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Making up the 2005 team of reference sires for the
Charollais Sires Sheep breeding group in Britain will be a Royal Show
Champion, the top-priced ram lamb from the breed’s Premier Sale
and a lamb with the highest ever recorded EBV figure for muscling. All
three rams had performance figures putting them in the top 5% of the breed
analysis.
The selection of these rams is a culmination of many years
hard work by dedicated breeders and a clear indication to sceptics that
the system really works, said Jonathan Barber, Charollais Sires Chairman.
The No 1 top choice of the breeding group was Rutland Ensign
bred by Mary and Richard Tulloch from Rutland. At the Royal Show in 2004
he won First prize in both the Open and Performance Ram Lamb classes as
well as taking the Reserve Male Championship.
Scheme members had joined together at the premier sale
in Worcester to purchase Logie Durno Earl of Dunbar from William Ingram
in Aberdeenshire for £5355 [about US$ 9600]. This selection had
exceptional muscularity figures due to his superior CT scanning result
and is sired by a new bloodline for scheme members.
Making up the team was Lowerye Eric from Neil Oughton in
Gloucestershire. His EBV was 6.37 for muscling [measured ultrasonically],
when the breed average for this trait is 2.09 and the top 5% score 3.93
or above. This ram certainly looks like his figures; he is one of thickest
Charollais I have seen for a long time, commented Jonathan Barber.
Semen from this dream team is currently being collected
in readiness for the 2005 breeding season. Scheme members are certainly
looking forward to using these top class genetics within their breeding
programmes; it is the best team of rams we have produced and selected
and should be the envy of any flock was the comment made by all. Overseas
breeders might like to get their semen orders in now. For more info see
www.charollaissheep.com
Rob Wills, BLG’s Executive Manager, said he was delighted
that the British Charollais Sheep Society was joining the Consortium as
they are one of the main terminal sire breeds in Britain. He commented
that Britain now has more Charollais sheep than the original homeland,
France, that breeding progress had been driven by the pace-setting sire
reference scheme and so British exports have established populations in
Canada and Mexico.
[24 Nov 04]
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