Sheep Industry Overview

The Sheep Industry

• Seasonal production system: mating occurs in autumn while lambing is in spring; high-quality grass in spring supports lambing.
• Decreased day length triggers sheep's reproductive hormone cycle, leading to natural heat in ewes.
• Ewes require increased nutritional intake of high-quality food during lambing and lactation.

UK Seasonal Grass Growth

• Peak grass growth typically occurs around early May.
• A significant portion of grass is transformed into livestock products through ruminants.
• Extra grass is conserved for hay or silage to align production with animal feeding demands.

Structure of the UK Sheep Industry

• Hill farms: Located in mountainous areas; utilize unimproved pastures with harsher climates and high rainfall.
• Upland farms: Feature a mix of unimproved and improved pastures for grazing.
• Lowland farms: Adopt improved pastures; capable of ploughing and silage production to support more productive livestock.

Stratification in Sheep Production

• Defined as a three-tier breeding structure linked to altitude and grazing conditions.
• Involves spatial distribution of breeding components and cross-breeding for advantageous traits.
• Traits from different breeds can enhance overall performance and adaptability in varying environments.
• Cross-breeding: Promotes heterosis, improving health and production by using desirable traits.

Replacements in Sheep Breeding

• Structured breeding diagram highlights pathways for lamb development from various ewe and ram combinations.
• Draft Hill ewe: Grows in hill environments and is later sold to upland settings for continued lamb production.
• Longwool ram x Draft Hill ewe: Increases the likelihood of twins or triplets and boosts milk production.
• Mule lambs: Result from crossing Draft Hill ewes and Longwool rams, noted for being hardy and highly maternal.
• Migrated mules into lowland areas incorporate terminal sire genetics for high meat yields; all offspring from these sires are typically slaughtered.

Advantages of Stratification

• Adaptable sheep production strategies tailored to diverse environmental conditions.
• Utilization of varying types of land to enhance productivity.
• Hybrid vigor is promoted through cross-breeding across different breeding tiers.
• Creates interconnected networks across various sectors of sheep farming.
• Facilitates the conservation of local sheep breeds.

Disadvantages of Stratification

• Risks to biosecurity may arise from interconnected systems.
• Issues affecting one sector can ripple through others due to dependency structures.
• Lowland farmers may shift back to maintaining exclusive breeding stocks.

Annual Production Cycle

• The annual cycle begins with tupping (mating), establishing a timeline for the production year.
• Scanning at 90 days helps determine ewe's nutritional needs, adjusting for prolificacy levels.

Challenges to the Industry

• Declining lamb consumption poses a significant challenge for the sheep industry.