Sheep Ireland, in conjunction with SMARTER, will host a Breeding Conference and Farm Walk as well as announce the FBD LambPlus Awards on 12 July, 2022.
The event is aimed at industry stakeholders, pedigree breeders and sheep farmers. Entrance is free, but registration is required here.
Dr Donagh Berry from Teagasc will open and chair the Breeding Conference. The first speaker is Sam Boon, who leads the service delivery of Signet Breeding Evaluations (Sheep Ireland equivalent in the UK) to 1 000 pedigree sheep and beef producers.
The second speaker is Dr Thierry Pabiou, who is in charge of implementing changes to the Irish national sheep evaluations each year. The final speaker is Dr Noirin McHugh, who is well-known for her leading research on sheep breeding and genetics.
There will also be a panel discussion focusing on how to maximise the power of genetics and EBV’s for the challenges that lie ahead.
Farm Walk
There will be a farm walk after lunch on the Central Progeny Test (CPT) flock of John Large, only 15 minutes via shuttle from the hotel. The format of the Irish CPT is relatively unique internationally in that replacement females are retained from the tested sires as well. Attendees will see why this is important and get the CPT farmers’ first-hand experience of genetic improvement.