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3 Editorial From The Chairman... 4 From Your President... 5 Publicity Report... 6 Grand Auction Of Elite Females & Genetics... 7 Association News... 8 Bluefaced Leicesters In Southern Ireland... 9 Flock Features - Burnbank Flock Lowes Fell Scarrowmanwick th Anniversary Celebrations Step By Step Guide To Registering Lambs On The Association s Database Performance Mules The Bluefaced Leicester - The Cashmere Of Britain Female Sale Report Regional News Advertising Blackface Sheep Breeders Assoc...6 Campbell A...IBC Carrs Billington...11, 13 Celtic Sheep Breeding Services...4 Cousin I R...9 Crystalyx...24 Exmoor Farmers Livestock Auctions Ltd...20 Harrison & Hetherington...15 Hawes Auction Mart...9 Hexham Auction Mart...12 Hutchinson W M & Sons...IBC Innovis Breeding Services... IFC James, M...21 Lanark Auction Mart...22 North Country Cheviot Sheep Society...26 North Of England Mule Sheep Assc...25 Owen E...17 Paragon Veterinary Group...10 Penrith Auction Mart...8 Ruthin Auction Mart...20 Scotch Mule Assoc...27 Swaledale Sheep Breeders Assoc...14 Walton, M...22 Welsh Mule Assoc...23 Association Contacts - Chairman - Aled Jones, Meddiant Isaf, Tal-y-cafn, Conwy Tel: Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association Secretary - Helen Carr-Smith Riverside View, Warwick Road, Carlisle CA1 2BS Tel: / Fax: info@blueleicester.co.uk Charity Number: Welcome Subscriptions The Annual Subscription for the Association still remains the same at 25. There are still a few members who have not paid their subscription for this year. If you would like to set up a standing order to make sure your payment is received on time then please contact the office for an application form. Ear Tagging 2012 The Association Council has approved the supply of two tags to members again this year. There is no change in the cost of the lamb registration fee and remains at 7 + VAT for a pair of tags. Your usual yellow button tag will be the EID tag and your secondary visual tag will also be a button tag, both marked with the lamb s UK individual ID. The yellow button tag will also be marked with the Bluefaced Leicester pedigree identification which the letter this year is E. For any members who wish to order replacement tags, please make sure you know the individual UK ID number when ordering as tags cannot be ordered without this information. Your registration form for your 2012 lambs will be sent out with your receipt from your tag order form. Please note again this year the Association will not be offering match up tags. Grassroots Online Database & Lamb Registrations From the forms received in the office and from registrations entered on line by members, the details for last year s registered lambs have now been collated together and are now in the hands of our printers ready to produce your Flock Book for 2011 which should be with you by the end of April. Members have free access to the database and can be found at Here members can check their flock details and by using their personal password they can manage their flock on-line by registering their own sheep, deleting dead animals and notifying the database of transfers. Personal details can also be amended. Animal details can t be amended the office will have to be notified of any changes required. If you have not returned your 2011 Registration form to the office, then not only will you be missing from the flock book but no tags will be issued to you until the form is returned to the office. If you have lost your 2011 registration form or if you have forgotten your password for the database then please contact the office and we will be happy to send you a reminder. Gift Aid This is of no cost to members, and provides a very useful financial input into the Association funds. If you have not already signed up to Gift Aid or would like more information then please contact the office for an application form. And Finally... I wish to express my congratulations to all members past and present of the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association in this it s 50th Anniversary Year. Let s hope this is one of our most successful years ever with some wonderful shows and events planned for members old and new to enjoy. Here s wishing you all a successful lambing and a fantastic year for the breed. See you at the shows. Helen Carr-Smith - Secretary Front Cover - Top Left - Midlock D41 sold at Hawes in 2011 for 14,000 from Messrs Wight, hosts of the 2012 Scottish Region Open Day. Top Right - 23,000 Breed Record Holder from Messrs Alderson, Howgill Grange Bottom Left - 11,000 Breed Female Record Holder from Messrs Lord, Hewgill Bottom Right - Myfyrian C1 sold at Builth Wells in 2010 for 5,040 from Messrs Roberts, hosts of the 2012 Welsh Region Open Day.

4 From the Chair The 50th Year Is Here Life is like a box of chocolates says Forest Gump. The diversity in our Association is certainly testimony to the delights I have found in meeting new people and getting to know others better. Your encounters at shows and sales, I m sure bring similar experiences and we all have stories to tell of the characters we have met from various parts of the country. Well it is here, the 50th year and I would like to thank the founder members and their families who recognised the qualities of our great breed and had the conviction and foresight to start the Association. Thank you also to all Council Members, Regional Chairmen and Trustees past and present for their tireless, selfless commitment to our Association. My sincere thanks to Helen and Rachael for supporting me so wholeheartedly this year. I m sure I can thank you on behalf of all the members for your hard work and patience when we farmers don t get our paper work in on time! Thank Aled with his Supreme Champion - Welshpool Sale 2011 you also to our publicity officer Matt and of course Elaine for all their energy and creativity. The Association Trustees continue to develop a robust structure where accountability is integral to all decisions that are made. Confidence should be gained from the knowledge that Association income and expenditure are monitored and recorded diligently in line with the Charity Commissions recommendations. As you will be aware Clark Lamont retires as a Trustee at this year s AGM and I would like to thank him on behalf of the Association but also personally for all the help, support and impartial advice he has given me. As the founder members pushed new frontiers we find ourselves with new challenges, whether they be disease containment or regulatory control and I would like to confirm that the Association Council and Trustees meet regularly to deal with such important matters. Your Regional Chairmen and women also work diligently ensuring the years events run smoothly and each region is well represented. A History of the Breed by Jeremy Hunt written on the 25th Anniversary of the breed reveals how the Leicester has changed over the years and how breeders have ensured they meet the demands of their local markets. There is nothing new under the sun. This adaptability is the strength of our breed and I m confident it will ensure the Bluefaced Leicester will continue to dominate the UK sheep industry beyond the next 50 years. Looking ahead we have a great year of Progeny Shows at Co Antrim, Penrith and Welshpool and a new event at Turriff in Scotland. We launch the Youth Scholarship Scheme partly funded by an auction of Elite genetics and have Regional farm open days at Midlock and Myfyrian, neither of which need any introduction from me. Thanks to the hard work of John Townson our former chairman we also have our anniversary weekend of events in August, including farm visits to Whinfell Park and Lowther Estate and of course our dinner dance with guest speaker. The tickets are selling well and I would encourage you to attend this prestigious event if you possibly can. Well it s time to open the next layer of chocolates and it is my pleasure to welcome John Stott of the Lund flock to be your new Chairman from June this year. John returns to Chair the Association for a second term having served back in You can t keep a good man down and John is certainly that, as was proved in 2011 when his family won the prestigious Farmers Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year award. Best wishes for 2012 and here s hoping we share great times and a firm trade. 4

5 From Your Association s President 50 Years Young The concept of the original Looking Ahead Magazine was to encourage members of the Association to remain forward thinking. In the 50th year of the Association, a quick review of the past challenges the breeders faced and how the Association developed to its present position might be of interest to today s members. Above all else, while looking back the most important lesson we should draw is that success has been maintained because breeders have continued to respond as the demands of the market changed. After the inaugural meeting of the Association was held in November 1962, the organising group moved quickly to create the rules and recruit members. I can remember a meeting of breeders at Old Parks where the inspection system and standards were set and registration by tattoo demonstrated followed by locally based inspectors visiting farms prior to sale. The support they received must have been gratifying and the first Association sale catalogues for 1963 show that the Association hit the ground running with 533 rams at the Lazonby sale on 25th September and 385 rams at Hexham on 9th October. David Raine As the Bluefaced Leicester spread further into Scotland, the need to distinguish the breed from the established Border Leicester and particularly cross bred rams increased the emphasis on blue colour and the same demand was seen as the Welsh market was developed. With the spread of the breed, the council found it difficult to continue the onfarm inspection system so inspections were transferred to sale days. Members of the Association Council took an active role in developing these new markets by taking pure bred stock to demonstrations, shows and sales where very few Bluefaced Leicesters were previously seen. With the establishment of the Welsh, North Of England and Scotch Mule Associations, the breeds were well placed to exploit the high demand for breeding stock which resulted from the establishment of the European Sheep meat regime. From a very local crossbred, the Mule dominated the British sheep industry and the Bluefaced Leicester was used on many differing hill breeds to supply the market. Lucky Dip - sire of 14 lambs at Lazonby sale 1963 Carlisle held it s first Association sale in 1965 with over 700 rams forward. Many familiar names are present in those early catalogues, most notably the three Yeats brothers including Arthur who continues to support the work of the Association 50 years on. The History Of The Breed published for the 25th Anniversary documents how the breed developed over the hundred years prior to the Association from its first recorded presence as the Hexham Leicester. By 1962 the breed had spread from Hexham and Northumberland across Durham and Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire and after much debate the new Association was defined as the Bluefaced Leicester Association. Now organised, the breeders began to promote the Mule and Bluefaced to wider markets and the number of Scottish breeders began to increase rapidly with Jim Cruickshank invited to judge at the third Lazonby sale and act as referee at the first Hawes sale in As Bluefaced Leicester breeders began to specialise in breeding for specific and more local dam breeds, the goal of a uniform breed type became secondary to good conformation and soundness of the animal became more important. Whilst the sheep sector began to contract and the demand for breeding stock fell, the emphasis on quality greatly increased so the Association took a number of initiatives to encourage breeders to address conformation, mouths and performance of the commercial ewe. The sheep industry now has to rely more on the returns from the market and less on direct and indirect support with the value of the slaughter lamb funding commercial and pedigree breeding. Potential customers out in the sheep industry will make their choice of breeding on evidence of the commercial performance of the ewe. The Mule is a high performance ewe and provided we as Bluefaced Leicester breeders continue to respond to the needs of the market the great success of the first 50 years of our Association will be continued. 50th Anniversary The Association has a new 50th Anniversary tie available to buy. Please contact the office to purchase yours today. 5

