Major Improvement to Commercial Traits Texel breeders deliver substantial improvement in commercial traits Major Improvement toCommercial Traits
ncreasing demand from commercial producers for quick growing, well muscled and evenly fleshed tups has seen a significant uplift in these traits in performance recorded Texel flocks over the last two years
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www.texel.co.uk
Texel breeders have always been focussed on the needs of the commercial producer since the breed was first introduced to the UK nearly 40 years ago. But the use of performance recording for key commercial traits is helping them deliver quicker and more meaningful improvements which help drive profits for commercial farmers. Over the last two years the average index in the breed has increased by more than 20, which indicates an increase in the average breeding potential of a Texel lamb of just over 1kg to 21 weeks old. This is clearly a massive improvement in a short space of time and one which can deliver very tangible benefits for
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commercial producers. Quicker growing lambs that finish sooner mean improved margins, both through lower intakes and also through more timely marketing. What makes this genetic gain in the last two years incredible, is that it is on the back of two decades of significant improvements in the breed, with the average breeding value for growth to 21 weeks of age over 5kg higher in 2010 than it was in 1992. This in itself was a massive shift in the genetic potential of a population – in a relatively short period of time, but the latest improvements are truly impressive bearing in mind the previous breed development which had already taken place and the high base the breed was starting from. It should also be noted that this gain has been achieved in a population of more than 65,000 lambs. Delivering this level of gain in small populations is relatively easy, to do in such a large population is quite unique.