Highlight on Texels forward of Sheep Northern Eire occasion

A highlight has been shone on the Texel breed forward of the 2023 Sheep Northern Eire occasion, with latest analysis revealing that the breed is including greater than £23.5 million/12 months to the UK sheep trade.

That’s based on Texel Sheep Society chief govt John Yates, who cited a 2022 examine commissioned by the society and AbacusBio, a genetics consultancy.

Talking forward of the Nationwide Sheep Affiliation (NSA) occasion, Yates mentioned: “No different single breed has as a lot affect on the trade as Texel does.”

Texel breed

In keeping with Yates, Texel-cross lambs are in excessive demand “it doesn’t matter what ewe breed they’re out of”.

“Texel lambs frequently earn premium costs in Northern Irish prime inventory gross sales, being on the prime or close to the highest of the commerce week in, week out,” he mentioned.

“The latest introduction of financial choice indexes for each terminal and substitute traits throughout the Texel breed affords Northern Irish farmers the potential to additional enhance their returns.

“Utilizing efficiency knowledge as a part of your ram choice standards has large potential so as to add further worth to a enterprise,” he added.

“Excessive rating rams ship nearly £5/lamb greater than lower-ranking rams. Over a ram’s working lifetime, that is simply value an additional £1,000/ram; generated by way of shorter end occasions and improved carcass high quality.”

Sheep Northern Eire

The NSA’s 2023 Sheep Northern Eire occasion takes place on Tuesday, July 4, at Tynan Property in Co. Armagh.

The farm participated within the Northern Eire sheep programme and, as a part of this, developed a three- and five-year farm plan, reviewing the farm’s aims and setting key efficiency targets to establish areas for change.

This included soil fertility, grassland administration, breeding and genetics, and efficiency recording, all of which will probably be mentioned on the NSA occasion.

NSA regional consultant in Northern Eire, Edward Adamson mentioned: “The sheep sector has an amazing quantity to supply Northern Eire’s economic system as an entire.

“However given the dimensions of rising prices, flock homeowners want each penny they will get proper now.”