*This story contains images below that some readers may find distressing
A Welsh farmer who posted a hard-to-watch video of a dead lamb being skinned in a bid to help an orphaned lamb has received support. Gareth Wyn Jones came under fire from a fellow sheep farmer who said he almost wept when he saw footage of the lamb being “butchered” with an axe.
The video led to threats from animal activists, one of whom pledged to slit Gareth's throat and those of his children. It also prompted criticism from Gwynedd farmer Keith Jones, 67, who claimed the skinning technique depicted was too gruesome and could affect lamb prices by showing the industry “in a bad light”.
Gareth, from Conwy, quickly responded with another video expressing disappointment but pledging to discuss the issue with Keith over a “cuppa or a pint”, North Wales Live reports. Rallying to his cause, supporters said Gareth was merely trying to educate consumers about the harsh realities of livestock production.
For centuries the skins of dead lambs have been used to help orphan lambs be adopted by other ewes. But farmer Keith Jones, 67, from Bala, said there are other techniques for skinning dead lambs that involve less “mutilation” and bloodshed.
Gareth used an axe on the dead lamb before removing its coat to be used as a “jacket” on an orphan lamb in need of adoption. This way, the lamb was able to smell-bond with its foster ewe.
“I’d never seen it done that way,” said Keith, who has created countless lamb jackets of his own. “I thought it was disgusting, the way he was hacking at the dead lamb with an axe. It was more like butchery, cutting off its legs and head.
“I was nearly in tears when I watched it. The worry is now that people will be put off buying lamb and that we could see a hit on prices in the coming days.”
North Wales Police (NWP) was yesterday (April 19) due to speak to Gareth about the death threats he has received since the skinning video was posted on his social media platforms. The hateful messages have left him angry and even more determined to speak up for the industry.
The dad-of-three expressed regret that some in the industry were “turning on each other” to the detriment of UK agriculture. He said: “I’m shocked that he’s more bothered by the way I skin a lamb than the death threats me and my family have received.”
To demonstrate the technique, a lamb was used that had died of natural causes. Gareth explained its skin would help save the life of another. He said he had used the axe technique all his life, as “my father did before me”.
Other farmers use a knife to create adoption jackets: one who saw the video said Gareth’s technique was “rough and ready” but just as effective. Another added: “In all my years (I) have never seen it with the legs chopped off!”
Keith Jones was raised on his family’s 60-acre farm in Bethesda where he learned sheep husbandry skills from his grandfather. A time-served mountain shepherd, his Taid knew the ear notches for “all the flocks between Bethesda and Conwy”, said Keith.
For 41 years, until retiring in Jaunary 2022, Keith worked for the Rhug Estate, Corwent, while running his own sheep farm near Bala. His daughter Rhonwen, who jointly runs the Hoffi Coffi Cafe in the town, is now taking on the farm as Keith winds down.
He was taught to skin a dead lamb, to adopt an orphan lamb to a ewe, using just a knife. “You don’t need to remove the limbs,” he said. “The dead lamb is left intact and there’s no blood. My granddaughter can do it in under four minutes and there’s no mess at all.
“I know these lambs have died naturally but as a farmer you still have feelings for them. When I saw this lamb was being mutilated, it got me right in my heart.”
Other farmers prefer Gareth’s axe technique for skinning lambs. Others pointed out that skins are removed in abattoirs and no one complains.
Neither was there a similar outcry when, two years ago, Our Yorkshire Farm TV star Clive Owen skinned a dead lamb in front of his youngest daughter. On that occasion, however, the less messy knife technique was used.
Gareth’s followers told him to carry on with his farming advocacy. “Your method worked,” said one. “Who cares what someone from the next valley thinks!” Another added: “Enjoy your cuppa Gareth and crack on. You’re doing a great job and showing it as it is.”
News of Gareth’s death threats has been shared widely and articles have appeared in the national press. Keith worries the publicity may deter shoppers from buying lamb and have a negative impact on the lamb trade after its traditional Easter bounce.
“Gareth should be ashamed,” said Keith, who received an industry long-service medal at the Merioneth Show in 2016. “He might have made the video for the right reasons but he’s gone about it the wrong way. It could give the farming community a bad name.
“He’s done a lot of good work for the industry but this time he’s gone a step too far. I feel he should now apologise. If I meet him, I will tell him that. It’s put farming in a bad light.”
Gareth said he will be happy to discuss Keith’s complaints with him. But he labelled the criticism “unbelievable” and dismissed any notion the video will affect Welsh Lamb prices.
He said he always tried to be open and honest about the industry in the hope it will educate consumers about the realities of livestock farming. “I’m not perfect, far from it, and I don’t pretend to be,” he said.
“But I’ve always spoken up for farming and food production. Following the threats I received, most farmers have been extremely supportive in person or online.
“As an industry, the more we turn on each other, the less power we have to deal with the many challenges that are facing farming. If we as farmers start taking each other out, the harder it becomes to create a future for our children.”
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