6 Celebrate this milestone to an even... Brighter Future By Matt Drummond This year the Bluefaced Leicester Association celebrates its 50th year, confidence and enthusiasm in the breed and of its progeny the Mule is as high as it has ever been in the Association s 50 year history. The high quality stock and packed sale rings led to a buoyant trade with record prices at our female sales in January, a great start to the Bluefaced Leicester s anniversary year. Two of the flock features in this year s Looking Ahead are on founding flocks of our Association, Lowes Fell and Scarrowmanwick. They both have stood the test of time over the 50 years, breeding their own particular type of Bluefaced Leicester but with the same ultimate goal of breeding the sires of quality Mules. The third flock feature is on two young men at the opposite end of the scale with their Burnbank flock. Not that long in the breed but filled with youthful enthusiasm and dedication they are achieving well with both their pure Bluefaced Leicesters and Scotch Mules. A year of celebrations are planned, the main event to be held on the 11th and 12th August - an auction of Elite stock, two farm visits and a grand dinner with guest speaker all taking place that weekend. Two other events not to be missed are the open days at the esteemed flocks of Midlock and Myfyrian, a great opportunity to visit the farming enterprises of these highly respected stock rearing families. A Northern Progeny Show and anniversary celebrations is to take place at Turriff Show on the 6th August as well as many extra events at other shows. A new Association stand has been bought for 2012, the first event it will be displayed at will be Scotsheep on the 6th June at Morrisons Farm, Dumfries House, Ayrshire. It is extremely important for us to project a professional modern businesslike image at these events and this new stand will help us achieve this. Our Association is to start promoting Mules sired by high index performance recorded Bluefaced Leicester rams, we are to brand these Mules as Performance Mules. There is an ever increasing demand for commercial ewes sired by performance recorded sires and we do need to have sheep to supply these buyers or they will go to another competing recorded breeds to source ewes for their flocks. We had a number of meetings at the beginning of the year to promote the Performance Mule and to show our members the benefits of performance recording and encourage them to participate in this scheme. I must thank Alison Glasgow and Sam Boon from EBLEX, Rod MacKenzie from the Scottish Sheep Strategy and Dewi Jones from HCC for all their help at these meetings. I was very lucky to be invited to a meeting on Genomics in maternal sheep breeds at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, creators of Dolly the sheep. Genomics is the identification of breeding traits from a simple DNA sample without the need to performance record the animal. The potential is enormous as well as being able to select for growth rate, maternal ability and other traits that we can record conventionally, now we will be able to select for resistance to disease, foot rot or parasites. We will also be able to select for carcase eating quality or anything else that can be measured. This is not science fiction from the future but is happening today. At the beginning of April the UK dairy sector started to reap the benefits of Genomics. A bull calf can be tested the day it is born and it s genetic worth can be measured without the need to wait for more than five years for the records of his daughters to be collected. The British Limousin Cattle Society has started to collect genomic data for the improvement of carcase traits so it keeps ahead of its competitors. Other maternal sheep breeds are seriously looking at the how they will use this technology and we must do the same but first we must increase the number of flocks performance recording so we have somewhere to start from. This year we will be promoting the attributes of the Mule in Southern Ireland. We will be attending Sheep 2012 at Teagasc, Mellows Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway on Saturday 30 June 2012 as well advertising and placing articles in newspapers. The potential for increasing the use of the Mule in Ireland is enormous as their farmers strive to increase the efficiency of their flocks. I would like to thank all who have contributed and advertised in this magazine and hope you enjoy reading it. We can look forward to a great year and celebrate this milestone to an even brighter future. 6

7 50 Years Young 7

8 Arthur Yeats Is Awarded The T I Allinson Memorial Award Stalwart of the Bluefaced Leicester sheep breed, 82-year-old Arthur Yeats from Northumberland has been awarded the NSA Northern Region s prestigious lifetime achievement award. The annual TI Allinson Memorial Award is given to people who have made a major contribution to the sheep industry in the North of England. Arthur was presented with his award at the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association North East Regional Annual Meeting held in Tow Law by Carl Stephenson representing the NSA During his 50 years of Association with the Bluefaced Leicesters Arthur has held just about every position possible within the Association being its Chairman in 1982/1983 and its President in 1992/1993. Arthur is also a Trustee of the Association a position he has held for the past 15 years. In 1991 when the Association was split into regions Arthur took Your Vice Chairman Arthur Yeats (right) receiving his award from Carl Stephenson on the role of North East Chairman until 1995, and Arthur now continues assisting with the regional meetings taking minutes. When the Association was founded back in 1962 the panel of Inspectors was then divided up in to regions and Arthur was among one of fourteen Inspectors who covered the Haltwhistle to Brampton area, and Arthur is still travelling the length and breadth of the UK inspecting and classifying Bluefaced Leicesters at progeny shows and Association sales. Arthur who was also a Bluefaced breeder in his own right farming at Mill House Farm, Bardon Mill until his retirement in 1996, is also a noted breed judge. Arthur has judged at all the major shows around the country and a majority of County shows including The Royal Welsh, The Royal Highland, The Royal, The Royal Lancashire and The Great Yorkshire Shows. John (middle) pictured with his son Simon (left) and Matt Baker at the Farmers Weekly Awards last year John farms at Laund Farm, Chipping, Preston, Lancashire along with his wife Christine and their son Simon and wife Rachel. Simon was awarded the Sheep Farmer Of The Year at last year s Farmers Weekly 2011 awards. They breed pure Bluefaced Leicesters and using their own progeny on a Swaledale flock to produce the Mule lamb. They specialise in selling 400 Mule lambs a year and 30 Bluefaced Leicester rams. It was John s father, the late John Stott who pioneered the Bluefaced Leicester in Lancashire over 50 years ago and started breeding what was soon to become the indomitable Mule. They also run a sheep dairy milking 400 Friesland ewes and they sell all the males via the meat market and the females to other milking farmers or for replacement stock. The sheep milk sector is growing fast, particularly for cheese and yoghurt production as lactose intolerant consumers look for alternatives to cow and goat milk. John s son spotted the opportunity and set up his own farmer co-operative selling the milk from seven neighbouring sheep farms on contracts to 12 dairies. They achieve a price of 1/litre for the milk, with the cost of production of 86p/litre. 8

