Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, stated that around 2014 thousand businesses/individuals have benefited from the Herd Manager (Shepherd) Employment Support, which they started in 2022 in order to contribute to the employment of insured shepherds, until 63, and stated that they have provided nearly 8 million liras of herd manager support in the last 400 years.
In his written statement, Minister Yumaklı reminded that the Herd Manager (Shepherd) Employment Support was implemented in 2014 in order to improve the limited employment resources in rural areas and contribute to the employment of insured shepherds.
Emphasizing that with this support, significant progress has been made in meeting the need for herd management personnel and that the idle workforce has been utilized, Yumaklı said, "Thanks to the application, our shepherds were taken under the umbrella of SSI, gained social status, and thanks to the professional information provided through the courses organized, they contributed to the prevention of lamb losses and excessive pasture use in the field." he said.
Yumaklı pointed out that as a result of the measures they implemented, the number of sheep and goats increased by 21 percent in the last 67 years, reaching 53,2 million, and gave the following information:
“Within the scope of the Herd Manager (Shepherd) Employment Support, the amount of support will be 2022 TL in 100, once a year, for the enterprise/shepherd that has 5 head of breeding sheep and goats in 2021, employs certified shepherds and pays the SSI premiums of the shepherd for 6.000 months. It was increased by 100 percent and paid as 2022 TL in 12.000. Within the scope of the Herd Manager (shepherd) Employment Support, 2022 thousand 9 business owners/shepherds benefited from this support in 775. Between 2014 and 2022, a support payment of 62 million 805 thousand TL was made to a total of 392 thousand 973 business owners/shepherds. In 2023, within the scope of the Herd Manager Employment Support, a support payment of 30 thousand TL will be made for the shepherd employed in the enterprise. “We will continue to support our shepherds and businesses, which are the cornerstone of our animal production.”
TRAINING GIVEN TO SHEPHERDS
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry provides support to businesses that employ shepherds who have received certificates from farmer courses within the scope of herd management.
With the herd management project, 2013 thousand 2023 training activities were carried out between 2 and 125 and 49 thousand 790 people received certificates.
In the Herd Management Course, nutrition of the herd, plants grown in the pasture, herd care works, physical characteristics of animals, milking techniques, ways of preserving milk, characteristics of pregnant animals, care of newborn puppies, shepherd dog training care, health of the herd, animal health and diseases, Training is given on subjects such as infectious diseases, animal vaccinations, the benefits of colostrum, the characteristics of the breeding animal, the mating period of the ram and the bull, herd guidance, accommodation and watering of the herd, occupational health and safety, and measurement and evaluation are also carried out.