Welcome to the Falkland Islands Government Department of Agriculture

Welcome to the Department of Agriculture, Falkland Islands Government

Our Vision: A prosperous and self-reliant agricultural sector that creates opportunities for Falkland Islanders and is highly valued locally and internationally.

Our Mission: To foster a viable and internationally competitive agricultural industry through integrated applied research, extension, business skill development and regulatory programmes.

What's New..

This year, Farmers' Week will be taking place on Monday 6th to Friday 10th July in the Town Hall. This annual event is organised by the Rural Business Association and the Department of Agriculture will be holding sessions on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th July and a lunch on the Thursday. We will be working towards providing informative and interactive discussions, which will include the topics on the following: National Stud Flock; Meat (sheep and beef) Production; Genetics; Weaner (sheep & cattle) Production; Grazing Management; Veterinary topics and an Organics Update.

This is the International Year of Natural Fibres, so along with the normal regular sessions, we will be promoting “Wild and Woolly” in the Falkland Islands and hope to have a variety of products and information on display

You can download a copy of our programme here. For information on the rest of the week, please contact the Rural Business Association.

Please call the Department of Agriculture on +500 27355 for more information.

The May 2009 Wool Press is available on-line now. Highlights this month are; Wether Trial Snapshot; A Nutrient Balance for the Falkland Islands; Rural Business Association Sheep Show; Getting the Most out of Forage Oats; Worm Egg Collection & Counts; Quality Falkland Wool and Wool Coring Updates; Work Experience Diaries and the popular Farm in Profile, this month featuring Sheffield, Saddle & Harps. Plus all the usual features and more!

The Livestock Ordinance Forms have now been printed and circulated. All farmers are required to complete and return the form by Tuesday 30th June 2009. If you complete the attached form electronically, please print out and sign before you return the form to the Department of Agriculture. To download a copy of the form, please click here.

~ If you would like to receive the Wool Press when it is first published, rather than waiting for the issue to appear on-line, please contact us for subscription details.

~ Don't forget to visit out News & Information Page for the latest news, dates for the diary and website updates.

Agriculture in the Falkland Islands

Much of the Falkland Islands land mass is used for agriculture. Despite grazing with over half a million sheep and approaching 6,000 cattle, the land has largely retained its native plant populations. Interspersed are areas of introduced pasture species, generally on the more naturally fertile soils, which are of particular relevance to animal production due to their improved nutritional value.

As such farming in the Falkland Islands is described as an extensive rangeland farming system. Freedom from some of the external parasites that plague other sheep farming areas, and with few production limiting diseases, Falkland Island farming is a very natural system. Similarly whilst fertilisers and lime would make a big difference to production levels, the sheer bulk of these makes large scale importation to increase soil fertility too expensive, and such inputs are mostly only used when trying to establish newly sown areas. Read more...

To read about the different projects that the Department of Agriculture is involved in, please visit out Agriculture page.

An updated A4 double-sided leaflet on Agriculture in the Falkland Islands is available for download.

Using the links at the top of the page, you can navigate around our website and learn about agriculture in the Falkland Islands. If you have any questions after your visit, then please contact us.