Herd of goats brought in to replace lawnmowers in Pembrokeshire town
A town in Pembrokeshire is trialling a novel, eco-friendly way of managing overgrown areas by employing the help of some furry friends.
Narberth Town Council is swapping its lawnmowers for a herd of goats, who have been let loose on a local churchyard.
The hope is that they will nibble away at brambles and invasive vegetation in the grounds of St Andrew's Church to keep the areas around gravestones clear and the yard in good shape.
The herd of fifteen Boer and Nubian goats came from local company Biogoats 2 Rent, which is run by Richard White and Dawn Hart in Clynderwen.
The company uses GPS technology to make sure the goats don't stray away.
Narberth Town Council said the work is part of its ongoing "biodiversity and environmental improvement programme," and that the herd will have daily welfare checks to make sure they are all healthy and safe.Visitors and locals have been asked to avoid the goat-grazing area while they are at work, to supervise children around the area and to keep dogs on a lead.
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Telegraph
a day ago
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Goats deployed to clear overgrown graveyards
An overgrown Welsh churchyard has employed an eco-friendly method to clear gravestones – a herd of hungry goats. The goats are loaned from a nearby business to chew their way through brambles, weeds, and excess foliage at the 13th century church. The animals have been hired by Narberth town council in Pembrokeshire to work at St Andrew's Church and are monitored by GPS so they do not wander off. The council said the goats can provide a natural and chemical-free way of clearing areas and are trialling the method over the next two to three weeks. Locals have been asked not to approach the goats at work, supervise children nearby and keep dogs on leads. A spokesman for the council said: 'Narberth town council is continuing its work to enhance the grounds of St Andrew's Church as part of our ongoing biodiversity and environmental improvement programme. 'These goats will help clear excess growth around gravestones and across the site, enabling us to implement a longer-term ground management plan.' Clynderwen-based company Biogoats 2 Rent also hire the goats out privately to businesses, the national park authority and other churches. A spokesman for the company said: 'Bio Goats is an eco-friendly weed and brush control company. We hire goats out to the private, business, and agricultural sectors. 'Conservation grazing is the eco-friendly way of dealing with invasive weed, brush and knotweed. 'Goats are browsers first so leaves and a good old bramble bush, would be their first go-to, also once seeds have passed through a goat, they are generally non-viable. ' Goats are also generally very friendly and sociable animals so you might also make yourself a friend or two.' Richard White, who runs the business, said the goats are monitored by GPS rather than using collars in a process recently shown on Clarkson's Farm, the Amazon Prime Video series. Mr White said: 'I think he stole the idea from us. We're the only company in the UK to do this. We get inquiries from all over the UK, but the travel costs can make it unviable for customers from further away. 'We enjoy what we do and meet some nice people along the way.'
ITV News
4 days ago
- ITV News
Herd of goats brought in to replace lawnmowers in Pembrokeshire town
A town in Pembrokeshire is trialling a novel, eco-friendly way of managing overgrown areas by employing the help of some furry friends. Narberth Town Council is swapping its lawnmowers for a herd of goats, who have been let loose on a local churchyard. The hope is that they will nibble away at brambles and invasive vegetation in the grounds of St Andrew's Church to keep the areas around gravestones clear and the yard in good shape. The herd of fifteen Boer and Nubian goats came from local company Biogoats 2 Rent, which is run by Richard White and Dawn Hart in Clynderwen. The company uses GPS technology to make sure the goats don't stray away. Narberth Town Council said the work is part of its ongoing "biodiversity and environmental improvement programme," and that the herd will have daily welfare checks to make sure they are all healthy and and locals have been asked to avoid the goat-grazing area while they are at work, to supervise children around the area and to keep dogs on a lead.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Pembrokeshire goats used as eco-friendly lawn mowers in churchyard
Goats have been introduced as an eco-friendly way of keeping a churchyard in shape. Narberth Town Council in Pembrokeshire is trialling using the animals at St Andrew's Church to clear excess growth around gravestones and across the goats come from a business believed to be the only one of its type in the UK which provides the service for the council as well as for a national park and other local goats are kept in their designated areas using GPS satellite technology recently shown on Clarkson's Farm, the farming programme of presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Visitors are being asked to support the scheme by avoiding the grazing goats at work, making sure children are supervised and kept away from them, and by keeping dogs on leads. It is hoped the goats can be used as a natural and chemical-free method of managing overgrown areas and for controlling brambles and invasive welfare checks will be carried out on them to ensure they are healthy, safe, and well cared for throughout their time on site, the town council said. The goats themselves come from Clynderwen-based Biogoats 2 Rent run by Richard White and Dawn Hart, who said the goats were already on site at St Andrew's and are expected to remain there for two to three Hart said they were also used as a sustainable way of clearing selected natural areas on the Robeston Wathen bypass, as well as at Tenby's St Mary's church, with plans to return there later this than using collars, the goats are kept in their designated areas using GPS satellite technology, a process recently shown on Clarkson's Farm."I think he stole the idea from us," joked Mr White, who said: "We're the only company in the UK to do this. We get enquiries from all over the UK, but the travel costs can make it unviable for the customers from further away."We enjoy what we do and meet some nice people along the way." The council said in a statement: "Narberth Town Council is continuing its work to enhance the grounds of St Andrew's Church as part of our ongoing biodiversity and environmental improvement programme."These goats will help clear excess growth around gravestones and across the site, enabling us to implement a longer-term ground management plan."
