The FBD Five-Star Ram Lamb LambPlus Classes were a unique opportunity for farmers to see the best genetics from each breed going head-to-head.
The Classes took place at Sheep 2023, at Gurteen Agriculture College on Saturday, June 17th.
There were two Ram Lamb Classes, a Replacement, and a Terminal Class. All the Rams competing are Five-Stars on the relevant Index and from a flock with a DQI of 60% or greater.
Criteria:
- Replacement Class: the best physical attributes desired in breeding female replacements.
- Terminal Class: the best carcass characteristics.
- Being ranked in the Top 20% of the breed based on genetic analysis.
The Judge assigned for selecting the winner was Matthew Prince from the UK. Matthew breeds Texel, Beltex, and Charmoise at his farm in Derbyshire, as well as running a Butcher’s shop, and vast experience in judgment.
FBD Awards:
FBD sponsored each class with a Prize Pot of €1000 each. First Prize for each class is €350, with prizes all the way to 6th place.
| Terminal Class winners: | |
| 1 | Albert Ferguson – Charollais |
| 2 | Greg Rossiter – Suffolk |
| 3 | Anne Murphy – Texel |
| 4 | John Lynch – Vendeen |
| 5 | Raymond Douglas – Charollais |
| 6 | John, Colm, Michael McHugh – Texel |
| Replacement Class winners: | |
| 1 | Greg Rossiter – Suffolk |
| 2 | Sinead & Eoin Brophy – Charollais |
| 3 | John Lynch – Vendeen |
| 4 | Richard Moore – Suffolk |
| 5 | Edwin Draper – Rouge de l’Ouest |
| 6 | Liam Delaney – Belclare |
Matthew Prince (Judge) and Albert Ferguson (1st place in Terminal Class)
Kevin McDermott (Sheep Ireland Manager), Matthew Prince (Judge),
Melissa O’Donoghue (Acting Branch Manager, FBD Nenagh),
and Greg Rossiter (1st place in Replacement Class)