Own sheep breeding with year-round on-farm butchering.

Sheep breed: Merino and Schwarzkopf

Herd: about 500 ewes and about 60 goats

Butchering: own EU-certified on-farm slaughter

Seal of quality: Naturally! from the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis

The operation of the Gierden sheep farm is located on the ridge above Lahnstein. Here, the Lahn flows into the Rhine. The flock of sheep moves from the neighboring Koblenz through the legendary area to the Loreley, located about 40 km to the south. The grazing areas often lie along the famous Rhine Trail. The river accompanies the sheep. The sheep farm offers lamb meat year-round. The lambs grow up in the pastures, except during the lambing season in winter, when the ewes and their offspring are kept in the barn.

Since the late 1990s, the flock, which also includes 60 goats, has helped maintain the UNESCO World Heritage Site Middle Rhine Valley on the right side of the Rhine. The Dörscheider Heide, for example, with its many rare and endangered plant and animal species is now considered one of the most valuable biotopes in Germany. In the past, these areas simply overgrew.

The preservation of the biotopes can only be ensured through sheep grazing. The rare Valais Blackneck goats at the Gierden sheep farm even eat the overshadowing bushes, making them true specialists for the narrow valley of the Loreley. Here, there is a silent agreement, an intact natural cycle that benefits both animals and nature. Thus, the sheep enjoy the fresh, untreated greenery, and the landscape can be preserved in its unique biodiversity through the low grass sward and the gentle tread of the animals.