North Country Cheviot breeders in Northern Ireland (NI) have established a club and are organising a sale of breeding stock for early September.
Over 500 sheep are currently entered for the inaugural sale in Dungannon Farmers’ Mart on Thursday 5 September. The sale will include ewe lambs, hoggets, rams and draft ewes.
There has been an increased interest in Cheviot Mules in NI in recent years. These sheep were initially imported from Scotland and England and are bred by crossing a Cheviot ewe to a Bluefaced Leicester ram.
Similar to the traditional Mule (Blackface ewe and Bluefaced Leicester ram cross), the Cheviot Mule is a maternal breed that is suitable for lowland farms.
Cheviot Mules can then be crossed to a Suffolk ram to produce ewes that are similar to the traditional Suffolk Cheviot.
However, most sheep breeders maintain that the presence of Bluefaced Leicester genetics means that the ewes are more prolific than the traditional Suffolk-Cheviot-cross.
“We see an opportunity for more sheep farmers in upland areas in Ireland to keep Cheviot sheep and cross them to Bluefaced Leicester rams to meet the growing demand for Cheviot Mules,” sale organiser and Co Derry sheep farmer Eoin Kelly said.
The event in Dungannon starts with a pre-sale show at 11am and the auction begins at 1pm.
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