Sheep

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.

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.

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.

In 2023 AHDB launched the UK's first genomic breeding values for sheep as part of Signet's National Hill Sheep Evaluation.

This was a major milestone for livestock breeding and AHDB are now working collaboratively with a number of Breed Societies and Research Institutions to enable other breed types to embrace the genomic opportunity within their breeding programmes. 

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.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Sheep Breeders Round Table (SBRT) conference taking place  on the 15-17^th November 2024 at the central location of the Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands, Derby, DE74 2TZ. The conference Breeding sheep for a greener future will cover specific sheep breeding topics within the wider role of genetics, the essential building blocks for the future of the UK sheep industry.

A collaborative research team has been awarded a £1.1million grant to tackle the devastating impact of Maedi-visna (MV), a chronic infectious disease affecting sheep and goats.