Young sheep farmer says late handovers threaten the industry

A 19-year-old sheep farmer says delayed generational handovers risk pushing young people out of agriculture. Heimir Sigurpáll Árnason spoke to mbl.is about the future of sheep farming and the need for younger farmers to take over sooner.

Heimir is a sixth-generation sheep farmer and runs a flock of 600 with his father at Sveinungsvík, a farm south of Raufarhöfn. His family has farmed there since the farmstead was rebuilt in 1995.

He says people are often surprised to learn he is a farmer when they meet him at formal events. “They say I don’t look like a farmer. That in itself is humiliating for Icelandic sheep farmers, that our image is just some grubby farmhand with a full beard,” he said.

Heimir believes farming should be run with ambition and high standards. In his view, dairy farmers in Iceland are generally skilled, tidy and good at running their businesses, while sheep farming does not have the same record. He says the high average age of sheep farmers is one factor.

Heimir is also a troubadour and travels around the country, where people often ask about his plans to take over the farm within two to five years. They tell him his father is still young, at around 40. Heimir argues that people in their twenties should have the opportunity to take over.

If young people have to wait until their parents are ready to retire, they may move on to education, family life and jobs elsewhere, he said. He gave the example of a young person who might end up working as a cashier at Arion Bank rather than returning to farming.

Heimir said successful handovers also depend on the older generation being ready to step aside and making arrangements that allow the younger farmer to take over. He and his father run what he described as a well-kept farm and recently bought a tractor.