Liz Fletcher, wife of former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher, has admitted the couple are struggling to sell their alpacas on their ITV show Fletchers' Family Farm. In Monday night's episode, she revealed that the alpaca trade is dying and there are no buyers, despite their hopes of a quick sale.
Alpaca Sale Struggles
In the episode originally broadcast in 2024, Liz said: "The sale of the alpacas is going slowly. The alpaca trade is dying off. We just can't sell them, there are no buyers out there. We thought they'd be snapped up really quickly, but it turns out, we brought them in peak alpaca season, and now, buying alpacas isn't on trend!"
She explained that alpaca farms usually offer alpaca walking, but with the weather turning, they couldn't, which meant fewer buyers. Looking at one animal, she confessed: "I want you! I really want you, but Kelvin says we have to sell you. We love having them, but for the plan that we've got going with the farm, they do nothing for us, they just take up space that we could really use putting other animals in here!"
Farm Plans and Future
The couple's main goal for the year was to keep livestock that contributed to their income, which meant parting with the alpacas as they weren't profitable. In a previous episode, Liz was seen shearing them in preparation for departure, saying: "We'll be sad to lose them."
Kelvin had added: "It's right that we find them a new home in which they can flourish. For now, we'll store these fleeces until we find a good use for them. We'll be sad to say goodbye to these wonderful, characterful creatures, but if we're to focus on being native wildstock farmers, we need to put all our energy into the breeds that help us achieve that dream."
Liz hopes the alpacas will go to an alpaca farm, but for now, they will keep caring for them until they are sold. She said: "They are so cute and nice to be around, but it's not the plan for the farm, so hopefully we'll get a buyer for them soon."
In a voiceover, Kelvin told viewers: "Until we can free up more grazing space, buying any more livestock for the farm is on pause." The couple have been documenting their farming life on ITV since 2021, after purchasing a 120-acre estate in Cheshire. Fletchers' Family Farm is currently on its fourth series, with a fifth instalment announced.
