TEXEL
ISSUE 11 SPRING 2021
Primestock A Texel Sheep Society Publication
Texel cross ewes suit Scottish estate’s system p4 Diverse flock benefits from Texel influence p8
Unit 74 - 4th Street, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2LG Tel: 02476 696 629 Email: office@texel.co.uk
New ways to find the Texels you need p2 Flexible finishing wins in Northern Ireland p10
#addtexeladdvalue texel.uk
#addtexeladdvalue Welcome to the 2021 issue of Primestock, the Texel Society’s commercial publication showcasing the breed at work on commercial farms across the UK. In what has been a tumultuous year for so many reasons, the sheep sector has enjoyed a buoyant time with prime, store, breeding and cull stock all enjoying a roaring trade. Texel crosses have been among the leading prices at live markets.
New ways to find the Texels you need Finding the Texel rams you need for your flock has never been easier, with a brace of recent developments making finding Texel breeding stock near you simpler than it has ever been.
Throughout the last 12 months, with buyers valuing the quality in quantity that Texels offer, more often than not making the bulk of entries at markets and driving the trade as a result. The high demand seen from buyers, processors and retailers for Texel lambs is testament to both the breed’s abilities and the management skills present within the sheep industry. From a practical perspective the breed thrives in all environments across the UK, adding value to its progeny in any situation from extensive hill flocks to more intensively managed lowland enterprises and it is easy to see why Texel is the win:win breed for so many farmers.
The advent of the Texel Sheep Society’s iTexel online database in 2020 means that you can search online for both breeders near you and animals with the traits you want to help your business. iTexel gives you the opportunity to search for breeders by location by simply visiting www.iTexel.uk and searching for breeders by entering any part of an address in the search bar. From there you can access breeders’ contact details and see the breeding history of the flock.
Whether you use Texels as a terminal sire or as part of your maternal flock, the breed passes on key commercially valuable traits of growth and conformation to its progeny while Texel-sired females are milky and prolific, making them ideal commercial ewes for many flocks. Thankfully, the sheep sector has, as yet, gone relatively unscathed by the effects of Brexit following the end of the transition period on January 1st, but the full effects may yet be felt once trading returns to more normal patterns further down the line once the impact of Covid-19 on trade has receded.
their EBVs, selecting Using iTexel you can search for animals according to for traits which are important to your flock.
Few breeds can match the versatility, flexibility and strength in depth offered by Texels. The flexibility of marketing the breed offers is a major strength in helping reduce risk in many sheep businesses, something which continues to prove essential as both the political and climatic environments continue to evolve.
John John Yates Chief Executive #addtexeladdvalue
TEXEL Primestock Magazine
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By entering either part of a name or address you can find details for breeders you may know or within a specific area.
Texel Primestock is published by the Texel Sheep Society Ltd. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted by the Society for any errors or any reliance on the use of information by readers.
British Texel Sheep Society, Unit 74 - 4th Street, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2LG
Tel: 024 7669 6629
Email: office@texel.co.uk
In touch with Texel @BritishTexel #addtexeladdvalue
texel.uk • 024 7669 6629 • office@texel.co.uk
So, where do you start? First, go to www.itexel.uk 1. Select ‘Find Breeders’ 2. Enter part of an address in the search bar and click ‘Search’ 3. Select a breeder from the list to find their information 4. Breeders whose flocks are performance recorded will have the logo alongside their contact details If you already know the breeder you are looking for then simply enter part of their contact information or name in the search bar and click ‘Search’
Find Animals
Alternatively, if you are searching for animals with specific traits then follow these steps; 1. Go to www.itexel.uk 2. Select ‘Find Animals’ 3. Click in ‘EBV Search’ 4. Use the sliders to enter your EBV criteria 5. Click ‘Search’ 6. Select animals of interest from the list
You can also use filters to refine the choice of animals you see in this list, with the ability to filter animals by sex, year of birth and whether they are alive, dead or sold. Once you’ve found animals of interest to you, click on the ‘Owner’ tab to find the contact details for the owner of the animal and make contact using the details available.
