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The new face of retirement planning...
As the pension crisis deepens and more and more of us look for a way out of the rat race, in Yorkshire, alpacas are increasingly becoming an alternative to the traditional retirement nest egg. Sarah Freeman reports.
Demetrius and Lysander aren't what you'd call traditional pension providers.
The pair along with Helena and Hermia are the latest addition to Debbie Forsyth's herd of alpacas which are grazing on farmland near Pateley Bridge and part of a growing number of the Peruvian animals being bred in Yorkshire.
It's a trend which began some years ago, but with more and more people either looking to embrace the 21st-century Good Life or desperate to find an alternative to traditional retirement plans which have received more than their fair share of bad press, they're likely to be an increasingly common sight on the county's landscape.
"We've got a 15-acre farm, and up until now, we have always let the land out to a local farmer," says Debbie, who works part-time as a pharmacist. "I just thought it would be nice to have something of my own and after reading about alpacas in a small holding magazine they seemed like the perfect solution.
"Initially we bought six alpacas and they've now had babies, which we named after the characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
"You can't cuddle them, but there is something very appealing about alpacas, they have these big eyes and they are incredibly inquisitive. We've got a few free range chickens and whenever I go out to feed them a couple of the alpacas will appear just checking out what I'm doing.
"With any farm animal you have to be prepared for the occasional problem, but alpacas are relatively easy to look after, all they really need is enough space, clean fresh hay and water and a special concentrate to make sure they are getting enough vitamins and minerals. As long as you keep up with the vaccinations and worming treatments it's pretty straight-forward."
While still only 45-years-old, thoughts of retirement have played a part in Debbie's decision to build what she hopes will ultimately become a 50-strong herd and the hope is that when she is finally able to give up work, the alpaca industry will be a force to be reckoned with in the international market for the luxury fibre.
"For each acre of land you can keep between six and 10 alpacas, so we could have up to 100 here, but I would be happy with half that," she says.
"Part of the attraction for me is that they are fibre animals, so you don't have to kill them to make money. My plan is to build the herd up and after a couple of years look at selling the fleece. At the moment the vast majority of money is made through selling animals, but in the long-term the fibre side of the business will hopefully take off. Certainly it is a growth industry."
With more and more people like Debbie looking to combine a hobby with a potential business, the British Alpaca Society has recently opened a Yorkshire branch, which will hopefully provide a network of support and advice for owners and breeders across the county.
Shaun Daniel is the newly appointed chairman of the organisation and in the first few months of operation, membership has shown a rapid increase.
"Alpacas are definitely booming," says Shaun, who first became interested in establishing his own herd following a visit to Canon Hall, near Barnsley.
"It was pretty much love at first sight. I put my hand into the fleece and it was so soft, I just thought someone must want this product.
"It was an idea which just wouldn't go away. With the help of my wife Julie I began to do some research and about three months and 1,500 miles, later we decided to go ahead and set up County Alpacas."
With no land of his own Shaun started off with three animals kept in livery in the South of England, but hopes ultimately to invest in his own smallholding closer to home.
"They are staying in Glyndebourne at the moment in sight of where the annual opera festival takes place, so I hope listening to classical music will make them a better breed of alpacas.
"I'm about five years off retirement, but I would like to move the herd up before that, maybe even within the next 12 months. We live close to the village of Saltaire which was founded by Sir Titus Salt who used the alpaca fleece to weave the most wonderful, luxurious cloth and part of our aim is to bring back the industry to this part of the world.
"Currently, the main alpaca industry is in the South where there are herds up to 100,000-strong, but hopefully we will see history repeating itself in Yorkshire."
The one stumbling block has always been the ability to sell the fibre on a large scale. The large fashion houses tend to be supplied by farmers in North and South America and with Britain's national herd suffering from the fall out of foot-and-mouth it will be some years and perhaps even decades before it is able to compete in the major markets.
"At the moment, few herds provide the right kind of quality fibre," says Shaun. "If it hadn't been for foot-and-mouth we would be in a much better position, but we are slowly laying the foundations for the future.
"One thing we certainly don't lack is enthusiasm. Our members are really keen to get their herds established and we are getting inquires from new people all the time.
"One of our main priorities is to get alpacas introduced to the Great Yorkshire Show.
"It would be a great event to be involved in and would not only reward the hard work of our current members, but let other people see what fantastic animals alpacas are.
"They are incredibly placid creatures and as long as they are looked after properly they are really friendly. In fact they can be quite addictive."
While Shaun is officially hooked, for others wanting to jump on the alpaca bandwagon, there is a little word of warning.
"They are not get-rich-quick scheme and you do need to be prepared to make an initial investment," he says.
"In America, the top studs can go for crazy money and while it's not quite that expensive over here there have been some which have sold for 45,000.
"However, you can spend as much or as little as you like and you can probably get a stud of a reasonable quality for 1,000.
"I hope to be able to run it as a profit-making business, but if it doesn't work out I'll have a nice lifestyle and a nice herd of alpacas."
For more information on the Yorkshire Alpaca Association visit www.countyalpacas.co.uk
sarah.freeman@ypn.co.uk
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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