Nobody wants the job as a SHEPHERD. The wage is much higher than average, but for THIS REASON no one want's to work

Disinterest, especially among the young for the job of a shepherd has been going on for a long time and threatens to destroy the traditional cattle breeding, and also the production of milk and cheese, which was always developed in Macedonia. 

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The state is thinking about the ways to overcome this problem and is ready to allocate subsidies for the persons who would make company to the shepherds. Because the mountain is dull, they say, there are no people and no internet.

The shepherd wages go from 400 to 500 euros. No one, however, wants to be the shepherd, which bring farmers in bad position, so sometimes, they even have to lower the numbers of cattle.

It all threatens the production of traditional food, experts said.

Foto: pixabay.com

- This situation has been going on for some time and threatens to destroy traditional cattle breeding. In many cases it will mean the end of traditional preparation of cheese in dairy farms, dying out of old recipes and closing many companies that are in this region - warned Ivica Sofronievski from Gostivar who owns a farm with 2.500 sheep.

According to him, no one wants to be in the mountain for 500 euros so they ask for the help from Albania, and its mostly older people. Their farm currently hires 8 shepherds of which half are from Albania.

- Situation could be better if there would be some work done on infrastructure up to mountain pastures, which are practically cut off from the civilization. Rarely anyone has electricity, and almost all villages are deserted - said Sofronievski and adds that there should be a shepherd training.

That's why, he said, in cooperation with the Ministry of education they have agreed to create a model for shepherd training, and the candidates will spend up to a month in the mountains with provided place to sleep, food and drink, and their focus will be on practical work.

Foto: pixabay.com

Mome Mladenovski from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management sees the drop on cattle numbers in low profitability, lack of infrastructure, electricity and internet in the mountains.

Mladenovski suggests for the state to provide subsides for the people who would "keep shepherds company" in the mountains.

Their task would be to spend some time with shepherds

- More than 400 villages in Macedonia are without residents or there are 2 or 3, and the number of sheep has reduced but one third - concluded Mladenovski, reported by media in Macedonia.

(Telegraf.co.uk / Tanjug)