SellMyLivestock
Additionally, the Texel Sheep Society has recently launched a dedicated online sales portal with www.sellmylivestock.com which will allow potential buyers to search for Texels from Society members across the country. This dedicated portal will enable potential buyers to find sheep from members of the Texel Sheep Society more easily than if they are contained in the main listing. To find animals follow this simple guide; 1. Visit www.sellmylivestock.com and go to ‘Browse Listings’ 2. From the dropdown menu choose ‘Sheep’ 3. Select ‘Breed Societies’ 4. Then choose ‘Texel’ 5. Select listings from the menu You can then contact the seller using the contact details available on the listing, either by message or by telephone. Once you’ve selected the animals you want and agreed a price you can also use the SellMyLivestock Secure Payments system which the seller can use to send you an invoice via email, allowing you to pay by BACS rather than having to wait for your cheque to clear before you can take the animals home.
Once you have selected an animal from the list its details will be shown and you can click on the ‘Owner’ tab to find details of the animal’s owner.
Once payment has been made you can either collect the animals or have them delivered as agreed or, if required, you can use SellMyLivestock to get a haulage quote and book haulage to get your animals moved from the seller to you.
Sales
And, of course, you can still visit a wide range of Society and Club sales across the UK to source pedigree Texels from breeders both local to you and from further afield. To find sales near you and to see catalogues of animals being offered for sale visit www.texel.uk/sale-dates/
Filters can be applied, allowing selection according to the animal’s sex, year of birth and status.
Membership Subscriptions are available by contacting the Society Office Advertising office@texel.co.uk Accounts accounts@texel.co.uk
Registrations & sales cataloguing registrations@texel.co.uk cataloguing@texel.co.uk R&D projects edsmith@texel.co.uk
Society Governance Chief Executive John Yates
Vice Chairman Jeff Aiken Procters and Tatham Hall flocks
Contributors Jonathan Long Lynsey Clark
Chairman Roy Campbell Cowal and Royel flocks
Treasurer Andrew Barr Parkhouse flock
Photography Wayne Hutchinson Tim Scrivener MacGregor Photography
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Crossbred ewes thrive in North East Scotland David Johnstone, Ballindalloch
B
allindalloch Estate has long been associated with pedigree Aberdeen-Angus cattle – in fact, its herd is the oldest in continuous existence in the world.
In recent years, however, the cattle have been joined by a growing sheep flock, with Texel crosses proving a successful fit. David Johnstone arrived at Ballindalloch as farm manager 13 years ago, with his wife Susan now also employed by the estate as a contract shepherd. The whole estate encompasses 20,000 acres, including tenant farms, with David managing about 1000 acres of that. In addition to the cattle and sheep, the estate grows 200 acres of malting barley and 500 acres are let out for summer grazing from the end of May to October. David explains: “There were no sheep when I came here and we’ve gradually introduced them over the past five years. For the first couple of years, we bought Blackface ewe lambs and sold them as gimmers the following year. When that went well, we then kept some of those gimmers the second year.
“We don’t like the tups to be too bare either, as the lambs need a bit of cover on them – it can often be quite cold and snowy here at lambing time.” The land at Ballindalloch ranges from 300 to 2500ft above sea level, with most of the farm sitting at about 900ft. It is, therefore, essential that ewes are hardy enough to survive and thrive through the North-east winter. David explains: “The ewes run with the tups in fields for six weeks, from 31st October, but then they’re back out on the hill after that, with just Crystalyx blocks and some silage if it’s snowing. We find the Texel crosses are easy and cheap to keep through the winter and they retain their condition well. “The crosses normally scan at 185% and six weeks before lambing, we put them on East Coast Viners 18% Amino rolls, with the singles receiving 0.5lb once a day, the twins on 1.5lb each day and the triplets fed 1.5lb twice a day.”
“Susan had her own Texel crosses and Cheviot Mules, so the estate bought those from her, which formed the basis of the crossbred flock.” Now, alongside 100 Blackface ewes, there are 150 Cheviot Mule ewes and 150 Texel cross ewes. The Cheviot Mules and the Texel crosses both go to Texel tups. David says: “We buy Cheviot Mule replacements from Huntly each year and then breed our own replacement Texel cross ewes from them. Texel tups are either bought from Huntly or Dingwall, and we’re looking particularly for good skins and carcass, but character is also important – it definitely helps when selling gimmers if they have a bit of flash about them.
