Britain is open for business

The British alpaca Industry is in a very healthy state and demand for quality breeding stock is outstripping supply globally, writes BAS judge and breeder, Tim Hey, Inca Alpaca.

Our alpacas are thriving with great nutrition, world class breeding strategies and the British Alpaca Society (BAS) is supporting breeders with all aspects of promotion and education. BAS members are in a perfect position to capitalise on this exciting, sophisticated and growing industry and the future of British alpacas has never looked brighter.

The UK has long had a relationship with alpacas, starting in the mid 1880’s when the beauty and resilience of alpaca fleece was ‘rediscovered’ and re-awoke the world’s interest. Sir Titus Salt, originally from Morley near

Leeds in Yorkshire “discovered” the remarkable fibre of the alpaca and began promoting its use in the finest fashion houses of Europe.

In the mid 1990’s the UK approved imports from Chile and in September 1996 BAS was formed. These imports of foundation stock were soon followed by large imports of quality stock from Peru and then Australia and the US and these bloodlines started to change the face of the British industry as the alpacas began their development towards a commercial fibre producer.

In Europe, alpacas are a bloodstock industry and breeders will make money from breeding for some time before we have enough fibre to satisfy commercial demand; BAS underpins the value of the domestic herd through a number of valuable initiatives including: • The establishment of a screening protocol for all imported alpacas and administration of a world class pedigree register that links, or is in the process of linking, valuable attributes such as show results and the

Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) • Support to regional groups offering local services, education and promotion • A thorough and well respected judge training programme • Welfare and husbandry training courses delivered by BAS affiliate trainers • A comprehensive network of halter and fleece shows • All aspects of marketing and promotion to promote breeder sales

The size and quality of the British herd continues to grow from strength to strength as sales of seed stock remains in high. In fact, 2021 saw an increase of 21% for pedigree transfers of female alpacas. The current population of registered alpacas in the UK is 37,000 and is expected to grow as BAS membership increases and the females are bred. This increase in sales of breeding stock, and the growth of the British industry, can be attributed to several factors including: a 69% increase in exports due to strong EU and Middle Eastern demand, lifestyle changes for people moving from the urban areas to the countryside, increased prices and demand for fibre and low global supply of breeding stock due to China’s dramatic herd growth as a result of importing.

The UK is in a very healthy position to thrive going forward as it benefits from experience in relation to alpaca health and nutrition, parasite control and improved husbandry techniques. For many generations now breeders here in the UK have been selecting for production traits when breeding.

Pallet ready for loading on to aircraft These traits include:

• Correct conformation

• High fertility

• Easy birthing

• Fast growth

• Disease resistance

• High yielding quality fibre

This selective breeding has resulted in much healthier and far higher quality stock and the rate of improvement has been dramatic. The veterinary community also have greater knowledge and understanding of alpacas and are able to give better advice and treat any issues quicker and more effectively.

The implementation of health and biosecurity plans formulated in conjunction with farm vets are becoming more common place and this is improving heard health, growth, fertility rates and disease monitoring. The development of the Enferplex test offered by www.surefarm.co.uk has undoubtedly boosted the confidence of owners and buyers when it comes to bovine tuberculosis (TB) surveillance. Breeders have embraced this sensitive test – some herds get their whole population tested annually and most now carry out pre and post movement tests. The Enferplex test has also been welcomed by exporters as buyers in the EU demand assurances that the stock they are buying is TB free and this test does reduce the risk of importing disease.

Export clearance

Earlier this year, Brexit brought new challenges to the European alpaca community as the UK moved from member state to third country status. Although the export health certificate and individual tests remained largely the same, the way the export is treated in relation to customs has altered - all alpacas now need to clear customs and have VAT paid by the importer before they can cross into or out of the EU. At the time of writing a new set of exporter rules are coming into effect for all exporters in the EU and third countries exporting within or into the EU. These include the following: • All breeding age alpacas must be part of a TB annual surveillance scheme using a skin or blood test • All deaths on the holding must be investigated with post mortem examinations • There must be a herd health plan created in conjunction with the farm’s vet.

The new need for customs clearance when entering the EU at any of the ports such as Calais, Caen and Rotterdam on the mainland and Rosslare in Ireland has meant that most of these ports were not set up to process animals from the UK (formerly a member state and now a third country). This meant new facilities had to be constructed and approved and to date Rosslare has been approved – alpacas have been moving through the port and we expect Rotterdam to come on line at any time and the French ports soon after.

Exporting alpacas from the UK, whether to the EU or to meet growing demand in the Middle East and India, still remains simple and open to alpaca breeders large or small and we invite all alpaca owners in Europe, the Middle East and India to come and see what our great nation has to offer.

Our stock is world class and buyers can purchase with confidence. Many UK owners may be surprised to hear just how many small breeders have exported in the past as the perception is that it’s really only available to the larger breeders.

If you wish to register to be an exporter please contact BAS CEO Duncan Pullar and he will be able to direct you with the requirements: ceo@bas-ulk.com

Alpacas in transit