To cover the many operating expenses of his sheepfold, Julien Chieze needs help and is proposing a sponsorship system for lambs. Gardoises are getting involved by setting up a fund and a raffle.
“I will fight to the end for my sheep,” Julian Chieze is not one to give up. The shepherd-breeder, based in Saint-Chaptes but living in Saint-Geniès-de-Malgoires, is passionate about his profession. However, times are tough and expensive. It takes determination to keep moving forward in the face of adversity. Starting from scratch in 2023 with 13 sheep, he faced his first setback just fifteen days later with the theft of three lambs in broad daylight. “I filed a complaint, but it didn’t lead to anything. At first, I always had someone on the field. I was raising my son alone because his mother is deceased. It was a lot of stress,” explains Julien.
However, this is not enough to make him regret changing his life: “I was a civil servant at the CHU de Caremeau and I had a major depression.” Julien then went to recharge in the Cévennes, where he returned ten years later with a love for sheep. The shepherd knows how to put professional setbacks into perspective. Still, he works endless hours and takes no income from his activity. “We live on my partner’s salary with six people,” Julien says. The costs are also numerous, as it is necessary to provide for the sheep’s health: “The tick product costs 200€ per liter, milk costs 90€ for a lamb, and blood tests for the herd cost 400€,” he explains.
Context:
Julien Chieze is a shepherd facing financial challenges in running his sheepfold. He is seeking support through a lamb sponsorship program to cover his expenses.
Fact Check:
Saint-Chaptes and Saint-Geniès-de-Malgoires are located in the Gard department in southern France.
Not eligible for assistance
In addition to the livestock costs, there are equipment, veterinary, shearing, fuel, and rental expenses for the sheepfold. The flock is also growing. “I am not eligible for aid because I am over 40 and do not want to take out loans. I submitted an application to the Regional Young Farmer’s Subsidy (NDLR) a year and a half ago, but it still needs to go to the commission. Then it’s almost a year of waiting to receive the amount,” Julien explains. Administrative time does not align with the pace of the sheepfold, which houses around sixty sheep and thirty lambs, so Julien needs a little support.
Julien has introduced a lamb sponsorship program. Sponsors can choose the sheep’s name and can visit to see them grow. The forty-year-old regularly shares his daily life on his Facebook page “Shepherd, my passion, my life,” which has 2,700 followers. It was through this platform that Julien’s situation caught the attention of compassionate individuals.
Starting with Annabelle Fabre, who set up an online fund. “I sponsor a lamb for my eight-year-old son. As soon as we can, we go to feed the lamb. We try to help as much as we can. It’s great for the kids,” says Annabelle. On the other hand, from Codognan, Virginie, the manager of the Pop’OlivTattoo shop, is mobilizing by organizing a raffle: “Animal causes are important to me. I met Julien and his partner because I tattooed them, a kind, hardworking, and truly deserving couple. I admire their work. I managed to sell 61 tickets at 5€ each, and it would be great if sales explode.” Prizes include tattoo vouchers and the draw will take place on Easter Sunday, April 5th.
“The flock is my antidepressant”
Faced with these initiatives, Julien is admiring and reserved: “These are beautiful people.” He faces the challenges and finds solace in animals: “The flock is my antidepressant.” In June, a new adventure awaits Julien as the flock will experience its first transhumance. The sheep will leave Saint-Chaptes to reach the slopes of Mount Aigoual. A sort of return to the roots in the beautiful Cévennes, where everything began for the shepherd-breeder in the Gardonnenque region.
