Last Saturday marked the inaugural National Sheep Breeders Association (NSBA) championship. The event, held in Cillín Hill Mart in Co Kilkenny, was set up to act as a go-to event for all pedigree and commercial sheep breeders, incorporating national shows and live demos.

The day was a massive success, with crowds coming from all corners of Ireland as well as further afield. Ireland carries a longstanding reputation of producing top-quality livestock across all sectors, and that reputation for the sheep sector was proved on Saturday, with quality on show across all breeds.

A testament to the quality on show, massive crowds gathered around the rings of an indoor event on one of the hottest days of the year.

Commitment

Both the NSBA and its sponsors must be thanked for their commitment in ensuring that Ireland maintains its position as one of the top countries in the world at producing pedigree sheep.

It’s events like this that highlight the quality of sheep we produce year on year.

The day saw 10 breeds on show, a large commercial section as well as a number of other breeds which displayed stock on stands.

Across all the sections of the show, nearly 700 sheep were presented in front of 11 judges, with judging taking place from 10.30am to nearly 4.30pm.

Some of the very worthy champions in each breed are detailed below. Five breeds brought their national finals to the event. Full results from the Charollais nationals can be found on P61, with the Zwartbles, Texels, Suffolks and Belclare in next week’s paper.