News

Commercial producers are seeing the benefits of looking deeper into an animal’s background before purchase and utilising data to make informed decisions rather than buying on looks alone. Many buyers are seeking high index terminal sires to improve their farm’s profitability; improving carcase conformation, reducing days to slaughter and increasing the value of the lambs sold

We are pleased to announce that Laura Eyles has joined the Signet team as a Breeding Specialist. She comes from an agricultural background having grown up on a sheep farm in Cornwall, where they keep commercial ewes and run a small pedigree Charollais sheep.

Over the last 6 months AHDB have been looking at ways to deliver the scanning service that will ensure continuity of service, value for money and guarantee national coverage. In this update we explain how the service will be delivered in the coming year.

Selecting a bull to breed replacements There is plenty to consider when searching for a new stock bull; health status, if the animal is fit for purpo ...

Listen again to the best bits of the Sheep Breeders Roundtable 2021, with contributions from AHDB/Signet, HCC, QMS, Agrisearch and NSA

In the UK the Poll Dorset/Dorset Horn is well known for being an aseasonal breeder, capable of breeding out of season, with lambing frequently taking place in September and October.

At Signet we are interested in the genetic influences upon seasonal breeding and are greatful to Liz Nabb for completing a comprehensive mini-project on the seasonality of reproduction as part of her AHDB funded PhD.

While carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are all important greenhouse gases, for sheep producers the most important is methane. Methane is an inevitable by-product from the fermentation process when ruminants convert forage into meat we can consume, often on land unsuited to other forms of food production. The good news is there are already a number of ways that selective breeding can reduce the amount of methane produced by the flock relative to the amount of lamb produced.

The results of a recent Signet survey show the value breeders place on the Signet service; 94% of breeders would recommend Signet’s performance recording services to other pedigree breeders.

Over 70% of Signet clients are also seeing improved financial returns through their involvement in performance recording; with Signet’s data helping them to reach new customers, price rams and improve on farm performance.

More innovative use of crossbreeding within the British sheep industry was one of the most significant findings in the latest Sheep Breed Survey. These results indicate that cross breeding strategies are becoming more diverse, reflecting the way sheep producers are adapting with the times and striving to improve performance.

The Sheep Breed Survey is an important reference point for researchers, funders and policy makers. It has been completed five times since 1971, with the last results published in 2012. The survey provides a unique insight into how the agricultural industry has changed over 50 years and highlights how future policy decisions may influence lowland and upland sheep production.

Join AHDB’s Signet Breeding Manager Sam Boon along with Dr Geoff Pollott from the Royal Veterinary College on Monday 16 August 2021 for a unique insight as to how our sheep industry has changed over the past 50 years. The Sheep Breed Survey results describe the breed structure of the British sheep industry at mating in 2020 and are based on data derived from a postal questionnaire sent to the 38,000 wool producers registered with British Wool in England, Scotland and Wales. 

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