End of the Line for 1st UK Alpacas
End of an Era as Pioneering UK Alpaca Herd Goes Under the Hammer – the Syke House herd to be dispersed at Harrison and Hetherington in Carlisle.
An era is coming to an end with the retirement of one of the pioneers of the UK alpaca industry and the dispersal of her herd.
Pat Bentley’s Syke House Alpaca Herd is being sold in a special sale at Harrison and Hetherington’s Borderway Mart in Carlisle on Monday May 5. The entire herd of 19 breeding females, three females with four calves at foot including a set of twins, three stud males, seven entire males and 11 gelded males will be going under the hammer.
Mrs Bentley, who is now 78, was a founder member and is a former chairman of the British Alpaca Society and has been involved with the animals for three decades. She spent nearly four years securing a licence to bring the animals into the UK from their native Chile and her licences were numbers one and two, the first licenses issued in Britain. At its peak, she had a herd of over 200.
Mrs Bentley, who is based at Newby near Penrith, said: “I can no longer give my alpacas the attention they deserve and sadly none of my family are in a position to take them on.
“They are good animals. I want them to go to good knowledgeable homes or to good homes with people who are prepared to learn. I will always be happy to share my knowledge and help in any way I can.
“I would love them to go to farmers. They can graze nicely on parts of the farm that aren’t suited to other animals; they are remarkably efficient. They are a very, very ancient breed and they are therefore resistant to diseases and incredibly strong, they would do well on the fells. I expect most will go to breeders to augment their herds.”
Although alpacas are becoming a common sight in showing classes at agricultural events, Mrs Bentley pioneered keeping the animals for their fleeces.
Alpaca is the strongest natural fibre after silk and keepers are now reaching sufficient numbers in the UK to make it a viable industry if it gets the correct promotion. Mrs Bentley’s alpacas have been specifically bred with stud males with dense fleeces to produce large animals with more fibre.
“There was tremendous enthusiasm for alpacas to begin with and at first, the prices were high,” she said.
“Things have moderated of late, we will see what happens on May 5. Although originally, healthy animals came into the UK, they didn’t have the best quality fleeces. We have learned a lot and slowly we have developed much improved fleeces.
“We now need a co-operative to produce the end product and market it.”
In addition to the Syke House herd dispersal, four females and four gelded males from Anne Wharton’s Little Strickland Alpaca Herd and seven females from Robin Sandys-Clarke’s Whynot herd will also be auctioned on May 5.
Heather Pritchard, Pedigree Sales and marketing Manager for Harrison & Hetherington said: “This is an unusual sale of high quality alpacas, which we expect to attract interest from across the UK.
“Keeping alpacas for their fleeces is an interesting and cost-effective diversification for farmers. This is a fantastic opportunity to buy some of the best animals in Britain.”
For more information on the sale or to order a sale catalogue call 01228 406230 or view it online at www.harrisonandhetherington.co.uk. Information about Pat Bentley and her herd is available to view at www.sykehousealpacas.co.uk.
