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Texel leads in RamCompare
Texels top RamCompare…..again
Cumulative results from the last six years of AHDB’s RamCompare project show Texel sires continue to dominate the rankings, with 14 of the top 20 rams for overall carcass merit index over the last six years being Texels.
Eight of these 14 rank within the top 10 rams over the last six years and four of them are in the top five, proving the breed’s ability to produce carcasses suited to the needs of the modern meat trade, explained Mr Yates.
These cumulative results, which, to the Society’s disappointment, were omitted from public reporting of RamCompare’s sixth year data, demonstrate the ability Texels have to add value at every step of the lamb supply chain.
Designed to provide an overarching index showing the genetic merit of sires used in commercial flocks, the carcass merit index combines EBVs for carcass weight, carcass conformation and carcass fat class, explained Society chief executive John Yates.
“It gives the most complete assessment of a ram’s potential to influence their progeny to meet with current payment methods provided from the EUROP carcass classification. It is no surprise to see Texel rams scoring so well on this EBV and it reflects the breed’s universally acknowledged ability to improve carcass quality across a wide range of dam breeds in a diverse range of farming systems and environments, throughout the year,” he said.
On top of the high number of Texels ranking highly for overall carcass merit, the breed also contributed three of the top five rams for days to slaughter as well as 14 of the top 20 rams for fat class and nine of the top 20 rams for carcass conformation index, including three of the top five rams for this important trait. “The breed also had 11 of the top 20 rams for carcass weight index in the RamCompare cumulative results, with four of these ranking inside the top five for this trait.” Mr Yates said this high level of performance across all years of the RamCompare trial showed the breed’s consistent performance which had come to be highly valued by sheep farmers over nearly 50 years since the breed was introduced to the UK.
“These performance figures further prove what farmers using Texels within their businesses already knew; Texels deliver day after day, year after year.
“In any business cumulative performance is the truest measure of success and nowhere is this more applicable than farming where the results from one year can directly impact on the results of the next through both management changes and genetic choices,” he said.
“When it comes to genetic progress all results are cumulative, whether good or bad and making the right genetic selections today can have lasting impacts, particularly when replacement stock are retained.”
Nominate for Spotlight Award
As previously announced in the spring issue of the Bulletin, the Society is running a new competition this year, the Texel Sheep Society Spotlight Award.
The award will be presented to an active young Texel breeder, who’s local Club believes they have made an outstanding contribution to the breed, club and flock within their local area or nationally. All 19 regional Texel clubs across the country will be invited to nominate, via an online nomination form, an individual who must be under the age of 35, a full member of the Society or actively involved with a full member’s flock, that they believe goes above and beyond for the breed.
The top three individuals and their flocks will feature within the Spring Bulletin 2023 and the overall Spotlight Award winner will be presented with a perpetual trophy.