9 The Irish Blues 50 Years Young By Thomas Staunton - Mask View One of this year s tup lambs by Midlock Controversey owned by Tom Staunton, Mask View flock The popularity of the Bluefaced Leicester in the south of Ireland is ever increasing. This is mainly on the back of an increased demand for good Mule ewe lambs and hoggetts at sales in particular in the west of Ireland. Last year s Mule trade was impressive with tops of 210 Euros and 220 Euros for lambs and hoggetts respectively. The average price was up 30 Euros on the previous year and near 100% clearance at both sales in Ballinrobe. The first Bluefaced Leicester rams were introduced into Ireland in the early 1980 s by Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture. They were introduced into areas with large numbers of Scotch ewes with the aim of producing a prolific Mule ewe to sell to lowland breeders. The demand for Mules is growing year on year with the sale of Mayo Mules ever increasing. With a demand like this, the demand for Blues is sure to follow. The Mule ewe makes up nearly half of the UK flock, in Ireland it is only making up a small percentage of the national flock. The lowland producers use predominantly Suffolk and Texel crosses as breeding ewes. Because of this I see an opportunity for Bluefaced Leicester breeders and Mule breeders to promote, develop and expand the breed in the South. Four years ago the Bluefaced Leicester breeders here went about organising a ram sale in Ballinrobe. The sale is run complying with all Association rules with all registered stock but is not an official sale. The sale has been very successful and the quality of stock is improving year on year with good sires been purchased in Ballymena and across the water and semen from some of the breeds finest sires also been used. Last September the sale demand for good quality rams was excellent. We had the pleasure of having Douglas Hall over from Scotland to judge the rams. The sale had a 98% clearance and an average of 884 Euros for shearlings with a top of 1200 Euros for a shearling from Aughafoy. The breed in the south is gaining interest and the buyers came from near and far. Many rams were sold into the Roscommon area where they are crossed on Suffolk ewes to increase prolificacy and milkiness of their ewe. We hope that our sale in Ballinrobe can be developed as an official Association sale. It is important now for us and the breed to keep promoting and developing the Bluefaced Leicester. A national sheep event is taking place in Athenry, Galway in May and it is a perfect event for show casing the Bluefaced Leicester. We will run classes as a show of the breed and hopefully it is a starting point for attracting future buyers this year. Other events such as the Tullamore Show (largest show in Ireland) and the Ploughing championships will also be targeted for promotion. On the Association s 50th anniversary it is brilliant to see that popularity of the breed is still growing and see that the future for the breed looks promising. HAWES - NORTH YORKSHIRE - DL8 3NP Tel: Fax: office@hawesmart.co.uk Monday & Tuesday 17th & 18th September The Great Annual Two Day Show & Sale of 32,000 Mule Gimmer Lambs on behalf of the North of England Mule Sheep Association. Judging 8am. Sale 9am each day. Monday 1st October Second Sale of 12,000 Mule Gimmer Lambs & Shearlings. Judging 8am. Sale 9am. Followed by a Catalogued Sale of 2,000 Store Lambs. Thursday 4th October Annual Prize Show & Sale of 1,000 Registered Bluefaced Leicester Rams & Females for the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association. Judging 7.30am. Sale 9am. Monday 8th October The Great Annual Special Sale of 5,000 Registered and Unregistered Uncrossed Swaledale Ewes and Gimmer Shearlings. Sale 10am. Enquiries R J Lund or M Scott

10 When the Bluefaced Leicester Association was formed in 1962 the founding fathers probably didn t realise how great the influence of the breed was going to be on the national flock, or how far afield they would spread. Now most counties of the UK have at least one flock of Bluefaced Leicesters registered within, and breeders old and young enthuse about the breed. Every breed needs its young, enthusiastic members and the Bluefaced Leicester s are no different from any other. One of the latest members of the breed and probably some of the youngest genuine shepherds are John and James Graham from the Burnbank flock based near Stirling. The brother s parents, Douglas and Lynda Graham are well known amongst livestock circles especially for the Burnbank herd of Limousins, which runs to around 100 head of breeding females. The farm also hosted a very successful Scot Sheep event a few years ago where several thousand visitors, got to see the Burnbank sheep operation which runs to 1000 head of sheep consisting of Blackface and Mule ewes. A Promising Future For The Graham Brothers (L to R) James and John Graham John and James got their first ewes in 2003 from A S McQustin of the Barnshanagan flock, Newton Stewart, when Lynda bought two in lamb gimmers at the Cally market, Stirling to encourage the youngsters. Their flock now runs to 25 ewes, and they are certainly very enthusiastic about their sheep now, so that plan worked out well! year they showed at the Highland for the first time, picking up a 6th prize, but on the evidence of their success don t rule them out doing better this next time round as the first time they showed it was at Stirling and they walked away with the interbreed title with a lamb out of one of the bought in gimmers, and this feat is something that still drives them on. The boys are certainly keen on showing their sheep too, they show at Initially, they bred to more traditional bloodlines, but soon realised that four or five local shows, with strong competition in the classes and last they had a good market on their doorstep for some crossing bloodlines, as their Dad always needed tups for the Blackface ewes, and if they could produce what he needed, they figured SHEEP BREEDING SERVICES they had a ready made buyer! They splashed out 2200 on a tup from Alex A full range of advanced breeding Brown, Macqueston at Castle Douglas, techniques available including: who has done a real job on the ewes, leaving a good stamp of females in Embryo collection and transfer the flock. They try their tup lambs on Embryo freezing Blackface ewes at Burnbank and sell Artificial inseminations them as proven lamb getters as tup Semen collection shearlings through the Cally Market, and Semen freezing in 2010 tried a few at Castle Douglas, and are looking to be back there again Please contact us for availability and any queries at or soon. They have had a solid trade for andrew.hambleton@paragonvet.com their tups, selling up to a top of 850 so or victoria.bushby@paragon.vet.com far, selling regular away up in the upper Images courtesy of the Suffolk hundreds, which eases the burden on Sheep Society, Texel Sheep Society and the Blue Faced Leicester Sheep Society their parents pockets for demands of Paragon Veterinary Group is a member of pocket money! 10

11 50 Years Young facing a promising future in the sheep industry, with the breed which is, arguably, the most influential in the national flock. They have made a wise choice and with roots going back many years, it is good to see the future in safe hands, which would have been the wish of the breed s founding fathers. B15 S P Dalpeddar When looking for a tup, like many top breeders, they look for something with a good clean skin, good conformation and a good mouth. The latest tup to fit this check list is, a son of Z31 Old Hemley which they bought from Dalpeddar in Castle Douglas in 2010, which they shared with Douglas for This tup has really left his mark on his first crop of lambs and they are looking forwards to selling some of his progeny over the next few years too. Away from the Bluefaced Leicester s the brothers attend the local secondary school at Callander. John is keen on photography and they are both mad keen on farming and keen on the Blackface sheep too, although they haven t ventured into getting a flock of those yet. They have enough work on their hands, between school work and farm work, with 25 ewes, they feel! It is good to see the future of the breed is taking shape now, all over the country, where other keen youngsters, like the Graham brothers, are 11

12 The Blue Is The Ultimate Sire In The UK s Sheep Industry The birth place of the Bluefaced Leicester sheep was reflected in its initial name, the Hexham Leicester, and its roots can be traced directly back to the Dishley Leicester created by the pioneer of livestock breeding and agriculture, Robert Bakewell, in the mid 18th century. I am sure that Robert Bakewell would be pleased if he could see today how the genetic selection he started still plays a prominent role in the UK sheep flock even today. The Bluefaced Leicester breed still has a heart that beats strong in the Hexham area, with the Northumberland hills and surrounding areas great breeding grounds for the national flock, and several noted flocks going back many generations, from even before the formation of the official Association, still abound near the breed s spiritual home. Alan, Majorie & Peter Forster run the Lowes Fell flock, which is by coincidence, in this the Golden anniversary of the breed, Flock number 50. The first Leicester in the family came when Alan s father, Tom Forster got a pet lamb from Sewingshields, and then bought a ewe from Wydoncloughside more than seventy years ago. Alan, Majorie and Peter with their overall champion group at the Roman Wall and Northumberland County Shows in 2008 The Lowes fell flock was one of the founding flocks of 167 which started out the Association in 1962, and over the years has amassed many red and white tickets at shows and sales and a top notch reputation for producing top quality sheep, which still continues today, despite losing all their stock in the FMD of Lowes Fell overlooks the Tyne valley near Hexham and runs to 254 acres. The Forster family moved there in 1957 and over the years have added more land and now is a 440 acre unit which carries around 45/50 suckler cows, mainly Limousin crossbreds run with the Charolais bull, and a flock of 500 breeding ewes consisting of 300 Mules run with the Suffolk tup and 150 Blackface ewes which are bought in as gimmers and breed the Mules. Running alongside the flock of 20 Bluefaced ewes is a small flock of pure Suffolks too. All the calves and lambs are finished on the farm. Looking back over the years it is clear to see that Alan has enjoyed himself immensely at the local shows and sales, and as well as a great place for marketing sheep it is a great social time too. I started showing when I was 18, in 1972 says Alan, And it was in 1987 that I took my first interbreed title, when I won the Roman Wall show with a Mule ewe lamb, beating Arthur Yeats into reserve place with an old tup which had been unbeaten in 27 previous outings! It was then I felt we were competing at the very highest level he remembers. Another day which stands out was at the Hexham tup sales in 1986 when the Lowes Fell flock took both the champion and reserve places with a pair of twin tup lambs. It was when Hexham was in its heyday as a Bluefaced Leicester centre, so taking both tickets was some achievement, and when they went through the ring the champion sold for a breed record price of 4000 and its twin brought a very respectable 3500, and 15 tup lambs at the sale averaged out at 1037, which brought them the title of Flock of the Year, and their stock ram, Old Parks Z28, sire of the champion and reserve won sire of the year with three lambs averaging at Very respectable figures today even. Back in 1986 it was a canny do as they might say in Hexham! Lowes Fell G17

