Will there be enough SIS-eligible hill rams, and where can they be found?
Sheep Ireland is actively engaging with all the established hill groups around Ireland, Kevin McDermott told delegates at the recent National Hill Sheep Conference.
Sheep Ireland is working with all groups to genotype as many of their stock rams as possible in the coming months, he added, because if a sire dies before he is genomically tested, then none of his progeny can become Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) eligible. As an added incentive, Sheep Ireland is initially providing free genotyping for pure hill stock rams that are part of breeding groups.
The process of getting an animal genomically tested is simple. The breeder can complete it without any outside help. However, as this is a relatively new principle for most hill breeders, Sheep Ireland is organising DNA collection days across the country where group members can take the rams they wish to sell and get their DNA collected by a Sheep Ireland technician. Based on all of these actions, Kevin believes there will be a sufficient supply of rams for the SIS flocks.
Based on the years selected by hill farmers to complete their genotyped ram task, it is expected that 1,264 SIS hill rams are required in year one, with a total of 5,820 hill rams needed over the five years of the scheme. Rams eligible for the SIS can be easily found using Sheep Ireland’s www.ramsearch.ie website. All animals suitable for the SIS can be found and verified via this website.
The second option is via sales catalogues.Sheep Ireland will be working with all the groups to help them generate sales catalogues containing all the necessary information in a standard format.
The list of 16 established hill groups that Sheep Ireland is working with to ensure adequate supply of hill rams that will meet the requirements of the Sheep Improvement Scheme are:
- Brockagh Perth Blackfaced Sheep Breeders Association;
- Brockagh Swaledale Mayo Blackface Sheep Breeders Association;
- Connemara-Mayo Blackface Sheep Breeders Association;
- Cooley Sheep Breeders Association;
- Donegal Blackface Sheep Breeders Association;
- Donegal Cheviot Sheep Society;
- Kerry Blackface Breeders Association (Dingle);
- Kerry Blackface Sheep Breeders Association;
- Mayo-Connemara Blackface Sheep Breeders Association;
- Munster Blackface (Ram Lamb) Association;
- Sliabh Liag Longwool Perth Sheep Breeders Association (Donegal);
- Sub-A district South of Ireland Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association;
- Tir Chonaill Blackface Group;
- Waterford Blackface Sheep Breeders Association;
- West of Ireland Lanark Sheep Breeders;
- Wicklow Cheviot Mountain Sheep Breeders Society.
To Kevin’s full paper, titled: 'What will the genotyped ram task in the Sheep Improvement Scheme accomplish for the hill sector?' from the National Hill Sheep Conference, click here.
Also read: Improving returns in hill sheep with flock health and production planning.