With the dark days of Foot and Mouth well behind us, the Bluefaced Leicester has once again installed its superiority on the Breeding Ewe market. The Mule trade over all has been outstanding followed by a trade for Leicester Rams, which reflects the demand for the breed. Sceptics would argue that this is due in the main to a shortage of numbers but with other breeds in abundance, the Leicester has not lost any ground.
This year’s sales give us record prices for the second year running but demand was due less to restocking and more towards the need for a quality ram for mule production.
The Leicester has changed, as all breeds do, over the years but throughout the UK, the variation in this sheep does not deflect from its ability to produce a crossbred ewe with manageability second to none. The age old discussion on the advantage or otherwise of colour will doubtless continue but the bottom line is that the Bluefaced Leicester has the ability to produce a ewe which can rear two lambs from grass with the least attention. So long as the objective never fails we will continue to be the most important crossing sire in the UK and the grand sire of around 4 million prime lambs again next year.
I’m sure that our continued work with the Mule Societies will ensure a prosperous future for all of us.
Wishing all of our breeders Leicester and Mule a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a Spectacular Lambing Time!
Jean Gibbon, Secretary
Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeder.
For more information about the Bluefaced Leicester click on this link
