Awassi Fat Tails : a Chance for Premium Exports
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Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4 Volume 35 Number 3 1994 Article 5 1-1-1994 Awassi fat tails : a chance for premium exports Fiona Sunderman Michael Johns Follow this and additional works at: https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4 Part of the Dairy Science Commons, International Business Commons, and the Sheep and Goat Science Commons Recommended Citation Sunderman, Fiona and Johns, Michael (1994) "Awassi fat tails : a chance for premium exports," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 35 : No. 3 , Article 5. Available at: https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4/vol35/iss3/5 This article is brought to you for free and open access by Research Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4 by an authorized administrator of Research Library. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reasons for import Dr John Lightfoot was the The program to import Awassi fat tail sheep driving force in the was one of a number of Department of introduction of Awassis to Agriculture initiatives in the early 1980sto Australia and remains improve opportunities for diversification in certain that they will become a permanent and agriculture and enhance the potential for important part of the exports. Dr John Lightfoot, now Executive agricultural economy. Director of Animal Industries, first Awassis have distinctive recognised the potential of the Awassi breed brown faces with Roman and has managed the project from its noses. conception. He saw three major Embryos were collected in Cyprus from the opportunities: Ministry of Agriculture's Awassi flock which • A new sheep breeding industry to supply had originated from the two best Awassi Awassi cross ram Jambs, young breeding dairy flocks in Israel, the Eyn Harod and Sde ewes and chilled carcases to the premium Nahum studs. The flock in Cyprus had been 'fat tail' markets in the Middle East; closed and subjected to intensive dairy selection for many years. Most importantly, • A specialised sheep dairy industry to a very high standard of disease surveillance meet growing domestic and export demand and reporting had been maintained. Lambs for sheep dairy produce; from the imported embryos were born at the PREVIOUS PAGE: • An expanded carpet wool industry with Cocos Island Quarantine Station in The Department of the Awassi fleece replacing current imports September 1986. From 311 embryos Agriculture's Awassi flock has settled down well at of carpet wool. collected in Cyprus, only 51 Jambs were Avondale Research Station born of which 41 survived to 100 days. Most near Beverley. The importation program losses are thought to have occurred during A special veterinary protocol was the embryo washing treatments required to established for import of the new breed. remove any organisms that may have been Awassi genetic material was imported as present in the embryo flushings. washed and frozen embryos to prevent the The young lambs were then flown to a introduction of exotic diseases. Once born, specially-built quarantine facility in the purebred Awassi sheep were maintained Kununurra, Western Australia, and kept under high security quarantine for seven there until July 1990when all animals were years. During this time, the sheep and their transported to a larger quarantine station at progeny were subjected to rigorous Wongan Hills. The relocation was necessary observation and testing. Prior to release, the to enable the Department to conduct original imports were all slaughtered and essential research into the possibility of their organs examined in detail for possible fibre contamination of Merino clips, disease. At the same time, the original donor impossible at Kununurra because of the flock was re-examined to confirm its crowded feedlot conditions and sub-tropical freedom from disease. 100 WA JOUR.: 'AL OF AGRICULTURE Vol. 35 1994 Ultras• ound testing is used routinely by Fiona Sunderman and Michael Johns to check whether ewes are pregnant and the number of lambs. cent was purchased by YYH Holdings Pty Ltd. At release from quarantine in October 1993 the Joint Venture was terminated with the following share holdings: YYH Holdings Pty Ltd 85% Department of Agriculture 10% York syndicate 2.5% Norrish syndicate 2.5% Following release from quarantine, the two farmer syndicates pooled their sheep with YYH Holdings Pty Ltd and established the Awassi Producing Company Pty Ltd to develop commercial breeding and export operations. As a consequence, there are now two flocks of purebred Awassi sheep in Western Australia. The Department's flock, retained for research and development to assist the new industry, is based at Avondale Research Station (near Beverley), and the Awassi Producing Company's flock is located near Toodyay. Both flocks are using artificial insemination to build up numbers as rapidly as possible. Artificial insemination