Lunan Bay Farm
WHO ARE WE
We, farmers Neil and Jillian McEwan run Lunan Bay Farm regeneratively in Angus, in the North East of Scotland. We are pioneering producers of homegrown Scottish Regenerative Cashmere, a first in Scotland for 30 years. Our aim is to produce quality Cashmere fibre which works in harmony with our environment and nature.
OUR CASHMERE
Our farm is based at picturesque Lunan Bay on the North East coast of Scotland, where three miles of unspoilt beaches meet the surrounding fertile countryside. We are very lucky to live and work in such a special place. Scotland is world-renowned for its Cashmere production industry. However, the fibre has not been grown in this country for decades. The finest Cashmere is currently sourced from goats in Asia, and then processed in Scotland by our world-class mills. Although there are moves for the Cashmere industry to become more sustainable, there are issues about the ethical and environmental impact of Cashmere production in these countries. Our groundbreaking work into producing Cashmere that is grown and processed in Scotland also studies the environmental benefits of regeneratively managed Cashmere goats. As guardians of the only farmed herd of Cashmere goats in the UK, we believe this unique natural fibre is gift from our goats and should be treated with the utmost respect. Every Spring, we ethically harvest our goats’ cashmere fibre, their winter undercoat, by hand combing, not shearing, to leave our goats with glossy new coats for the summer. We are excited to be part of the Regenerative Textiles movement in the UK, working with like-minded growers, mills and designers to create fabrics with a conscience.
OUR ETHOS
Since starting our farm business in 2016, we have been focused to running the farm regeneratively – reducing its environmental footprint, improving its value for nature and increasing the nutritional value of its output. For us, integrity is key therefore we take a hands-on approach at every step, from ground to garment. We are members of Pasture for Life and the Nature-Friendly Farming Network. We have implemented regenerative agricultural principles and we are constantly learning and improving. The introduction and management of our goats play a major role in the enrichment of our soils. We rotationally graze our goats on pastures of nitrogen-fixing herbal leyes. To further promote soil biodiversity, we minimise soil disturbance by reducing tillage and direct drilling. We plant cover crops to prevent bare soil over winter and allow our goats to graze on crop residuals. To support biodiversity on our farm, we have incorporated wildlife corridors, set aside areas and managed ponds to create stable habitats, planted herbal leyes pastures and planted over 4000 hedgerows and trees with support from The Woodland Trust. Since 2018, we have been involved in RSBP’s Corn Bunting Recovery Scheme to provide environments on our farm to support the UK’s most vulnerable bird species and are happy to report that breeding pairs are increasing year on year.