Amanda Owen has spoken out after a video of her son Reuben handling a ewe and lamb sparked fan backlash on social media. The clip, shared at the start of May, showed Reuben, 21, lying on the animals while helping out at Ravenseat Farm in Swaledale, Yorkshire.
The shepherdess, 50, addressed the criticism in a follow-up post, explaining that the handling was necessary for post-natal care. She wrote: 'Post natal care is of utmost importance and consequently feeding issues can sometimes require a sheep to be caught in order to treat the issue.'
Amanda defended her son, saying the animals are treated with 'care and compassion' and that she has never had a sheep 'willingly saunter over and request help'. She also questioned whether critics would prefer the sheep to be 'crammed into an industrial shed' rather than free to graze.
Many fans supported Amanda, with one commenting: 'Great job Amanda and your passing all your knowledge and skills onto your children.' Another said: 'Well said Amanda. I grew up on a sheep farm in the Peak District so do understand.'
Reuben had earlier hit back at critics himself, with Amanda captioning the original video: 'Caught ewe. Reuben downs tools and springs into action. *Everyone lends a hand, there is no one exempt from lambing time tasks*.'
