Paparata Elite Romney: focussed on building FE tolerance
From the Beef and Lamb resource book 'Facing Up To Facial Eczema'.
'The liver damage associated with FE results in production losses that are much greater than may first appear. Even when no symptoms are visible, FE can reduce lifetime productivity by up to 25 per cent'.
'Breeding for increased tolerance to FE should be your first line of defence'. Why lifting FE tolerance is a smart idea for all sheep farmers.
Lifting the FE tolerance in your sheep is essential for farmers farming in an eczema prone area. A live sheep is always going to outperform a dead one.
If you do not farm in a FE prone area 'look out' the climate is warming and eczema is creeping down the country. Buying rams with FE tolerance could protect your flock in the future.
If you think you will never be threatened by FE then it also makes sense to lift flock tolerance levels. You have a larger market when selling store. Those farmers farming in a FE prone area will not buy lambs that do not have FE tolerance. You have more buyers. Paparata FE tolerance building programme. In 1999 af ter some heavy sheep losses in the 1990’s when FE turned up in the King Country, Paparata decided to lift the FE tolerance levels of the Paparata ewe flock
From 1999 all outside sires used over the recorded flock - needed to have been FE tolerance tested at a high level.
In the same year, a testing programme was begun on the high ranking home bred rams to check their tolerance levels. Those rams showing the highest tolerance levels are used over the recorded flock. The dose rate has moved up each year as the flock tolerance levels moved up although this took time as can be seen in the graph.
I would like to point out- Only tested rams are used over the recorded flock and this has been the practice for the last 19 years.
We will test at .48 this year which is getting up there given that the high tolerance breeders test at .5 and .6.
It has taken 19 years to get Paparata up to this level.
You want to build FE tolerance levels in you flock?
Good questions to ask a ram breeder. How long have you been testing for FE? Needs to be more than 10 years.
Are all your sire rams tested? They all should be.
What level do you test at?