Demand for EasyCare sheep continues to rise in New Zealand

Demand for EasyCare, self-shedding, sheep is quick growing in New Zealand with breeders there trying to the UK and Eire to supply the genetics they want.

It was some extent confirmed by Peter and Caroline Foss, who personal and handle a 500-strong flock of pedigree Wiltshire Horn sheep on their farm, which is situated near the village of Aria on New Zealand’s north island.

Their ‘Ipurua’ prefix can be synonymous with a top quality herd of South Devon cattle.

The opposite enterprise on the Foss farm is a 1,500-strong flock of Romney ewes, that are crossed to a choice of wool shedding rams.

The enterprise contains 1,400ac, rising from 100ft above sea stage to an altitude of 400ft.

EasyCare sheep

Peter and Caroline lately visited Ballycoose farm, near Carncastle in east Co. Antrim. Owned by Campbell and Isobel Tweed, Ballycoose is residence to a flock of three,000 EasyCare ewes.

The rationale for the Foss go to centred on the famend efficiency of the EasyCare bloodlines at Ballycoose plus the chance it provided to evaluate the potential suitability of the bloodlines throughout the flock to carry out beneath the administration circumstances that prevail in New Zealand.

“We’re dedicated to the event of a top quality, EasyCare manufacturing system inside our general farming operation,” Peter defined.

“And all of it comes down to at least one quite simple reality. It prices NZ$5 to shear one animal, which is able to yield a fleece valued at round NZ$3. Wool manufacturing is a loss-making operation for us. Beneath such circumstances, self shedding makes complete sense.

“After we get again residence, one among our first jobs shall be that of getting a contractor engaged to shear 1,000 sheep. It’s an operation that may depart us with a web deficit of round NZ$2,000.”

Recording efficiency

All of the sheep throughout the Ballycoose flock are efficiency recorded on a steady foundation.

“The flock has been recorded for the previous 20 years. This represents a novel supply of data, which can be utilized to make the absolute best breeding choices,” Caroline commented.

“It’s this useful resource that we need to faucet into.”

Another excuse for the Foss go to is the truth that 30 EasyCare embryos, quite a lot of which function Ballycoose genetics, are attributable to be born on their farm over the approaching weeks.

A mixture of embryos and semen has been imported from the UK by Peter and Caroline over the previous two years. 

Ballycoose bloodlines had been included within the specification agreed by the couple on the outset.

“The EasyCare lambs shall be on the bottom with the subsequent few weeks. We’re very eager to see how they carry out for us,” Peter defined.