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David and Susan Johnstone say the sheep flock has brought benefits to Ballindalloch.
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Lambing begins in the last week of March, with everything other than those with triplets, lambed outside.
“The Texel lambs have plenty of vigour when born, they’re up and sucked quickly and we find they grow very quickly on grass. The first lambs go straight off their mothers in mid-July, through UA Huntly, with last year’s first batch averaging 47kg and £95, selling up to £109 per head.” Thereafter, lambs are sold in batches once a fortnight and they’re weaned in mid-August, with the later ones finished on stubble turnips. Ewe lambs are either kept as replacements or kept for another year to sell as gimmers. Of 2019’s ewe lambs, 40 were sold at Huntly, making £185 per head, with 30 kept for breeding. “The Texel cross gimmers are easily sold, there’s always plenty of demand for them. At the other end, the cast ewes are worth a bit of money too, which is a big bonus. We generally keep them for five crops and we were getting up to £120 for cast ewes last year,” says David, who says he’s long believed in the ability of Texels.
1546 – is a traditional single malt whisky distillery, built and set up in 2014. It uses home-grown barley, which is sent to Inverness to be malted and then brought back and stored on the farm, with the draff used to feed the cattle. The distillery is very much a long-term investment, with it being at least eight years before a product is ready to be sold, but it’s one that will bring much satisfaction and pride, with the team having complete control over the entire process. For David, however, it’s the progress of the cattle herd and sheep flock that are his main focus and both the Texel rams and crossbred females are proving their worth in the development of the fairly new sheep venture.
“The sheep have definitely added to our system here and work in harmony with both the long-established cattle herd and their surroundings. I’ve certainly no regrets about going down the Texel route – from the vigour and growth of the lambs, to the mothering skills of the ewes and the demand for the females, they are great all-rounders,” adds David.
“They are the first breed I’d choose for crossing with. In our experience, they’re easily handled and their ability to put on flesh is second to none. The lambs have tremendous vigour when born.” In fact, Susan has her own small Torbreck pedigree flock, which she’s hoping she’ll now be able to focus more on. They both have no doubt that the sheep have been a successful addition to the livestock enterprise at Ballindalloch. “The grass is definitely benefiting from the sheep being here. They keep it shorter in the winter which helps avoid winter kill. That, in turn, is beneficial to the cattle.” The other ongoing project on the estate – which is now run by Guy Macpherson Grant, having been home to his family since
Texels are great all-rounders, says David Johnstone .
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Texels help new entrant make progress Laura Hinnekens, Biggar
T
exel rams are delivering the goods for one new entrant sheep farmer’s business, with Belgian shepherdess Laura Hinnekens using them across Cheviot Mule ewes in her Lanarkshire-based farming venture. Having moved to Scotland five years ago with her car and a pack of working dogs, Laura has established herself quickly as a reliable and conscientious freelance shepherd and two years ago took on a contract farming opportunity at Parkhouse Farm. “I came to the UK several times to do some work experience while I was at university in Belgium studying agronomy. Once I finished my studies I decided to move to Scotland full time and got a job on a hill farm. Then I went freelance and built up a network of farms where I lambed, gathered and did general sheep work. “It was always my goal to start my own flock and through my partner, Euan Mackinnon, I met farm adviser Colin McPhail. Colin knew Andy and Lyn Barr at Parkhouse were looking for someone to take on their farm and wanted to find a novel way to bring young people into the industry.
