Genetic Breeding Partners
Without a team of Genetic Breeding Partners, Rissington Breedline would not have been able to achieve the scale necessary to provide scientifically superior breeding programmes. Each of them are well regarded operators in their region and have themselves been able to benefit from productivity gains in the commercial environment.
Robert Pratt
Breeding Vision Robs sheep business is based in Bedfordshire around the Chilterns. He runs the Rissington Breedline, fully DNA pedigreed, nucleus flock of 1000 ewes including replacements. This flock has been the base of various supply chain initiatives from lamb production through to consumer taste panels. Rob has traditionally and still does run High EBV Suffolk and Charolais flocks and most recently purchased the Hartline Maternal composite sheep flock.
James Hook
Barley Park in Oxfordshire is the base for the Highlander and Primera multiplier flocks established from the implant of 3,000 embryos sourced from New Zealand. Barley Park also farms an Oxford Down pedigree flock, increasing commercial sheep flock, Blade beef finishing and large cereal cropping enterprises. James business PD Hook Ltd is UK’s major supplier of agricultural solutions to the UK Pultry Industry and retail sector, delivering best cost and quality solutions. From this background James could see the benefits of the specialized Maternal and Terminal lines bred for efficient production and quality.
B Q Farming Partnerships Ltd, Drew Guthrie
Bowhill, Selkirk, is the base for Buccleuch Estate's 34,000-acre in-hand farming enterprise concentrated in Southern Scotland and in Northamptonshire in the English Midlands. The livestock operation includes around 13,000 breeding ewes and 660 beef suckler cows. Several years ago Drew Guthrie, Buccleuch Farming's Business Manager, started to search for an easy care system to reduce the management time and costs of their operation. After meeting with Rissington Breedline and subsequently M&S and Scotbeef, Buccleuch Farming decided that in addition to supplying commercial lamb they would also establish a pure Highlander flock and become a ram multiplier unit in Scotland.
"The ewes carrying the Highlander cross lambs lambed with very little assistance. The lambs were full of vigour and it seemed that nothing would stop them growing. The Highlander cross males finished at least 2.5-3.5kg heavier than equivalent pure bred hill lambs, but the major benefit was that they also finished up to two months earlier."
Crosby Cleland
County Down, Northern Ireland. Crosby introduced Highlander and Primera genetics to Northern Ireland with 3 years of embryo transfer, to create his multiplier flocks. Crosby a recent ‘sheep farmer of the year’ runs a very efficient operation and is a leader in the uptake of new technologies. These include integration of EID tags with his Shearwell management software to what is now an essential management tool. Crosby is part of the AFBI, Hillsbourough trials evaluating Sustainable Sheep Systems. He also runs a Lleyn pedigree flock. Crosby: “I used to chase the E&U grade premiums that would give me an extra £2 per lamb. Now with the focus on efficient maternal breeds and the faster growth of the Primera I am now adding an extra £7.50 per lamb on my bottom line profit."
Sulwyn Jenkins and Rhodri and Anwen Hughes
Based in Mid Wales Sulwyn is establishing a multiplier flock of Primera and Rhodri and Anwen Highlander. They are both part of the Princes Trust group, which has been successfully implemented supply chain initiatives from farm though processor, retailer right through to the store with instore promotions. This group is a model of what can be achieved with cooperation throughout the supply chain.