13 50 Years Young Champion (breed record 4000) and reserve champion ( 3500) Hexham sale in 1986 and Marriforth G1 were producing top quality Mule lambs with progeny show victories in 1995 and the champion pen of ten at the Hexham annual ewe lamb sale in 2000 continued to promote the flock. After the flock was culled in 2001 the difficult job of rebuilding was undertaken, and nine females were initially bought in, all either in lamb or sired by one of the three stock rams they had lost, namely Marriforth G1 and Lowes Fell G17, which were both nine years old and also Cairn Smiddy M2. They also bought two new stock rams, Sunningdale P1 and one of their old tups, Lowes Fell P27, both by the home bred Lowes Fell G17. This kept the Lowes Fell bloodlines uninterrupted despite the setback of the FMD. The flock is now still going strong thanks to these brought in sheep, which have seen even more highlights, including a massive boost for the flock and the breed as a whole as their stock tup Walton Rocket, took the champion of champions at the Northumberland show in 2009, only the second time this had been achieved with a sheep. They followed up with the same result the following year with the same tup, quite an unprecedented double. The A5 Walton sire also completed a double at the Hexham sale as his sons have taken the championship at the last two sales. These days it isn t Alan doing the showing quite so much, but rather his son Peter, 26, and his partner, Rachel, who are carrying on the Lowes Fell flock into its third generation. Lowes Fell G17 with winning progeny show group in 1995 Blackface ewes, with their Mule gimmers selling at Hexham as champions in three of the last four years, which maybe just goes to show it isn t all about colour as but more in bloodlines. Something s never change in the breed however, with big tups always the norm and something the Forsters look for when buying tups are tups with good conformation and skins, as well as a good mouth. Looking into the past is all very well, but Alan is convinced that the future looks good for the Blue too, with the Mule the number one sheep in the national flock, a position which looks unassailable and with EBLEX recording becoming more to the fore and carcase quality becoming more important Alan feels the Blue can offer even more, being so good on the maternal traits, producing the outstanding Mule which leaves a top quality fat lamb which is the end goal, it is the ultimate sire. C1 Lowes Fell Champion at Hexham in sired by A5 Walton Over the years many things have changed and fashions within the breed have altered, but one thing that the Bluefaced Leicester has had to do at Lowes Fell is to cross consistently well with the Blackface sheep to produce the prolific North of England Mule. Whilst the Lowes Fell tups have not gone down the crossing lines and remain pure traditional types, they certainly produce the goods when it comes to crossing with the 13

14 There is no better sheep in the UK than the Mule Robin Bell from the Scarrowmanwick flock is steeped in the history of the Bluefaced Leicester breed. Over the years the flock has set many landmarks through the sale ring and has wielded a great, but subtle, influence on the breed, from the formation of the breed Association, and way before that too. He is married to Frances and has been on the farm all his life. It was Robin s grandfather, John Thirwall, who started with Leicester s. He was farming at Hallbankgate at the time and in 1919 bought an in lamb ¾ bred Leicester ewe from a Mr Armstrong near Hexham. The ewe had an interesting journey, first on the train and the final leg of the journey was completed in Grandfathers sidecar. I can t see that being legal now! muses Robin. The price for this ewe? A princely 4. From this start it wasn t all roses and apparently the neighbours were convinced that John would bankrupt the farm spending so much on a ewe, but she had a ewe lamb and this was the foundation to the modern day Scarrowmanwick flock, with further tups from this line being sold to the former sceptical neighbours at sales held in Lazonby and Alston. In 1939, the Thirwells moved to Scarrowmanwick, walking the sheep from Hallbankgate to Scarrowmanwick, a good 10 or 11 miles. Imagine the queue behind you if you did that nowadays! Robin s father married John Thirwall s daughter in 1945, and was given four ewes to start his own flock. Robin s appetite for the breed was whetted when he realised he could get a day off school for the Lazonby sales. Anything that could get him a day off was seen as a good thing, Robin with one of his Blues England s premier hill sheep breed Adaptable and Versatile THE MOTHER OF THE CELEBRATED NORTH OF ENGLAND MULE EWE For further information please contact:- John Stephenson, Barnley View, Town Head, Eggleston, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham DL12 0DE jstephenson@swaledale-sheep.com / Tel: +44 (0) and I guess that still stands true nowadays to a lot of children! Robin recalls his father selling a gimmer lamb for a breed record price of 100, in 1949 to the Mosser Mains flock, and tup lambs in the 1950 s making up to 95, when the average wage was around 10 a week. Far from bankrupting the family, the Bluefaced Leicester s were providing quite a good income! Robin s father, Bob, was at the inaugural meeting of the Bluefaced Leicesters when they met in Kirkoswald in 1962, where they were given the Flock 14 number. The flock s reputation expanded as did the breed, with the Scarrowmanwick flock being the first to break into four figures, selling a ram lamb for 1000 at Lazonby, and females from the flock were sold far and wide, with many heading south into Wales, forming the genetic pool for the hot bed which is there now. The Scarrowmanwick flock suffered as many did during the dark days of 2001, with all but nine females being destroyed as the Foot and Mouth rampaged across Cumbria. These females at least kept the old Scarrowmanwick bloodlines, and two other good crossing females were bought from Peter Smith, The Dyke, these formed a foundation for rebuilding, but it hasn t been easy, as 14

15 50 Years Young Some Bluefaced Leicester rams Robin will be the first to admit. I am very particular about what stock I breed from and it has to be correct or I won t keep them for breeding. Maybe now we are getting to where we really want to be he says, and his tups reflected that last autumn, selling to an average of 1200 at Carlisle. His first tup after the FMD was bought from Dennis Lumley, Nookton. When he is looking for a tup he wants it As long as a battleship, with head up high, coupled with a good conformation, which he feels has improved immensely throughout the breed over the last few years. Breeding Mules is a passionate hobby of Robin, and it is hard not to get caught up in his obvious enthusiasm for them! They buy Swaledale gimmer lambs from the back end sales, normally Middleton in Teesdale and cross them as shearlings, looking for darker type of Swale, which helps put a good colour in the Mule. They lamb around 300 ewes each year. As the farm stands at 950 feet and most of the land lies upbank under the brooding presence of Cross Fell, the later Mule sales are the main sales, with the famous Alston Moor sale the main attraction. Last year they sold up to 150, but as Robin puts it It s not about the top price with our Mules, it s about a solid trade right through. Many of our buyers come back year after year as the lambs come from a hardish farm and do extremely well on the better farms Robin is convinced that there is no better sheep than the Mule, and he states that There s nowt to beat the Mule. It s the ultimate sheep, bringing out the best of both the Leicester and the Swaledale into an easy to manage package! And on that bombshell. 15

16 The Association are holding their 50th Anniversary Weekend on Saturday 11th and 12th August. The timetable is as follows which will be subject to changes - Saturday 11th August 1.00 pm Visit to Whinfell Park, Clifton, Penrith and then to Shap Wells Hotel for the evenings proceedings pm Elite Auction Of Genetics & Females, champagne reception pm Dinner and dance and guest speaker pm Promise Auction - Auctioneer John Wharton. Sunday 12th August am Visit Lowther Estates, Penrith pm BBQ/Hog roast at Lowther Estates Other events happening around the country are as follows: Monday 6th August Northern Progeny Show at Turriff Show Sunday 26th August Scottish Region Open Day - Midlock flock by kind permission of the Wight Family. The Midlock flock was established in 1982 when three females were bought. The first tups were sold at Kelso in 1988, when they sold two tups for 1050 each. Now around 50 females are lambed in mid March, all tupped via AI, mainly to achieve a short lambing period to avoid clashing with the lambing of the Blackies. Over the last couple of years, a couple of the best females have been flushed, and embyros implanted in Mule ewes. The tup which laid the foundation for future success was 4000 N25 Nunscleugh bought at Carlisle. His progeny have bred well within the flock, leaving some strong powerful gimmers. In 2011, the Wight family sold Bluefaced Leicesters ram lambs to 14,000 at Hawes, and shearlings to 3,200 at Kelso and won champion and reserve with their Mule lambs at the Scotch Mule Association s 25th Anniversary Show at Dumfries. This is your opportunity to view the very best stock. Sunday 9th September Welsh Region Open Day - Myfyrian flock by kind permission of the Roberts family. After much persuading, Myrfyn, Jayne and family of Myfyrian Isaf, Gaerwen, Anglesey will open their gates for the Welsh Bluefaced Leicester Open Day and AGM. Myfyrian is a 450 acre holding and apart from Bluefaced Leicesters there is 950 ewe commercial flock 50th 16 Let s celebrate 50 years of the Association with all the lambs finished on the farm and 200 ewe lamb replacements retained every year. Terminal sires are Suffolk, Texel and Beltex rams. Replacement sires are Bluefaced and Suffolk. There is a suckler herd of 60 cows with all the calves taken on and finished on the farm. Bulls being used are Limousin and Charolais. Gareth started a small herd of pure Limousin cows in 2004 with which he won the regional club small herd class in AI service is used on the cows so each cow can have a specially selected bull used on her. The Bluefaced ewes are managed the same as the commercial flock with lambs turned out as soon as possible after birth to toughen up straight away. To keep with customer demand there is now a pure (Myfyrian) and a crossing flock (Myfyrian X) with the resultant progeny sent off to their respective sales. Some of the crossing ram lambs are kept each year and tried out on the Beulah ewes and some pure rams tried on Cheviot x Welsh ewes. All their progeny are colour tagged so all the different breeding lines can be monitored. All the Bluefaces are Signet Recorded so their progress can be monitored closely. Hopefully there will be a little bit of something for everyone and we welcome you to our home. Friday 2nd November North West Region s anniversary celebration at Carlisle Expo. The Association are looking for members to donate old catalogues and photographs of shows and sales of Bluefaced Leicesters going back over the last 50 years to create a display that can be used around the country. All items donated will be copied and the originals returned to the member. No originals will be on display. If you would like to send your items, then please send them to the Association office no later than 2nd July Anniversary Journal Don t miss out on a once in a lifetime chance to advertise in the Association s special edition 50th Anniversary journal mm square. Cost per page is VAT. No half or quarter pages are available. For further information or to place an advert please contact Matt Drummond

