Welsh Hill Speckled Face Sire Reference Group

Sire Reference Scheme set up in 1999

By putting a number of ewes in each flock to the same ram - “reference sires”, the performance of lambs in each of the members’ flocks can be compared.

Aims of the Sire Reference Scheme

• Improve carcass quality
• Increase lamb weaning weights
• Scrapie genotyping
• Maintaining hardiness and breed type
• Parasite resistance

Faecal samples are taken from the lambs, so that information on the resistance to parasites can be used to produce an EBV for egg count.

The intention is that breeders will then be able to look at selecting animals which are naturally more resistant to worms.

This EBV is separate to and is not included in the Welsh Hill Index.

Test Flock established at Pwllpeiran in 2002
Aims of the Test Flock
• Provide a testing ground for potential reference sires
• High Index Scrapie Group 1 ram lambs are used
• Progeny evaluation
• Increase the rate of genetic progress