From 1stApril this year the Texel Sheep Society is providing performance recording services for Texel breeders under the texelplus brand.
This change in the provision of recording services follows the Society negotiating a contract directly with SRUC Egenes to provide the evaluation services and the need to develop a platform that fits with the Society purposes, actively engaging in R&D and genetic improvement to support the breed’s development, explains Society technical assistant Ailish Ross.
Running in parallel to this change AHDB-Signet has introduced the new National Terminal Sire (NTS) Evaluation this year, for all terminal sires breeds in the UK. “To ease the transition to the new system, the Society has agreed to support this new evaluation by providing pedigree Texel data and allowing NTS to form the base evaluation for Texel flocks.
“The Society will provide an additional layer to the NTS, delivered through the texelplus platform, by incorporating new breeding values and indexes, including the value provided by genomics. Benefits to the Texel membership will be significant, adding the value of accessing information from the RamCompare project, the Society’s own R&D initiatives and the incorporation of unique health and meat quality breeding values developed specifically for the Texel breed,” she adds.
“The Society aims to continue the collection of novel data from new traits and develop new breeding values from its £3 Million Research and Development work, rolling these out in 2020, once breeders have gained a clearer understanding and impact on their flocks from the changes that will result from the AHDB introduction of NTS.
“There are a few changes breeders will notice this year in addition to those introduced by the new evaluation, others are due to the introduction of Society administration, as it becomes the bureau for admin support.”
BLUP reports for active recorded flocks will now be available online and monthly. “Please remember that during 2019 the main changes to breeding values, rankings and indexes are a result of the launch of AHDB-Signet NTS and the Society will continue to monitor the impact and effectiveness of NTS as it progresses its texelplus services.”
For more information see the texelplus pages or contact the Society office
