[Nuffield]

Hi all.  Can anybody help me?  I am wanting to run some crosses here in Australia to Ouessant blood.  The only way I can access is to import frozen semen.  The trouble being I am not aware of any breeders out there that would be keen to help out.  Obviously willing to pay what is necessary to make it worth someone's while.  I have a preference for white ouessants.  Any help or guidance would be dearly appreciated.  Regards
Nuffield

[kanisha]

Plenty of people happy to assist  myself included  but if going to the bother and expense of importation wouldn't you do better to go via the breed society and at least get  accredited sheep.

[VSS]

I have a hunch that the import restrictions to Australia are very tight. I believe that there are some pretty specific requirements re scrapie status, but can't find the details right now.

[kanisha]

I think you are quite correct VSS

[VSS]

This is an extract from an email from an Australian lady who got in touch with me earlier this year with the idea of exporting Ryeland Semen to Oz

donor rams are required to be autopsied and tested for scrapie prior to importation of semen. Genetic testing is also required to confirm that the donor sheep are able to express scrapie if they are infected with this organism. Sheep that are genetically susceptible to scrapie can be difficult to source, and this is  particularly true for rare breeds as we will need to assess research demonstrating which scrapie PrP types indicate susceptible types for the relevant breed. This type of research often doesn't exist for rare breeds

Basically they want scrapie susceptible individuals whereas in the UK we have been breeding for resistance to it. And the animal has to be dead and post mortemed to see if scrapie was present before semen can be imported.

[Nuffield]

Thanks Kanisha.  I'll be using the ouessant hopefully to crossbred to Southdowns and then try to remove the wool via crosses to some smaller shedding types so I'm not overly hung up on the purity issue.  I may run the Southdown crosses through to complete upgrade in a manner similar to what a breeder in the US is currently doing over Shetland sheep. In saying that if a compelling case could be made for me to respect the purity aspect more I am willing to listen. 

Also thanks VSS.  Sounds like I need to check in with our Federal agriculture departments to get a snapshot of what is the case in regards to import from the UK.  Australia is free of scrapie so perhaps there are protocols in place to ensure it doesn't make it here via imports.  Not sure whether such a disease carries genetically.

Get back to everyone when I do some more homework.  I think now Australia has a carbon tax and the likely explosion that will follow in farmland moving across to trees, there is going to be significant demand for small orchard specific sheep in Australia and other countries in the future.

[kanisha]

then you are probably better usuing a shetland and not a ouessant

[Nuffield]

The prospect of having access to sheep genetics where the sheep rarely exceed 50cm in height is what attracts me to the Ouessant.  There are no Shetlands here in Australia in any case that I am aware of.

[kanisha]

in that case get accredited sheep the biggest problem with the breed is that few respect the height requirement as most that meet the requirement are in fact from generations where they ae UNDER 49ms my rams when adult ( at three years of age) all come in around 44 to 46cm and if anything approaches 49cms it isn't a breeding prospect ewes are of course smaller still . height is a polygenic trait and the breed s island history has created  a breed that is naturally small due to insular dwarfism but if selection doesn't take into account their  height the genetics for small are quickly lost. Hence the reason why many of the Ouessants in the UK are simply a waste of time attention to the height isn't looked at and are unable to produce anything that meets the breed standard except as  an exception . I guarantee you in the long run the investment you will make for acredited sheep wil pay dividends. by all means invest in the ouessant but if its hegiht you want then you do want accredited sheep.

  black ouessant ram fives years old ( confirmé) height 44cms  photo is copyright

[Fleecewife]

Ooh he's got a chest wig - lovely  .  We like our Soay to have chest wigs plus manes and a dorsal hair ridge too. Is this a desirable trait in Ouessants? - daft question as it must be or you wouldn't be showing us the pic        He's lovely, like a tiny Hebridean.

[kanisha]

Hi Fleecewife thanks we think he's rather special too although he generally doesn't take first prize he is always well placed and has the nicest of characters  . Yep chest wigs ( cravat's) here in france are allowed although not always present fleece type varies quite a bit like with the soay we have hairy and woolly types even some of the ewes have dorsal ridges of hair. It is a  true primitive in miniature

[SingingShearer]

Hi Nuffield,

You could try contacting James Graham http://grahamsminiatures.co.uk/g/ he keeps quite a large flock.

Hope this helps,
Thanks,
Philip

[Nuffield]

Unfortunately it looks like the quarantine requirements are not presently favourable to allow any dreams of import 

Imports of sheep semen and embryos from the EU are currently suspended due to changes in the behaviour of the disease, bluetongue. A review into the import conditions for sheep semen and embryos from the EU is underway and should be completed in a few months.

Due to concerns with scrapie, it is extremely difficult to meet the import requirements for importation of sheep genetics from the EU or north America into Australia and it is even more difficult to import reproductive material from rare breeds. Genetic testing is required to confirm that the donor sheep are able to express scrapie if they are infected with this organism. Sheep that are genetically susceptible to scrapie can be difficult to source. For rare breeds such as the Ouessant, it is unlikely that research exists that describes which PrP genotypes are susceptible to scrapie. This means that before importation of this breed could be considered, a research institution would need to carry out a statistically valid research trial on the Oussant sheep to determine which PrP genotypes are susceptible to scrapie, and publish the results in a reputable journal.

Note also that due to concerns with scrapie, donor ewes are required to be autopsied and tested for scrapie prior to importation of embryos, and donor rams are required to be autopsied and tested for scrapie prior to importation of semen.

Our quarantine is ridiculous.  Regulation gone mad ...
It may be that frozen semen from an older ram could be stored ready for export after the ram dies and is genetically tested at that point?  A bit more research to follow up this end.  Thanks everyone for all your help. 

Kanisha I would have to say that ram is an absolute beauty and that is just the little fella I would dearly love to breed from. 

[kanisha]

well import regulations do change all the time. NZ has just reduced its quarantine for EU dogs to ten days from thirty and the UK has announced some drastic changes to its import regs with the abolition of any quarantine so whose to say that things won't change for Oz....

New variant scrapie has made a mockery of scrapie programmes and proven that it is never wise to put all your eggs in one basket. it looks like its not to be for the moment but who knows keep an eye on the regs they may change.  and thanks for the comments on the ram yes  it may be worth storing semen and autopysing after a death at a natural lifespan, why not

[woollyval]

Have you any Cameroon sheep in Oz? Reason I say this is that I hve a Ouessant x Cameroon and he shed his lamb coat....it all fell out and he has hair! He looks like a goat tbh....
So crossing the southdown with the Cameroon may get you what you need!