17 We Will Fix It For You Calling all under sixteens. Would you like to help your favourite flock prepare for a show or sale and learn from the masters, then Aled will try and make your wish come try. your wish letters to: aledjones@btconnect.com 17

18 At present your flock details are held on a database called Grassroots. When your registration forms are sent to the office all the information is inputted manually and entered online in a read only format. However as a breeder you have the opportunity to manage your flock online by recording deaths and transfers. You can also register your lambs online rather than using the registration forms although any alterations are authorised by the account manager which is the Bluefaced Leicester Association s office. Your step by step guide to registering lambs on the Association s database Grassroots is used by different breeds and their database uses the phrase Birth Notification. The Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association do NOT birth notify but do register their lambs using the births tab on the database. Entering Grassroots Go on-line, go to the Association Website at Click on the button The Breed. From the Drop down list select Database. Now click on Manage your flock. Enter you flock number with leading zeros to make up to a five digit number e.g Enter your four letter password (all in small case). (Available from the office if you have lost your copy). Enter a valid address. Registering Lambs Click on Births. UK Tag - Needs to be completed in full with the UK number and individual number i.e BFL Tag No - enter complete tag number e.g. 1234/E001 (DO NOT enter leading zeros here). Date of birth - Needs to be entered in full e.g. 1 MAR 2012 NS/AI/ET - Click on the drop down arrow to select service type. Sire - Use the drop down arrow to select sire from a list of animals as owned by you or click search for sire. Dam - Use the drop down arrow to select dam from a list of animals as owned by you or click search for dam. Number born - Can be changed for twins etc. Scrapie - Can be left blank unless results are known. Registration type - Click the drop down arrow and select registration. Click add to application list. If you need to go back to an animal to change something you can select it and change it at this stage. When all animals are entered click submit to Breed Society. Now Click on Return to manage your flock/herd. Your transactions appear in your shopping basket. There is no fee so carry on past this point. Recording Deaths & Transfers For deaths Click on notify deaths, there is no need to complete any details of the animal if it is listed below. Just click on the box beside the relevant animal then click on submit death to Breed Society. For transfers Click on notify transfers, similar to above, click on the box beside animal transferred. If you have sold or transferred to a member, click on search for a new owner and this will open a search screen. If you transferred to a non member, click on enter buyer details and complete the details. If you do not know the buyer, just type on not known. Then submit details. Purchased Animals If you purchase an animal you will have to let the office know by letter or (if you are using the Online System instead of the manual Flock Return). For further information on using the Association s database - please contact the office on Tel: or info@blueleicester.co.uk 18

19 50 Years Young The Bluefaced Leicester Association is continually looking at new ways to help promote the Mule. There is an ever increasing demand for performance recorded stock from the new generation of sheep farmers that are emerging; they feel that using recorded stock will increase their efficiency in this time of ever increasing production costs. At the moment there is a limited supply of Mules sired by performance recorded rams, with no means to identify them at sales. If these buyers want to buy performance recorded stock it is much easier for them to go to our competitors and buy a different breed of ewe. Next year we plan to start marketing Mules sired by top recorded Bluefaced Leicester tups as Performance Mules, the sires of these Mules will have to have achieved a qualifying standard in growth rate, conformation or maternal traits. This initiative is being enthusiastically supported by EBLEX and its counterparts in Scotland and Wales. The Bluefaced Leicester Association will be promoting this initiative during the summer allowing interested Mule breeders to purchase qualifying tups at sales in the autumn. We are meeting with Associations selling Mules to encourage them to highlight members that are selling Performance Mules in their Mule sale catalogues and allow them to display a sign on the pens of sheep that qualify. This will allow buyers interested in buying performance recorded stock to identify them easily. The Bluefaced Leicester Association sees this market expanding dramatically in the near future and wants to help Mule breeders supply it. We congratulate all Breed Associations in the first-rate professional way they promote the Mule and hope we all can work together closely in the future to promote this exceptional ewe. Myrfyn Roberts - Breed Development Chairman recognised this as a potential threat to the Mule breed and ultimately the Bluefaced Leicester. We are all good at finding problems to situations, the difficult bit is finding the solution. What is the problem you may ask? The Mule is the most popular lowland breed and has been for many years, however, other breeds are growing in popularity. Why? I m not sure, because the Mule out performs them in every department, but the fact is they are, and Performance Recording is at the forefront of their breed and marketing. Their growth is slowly eating away at the market share of the Mule and the Association have 19 Their solution was to introduce Performance Recording to the breed which over the years has been tweaked and changed to suit the breed and its objectives. This has had as much criticism as praise, and that is just from our household! But it has laid the foundations to introduce the Performance Mule which can go head to head with its competitors and enable the Association and breeders to not only tell people how good the Mule is, but have facts and figures to back them up. If it can make these other breeds look good, then just think how good they can make the Mule look. Continued on page 20

20 Continued from page 19 By selling Mules sired by Performance Recorded tups, it gives the buyer the confidence that lambs are going to have good traits such as growth rate, muscle depth and maternal ability. If Mule breeders can see that a premium can be obtained from selling Performance Mules then they will insist on buying Performance Recorded tups which in turn will give the BFL Breeder the rewards for the time and money invested in the scheme. We are now in our second year of recording our Bluefaced Leicesters and hope the new scheme will make it worthwhile being involved. How the Performance Mule Scheme is to be worked has yet to be confirmed, possibly the Mule will have to be sired by a tup in the top 50% of the breed. This might get changed slightly, but it is a start and then things can be tweaked as more and more feedback is received from the Mule buyer. How the Performance Mule develops should be shaped by buyers so that we provide them with what they want, not what we think they want. This scheme will indeed have its doubters with all a lot of negative what if this/that happens? But let s try to be positive because what if it works? Alan Watson, Middleton Hall The Scottish Sheep Strategy s Focus Farm results proved, without doubt, that the real bonanza in sheep breeding comes from using females with superior genetics mated to high merit tups. We know that sheep are the same as dairy cows, in that the milking ability of a female is a trait which is inherited primarily from the sire. Up until now, commercial sheep producers who bought in their females as ewe lambs or gimmers, were taking a leap of faith each year. Now many producers of replacement females are becoming aware of the fact that they could do more for their customers by offering females which have been sired by tups with selected traits which are above average. The proposed production of Mules which will be daughters of high index Bluefaced Leicester tups is a welcome development designed to meet the requirements of buyers who will be looking for replacement females with EBVs to suit their production systems. The Scottish Sheep Strategy is extremely supportive of the initiative taken by these forward thinking breeders. Chairman of the Sheep Strategy, Maimie Paterson said An initiative like this, coming from the industry is exactly what the UK sheep industry needs. It is heartening to see that breeders are being pro-active and doing something to maintain their market share. 20

