Sheep Drive Revisited

The London Sheep Drive is an event whose concept derives from: Freemen of the City of London having had, in days gone by, the right to cross London Bridge without paying a toll; in the past, live sheep were driven over London Bridge into the City to market. On 25th September I went to the 2022 Sheep Drive. Having attended the 2021 Sheep Drive and having been critical of it in an article (mattersofsheep.com), I wanted to go back this year to see if anything had changed.

The location was different; the Sheep Drive was on London Bridge whereas in 2021 it had been on Southwark Bridge. The Drive just occupied a wide pavement on one side of London Bridge. The framework of operation was a little different. Instead of two lanes being apportioned for sheep drives, only one lane was used - that going south. Alongside the lane for sheep-driving was another lane which acted as a service area: groups of Freemen and their guests waited in it to join their drive of sheep or departed into it from their completed drive; officials and official helpers were present for organising drive participants and for other duties. The entire flock of sheep for the Sheep Drive numbered approximately three dozen. In each individual drive there were about nine sheep. Sheep had rest periods when they were not being driven. As in the previous year, these were at bridge ends. Because drives were only southwards, sheep were herded back north across the bridge in a small corridor formed of bridge-side and a line of hurdles. Metal hurdles of various heights were the essential separators between lanes. The western boundary of the Drive was pavement edge, then tall hurdles, then permanent safety barrier, then bicycle lane, then vehicle lanes. The public could stand in the bicycle lane to view proceedings, as well as being able to watch events - and including seeing sheep in their rest times - from the bridge ends.

In the driving lane, behind sheep were the current drivers. In front of the sheep were the official helpers whose job was to walk, backwards, in front of the sheep with arms outstretched to give a barrier of containment to the sheep.

Compared to last year, the physical structure of the Sheep Drive was somewhat better this year. The event seemed to be better organised. The official helpers with the crucial role to walk ahead of the sheep, to contain them, seemed clear what they had to do and seemed organised in what they were doing.

Whatever change could be introduced to the Sheep Drive, would not be altered the fundamental, that the Sheep Drive is wrong - for sheep. These are the reasons.

The countryside is a sheep’s habitat. A normal day for a sheep is being in a field of pasture, eating grass, ruminating, resting. They see few people, and most of those whom they do encounter are known to them - their shepherd or farmer. The Sheep Drive takes sheep from their natural milieu and way of life. The Sheep Drive takes place in an urban setting. When sheep are brought to that urban situation they are deprived of what is natural to them. They are in an alien environment which does not give them what suits them and what they need. Moreover, it is a circumstance stressful to them. The sheep used in the Sheep Drive are in a city environment for a day lasting from before 9am until after 4pm. And throughout all that time they are surrounded by people - closely. Particular proximity comes from the sheep drives themselves because then the sheep are hemmed in. Behind them and facing them, and mostly at sides too, are people. The conclusion of a drive must be a particular stress point for the sheep. The ‘drivers’ have a, quite understandable, wish to have a photographic record of their unusual experience. A hurdle barricade and people in front of them stop the sheep going forward to get further away from the drivers. The drivers behind are taking photographs of themselves and each other with the sheep. And official helpers and drivers may be passing a phone camera right over the sheep if helpers are offering to take a picture of a driver with sheep.

Simply, the Sheep Drive is an inappropriate event. However worthy an organiser’s and participant’s aim, it is no justification at all for being uncaring towards sheep and putting them into an unsuitable, unnatural, and fear-inducing, circumstance. Is it either not noticed, or not chosen to be noticed, how very uncaring of a sheep it is to submit it to use and participation in the Sheep Drive?

On the Sheep Drive website of its host, the Worshipful Company of Woolmen, one of the couple who provide the sheep for the Sheep Drive opines ‘The sheep will … be used to seeing the public and the noises that go with it and happy to be in London for a few hours.’

I doubt it.