News

Now only five weeks away we urge you to book your tickets for the 2024 Sheep Breeders Round Table (SBRT) conference, located at the Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands, Derby. The online ticket platform closes on Sunday 10^th November, please book now to secure your reservation.

Signet are pleased to announce that we have enhanced the genetic evaluation that we deliver to Sussex cattle breeders through the inclusion of 18,000 additional pedigree records which the Society has provided for cattle born since 2000.

Exlana Sale Report - August 2024 The recent Exlana sheep sale saw interest in person and online, with two rams fetching the top price of £2,700 each, ...

SRUC research looking at accuracy values in the National Hill Sheep Breeding Evaluation has found a better way to account for the impact of genotyping on the accuracy values that are published for EBVs and Indexes.

The AHDB Research & Knowledge Transfer team has issued a Tender relating to ‘61190010: Sheep Enviro-Indexes - Creating an index to breed sheep in Terminal Sire Breeds with a low carbon footprint. The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on 28th August 2024 and all applications must be submitted to [email protected]

Breed for CH4NGE: is a three-year initiative funded through DEFRA’s Farming Innovation Programme. The goal is to breed productive, efficient maternal sheep with a naturally low carbon footprint.

Computed Tomography (CT) scanning is a great tool for identifying superior genetics within terminal sire flocks.

CT provides a welfare friendly way of assessing the total muscle, fat and bone yield in a live sheep. This near perfect predictor of carcase composition can also be used to measure the muscling in different parts of the carcase, such as the rib, loin and gigot.

Farmers that are using EBVs to source breeding stock to improve flock and herd efficiency will also greatly reduce the environmental impact of their livestock systems. This article explains which traits are thought to have the greatest impact on targets set as part of the Climate Change Act (2008) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. 

Recording schemes were developed to make the process of identifying superior genetics easier. Records of performance are analysed to tease out the non-genetic influences on an animal’s performance so that its true genetic potential can be assessed. This is important for traits that are visible, such as growth rate and carcase conformation, and vital when it comes to maternal traits that cannot be assessed visually.

It couldn't be easier to find a performance recorded flock near you. Simply go to Signet's Flock Finder Service enter your postcode and the site will tell where your nearest Signet recorded flock is located.