SIS ram eligibility: For farmers participating in the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), satisfactorily completing the genotyped ram action is a key component of the scheme in the first three years.
If it is identified that the genotyped ram action was not carried out within the first three years of the scheme, then an applicant will be withdrawn from the scheme with significant penalties also imposed.
It is important to be aware that where a farmer had opted to purchase a ram in year two and had not completed this action, then the requirement to purchase a genotyped ram rolls forward to year three – ie the requirement does not lapse just because a penalty for year two may have been imposed.
It is also important to ensure that the correct paperwork is in place to show that the ram has been purchased and moved in to the flock. I have heard stories of rams being purchased by a third party such as an agent on behalf of the farmer and the required movement documents to prove the animal was transferred in to the flock not being in place or sale remittance not showing that the ram was actually purchased by the flock in question. The ram must also meet the required eligibility on the date of purchase – ie the date that it moves in to your flock.
For farmers who want to double check their actions or the year they opted to complete the genotyped ram action, this can be found on the SIS portal on agfood.ie.
Slaughter performance: As touched on in last week’s sheep trends, there are varying reports on the slaughter performance of lambs. Some procurement agents have cautioned against delaying drafting lambs, particularly those which are receiving supplementary feed, due to the risk of lambs going overweight.
The more frequent issue being reported is lambs killing poorly off grass, with some procurement agents reporting farmers being caught where drafting at low weights or disappointed with slaughter performance. The general kill out for mid-season-born lambs at this stage of the year could average in the region of 42% to 43%, with meal supplemented lambs rising to 44% to 45%. Ram lambs drafted off grass which have a medium-to-poor cover of flesh could kill out back to 40% or lower for aged lots. It is important to take care to draft lambs on a combination of fat cover and weight and not to just focus on weight alone.
Where drafting light lambs and worried about the kill-out, then the live trade is generally a better option with keen demand for store lambs.
SIS hill sheep sales: Dates have been announced for hill breeding group ram sales and can be found on the Sheep Ireland website at sheep.ie/sales. Catalogues, once available, can also be found at this link in advance of the sale. The first sale is the West Kerry Scotch Mountain shearling ram sale taking place in Dingle Mart, Kerry on 14 September at 11am.
Genomic inbreeding checker: Sheep Ireland has launched a new genomic inbreeding checker where two genotyped rams of the same breed can be compared to each other to see what level of relationship exists between the two animals. The facility is an option on www.ramsearch.ie and can be accessed by clicking ‘genomic inbreeding’. It works similar to the current inbreeding checker that is available to LambPlus breeders and details the risk as low, medium or high.
SIS ram eligibility: For farmers participating in the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), satisfactorily completing the genotyped ram action is a key component of the scheme in the first three years.
If it is identified that the genotyped ram action was not carried out within the first three years of the scheme, then an applicant will be withdrawn from the scheme with significant penalties also imposed.
It is important to be aware that where a farmer had opted to purchase a ram in year two and had not completed this action, then the requirement to purchase a genotyped ram rolls forward to year three – ie the requirement does not lapse just because a penalty for year two may have been imposed.
It is also important to ensure that the correct paperwork is in place to show that the ram has been purchased and moved in to the flock. I have heard stories of rams being purchased by a third party such as an agent on behalf of the farmer and the required movement documents to prove the animal was transferred in to the flock not being in place or sale remittance not showing that the ram was actually purchased by the flock in question. The ram must also meet the required eligibility on the date of purchase – ie the date that it moves in to your flock.
For farmers who want to double check their actions or the year they opted to complete the genotyped ram action, this can be found on the SIS portal on agfood.ie.
Slaughter performance: As touched on in last week’s sheep trends, there are varying reports on the slaughter performance of lambs. Some procurement agents have cautioned against delaying drafting lambs, particularly those which are receiving supplementary feed, due to the risk of lambs going overweight.
The more frequent issue being reported is lambs killing poorly off grass, with some procurement agents reporting farmers being caught where drafting at low weights or disappointed with slaughter performance. The general kill out for mid-season-born lambs at this stage of the year could average in the region of 42% to 43%, with meal supplemented lambs rising to 44% to 45%. Ram lambs drafted off grass which have a medium-to-poor cover of flesh could kill out back to 40% or lower for aged lots. It is important to take care to draft lambs on a combination of fat cover and weight and not to just focus on weight alone.
Where drafting light lambs and worried about the kill-out, then the live trade is generally a better option with keen demand for store lambs.
SIS hill sheep sales: Dates have been announced for hill breeding group ram sales and can be found on the Sheep Ireland website at sheep.ie/sales. Catalogues, once available, can also be found at this link in advance of the sale. The first sale is the West Kerry Scotch Mountain shearling ram sale taking place in Dingle Mart, Kerry on 14 September at 11am.
Genomic inbreeding checker: Sheep Ireland has launched a new genomic inbreeding checker where two genotyped rams of the same breed can be compared to each other to see what level of relationship exists between the two animals. The facility is an option on www.ramsearch.ie and can be accessed by clicking ‘genomic inbreeding’. It works similar to the current inbreeding checker that is available to LambPlus breeders and details the risk as low, medium or high.
SHARING OPTIONS