“The opportunity to farm here was too good to turn down and I am now two years in to a five year agreement here and have developed my own flock as well as still working as a freelance shepherd on other farms locally,” explains Laura. “I couldn’t have been luckier and Andy and Lyn have been really helpful in many different ways. Andy is very hard working and can build and fix absolutely everything. He taught me to drive the forklift and trusts me enough to use all his tools. If I have an issue Andy and Lyn are always willing to help me and sort things out. As Andy Barr explains the couple had been looking at how to help a new entrant for a number of years before they were put in touch with Laura. “We wanted to help a new entrant, with a view to being able to get a young person started and prove that on a small farm with a little help, it was possible to establish a flock and ultimately go onto to a larger business.” Two years down the road and Laura runs 450 ewes on the farm’s 150 acres, with Texels used on 100 Cheviot Mules to produce
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both prime lambs and Texel cross females which Laura says she intends to sell as high health replacements. “I breed 100 of the Cheviots pure to produce my own replacements and then put 250 to Bluefaced Leicester tups to breed Cheviot Mules, with replacement ewe lambs kept both for my own use and for sale. “The aim is to sell 200 MV Accredited Cheviot Mule gimmers this year, with the whole flock now MV Accredited following significant investment in testing all bought in breeding stock. The flock is also vaccinated for abortion and clostridial diseases. “Flock health is an absolute priority for me and I use Texel tups from Andy’s own flock, which is also MV Accedited and I know the full health history of the flock, so can be assured I won’t compromise my own flock. “The Texels fit well on the Cheviot Mule ewes, they are tremendous terminal sires, but also breed good female replacements too which I will start to sell as gimmers this year.
“Prime lambs by Texel tups are always in demand at market and the prices achieved are often among the highest, proving the value they’re adding to my flock.” Laura and Euan have also recently started a boxed lamb business under the Lawhill lamb brand to market lamb from both Laura’s flock and also Euan’s Blackface flock. “We’re selling lamb and mutton boxes direct to the customers. We try to help people reconnect with farming, hopefully helping to counteract some of the negative publicity farming gets in the mainstream media. “We’re active on social media, helping promote farming to a wide audience and showcasing what sheep farming means for the environment and rural communities,” she adds.
Laura has recently started a YouTube channel called ‘SheShepherds’ that she is using to promote farming via farm vlogs of everyday jobs at the farm and on the hill.
texel.uk • 024 7669 6629 • office@texel.co.uk
WIN
A WEIGH CRATE
WORTH MORE THAN £700
Texel breeders continue to develop the breed to suit the needs of the commercial sheep industry, with Texels the UKs number one terminal sire and also a popular maternal breed. Recent years have seen performance within the breed excel even further, with lambs recorded with the Texel Sheep Society’s texelplus genetic improvement service now 4.5kg heavier at 20 weeks than lambs of the same age in 2011. In addition, texelplus recorded lambs also have 0.25mm more loin muscle depth than lambs in 2011 and are also 1.8kg heavier at eight weeks old than in 2011. Today just shy of 34% of pedigree Texel lambs are sired by texelplus lambs, helping disseminate the improvement in performance throughout the breed and, through commercial ram sales, the wider UK sheep flock. These improvements in performance bear out the well know mantra ‘measure to manage’ and now the Texel Sheep Society is offering you a chance to enhance your flock management with the chance to win a weigh crate worth more than £700.
To enter simply go to the Texel website at
www.texel.uk/competition In touch with Texel • @britishtexel • #addtexeladdvalue
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Texel cross lambs earn premiums on both liveweight and deadweight sales, says Andrew Nicholson.
Texels fit diverse Cumbrian flock Andrew Nicholson, Ulverston
arming a self-contained stratified system, with Swaledales, North of England Mules and a flock of Lleyns, Andrew Nicholson and his father David aim to sell lambs from their 850-ewe flock for 40 weeks of the year.
F
Andrew says the first ewes lamb inside from Mid-March, with the Mules being the first batch lambed. “These are all housed on straw, coming in a few weeks ahead of lambing and being fed silage and concentrate according to body condition.
At the head of this system is a flock of 500 Swaledale ewes, with 300 of these bred pure to produce replacements, with the remaining 200 put to Bluefaced Leicester tups to breed Mules.
“They then go out to grass within a few days of lambing with the ewes fed until grass growth picks up and lambs offered creep feed to help get the first lambs away as soon as possible,” he explains.
“We then run a flock of 200 Mule ewes alongside 150 Lleyns, with about 50 of the Lleyns bred pure to produce replacements and the remaining 100 and all of the Mules going to Texel tups to breed prime lambs.
