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Author Topic: Valais Blacknose  (Read 14753 times)

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Valais Blacknose
« on: June 24, 2015, 11:21:10 pm »
I have been hearing that only very limited exports have been allowed, and therefore the breeding programmes of these sheep in the UK have been using fertility techniques such as embryo transfer to increase numbers.

Discuss.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2015, 11:46:35 pm »
Pyramid scheme?

ZacB

  • Joined Apr 2012
  • Suffolk
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2015, 07:11:37 am »
Strangely enough I only heard of these sheep yesterday, this thread got me to google. Very cute looking & I can see why people are keen to get.
As for what you suggest is happening I think it is completely immoral but it's sadly the world we live in, very very money driven.
Is there anything that can be done - I doubt it  :-\

Louise Gaunt

  • Joined May 2011
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2015, 08:42:12 am »
Slightly off topic but I just don't understand this drive to bring in more and more continental,sheep breeds when we have huge diversity in our own native sheep, which are bred to suit our climactic conditions. I assume they are going to become another sort of pet for those with more money than sense, and the breeders who have managed to import a few to supply this "must have darling" demand will be laughing all,the way to the bank!

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2015, 09:03:38 am »
With the kind of money they're selling for I'd imagine that most of their purchasers are big enterprises/farmers.
With a new importation of a breed will come the need for a structured breeding program to ensure the offspring aren't inbred and give genetic diversity for the future.
I'd say that embryo transfer is probably the quickest/ best way to achieve this in a short time and it'll be something that big enterprises will have experience of with their cattle, I can see why they would do it.
I'm not sure if just because something can be done, it should be done but at the same time I can see that having made a significant investment in stock, breeders will need to recoup this.
Anyone who is going to spend the amount of money these sheep cost, will surely have researched them thoroughly - more fool them if not.
There are always going to be 'fads' whether designer dogs or exotic sheep - time will tell if the Valais Blacknose go the distance.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2015, 09:04:24 am »
Aye, we have around 60 British breeds with all kinds of lovely fleeces and all habituated to our conditions to some extent.

But I know that even Mrs Scothebs herself, our lovely Fleecewife, has a soft spot for these cute creatures!

The whole import vs AI/embryo transfer thing is a tricky one.

As a farmer in an area clinging on to its 'TB free' status, I'd have to say that if people must import bloodlines, of whatever species and breed, then less actual live animal importation is preferable.  So on that basis, bringing in only a few animals and then breeding up locally is preferable.

But I do have misgivings about the use of intrusive fertility mechanisms.  Less so when we're saving one of our own rare breeds, perhaps, than when it's being done to introduce an animal from elsewhere.  Especially when, as far as one can make out, the only attribute this sheep has over any of our native (or already present) breeds is its cuteness.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2015, 09:06:10 am »
Well LG, I am importing Charmoise via frozen semen as though there is a growing UK Charmoise flock genetic diversity could be improved. In this instance I feel the continental breed fills a niche better than anything the UK has at home - that need/niche being easy lambing, ability to thrive on low inputs and still achieve excellent results on the EUROPE carcass grid.

Possibly in future farming pressures will change and the Charmoise niche will diminish and other breeds will come to the fore either foreign or domestic.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2015, 09:06:18 am »
I agree.  The farmers around me who use Texels moan every year about the lambing problems, those using Charollais about how thin-skinned the lambs are ....  It's fashion and folks jump on the bandwagon

Hellybee

  • Joined Feb 2010
    • www.blaengwawrponies.co.uk
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2015, 09:07:23 am »
Isn't this what they've done with the NZ Suffolk ie the Easyram company? 

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2015, 09:10:08 am »
In what sense?

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2015, 09:18:43 am »
To me, as a farmer, it's more 'worthy' and justifiable to do some intrusive fertility when there are arguments such as you cite for bringing in continental blood, Me.

However, that's just me being a profit-driven money-grubbing farmer  :-J.  Should it only be justifiable for profit with a mainstream meat breed?  No doubt these 'early adopters' will be making quite a bit of profit selling their VB lambs on... and yes, that gives rise to the concern of 'pyramid-selling', in that the only way to recoup the initial very high purchase price is to breed more to sell at a high price to another keeper, who will have the same quandary.  Much as happened with alpacas - and at least they have lovely fleece that can be sold (although you'd never make back the purchase price of a breeding female through selling her fleece.)

There is a market for VB fleece at the moment, as it has rarity value.  However, I hear it isn't particularly soft, or fine, or anything special really, so that bubble will burst pretty quick, I would think.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Backinwellies

  • Global Moderator
  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Llandeilo Carmarthenshire
    • Nantygroes
    • Facebook
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2015, 09:24:19 am »
...Valais Blacknose ...... the latest thing since Alpaca!   .... another get rich quick for those at the top (thanks to ADAM!)      .... They are VERY CUTE though!
Linda

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Coximus

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2015, 09:27:55 am »
an expensive waste of time.......... you cant eat them - waste of money - you can show them to school kids, and spend £thousands on them............ how to recoup? You must sell to other breeders... soon the numbers will rise, the price will fall and everyone will be burnt like with alpaccas and then onto the next rare continental breed.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2015, 09:35:15 am »
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

verdifish

  • Joined Jan 2013
  • banffshire
Re: Valais Blacknose
« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2015, 09:41:54 am »

 

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