain. They come from the arid hills of Asia Minor. They must suffer terribly soaked and exposed on our windy, wet hillsides all year round. The fact that even English acorns are poisonous to sheep speaks volumes."

The number of sheep and lambs in England has increased by 2% to almost 15 million in 2022, according to government statistics.

The post divided opinion, with one Twitter user responding, "That's a bunch of nonsense. Agricultural history would strongly disagree with you”. Another user described the post as "very disconnected".

"Brits certainly eat a lot of lamb!" another replied. "Coming from the Lake District and being a frequent visitor to Wales, I can attest to the fact that meat and wool are not only crucial to the local economy, but also in great demand by locals and visitors alike."

Mr. Goldsmith responded to the backlash to his initial post, later tweeting, "I don't mean to criticize or offend anyone. I certainly don't mean that anyone should be told how to cultivate or not to cultivate. < /p>

"I'm just saying that public money should be exc...