The hunt is on to find new rams and artificial insemination (AI) sires for a UK-wide industry breeding project.
RamCompare, which involves partners from across the supply chain including Quality Meat Scotland, AHDB and SRUC, sets out to drive genetic improvement in the sheep sector.
Now entering its second phase, the project has already carried out genetic evaluations of 70 rams.
It is now looking for nominations for 26 AI sires and 38 rams to be used within the single-sire mating groups on trial farms.
Data will be collected on progeny from the sires and compared to data from the other rams already tested.
AHDB breeding services manager, Samuel Boon, said: “It is exciting to embark on the next phase of the project. We are encouraged to find that breeders are keen to have animals involved and are already approaching us with potential rams.
“Rams will be selected to ensure there is variation in the genetic merit of those tested in phase one and, where possible, the team will seek to ensure different breeding lines are used.”
Project partners have set aside 52 places for seven of the most numerically important breeds – Suffolk Texel, Charollais, Meatlinc, Hampshire Down, Poll Dorset and Beltex.
There are also 12 open nomination places for numerically smaller breeds such as Blue Texel, Bleu du Maine, Vendeen, Shropshire and Southdown.
All these breeds are actively performance recorded by Signet Breeding Services, however other terminal sire breeds may be considered.
To take part, rams must meet a number of criteria: be performance recorded; be in the top 20% of the breed based on growth and carcase estimated breeding values (EBVs); be from a flock with good genetic linkage to other flocks; have a known and high health status and be from a Maedi Visna-accredited flock; be available from July 2017; declare any CLA/Johnes vaccinations; provide genetic diversity to the rams that have already been used; and be either shearlings or older rams.
Farmers interested in nominating a ram or AI sire are asked to contact Bridget Lloyd at Bridget.Lloyd@ahdb.org.uk to request a nomination form. Nominations must be submitted by June 26 2017.