21 50 Years Young I think this is the most exciting development to come from producers since the inception of Health Schemes and the selling of sheep with guaranteed health status. Most commercial producers accept that using a terminal sire with the appropriate figures can give them a huge boost in the value of lamb sold. They are now being given the opportunity to experience the double whammy effect. I am convinced that this type of self help approach will be seen by everybody as an extremely positive move to ensure the viability of sheep production in the UK. Rod McKenzie, Scottish Sheep Strategy Development Manager Have you noticed how the UK dairy industry is dominated by black and whites in their various forms. When I started my first job 20 or so years ago part of my role was completing monthly dairy performance costings on my customers farms. Yield, forage and concentrate costs were calculated. Margin per litre, margin per cow and per hectare were all established on monthly as well as annual basis. The decision to bring Bluefaced Leicesters to Meddiant Isaf was also based on the average sale price at Builth Wells being higher than any other breed. UK market place. However they did market their product - Turtle Wax the original and the best oh, did I mention the consultants told them to double the sale price of the brand. Turtle Wax doubled its price and sales took off and the company profits improved. I know what your thinking, double the sale price, wouldn t that be great. Well let s be realistic we already achieve greater than double the average price at ram sales compared to many maternal breeds. We are currently market leaders and yet our position is not certain in the years ahead. Even the seemingly indomitable Tesco has had a wobble this year and has had to reassess its marketing strategy. The branding of the Mule sired by recorded Bluefaced Leicester rams as the Performance Mule is a small step towards identifying and marketing a product within a range. Performance recording is not us trying to be clever or compete within the breed, quite the reverse it is trying to establish a factual foundation for growth in market share in the next few years, ensuring we continue as market leaders. Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out!! Aled Jones, Association Chairman Has the dairy industry stayed the same? Certainly not. Average yields are higher, milk from forage is higher and feed conversion rate is more efficient. This has not been achieved by chance. Month after month costings are completed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the herd. Genetic improvement is obtained by using the bulls with best performance traits for milk yield, quality and ease of calving. The market leader Turtle Wax began to loose market share to its competitors. Month after month the figures were getting worse so it was decided to call in a top consultancy firm to advise on the best way forward. The performance of the company was analysed and the competitors were investigated and a strategy for success was developed. I ll tell you how they turned the business around shortly. We understand the stratification of the UK sheep industry and acknowledge our place within it, but we don t want to loose market share to any other breed. We as sheep breeders have a choice. Do we change our breed? Import success from another country as the Beltex and Texel have done? or do we improve the marketing of our product? Turtle Wax did not change its product, the consultants recognised it was at least as good as the best of its competitors. They didn t buy in from abroad and rename it to meet the 21

22 The Bluefaced Leicester The Cashmere Of Britain by Erika Knight Supremely soft, subtly sheeny and deliciously sumptuous; the wool of the Bluefaced Leicester is Britain s most luxurious fibre. With its fine dense yet lightweight fleece, due to the nature of its tightly purled wool, the noble Bluefaced Leicester produces the finest commercial demi-lustre wool in the World. The brightness and softness of the surface is similar in character to the finest mohair and alpaca. Often considered the cashmere of British wools, it is naturally my fibre of choice for creating the best of British wool yarns. My history I have been designing yarns and knitted garments for many years now, both for designer brands and High street stores and consulting to the industry globally. Erika Knight with some Bluefaced Leicesters Supporting the return to the craft of hand knitting via books, workshops and lectures with my ethos of keeping it simple, I am passionate in promoting natural and sustainable yarns and fibres. As a knitwear designer I have experienced the unraveling of the British textile industry at first hand with the advent of overseas production, cheaper and competitive products and materials. LAWRIE & SYMINGTON LTD LANARK AGRICULTURAL CENTRE DATES FOR 2012 KELSO RAM SALES - FRIDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER PRINCIPAL SHOW & SALE OF REGISTERED BLUEFACED LEICESTER SHEEP - WEDNESDAY 10TH OCTOBER 22 FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT LAWRIE & SYMINGTON LTD TEL (01555) FAX (01555) / mailbox@lawrie-and-symington.com Website -

23 50 Years Young One can dismiss this as a trend or fashion us arty fartys or creative types are used to that! However we are a creative force to be reckoned with: the fashion business is the second largest export sector in the UK, and with most of our graduate designers still snapped up by American and European brands, the craft market cannot be dismissed. Comfort and luxury never go out of fashion, and the wool from the Bluefaced Leicester is the most prized fleece of them all. It is increasingly important that we look after these sought after fleeces: the wool is fine, dense, long and well suited to combing, yet the sheep produces a fairly small weight of fleece for its size so we need to use every sliver. The wool from the merino sheep for many years was revered for its smooth sleek and sophisticated appearance and resultant stitch clarity. Whereas British wool was generally considered to be rough, course and suited only to robust and stalwart outdoor sweaters for walking field and fell in murky mizzle! (That s driving rain to us soft and southern types). Yet, we all need to be looking at what has gone before a little more creatively. Just because things don t quite return in the guise we are familiar with, what we do, how we do things, why we do them can always be reappraised for a new market. New market Increasingly enthusiast and hobbyist rare sheep breeders, spinners, hand dyers, hand knitters and crafters are creating a new demand for the highest quality fibres and yarns. The internet has made them potentially a new emerging nation of small shopkeepers with virtual stores on the internet such as Etsy and Ravelry. An important and relatively simple way to do this is, when purchasing marker sprays, to chose an alternative - or at the very least a less permanent - marker, as presently these are staining the fleeces resulting in the spoiled fleeces being cut around, discarded and wasted. It is imperative that we look after every little fibre of this fabulous new Golden Fleece. Erika Knight Yarn Collection The excitement of a new baby often prompts people to take up knitting for the first time, to hand craft a personal keepsake, to protect the precious new life. And what better material to use that the ultimate natural fibre - supremely soft, to wick moisture away from the skin and keep it comfortable. Nowadays when we are turning our washing machine dials down to 30 degrees wool is a natural choice. To this end I have launched a new luxury Baby yarn comprised of 100% Bluefaced Leicester, sourced and spun entirely in Britain, at possibly Britain s finest spinning mill at Laxtons and am proud to be promoting Britains finest fibre. 23

24 Kirkby Redgate Overall Champion from Kirkby Redgate gns Tops Carlisle Female Sale Once again it was a cracking sale at Carlisle as some of the best female Bluefaced Leicesters went under the hammer. A bumper crowd saw a bumper trade with averages rising across the ewes and gimmer section, but a slight decrease in the gimmer lamb section, although 18 more were sold than last year. Taking the overall championship was, once again, Richard Hutchinson from the Kirkby Redgate flock with a very powerful gimmer lamb which caught the eye right from the start. She D70 Hewgill 8000 gns was by the A5 Gragareth, which is leaving his mark on the flock, and out of a ewe by the Y25 Hewgill. The judge, James Herdman, had no hesitation in awarding it the championship, and his pick was justified when she came into the ring, selling for the days joint top price of 8000 gns to Paul Brown, Oak House, Ravenstonedale. The Kirkby Redgate pen was busy throughout the day, and also sales of 4000 gns for the 3rd prize gimmer lamb, by Y25 Hewgill and out of a ewe by the 10,000 W1 Keer, selling to Robert Wallace, Macherquhat, Ayrshire. They also took first prize in the ewe class with B37 Kirkby Redgate, with the same combination of breeding and carrying twins to the A5 Gragareth, which sold to Messrs Park & Mills, S P Dalpeddar flock for 2600 gns. Another purchase heading towards Ravenstonedale, near Kirkby Stephen, was a gimmer lamb from the noted Hewgill flock, when George Shields, from the Skeughdale landed his target. He had been thwarted at the Hawes sale, being the underbidder to three Hewgill lambs, but was in no mood to back off at Carlisle, landing a daughter of the B41 Hewgill, which is rapidly becoming something of an iconic sire, for 8000 gns, and out of a ewe by Z14, the same combination as the reserve champion from the same pen which sold for 1800 gns, selling to Andrew Campbell, who has had an exciting weekend building up his flock in Argyll, landing several top notch sheep. Buyers were patient throughout the day, and it was just as well they were as it was some of the later lots which attracted the money, indeed 24

25 50 Years Young Redgate and out of a ewe by N25 Nunscleugh and carrying triplets to the legendary W25 Midlock Controversey, which is behind so many of the top modern bloodlines around in the breed today. Buying this gimmer shearling was D Jarvie, Cherry Field, Perthshire, who forked out 3500 gns. Gordon Rawsthorne from the noted Lunesdale flock, considered by many to be one of the main pioneers of the modern type of Leicester, had a couple of gimmer lambs on offer, and the pick of these sold for 3100 gns to J Lee, Morley Hill. This sharp gimmer lamb was by the 6000 B1 Highberries, which is doing well in the Lunesdale flock, and out of a ewe by the M1 Star Green, which has been behind some of the best Lunesdale breeding over the decade or so. Kirkby Redgate 4000 gns the penultimate sheep into the ring which attracted the third highest bid of the day when Lewis Forster from West Nubbock landed a sharp gimmer lamb from P Smith of The Dyke for 4400 gns. This lamb had home breeding on both sides. Sired by Y7 The Dyke and out of a ewe by X2 The Dyke. Midlock s annual consignment for this sale always attracts the buyers, with the flock building up an excellent reputation customers are keen to buy into some of the best bloodlines available, and this year was no different, with the flock meeting a very strong demand, with 22 sheep forward, only one didn t break the four figure barrier, and they topped out at 3500 gns with a corker of a gimmer, combining power and style with some excellent back breeding. C106 Midlock was by the A13 Kirkby Following on from their success at Hawes the Booth s from the Smearsett flock, Austwick had a good trade when they sold an in lamb gimmer shearling out of the W2 Lunesdale sired ewe, which was also the mother to the 8000 tup lamb and full sister to a gimmer lamb they sold at Hawes for 2700 last week. This modern type of a sheep, by A1 Hundith and carrying twins to C1 Shafthill, and sold for 3000 gns to Ellis Bros, Addingham. A whole host of sheep sold in between the gns mark, reflecting a buoyant trade in the sheep market as a whole, and in particular the Mule / Bluefaced Leicester section. With the success of each other going hand in hand, and with the demand for the Mule ewe seemingly unquenchable, the future looks bright for the Bluefaced Leicester Association too, who this year celebrate their 50th anniversary, and they way things have panned out in the opening sales of this year, it could certainly be an anniversary year to remember! Averages: 20 Ewes : , 72 Shearling Gimmers : , 51 Ewe Lambs : Auctioneer - Harrison & Hetherington 25

