Monitoring sheep breed changes in Britain over 40 years: breed choice responds to economic and political pressures
Geoff Pollott Annual Meeting, Copenhagen
Department of Production and Population Health th EAAP 65 EAAP Monitoring sheep breed use in Britain
Annual Census data collected in June and December by ‘ministry’
No information on sheep breeds or matings
In 1970, the newly formed Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) set up study groups to determine technical direction of improvement programmes in each meat species
No comprehensive information was available on sheep breeds in Britain – initiated 1st postal survey at mating 1971
Subsequent surveys carried out in 1987,1996, 2003 and 2012 The last 40 years in context
Total sheep numbers in Britain – June census
Millions England & Wales Scotland 35 106 breeds Britain
30 60 breeds
25 30 breeds
20
15
10
5
0 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Economic/political changes –last 40 years
New markets – EU, Asia
Less competition – New Zealand
Subsidies from EU – increase followed by decrease
Foot and mouth disease
Consumer pressure – less fat – larger cuts of meat
Profitability of sheep and competing enterprises Demographic changes – breeding ewes
Ewes mated (Millions) 20
19
18
17
16
15
Number (millions) 14
13
12
11
10 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Britain - Source: Defra December census A structure of two halves
% split between the two structures 1971 1987 1996 2003 2012 86 78 77 71 56 14 22 23 29 44
2012 numbers with 2003 numbers in parentheses Traditional crossbreeding structure
Hill ewe numbers decreasing
Lw = Longwool crossing breeds e.g. Bluefaced Leicester Traditional crossbred types decreasing TS = Terminal Sire breeds e.g. Suffolk 2012 numbers with 2003 numbers in parentheses A growing structure
TS = Terminal Sire breeds e.g. Suffolk 2012 numbers with 2003 numbers in parentheses Ad hoc crossbreds increasing Changing hill breed numbers
3.5 Scottish Blackface All Cheviots Swaledale 3 Dalesbred
Millions Roughfell Herdwick 2.5 Exmoor Horn Welsh Mountain 2 Hardy Specklefaced Hill ewes as a proportion of all ewes Beulah declined from 57% in 1971 to 31% in 2012 1.5
1
0.5
0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Disappearing purebreds? (000)
1971 1987 1996 2003 2012 Border Leicester 12 28 13 5 4 Romney Marsh 294 217 159 165 201 Devon Closewool 127 51 6 7 4 Devon and Cornwall Longwool 290 28 4 2 2 Whitefaced Dartmoor 39 1 6 5 4 Greyfaced Dartmoor 33 4 3 4 4 Clun Forest 401 124 44 12 10 Dorset Horn 59 124 17 12 11 Kerryhill 209 47 2 13 10 Llanwenog 20 3 10 6 7 Total 1,492 646 273 247 273 The rise of the crossbred
80 Purebred 70 Crossbred 60
ewes 50
of
40
30
Percentage 20
10
0 1971 1987 1996 2003 2012
Britain - Source: MLC/Defra/EBLEX Sheep Breed Surveys Changes in traditional crossbred types (000)
1971 1987 1996 2003 2012 North Country Mule 311 3,233 3,809 1,915 2,094 Welsh Mule 370 631 738 330 Scots Mule 502 263 610 231 Greyface 214 332 156 212 90 Welsh Halfbred (HB) 304 410 250 130 28 Scottish Halfbred 590 346 162 100 19 Masham 406 249 162 56 32 Suffolk x Mule/HB type 550 603 495 590 622 Texel x Mule/HB type 0 32 220 307 862 Suffolk x Hill 154 182 115 81 154 Texel x Hill 0 25 28 92 76
Total 2,529 6,284 6,291 4,831 4,538 Overall breed number changes in 40 years
New Lost Newly Lost Compo comp compo Year UK Imported imported imported sites osites sites Total 1971 ~50 1 1 ~52 1987 58 1 8 0 1 5 0 73 1996 58 7 6 2 4 0 2 75 2003 58 13 10 0 4 3 0 88 2012 59 18 20 5 5 4 2 106 44 12 44 breeds imported over 40 years - 7 not found in 2012
~ 545,000 ewes of imported breeds found in 2012
~ 20% of all non-hill ewes The rise of the Texel ewe
2,000 Estimated purebred Texel ewe numbers Texel1,800 not Estimatedfound crossbred in 1971 Texel ewe surveynumbers
Thousands 1,600
“In 1973,1,400 thirteen Lanarkshire sheep breeders joined forces1,200 with ABRO to import twenty‐seven Texel females1,000 and thirteen rams from France.”
800
600
400
200
0 1971 1987 1996 2003 2012 Terminal sire purebred ewe numbers
500 Suffolk 450 Texel 400
Thousands Charollais 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 1971 1987 1996 2003 2012 A move towards more efficient sheep?
Lleyn 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 Thousands 150 100 50 0 70 1971 1987 1996 2003Bluefaced 2012 Leicester 60 Charollais
50
40
30 Thousands
20
10
0 1971 1987 1996 2003 2012 Conclusions and discussion points
Stratified crossbreeding structure still found
Balance shifting towards crossbreds
Many ‘ad hoc’ crossbreds
New breeds and composites still appearing
Breeds with real traits to offer find a place Acknowledgements
English Beef and Lamb Executive – for funding and carrying out 2012 Sheep Breed Survey Demographic changes ‐ flocks
No. of flocks (000) 90
85
80
75
70
65 Number (000) 60
55
50
45
40 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Source: BWMB Demographic changes – Average flock size
Average flock size 350
300
250
200 Nunber of ewesNunber
150
100
50 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Distribution of ewes and farms by breeding flock size
54% of ewes are on 13% of farms
UK - Source: Defra June census 2012