“We sell just about everything deadweight and aim for a 42kg liveweight lamb, with these generally killing out at 19.5kg-20kg and the Texel x Mule lambs grading almost all R grades. We’d ideally want them to be 44kg, but getting that extra few kilograms on our ground isn’t always easy, so it makes sense to get them away a little lighter.”
“The aim is to keep things simple as much as possible and these breeds and crosses have proven themselves on our farm time and time again,” explains Andrew who also farms 60 mainly Limousin sired suckler cows on ground which rises to 550ft above sea level. “We’re not particularly high here, but we are out on the west Cumbrian coast at Ulverston and can catch the worst of the weather as it comes in off the sea.”
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And while some may chase better grades Andrew says these Texel x Mule lambs are exactly what the market wants and while he has tried other breeds in the past to improve grades they didn’t finish as fast or as heavy as the Texel crosses. “On the deadweight system it is weight which pays without a doubt and the Texel rams we use allow us to get that weight as quickly as possible on our system. Texel cross lambs thrive here and rams last as well, with many still working as four and five shears.”
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Lleyn ewes lamb a little later, with these lambs not offered creep feed when on their mothers. “We do introduce some feed to later-born lambs that are still on the farm towards the end of September once grass growth starts to slow and to try and preserve grass for ewes at tupping. “We usually have all the Texel cross lambs away before midDecember and then move on to the Swaledale and Mule wethers, continuing to sell lambs through the spring.” Andrews says the important thing with all the family’s sheep is to produce what the market wants as easily as possible and tup choice plays an important part in that, including both breed choice, but also selection within the breed. “We buy all our Texel tups from one breeder and have done for several years. We’re looking for good strong tups, with good tops, tight skins and decent shape too. But we don’t want too much head and they must be easy fleshing.
“Size and growth are paramount too, we want a tup to leave lambs which will grow quickly and allow us to sell prime lambs as quickly as we can,” he explains. This is true of no matter which breed of ewe Andrew chooses to put the Texel tups on, with Texel x Lleyn lambs grading slightly better than the Texel x Mules. “Many of these grade as Es and Us and we do occasionally sell a few pens of these liveweight through Kendal market to try and maximise the prices when trade is right.
says keeping ewes healthy across the flock is a key consideration too. “We FootVax every ewe and have done for the last five years. We’ve found this makes a big difference to the ewes and every ewe is on the Heptavac P system too. “Because of the common ground we also treat for ticks on a regular basis, but we don’t tend to use any routine mineral treatments. Keeping the flock in the best of health is paying dividends, with the Mule ewes generally lambing at about 200% and the Lleyns run on slightly harder ground usually lambing at 180%. “The Swaledale ewes put to the Bluefaced tups scanned at 180% this year too,” says Andrew.
“It isn’t something we do regularly as deadweight suits most of lambs better than liveweight,” he adds. And with Swaledale ewes having access to large tracts of common land Andrew
“Ultimately, the aim for us is to keep the system as simple as we can while also achieving relatively high output and high quality too. Texel rams allow us to achieve this on land which wouldn’t suit every breed or type of sheep.”
The Nicholson family use Texels to add value to progeny from their Mule and Lleyn flocks.
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Flexibility of finishing a winner in Northern Ireland Alan Montgomery, Downpatrick
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imited housing and labour levels mean the Montgomery family of Downpatrick, Co Down, need sheep which can thrive without high levels of intervention or inputs.
For Alan Montgomery who farms with his brother, Colin, and son, Niall, the net result is a ewe flock based on Mules with Texel sires used heavily across the flock. “We’re principally an arable farm and while the sheep aren’t a secondary enterprise to that, they do have to work around our arable workload and the buildings we have available during the winter months,” explains Alan. “That means ewes are housed as close to lambing as possible, generally no sooner than a fortnight before they’re due. They’re then back out again within a few days of lambing. We’re tight for space in the sheds, so have to be mindful of that when planning tupping and lambing dates.” As a result, the family lamb a batch of 250 ewes in early February, with these all synchronised to lamb in a short period of time. “We then lamb the main batch of ewes in March and April, with ewe lambs following on after that. “Most of the ewes spend the winter months on arable stubbles ahead of spring crops and then the early lambing ewes go out
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of the shed on to forage rape which is sown in between winter barley and either potatoes or maize. “That reduces the early pressure on grass, the sheep put some fertility back in the arable ground and ewes milk well off the rape,” he adds. When it comes to lamb finishing Alan says the early lambs are creep fed to help get them away as quickly as possible and make the most of early season prices, with swedes grown to finish lambs on through the late autumn and winter.
