CPT Mating Plans

• We are currently making plans for the mating season in the CPT. This year like previous years we will becollecting information from the ewes at mating time (Weights, BCS, Dag scores, Lameness). This is anintense period of time as over 2500 ewes on five different locations will have to be AI’d in a short period oftime.

CPT Ram Selection

• Sheep Ireland is currently actively seeking rams to be put forward for the Central Progeny Test (CPT) for the 2016/17 season. The list of rams that were used last year is available on our website. Contact has been made with societies welcoming their input and guidance in the selection process. Our plan for next year is to identify a number of very high index rams and take semen from these rams, with a view to making this semen available to breeders.
• Rams being selected for this purpose will need to have participated in the CPT previously. The reason for this is, these rams will have reasonably high accuracy% and their €uro-Star evaluations will be less likely to move as a result.

The CPT ram selection criterion for this year is as follows:

• High Replacement Index.
• High accuracy% – over 35% if possible.
• Bred by a breeder with a good Data Quality Index (DQI).
• Ram must be available from the last days of September to 26th October.
• From a variety of different bloodlines within each respective breed.
• Ram must be physically correct and suitable for future use in pedigree flocks.

Sheep Ireland Guide: Issue 3 “NOW AVAILABLE”

• This guide contains some simple pointers on how to interpret & use the €uro-Star evaluations as well as summarising all the data that is collected by performance recording breeders, an update on some of the most recent developments within Sheep Ireland, validation of the €uro-Stars and the names and contact details of all ram breeders currently involved in LambPlus.
• An electronic version is available here.

Meeting with AgResearch and B+LNZ Genetics

• This week we had two meetings with two different New Zealand companies. Firstly we met with John McEwan from AgResearch. John is a principle scientist with AgResearch and John was heavily involved in the development of the chips that we are currently using as part of the Ovigen Research Project. We also met with B+LNZ Genetics; they help provide the breeding values to the New Zealand Beef and Lamb Industries. They got an update as to what was going on in Sheep Ireland and some potential ideas were exchanged.