has environment. Better facilities at Wongan In 1993-94 the Awassi Producing Company Hills also enabled the multiplication an important role in the Pty Ltd arranged contracts with farmers for Awassi Project so that program to proceed more satisfactorily. the large scale commercial production of numbers of the breed can Late in October 1993, seven years after the first cross lambs. The contracts involved be increased rapidly. birth of the original 41 Iambs on Cocos intra-uterine artificial insemination of the Island, 1640 pure and crossbred Awassi • sheep were released from quarantine. All of the stringent disease testing requirements and fleece contamination research projects had been completed. The Awassi flock was at last ready for commercial development in Australia. The Awassi Sheep Joint Venture The Awassi Sheep Joint Venture was established soon after the Awassi genetic material was imported from Cyprus. This enabled Yacoub Al Homaizi, a businessman from Kuwait with extensive experience in the Middle East live sheep export trade, to acquire an interest in the Awassi sheep through his Australian company, YYH Holdings Pty Ltd. In return, YYH Holdings Pty Ltd funded most of the subsequent operating costs. In April 1992 most of the Department of Agriculture's shares were offered for sale to the general public as 16 parcels each of 2.5 per cent. Only two parcels were taken up by farmer syndicates and the remaining 35 per W.A. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE Vol. 35 1994 101 ... farmers' ewes with Awassi semen and fixed and bred to produce different strains DIAGRAM OF FAT TAIL. prices for both ram and ewe lambs suitable for meat, milk, or carpet wool The tail on these sheep has according to weight specifications. In production. a fat sac on each side and addition, the company undertook a major 'in a sigmoid bone which The typical Awassi is a large framed, fat tail forms an 'S' shape. Under house' breeding program. It is expected that sheep with a brown or, Jess commonly, Australian conditions ewe lamb production contracts will be available black head and neck. The legs are usually lamb tails will be removed. to farmers for the 1994-95 breeding season. coloured, while the body fleece is white with Characteristics of the Awassi occasional coloured fibres. Rams are generally horned. The head has a Roman The Awassi is the most numerous and ABOVE RIGHT: The size o•f nose and the ears are long and pendulous. the distinctive fat tail widespread breed of sheep in the Middle The tail has large fat sacs on both sides increases substantially Eastern region where it is highly valued for along much of its length, while its tip is 'S' when pure, three-quarter both meat and milk. However, it is only one and half-bred Awassis are shaped. This tail fat acts as an energy store compared from left to of more than 50 fat tail breeds in the world (like the camel's hump) and its size depends right. today. on the sheep's sex and condition. Rams may The name is attributed to the El-Awas tribe, have tails weighing up to 12 kg, and ewes from the area between the Tigris and may reach 6 kg. Euphrates rivers in present day Iraq. In most Compared with some British breeds the physical characteristics the Awassi is very Awassi ewe has a long breeding season, close to the original sheep from which the similar to that of the Merino. In Australia, various fat tailed breeds were derived. ewes have been mated successfully from These sheep have been bred for at least November through to May. Only about 10 5000 years in south-west Asia where stock per cent of ewes have twins, although high with fat deposits in their tails were selected levels of nutrition and artificial breeding by the nomadic herdsmen for survival under programs may increase this level. Single steppe and desert conditions. In more Iambs have a birth weight of 4 to 5 kg, and recent times, the Awassi has been selected twins weigh about 3.5 kg - about the same as a British breed cross Jamb, but heavier than • Awassis were quarantined at Kununurra during the first stages of the importation program. These half-bred Awassi ewes were eight months old. 102 W .A. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE Vol. 35 1994 Young Awassi rams being sold at a market in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. a Merino. Many crossbred lambs are born for Merino wethers. The Australian Meat and with coloured fleeces. As the lamb grows the Livestock Corporation also advised that the body wool becomes predominately white Awassi should help to improve the overall and the colour reverts to the classical image of Australian sheep meat in the Awassi pattern. This is especially noticeable region. after the hogget shearing. Although growth rates of Awassi/Merino The lamb's growth rate depends on whether crossbreds appear to be similar to those of it is born as a single or multiple, its sex, the British breed/Merino lambs, their carcases age of the ewe and its plane of nutrition.