International sheep session Focus on Sweden The Swedish sheep industry Sheep Breeders Round Table 2013
Outline Background Challenges Possibilities The Swedish breeding program Photo: Einar de
Backgrou nd
Backgrou nd Source: Swedish Board of
Backgrou nd MEAT MARKET DEVELOPMENT (LAMB) IN 1000 TONNES Photo: Einar de Wit Source: Swedish Meat Association 2013 CONSUMP TION SWEDISH PRODUCTION
Challenge: Winter Long period of indoor housing Photo: Einar de Wit Photo: Einar de Wit
Challenge/threat: Large predators
Figur 9. Number Antal tamdjur of animals attackted by wolves angripna av varg 1997-2011 She Catt ep le Goa t Hor se Dee r Yea r
Fences against predators Electric wire on top 20 cm 20 cm 20 cm 20 cm 20-30cm Photo:MyraNatur/Per Blomkvist
Possibilities Consumption increases = potential High demand for pelts Animal health: No problems with resistant parasites 80 % of the sheep stock have been tested free from MV Footrot low prevalence Low use of antibiotics Good genetic material
The Swedish breeding program The Swedish Sheep Association: Protects the interest of 2600 members in the industry Official breeding organisation Cooperates with Elitlamm since 2005
Recording data Internet based user program, www.elitlamm.com Breeding- and pedigree register pedigree control Registration of information such as lambings, weights etc. EBVs publication Registed information can be used in other context: on-farm register Following up your prodution (biological and finacial key figures) Provides basics to set a flock health plan 2300 users in Sweden and Denmark
Number of users Elitlamm 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Elitlamm Breeding Elitlamm Production
Flocksize Elitlamm 2012 101-200 ewes, 6% 201 ewes-, 4% 51-100 ewes, 12% 21-50 ewes, 24% 1-20 ewes, 54%
The Swedish breeding program New breeding evaluation developed 2009-2011 From Lamb index to EBVs using BLUP Within breed evaluation EBVs updates 2 times/year Photo: Lennart Carlsson
Breeds in the breeding evaluation GOTLAND PELT SHEEP JÄMTLAND TEXEL SUFFOL LEICEST SWEDISH FINE WOOL SHEEP ER K SHEEP RYA SHEEP Offspring Photo: Lavendon Offspring Marie RydinStoneygate Faunus from Alveskog, Platoon James Photo: AnnaBarker. Locktorps Photo: Torgil 19
Recorded traits Lambing Growth Lamb evaluation at 110 day Slaught er Birth weight Litter size 60-day weight 110-day weight Body conformation + Pelt/Wool traits Slaughtered weight Carcass conformation Fat class
Relative EBVs are published Relative EBVs are published The average EBV value is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 10 Benefits Same unit for all traits Simpler to interpret Can be calulated to absoulute values per unit Shifting reference group 34 % 13,5 % 2,5 % 70 80 9 0 100 110 120 130
Example EBVs Swedish Fine wool EBV S WEIGHT, GROWTH RATE AND SLAUGHTER TRAITS EBV EBV S FERTILITY EBV BIRTH WEIGHT, DIRECT BIRTH WEIGHT, MATERNEL GROWTH RATE TO 60 DAYS OF AGE, DIRECT GROWTH RATE TO 60 DAYS OF AGE, MATERNEL GROWTH RATE TO 110 DAYS OF AGE, DIRECT GROWTH RATE TO 110 DAYS OF AGE, MATERNEL GROWTH RATE TO SLAUGHTER LITTER SIZE 1 LAMBING LITTER SIZE 2+ LAMBING EBV S WOOL CONFORMATION 110 DAYS OF AGE CARCASS CONFORMATION FAT CLASS Complex for the user
Development Challenge! To find-interpret-use EBV s
Thanks for listening!
Sheep Breeders Round Table 2013 Challenges and opportunities for Sheep farmers in Sweden By: Tomas Olsson, Norrby gård
Tomas Olsson Who am I: Sheepfarmer, working with sheep for 20 year Chairman for Sweden s Lambproducers Association. -for commercial farmers. -knowledge between farmers. -have discussions with government about our terms. I will talk about: -The challenge for Swedish sheep production. -How do we tackle the challenge on our farm.
What do you know about Sweden? Do you know anything about sheepfarming in Sweden?