26 Records Broken Champion - D66 Hewgill 11,000 At Hawes Female Sale It was another barnstorming sale at the annual Bluefaced Leicester sale held at Hawes Auction Mart. Once again the Hawes crowd witnessed a flying trade and once again records tumbled with a record price set again and a massive jump in the average for an extra 30 forward on the year. Topping the days trade, and taking a keenly fought championship, was an exceptional gimmer hogg from the noted Hewgill flock run by the D67 Hewgill 7, Lord Family on North Stainmore, near Kirkby Stephen. Their Mule lambs have a reputation for sweeping the board at the backend sales and their pedigree Bluefaced Leicesters have a keen following as a result. This daughter of B41 Hewgill and out of a ewe by the noted Z14 Hewgill sold after some strong bidding, which saw auctioneer Raymond Lund jumping the bids a thousand at a time, for a new breed record price of 11,000, with the Northern Irish pairing of Robert Loughridge, Orravale and Seamus Laverty, Orraview landing the gimmer lamb. They were taken by its sheer size, power and correctness all round complete with such good back breeding meant it was a sheep we couldn t afford to miss according to the pair. Daughters of the B41 Hewgill took the next couple of top prices, the first with a bid of 7500 for another powerful gimmer hogg, selling to Andrew Campbell, Drimsynie, who is building up a flock with some excellent bloodlines for the future, and the next, out of another Z14 ewe sold for 5400 to S Hallam from the Grange Head flock. Chasing all these three sheep was George Shields, Skeughdale who has used the Hewgill bloodlines successfully over the past few years. He eventually got some more of these genetics when he landed a gimmer shearling by the Z14 Hewgill carrying twins to the B41 Hewgill for 2200.

27 50 Years Young Midlock and out of one of the best bloodlines on the farm, with its full brother selling for 2500 last autumn and its retained sister is the pick of this years hoggs, sold for 3200 to Scottish breeder Craig Thornborrow, Dawyck. D69 Hewgill 5,400 Judge Richard Thomas saw his first prize gimmer shearling from W A & A Booth, Smearsett do well when she was bid to This powerful shearling, by V33 Lunesdsale, was carrying triplets to the homebred D15 Smearsett, a son of Z4 Hundith, which took the interbreed championship at Kilnsey Show taking maximum points off all the judges. The gimmer heads to pastures new at the Emmetts flock run by Alan Pye near Lancaster. Paul Fairburn, Marriforth, made a successful debut at the sale when his pen leader, an embryo lamb by Z8 Thirlwall and out of the farms best ewe by W6 Lunesdale, sold for Full brothers to this cracking lamb have sold to The reserve champion of the day went to a classy gimmer lamb from noted breeder James Porter, Riddings. A daughter of the 14,000 C3 Buyers from all corners of the UK flocked to Hawes, and a packed ring bore testimony to the popularity of the breed, but throughout, buyers were selective in purchasing the best stock available, with strong, powerful sheep providing the premium prices, as breeders sought to improve their bloodlines. SHOW RESULTS: Forward 74 Sheep Overall average 1425 (up 192 on 2011), Gimmer Hoggs to Av 1528, Gimmer Shearlings to 5000 Av 1780, Ewes to 800 Av 507. Gimmer Hoggs - 1-& Champion - M/s Lord (Lot 146) 11,000 to S Laverty & R Loughridge, Co. Antrim, 2-& Reserve Champion - W C Porter & Son (Lot 112) 3,200 to M R Thornborrow, Peebles, 3- W M Hutchinson & Sons (Lot 117) 1,100 to P L Heard, Devon. Ewes and Gimmer Shearlings - 1-W A & A Booth (Lot 126) 5,000 to A C & K Pye, Lancaster, 2-F A Caton (Lot 137) 500 to I R Cousin, Kirkby Stephen, 3-J C Throup (Lot 179) 800 to R F & J P Critchlow, Buxton. Leading Prices: Gimmer Hoggs: - M/s Lord 11,000, (new Centre record price for a Bluefaced Leicester Female), 7,500, 5,400, 4,600. E Fairburn & Sons 3,400, 2,000, 1,800. W C Porter & Son 3,200. W A & A Booth 2,700, 1,600, 1,250. N C Marston 2,200 x 2. G P Taylor & Sons 2,000. J J & E Lawson 2,000. C Wood 1,500. G Rawsthorne 1,200. W M Hutchinson & Son 1,100. A J Lawson 1,000. Gimmer Shearlings: W A & A Booth 5,000. M/s Lord 2,200. W M Hutchinson & Son 1,000. Ewes: J C & N Throup 800, 500. W M Hutchinson & Son 700. Ellis Bros

28 Spring news 2012 Regional Reports Northern Ireland Chairman: Eamon McCormick, The Grove, 201 Torr Road, Ballymena, Co Antrim BT 44 0PU Tel: As Spring approaches, we are now looking forward to a very special year as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association. Female sales in January started the year on a high with record breaking prices and hopefully this will be the trend for the foreseeable future. The AGM in February was well supported. My position as Chairman has now been taken up by Richard Graham and Stephen Duncan is the new Vice Chairman. I wish them both good luck in their new positions. Lots of ideas were discussed as regards the 50th Anniversary celebration. This year Sheep 2012 is to be held in Southern Ireland on June 30th so that s a date to remember! Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their help to me during my term as chairman. I wish the Association and all it s members continued success and always remember Quality Mules sells quality Blues. North West Chairman: Sid Ivinson, Ingledene, Hunsonsby, Penrith Tel: Here we are in 2012 and what a year to look forward to. The Queen s Diamond Jubilee, hosting the Olympic Games and then our 50th Anniversary. Hopefully we will get a good summer to enjoy them all. The Carlisle Female Sale was held at Harrison & Hetherington, Borderway Mart on 23rd January The alley ways and ring were packed with people, this lead to a big demand for all types of sheep and a lot of new faces purchasing sheep. This must bode well for the future of the breed. Joint top price of the day was 8,000 for a Gimmer Hogg from Messrs Hutchinson, Kirkby Redgate Flock (Champion) and also Messrs Lord, Hewgill Flock. 143 sheep averaged 1,084 which was up by 195 on the year. Our AGM for the North West Region will take place in the first week of May. These meetings are for all members in the Region to come and put their idea s forward. It s a very true saying you only get out what you put in and after all it s a night out so please come along and take part. The Progeny show will be held at Penrith Show on 28th July Let s make it one to remember as it s the 50th year of the Association. By the time you read this report lambing will be well on the way or over, so let s hope you have a good one. Anne Little North East Chairman: Robin Peart, Mayland Hall, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham DL13 3QJ Tel: Spring has come and the weather has been kind. Hopefully it will not be as dry for as long as last year. The first event of the year was the Hawes sale with a flying trade yet again and another record broken. Congratulations to the Lord family of Hewgill for the champion gimmer hogg taking the tremendous top price of 11,000, bought by the pairing of Robert Loughridge, Orravale and Seamus Laverty, Orraview the following with the next two top prices of 7,500 and 5,400 respectively, both going to the relatively new flocks of Andrew Campbell of Drimsynie, and S Hallam of the Grange Head flock. Smearsett took first prize for a gimmer shearling and saw it realise 5,000, going to A Pye of Emmets flock. James Porter of the Riddings flock took reserve champion with a gimmer hogg selling to 3,500 to C Thornborrow of Dawyck flock. Next was the dinner dance at Hexham on the 4th of February. The atrocious weather conditions of the night made travelling from some areas very difficult. An enjoyable evening was had by all who attended. Our AGM was held on the 16th February. James Porter, James Herdman, Granville Fairburn, and Oliver Scown, were all re-elected to council. I have had an enjoyable time as chairman and must thank Melvyn Ridley for his support, and Arthur Yeats who is a pleasure to work with and does a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes. At this point I would like to congratulate Arthur on receiving the Isaac Allinson Memorial award for services to the sheep industry, a worthy winner, an asset to our breed Association. My thanks to Helen and Rachael in the office for their help and support during my term as chairman. All that remains is for me to wish everyone a good lambing. South West Chairman: Brian Dallyn, Killington, Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4QW Tel: We have had a pretty kind winter down here in the South West, mostly wet and mild with only a brief cold snap so far as I write, with loads of grass at tupping time scanning results appear to be good with a lot of multiple births predicted, the biggest task is to come, getting as many lambs through to marketing. I tagged lambs for several new breeders this last year and we wish these people well with their BFL experience in the years ahead. Locally bred Mules continue to be in demand as was shown in the Autumn sales. We are proud that the Mules from the South West are as good as any. The well established Exmoor Mule sales (BFL X Exmoor Horn) at Blackmoor Gate saw a flying trade this last back end and the more recently formed South West Mule group based on Dartmoor are going from strength to strength thanks to an ambitious group of young breeders who have been very proactive in their marketing. We are all aware that our BFL wool tops the trade per kilo at the BWMB sales in Bradford. Locally the Exmoor cross /Blueface wool is much in demand by a local spinner and weaver based at Coldharbour Mill Devon. The superb yarn produced from this cross is made into high quality knitwear by John Arbon and sold locally. John is looking to expand and 2013 Calendar competition... Photographs must be taken in 2012 and have a Bluefaced Leicester in it. So get snapping and submit your photos to the Association office by 31st August