“We’re aiming for a 21kg carcass throughout the main season, with lambs marketed deadweight through the Strangford Down Beef and Lamb Group. Most of our lambs grade as R3s which is exactly what the processors are looking for and leaves the best return for us all round. About 75% of our lambs would grade as Rs with the remainder being U grades, with the odd E thrown in. “We could chase higher grades by keeping a different ewe type, but in my experience what we’d gain on grading we’d lose on lamb numbers and that would be counter-productive,” says Alan.
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The Montgomery family’s Texel cross lambs are finished throughout the year on both grass and root crops.
“Once we get to the end of November carcass weights go up to 22kg through the group, so we take them a little heavier then.”
In their first year the Mule ewe lambs are put to Lleyn tups, with some of the Lleyn cross ewe lambs then kept as replacements and going to a Texel. Mature Mule ewes go to a mix of Texel and other tups, including Belclares, with some of the Belclare x Mule females also retained as replacements. The flock would be about two thirds Mules and a third crossbreds overall.”
With all male lambs left entire Alan says he finds it essential to aim towards the top end of the Alan Montgomery weight band in order to ensure lambs are well enough finished. “Killing ram lambs at 18-19kg deadweight often means they’re not quite fit enough over the shoulder and that has a knock-on effect to grading and prices.
Texel rams are sourced each year as ram lambs from the Northern Irish National Sale at Ballymena, with Alan preferring this sale for the wide selection of rams available. In their first season these lambs are used for three to four weeks and then come away from the ewes and are grown on over winter.
“However, we’re also careful not to go over the 21kg or 22kg carcass weight as that means we’re penalised and effectively giving weight away to the processors,” he adds.
Texel cross lambs are quick and active at birth and hardy once turned out of the sheds, which is important in a system which relies on low labour and ewes and lambs looking after themselves once they’re out of the yard.
The family’s ewe flock is based on Mules, with these bought each year as ewe lamb replacements from a sale in North Antrim and coming from many of the same breeders each year. “We trust these flocks, know their flock health and breeding and have found them to be reliable sources of quality ewes.
“Mule ewes have proved themselves in our system year after year, they’re prolific, easily lambed and milky which is what matters. The margins are made on the number of lambs we sell and Mules and first crosses tick that box for us.
“We appreciate that breeders have done a lot of hard work getting the lambs to the sale and it pays for us to give them a bit of care and attention when they’ve done their work in that first year. We can’t afford to buy good rams and then not look after them,” says Alan.
“Every year has its own challenges and over time our system has proven itself to be robust and up to those challenges. We aim to market lambs through much of the year, with the first lambs from the early flock being sold in mid-May and selling then following on with main flock lambs sold off grass after that and a bit of a lull until we get towards the end of October and early November. “We then sell lambs right through the winter with many of these being finished off the swedes. Texel cross lambs do well whenever we sell them, easily meeting the requirements of our buyers and delivering the right type of lamb all year round.”
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TEXEL
Proven premiums and performance
• Texel lambs regularly earn 45p/kg to 60p/kg premiums over live market averages* • Texelplus lambs are 4.5kg heavier at 20 weeks than in 2011 ** • Texelplus lambs have 0.25mm more loin muscle than in 2011 ** • 85% of Texel sired lambs are ‘in spec’ *** • Nine out of top 10 carcass merit EBV sires in RamCompare at Texels ****
For the latest sales information see www.texel.uk/sales Sources
* Carlisle, Kirkby Stephen and Lanark Market reports w/c 4th January 2021 ** texelplus data 2021 *** Texel Sheep Society Taste vs Waste and VIA trials 2019 **** AHDB RamCompare project 2016-2019