Challenge for Sheepfarming Small industry -Lamb is 1,5% of beef and pork slaughter. - Large country with long transports. -Small volumes (3000 lambs/week) Cheap imported lamb - Swedish fresh lamb year round - Cooperate with restaurants and chefs Few players in the market. -One abattoir have 80% of the market (SCAN) - Three big retailers. (ICA, COOP, Axfood) - Sell lamb in box direct from the farm increases. Slaugher lambs The most lambs are sold direct to slaughterhouse, the price includes transport cost. No markets
Challenge for Sheepfarming The Breeds. -the majority are native breeds with bad carcasses, sometimes the skin to be more valuable than the meat. (Gotlandsheep) -Many love there breed and do not care about the market. A common crossbreed is to cross Finnsheep with Dorset New genetic Sweden are scrapie free and we can t import live animal. We import Suffolk, Texel, and Dorset semen from UK. We are using vaginal insemination. A few Dorper have been to Sweden with embryo from Canada -
Challenge for Sheepfarming Poor knowledge -We are good on housing sheep. -We improve the production of knowledge from you! -Together with Innovis we have had seminars about: -Parasites and FacPak with Eurion Thomas -Grass management with Charlie Morgan -Animal heath with Neil Sarigson -Sheep management with Lesley Stubbings -Breeding with Sam Boon & George Fell -Shearing courses M Sandercock and A Marshall -We get influences from NZ thru our scanner C Williams
The solution on Norrby Farm Norrby Farm 200 ha land 80 ha cereals 120 ha grass 900 Ewes 600 Finndorset 100 Finnsheep 100 Dorset 50 Texel 50 Suffolk
Norrby Farm Family business -My wife Anna and 3 children Grass from may to October, 200 days housing. -500mm rain per year - Can be cold down to -25
Norrby Farm, Housing Straw: 100kg/ewe per year Area: Ewe 1,4 m2 Pregnant ewe 1,7 m2 Ewe, 2 lambs 2,4m2
Norrby Farm, Housing Silage: 600 t DM per year Barley: 70 t per year Soya:30 t per year
The Commercial flock Work together with a restaurant wholesale - 4 farms - 2000 lambs March- April (our farm 800 lambs) - 2000 lambs August- November (our farm 900 lamb) -same customer for 25 year, our farm 15 year -high quality
Early lambing Goal -Lamb on menu 1 March, lambing in January -U grade 3H fat -cw 14-15kg lw 27-28kg -growth 400 g per day -8-10 weeks old -400 ewes to ram -synchronised
Early lambing
Early lambing Ewe Crossbreed Finnsheep-Dorset -Finnsheep for fertility and good mothering -Dorset for early mating. -75 kg -scan 210-220 % -good milking -goal to sell 2 lamb/ewe this year we sold 1.9 lamb/ewe
Early lambing Terminal sire -Texel -Suffolk?
Old Finnsheep The love and hate sheep -Old native shorttail breed from Scandinavian -High fertility 280-300% -Good mothers -60-70 kg -grade O,R -Fine wool
Pedigree flock Texel Suffolk Dorset -Upcoming sire for indoor lambs -Genetic from Denmark - Some genetic from UK - Focus on muscle and easy lambing -Sustainable exterior -Very popular now, most common for grass feed lambs. -Genetic from NZ and Denmark now semen import from UK -High fertility, 200% Very small breed, 500 ewes in Sweden. Important for crossbreed and out of season lambing Genetic from Denmark Now semen from D Rossiter UK
Spring lambing Pedigree flock and commercial flock. -Indoor lambing in April out on grass around 1 may -Finndorset ewes, tupped with Suffolk -Pedigree flock, Dorset, Texel,Suffolk and the Finnsheep -Struggling with high grass grow rate in June. -no tailing or castration.
Grass season -weaning end of July -using FecPak for parasite control, prescription from Vet for worm drench, no resist problem -slaughter from mid August to mid November -same buyer as spring lamb. -cw 20 kg, lw 45-48 kg U,R grade, 3l fat We use the dry ewes from early lambing on land with environmental payment.
Economics Lamb to slaughter Autumn: 4.20 / kg dw (average Sweden 3 per kg dw) Spring: 6.80 / kg dw ( average Sweden 4.80 /kg dw) Includes transport wool If you sell, most don t do it. 0.50 /kg Cost Straw: 80 /t Barley:160 /t Soya:400 /t Texel ram on farm 400, average auction 800 Shearing: 3 /ewe
Thanks!