We got to meet what are probably the prettiest sheep at Balmoral 2024 – the Valais Blacknose. The Valais Blacknose, (German: Walliser Schwarznasenschaf), is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Valais region of Switzerland. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for wool. The breed originates in the mountains of the canton of Valais – from which its name derives – and of the Bernese Oberland. It is documented as far back as the fifteenth century, but the present German name was not used before 1884; the breed standard dates from 1962. In the past there was some cross-breeding with imported sheep: in the nineteenth century with Bergamasca and Cotswold stock, and in the twentieth century with the Southdown. Joanne Knox went along to meet the Valais Blacknose at the show.
