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Talking
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Reindeer or sheep?
I will begin with a very quick grammar lesson. Sheep and reindeer have no plural form, thus: one sheep - 20 sheep; one reindeer - 52 reindeer.
And now a short joke: What do you get if you cross a sheep with a kangaroo? A woolly jumper!
Seriously, though. Nowadays, due to the dramatic decline of the wool industry, British farmers rear sheep almost entirely for their meat. Wool now represents only 3 per cent of world fibre production, being overtaken in popularity first by cotton and later, by synthetic fibres. This is staggering, given that during the Middle Ages wool was the country's most important export commodity.
Present day farming subsidies under the latest Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform will be cut for English farmers over the next few years, thus reducing sheep and cattle stocks. In these circumstances, I was amazed to learn that the EU is offering support for sheep farming in Finland to the detriment of reindeer husbandry.
Not surprisingly, Finnish reindeer herders in Lapland are therefore increasingly turning to sheep farming. This is understandable as the CAP supports reindeer husbandry to the tune of €24.5 while a single sheep nets a mammoth €164.5 annually in European support (or 6.7 times more than a reindeer).
Personally, I like to eat lamb (the meat from a young sheep) but am not too keen on mutton (meat from older sheep). In an unscienfic survey, before writing this article, I quizzed a number of friends and clients on their preferences? Without any hesitation they all stated reindeer, which can be staked, baked, stewed, fried and even boiled in a tasty soup.
Some years ago, when first offered reindeer, I politely declined. Coming from England, I found the idea of eating Santa Clause’s closest companion, Rudolph, rather repulsive. This sentiment is felt by the entire population of the United Kingdom and, I believe, Germany too. However, nine years after moving to Finland, my opinion is very different, and I now consider the taste of reindeer meat to be superior to that of sheep. By extension, I wonder how many Finns travelling to Korea would be happy to eat dog meat?
When the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957, the European Union (then European Economic Community) comprised just six countries; West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg. It was hoped that by forging a link between the French and German coal and steel industries to support the economic health of Europe, a permanent peace could be restored to Europe. An essential agreement included in the Treaty of Rome was the adoption of the CAP. This created a free market for agricultural products inside the EEC and established protectionist policies that guaranteed sufficient revenues to European farmers and avoided competition from outside the EEC by guaranteeing agricultural prices. The CAP has continued absorbing most of the community budget, and its reform has been one of the most badly needed in recent years. Witness the current argument between Sweden and Finland over clause 141. From 1957 to 1995 the CAP actually accounted for a staggering 66 per cent of the EU budget.
Returning to the issue of sheep farming in Lapland, it is important to state that I am most definitely not an expert or authority on the matter. However, it is my opinion that once again the faceless bureaucrats in Brussels have got it wrong. Within the European Union reindeer can only be found in Finland and Sweden, yet culturally their importance and mystique stretch world wide. Instead of offering CAP subsidies for sheep farming, animals ill-suited to winter conditions in Lapland, the EU should be supporting reindeer husbandry in Finland from the European Cultural Fund.
Mike Bangle is the owner of Talking English language consultancy and can be contacted at mike.bangle(at)phnet.fi
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