British wool - did you know?
Interesting facts about the history of British wool and British sheep breeds.
- Fossilised remains suggest that sheep evolved between 10 and 20 million years ago in the mountains of Central Asia.
- Sheep were introduced to the UK in 4000 BC by Neolithic settlers.
- There are 15 million sheep in the UK.
- Each sheep fleece produces over 2kg of wool.
- There are over 60 pure breeds of sheep in the UK.
- Sheep are shorn every 9-12 months.
- British wool carpets are the number one choice in commercial settings (hotels, airports, cruise ships).
- Wool is totally renewable - as long as there is grass for sheep to eat, wool can be produced.
- There are over 40,000 wool producing farms in the UK.
