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Performance recording – an extra tool for good stockmanship
Provided by
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) is the organisation responsible for the development, promotion and marketing of Welsh red meat.
For the last 5 years, HCC has delivered the Red Meat Development Programme, a strategic initiative aimed to improve profitability and sustainability in the red meat supply chain. The three projects within the Programme are Stoc+, the Hill Ram Scheme and the Welsh Lamb Meat Quality Project.
HCC also works to promote Welsh red meat and develop new markets at home and abroad. It also supports the industry through research and development, information dissemination and support and training throughout the supply chain.
To find out more:
Call: 01970 625050
Email: info@hybucig.cymru
Visit: meatpromotion.wales/en/industry-projects/red-meat-development-programme
It was 2018 when Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) first launched its innovative Hill Ram Scheme as part of its five-year Red Meat Development Programme.
Five years on and the project has come to a close and has born a wealth of positive results for the farmers who took part, as well as wider benefits for the industry.
Despite some initial hesitation from some farmers at the launch of the project, flocks who took part in the scheme have cited producing better lambs and ewes as one of the key results from the project.
Overall 54 farmers took part in the scheme – 9 more than the original target of 45.
© DNA Shepherding
Increased demand
An increased demand for performance recorded sheep and rams and more farmers becoming interested in performance recorded sheep and Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) were also noted as positive outcomes on a project-wide basis.
82% of farmers on the scheme now note that they utilize EBVs when buying in new rams.
HCC’s Producer and Processor Lead, John Richards, explains:
“There was certainly some hesitation from some part of the industry when we launched the scheme, whereby farmers may have thought we were trying to eradicate the traditional upland breeds and change the visual aesthetic of the hill breeds you will typically find in Wales.”
Empowering farming businesses
John continued “The truth is that the scheme allows and encourages Welsh hill farmers to maintain these breeds on the hill, whilst also empowering their businesses with performance and genetic data.
“It is about understanding what was going on beneath the skin and producing more efficient animals in line with market specifications.”
‘Some of the individual results and feedback from farmers has been truly heartening and shows that when traditional systems and industry innovation combine, the results can be very powerful.”
Measuring lamb growth rates and maternal traits were regarded as the most valuable to Hill Ram Scheme farmers.
© Performance recorded stock from the Hill Ram Scheme
An extra tool for farmers
Ed Williams, a seasoned performance recorder, who took part in the scheme who farms near Talybont on Usk in Breconshire sums it up best when he says “performance recording is not a replacement for good stockmanship – it’s an extra tool.”
Carys Jones, a Leader Flock who farms in the Tywi valley in west Wales, who joined the Scheme at the very beginning echoed Ed’s thoughts when it comes to some farmers’ hesitancy around EBVs.
“Some buyers do not trust EBVs or have enough understanding of them.”
“Many may think it is not possible to find their preferred breed type and have high indices, but here at Carreg Cyn Ffyrdd they have proven that this is possible as we only breed replacements from the sheep in the top 50%, in terms of indices.”
Both Carys and Ed are also part of the ProHill ram breeders group – a stand alonecollaboration between Wales’ performance recorded breeders.
The group includes many of the Hill Ram Scheme participants and they hold an independent sale every year in Aberystwyth, providing a unique platform to sell their performance recorded stock.
Legacy
Though HCC’s project has come to an end, Carys, Ed and the ProHill group will continue to forge a successful path for performance recorded stock in Wales, for the good of their individual farm businesses and the sheep sector overall in Wales.
John Richards concluded “Whilst the Hill Ram Scheme has come to an end, this really is only the beginning for many of these farmers.”
“We would like to think that we have helped ignite the spark but that the farmers themselves now will be able to carry on with these improvements and gains, and we look forward to witnessing how their legacy unfolds.”