29 open a woollen Mill on Exmoor hopefully increasing the demand for BFL cross fleeces. To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Association the South West are planning to hold a one off flock competition this year to take place in late summer, with special prizes to commemorate the anniversary year. So come on all you South West members join in and make this a special event. Our next meeting will be at the end of April in Exeter, lambing comes next, have a good one?? Wales & South Chairman: Aled Jones, Meddiant Isaf, Tal-Y-Cafn, Conwy LL28 5RY Tel: I like the French a little more than I did after the Rugby World Cup. Wales have just beaten France in the championship decider winning their third Grand Slam in recent years. Well done boys! Success breeds success, if it s managed well and the same can be said of the Bluefaced Leicester. If there was a six breeds competition their progeny would outnumber the competition in the ewe sales. Do we take this for granted? We try not to. It is a pleasure to Chair the Welsh region where we work hard to produce what the market wants and take our success thankfully knowing nature can soon humble the proud. Our regional Christmas dinner and meeting held on the 2nd December at the Raven in Welshpool was a relaxed and friendly evening where the events of this, our 50th year as an Association, were confirmed. The NSA event in Malvern on the 4th of July promises to be a successful affair and we look forward to sporting the Associations new stand. It is our intention to have a great party following the judging at The Royal Welsh Show with a hogg or lamb roast and we welcome as many visitors as possible. It gives me great pleasure to confirm our regional AGM and open day at the home of Myrfyn, Jayne, Gareth and Bethan Roberts of the Myfyrian flock on the 9th of September No better venue could have been chosen for this our 50th year and we are very grateful to the family in anticipation of a wonderful day. Did I mention the rugby? Scotland Chairman: Alison Bastian, Cairnhall, Auldgirth, Dumfries DG2 0UB Tel: We are nearly at the end of February and, although we have had a wet winter, we have avoided the inconvenience of burst pipes and frozen taps. It is encouraging to see new grass appearing and I wish everyone a good lambing. We held our AGM on 1st February. This was a very positive meeting with many points raised and discussed. The main topic was Maedi Visna testing, all members confirmed that they would have their Bluefaced Leicesters tested. I had my sheep tested the following week and thankfully was given the all clear. Doug Brown was elected new Scottish Chairman and I wish him all the very best. The Female Sale at Carlisle was packed to the rafters to quote the Scottish Farmer, and there was a demand for both types of Bluefaced Leicesters. Alan Wight, Midlock, had his usual quality pens of gimmers forward. His top price was 3,500 gns. Matt Drummond had a top price of 1,700 gns, Jimmy Bell a top price of 1,300 gns and David Cruickshank a top of 1,050 gns. We have a lot to look forward to this year. The first event will be Scot Sheep which will be held at Dumfries House, Cumnock, Ayrshire on Wednesday 6th June. This is a 960 acres home farm and is jointly run by Dumfries House Trust and the supermarket Morrisons. The some of two million pounds have been committed to develop the farming enterprise, which includes 750 Scotch Mule ewes, a small flock of pedigree Suffolks, 250 beef suckler cows, including pedigree herds of Beef Shorthorn and Aberdeen Angus. We will have a new Demonstration Stand in honour of our 50th Anniversary. It is very important that the breed is represented by top quality sheep and I would like to thank the breeders who have agreed to supply sheep for this event. The Royal Highland Show commences on 21st June, and the Bluefaced Leicesters are judged on 22nd June. I should also like to thank the breeders who have agreed to supply sheep for the stand. Our 50th Anniversary Celebration weekend is on 11th and 12th August and promises to be most entertaining. The Scottish Region Open Day will be held at Midlock on Sunday 26th August. This is an opportunity for all sheep breeders to come and appreciate the very best of Bluefaced Leicesters, Mules and Blackface sheep. We in Scotland are very grateful to the Wight family for agreeing to host this event and everyone will be most welcome. After the National AGM in May I shall have completed my two years as Scottish Chairman. I took over the post during turbulent times within the Scottish Region. I have always believed that our main function as Council Members and Regional Chairman is to serve and promote the Bluefaced Leicester breed to the very best of our ability, and, with the help and support of the Scottish Council and the majority of the members, I have tried to achieve this. I shall conclude my report with the hope that in the future all members can work together in a positive, friendly and constructive manner for the benefit of our Association. Since completing my report we have sadly lost one of our most respected Council members, David Cruikshank. A past Scottish Chairman, National Chairman and President and my good friend for twenty six years. A master of his craft, David s attention to detail was aptly summed up by his father, Jim, during a visit to Laidlawstiel, when he said I never had to go behind him, if he did something I always knew it was right. He could present sheep to perfection, never overdoing it. His advice, help and encouragement inspired so many of us. David was a modest man, regardless of his well documented successes, when he was celebrating with a vodka and coke and a big smile he would say I was lucky, there were a lot of good sheep against me. Over the years David, Clark and I travelled to many meetings, shows and sales together. The journey never seemed long (even though we missed a few turnings) the company was so good. He was a good friend to so many people and this was reflected in the huge attendance at his funeral, especially at this the busiest time. There were members from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales to say a final goodbye. Our thoughts and sympathy are with his wife Jane and his family. HE WILL BE MISSED. 29

30 50 Years In A Nutshell Joe s Tales 30 The Colour Thing The original Hexham Leicester was a broad church, encompassing varying shades from white to what was referred to as smoky blue, then on, as time progressed to slaty blue, purpley blue and the ultimate blue, black. People got upset and angry about black, but in the same way people get upset and angry about crazily high scanning results, ie - What can I do? I live on the edge. There was another colour about that nobody mentioned, like some dark family secret, as if your Great Uncle had fought in the Spanish Civil War - for the wrong side. In fact, so condemned was it, that Great Uncle Charlie being a fascist would have been far more acceptable than having THAT colour in your Leicesters. It lurked in the most unexpected places, leading to the often heard comment Did you see what he had in the top paddock? The Crossing Thing Crossers go back well beyond 50 years and came in all the colour variations. Back in the days no tup was described as a crosser until he d done the business, irrespective of his background or looks. Only then would he be introduced to the Leicester ewes, although it was accepted you increased your chances by buying off certain flocks. There was little of the prejudice you see today - Go for your fancy has always been sound advice, along with - Buy the cheapest and Stick a pin in. In Breeding & General Weirdness This has always gone on both by accident and design, producing spectacular results at both ends of the spectrum. Some of best examples have a huge positive impact where as the other - I once stood in a sale pen gazing in amazement and the vendor took this as interest. The vendor would say I know he s short on looks he confided, but he has a very long story, indeed he had. He was also short on ancestors, only one Grandad for a start, which leads nicely into - That Dying Thing Are they really any worse than other pedigree breeds? As a lad I dabbled briefly in Suffolks and as my Granny used to say - Disappointment is good for youth. Actually, it isn t always viewed in a negative light, as an overheard conversation conveys - Buyer - I ve bad news, that good gitter I got off you died yesterday - Seller - It s not bad news for me! Market Forces The bottom line led to the creation of our breed and several fairly weird colour variations since - see Colour Thing. It can occasionally go wrong. 50 years ago Mashams to the south, and half breds to the north were far more popular than the Mule. However, as prices for Teeswater and Border Leicester rams became higher and disproportionate to their purpose, their focus shifted from ewe to ram production and went into decline, but we wouldn t make that mistake would we? Conclusion I m hoping there isn t going to be a conclusion and we can all enjoy another 50 years in the nutshell.

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