As face-to-face events get underway again the Texel Sheep Society is looking ahead to next week’s Scotsheep event, Over Finlarg, Dundee, where the Society will once again showcase the commercial excellence within the breed.
Alongside this, the Society will also offer visitors to the event the chance to enter the Society’s summer 2022 competition to win an EID reader worth more than £950 in partnership with Kiwikit Roxan.
The event will also provide Society members an ideal opportunity to catch up with Society staff to discuss the benefits of texelplus recording following the major reduction in texelplus fees introduced earlier this year which saw fees drop to just £20 a flock.
Named once again as GB’s most popular sire breed in the 2021 AHDB GB Breeds Survey, Texels are at the heart of commercial sheep farming the length and breadth of the UK and nowhere more so than Scotland.
With a clear focus on core commercial traits Society chief executive John Yates said the Texel breed remained at the top of the industry as commercial farmers valued the consistency and quality in its offspring.
“Whether using Texels as a terminal sire or to breed replacement females the breed continues to excel in all parts of the UK, including at Scotsheep host farm Over Finlarg which uses Texel sires across commercial ewes as well as producing purebred Texel shearling rams for sale.
“Continued innovation and adaption by Texel breeders across the breed’s 45 year history in the UK has ensured it remains relevant for today’s commercial producers and delivers added value for everyone in the lamb supply chain be they farmers, processors or retailers.”
Mr Yates added that at a time of high inflation in input costs across the farming sector, sourcing the right genetics was key to maximising flock profitability. “Feed, fertiliser and fuel have all risen rapidly in the last six months and are likely to remain high for the foreseeable future.
“Therefore, investing in the right genetics, both terminal and maternal, to drive flock performance forward is going to be even more important in producing next year’s lamb crop as efficiently as possible.
“For those producing replacement females this is even more crucial due to the long lasting impact these genetics will have within a flock.
With the largest performance recorded population of any terminal sire breed in the UK and more than 35 National and Club sales the length and breadth of the country, the opportunities to source the right Texel genetics for your flock are vast,” he explained.
“On top of that of course there is the opportunity to source Texels directly from any of the 2300 Society members, with potential buyers able to find breeders close to them via the Society’s interactive iTexel database.”
On top of it’s trade stand presence at Scotsheep the Society, through its YDP initiative, is also sponsoring the NSA Next Generation Young Shepherds competition taking place the day before the event, said Mr Yates.
“Supporting these competitions is of significant importance, along with a number of activities the Society undertakes in support of the younger generation. There is no doubting that with a changing focus in agricultural support across the UK in future years the sheep industry is facing challenging times.
“The sheep sector has plenty of enthusiastic young entrants, but they need every opportunity available to them to succeed. This, combined with access to the very best that the breed provides, is vital if the UK is to remain a competitive player in the world sheep industry,” he explained.