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Weekly Update: 15/05/2015

2015 €uro-Star Evaluations

In recent weeks a number of breeders have been requesting that Sheep Ireland publicise an early run of genetic evaluations for 2015 born sheep. While we have been running a number of test evaluations in house for a number of weeks now, we are now in a position to publish an evaluation on our website. However this evaluation needs to be viewed with caution. While we have passed the deadline for entry of 2015 lambing data, there is a substantial amount of data that has yet to be uploaded to the Sheep Ireland database. This data will without doubt have a substantial impact on some animal’s genetic evaluations.

A summary of the data yet to be included in our 2015 genetic evaluations include:

  • A significant amount of lamb weight data from the 5,000 + commercial ewes involved in our CPT and MALP recording projects.
  • Commercial data from other sources – Teagasc flocks, performance recording commercial farmers, flocks participating in Task 2 of STAP.
  • LambPlus breeders lambing data – We continue to key the lambing data submitted by paper recording LambPlus breeders.
  • LambPlus weight data – Lamb weights continue to be collected and entered on the Sheep Ireland database weekly.
  • Muscle and Backfat scanning data – Our Ultrasound scanning season is about to begin again. This is another significant source of data which can influence the €uro-Star evaluations.

 

A combination of all the above illustrates the importance of breeders viewing the first run of genetic evaluations in context. Culling decisions SHOULD NOT be made solely based on these early €uro-Star evaluations. Breeders should cull at this stage of the year based on physical incorrectness etc. As we approach ram sale season, the vast majority of 2015 performance data will be included in the Sheep Ireland evaluations at this point. Low accuracy values continue to pose the greatest challenge to the sheep €uro-Star evaluations. With this in mind breeders must remain aware of the importance of waiting until all sources of data are utilised annually.

 

Sheep 2015

This event is taking place on Saturday 20th June in the Teagasc Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway and without doubt promises to be the biggest sheep themed event in the 2015 calendar. All interests in the sheep industry will be catered for on the day and Sheep Ireland will have a strong presence. For more information on this major showcase go to the Teagasc website and search under ‘events’ or click here. This is an occasion not to be missed by anyone involved in the industry. We will carry more detail on the event in this update as we get closer to the event.