We carefully choose all of our New Zealand sheep stations their animal welfare and biodiversity values, and for the quality of the wool their sheep produce. Each farm is independently audited by our partners ZQ Merino, to make sure that they hit the highest standards worldwide.
This ensures both that our sheep stations have both a positive impact on the planet, and that your sheep adoptee has a comfortable and happy place to call home.
The happier the sheep, the better the wool. Ours is the best.
The wool we use comes from Merino sheep. They have been bred to produce the finest and softest wool around. The fibres of each sheep’s fleece are super fine. Any distress or discomfort in the sheep creates breaks in these fibres, leading to a decrease in quality. So it’s really important to us that ours are well looked after. We hand-select fleeces for their consistent quality. Fleeces from the happiest sheep.
Taking sheep safety seriously.
All our farms comply with the stringent animal welfare standards set by our partners ZQ Merino. Meaning all our sheep graze free on open pastures in the high-country hills of New Zealand. These sheep are humanely treated, well fed, live natural and healthy lives, and are not subjected to mulesing.
Read more about animal welfare here.
Our biodiversity approach
Our farmers are naturally passionate about the landscape that they call home. And all of our farmer-partners create a land environmental plan to manage the environmental impacts of their properties. All of our farmers also have their own biodiversity projects. That might mean planting native trees, protecting native species or ensuring that lakes and waterways are clean enough to drink from. So every sweater purchased contributes to biodiversity projects on the farm your sheep adoptee comes from.
The places our sheep adoptees live:
Lake Hawea Station
Lake Hawea Station (LHS) is a spectacular 6,505-hectare property in New Zealand’s high country, situated in the Queenstown Lakes District. Owned by the Ross family, passionate environmental activists.
The Ross family aims to develop a new approach to farming at LHS that puts the ecosystem first. To get there, they have an ambitious sustainable vision – setting goals to protect and enhance LHS’ waterways, conserve and restore biodiversity and introduce regenerative farming practices. A range of renewable energy sources from solar and hydro, are also being introduced. And they are looking to eliminate fossil-fuel-powered vehicles over the whole property where possible.
LHS has created a carbon budget that proves it carbon neutral, and, over time, the Ross family has matched Sheep Inc.’s ten-times-carbon-negative position.
Any sweater that comes with a sheep adoptee from LHS contributes investment towards one of their biodiversity projects.
The Ross family aspires to produce more from less at LHS, and believes productivity and profitability can work hand in hand with biodiversity and environmental improvement. And most importantly, it’s a beautiful and happy place for any potential sheep adoptee to be hanging out in.
