Texel Sheep Society celebrates 50 years

News Letter

The “number one sheep breed in the UK” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with the Balmoral Show being one of the first events to kick off celebrations.

Transcript

00:00Well, going after the spring and the bad weather that we've had, it's an absolute credit to

00:05these guys, the way they've turned these sheep out today.

00:08Sheep were well-fleshed, they were well-grown as well, and now they're a credit to the exhibitors

00:15today.

00:16The first imports came in in the early 70s, and the imports were brought in to improve

00:21the carcass on the commercial lamb, and they certainly did that in a massive way.

00:28In the latter years, the taxel hasn't just been used to produce the butcher's lamb, it's

00:34actually been used now to produce females as well that can go on to another terminal

00:38sire and produce a commercial lamb in turn as well.

00:44There has been a change.

00:47The main reason the breed was brought in was for carcass, not so much worrying about characteristics

00:52or anything like that, but over the years, that side has changed, and as it's important

01:00to keep the carcass side, it's also, especially for the show ring, to find them sheep with

01:06that slightly bit more character through their heads and ears.

01:10Ballin' Whirl is obviously, it's the first royal show of all the royals in the Northern

01:16Ireland and the mainland, and it's a great way to start the celebrations over what I

01:22call back home, because I originate from here, and it just gets everybody out, it gets all

01:27the breeders out, especially this year after such a hard spring, and it's just a great

01:32way to start the show season off here at Ballin' Whirl Show.

01:35Well, currently the taxel is the number one sire in the UK by quite a margin, and as long

01:42as we continue to look after the commercial side, as in breeding sheep that can produce

01:49very good, fast-growing, quality lambs for the butcher shop, then the future's always

01:54going to be bright for the taxels.

01:57The wife and the kids have got their own flock, and the kids are seriously big into the show,

02:02and getting out, it's all for the young ones, to get out, showing these sheep, meeting new

02:09people and picking up new ideas, and yeah, it's all for the young ones, really.

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