The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Sheep breed exports restart
AThis is fantastic news for the UK sheep sector
fter an absence of 26 years, UK sheep breeders can again export genetics to the American market in an agreement estimated to be worth more than £750,000 in the first year of trade.
Sheep breeders in the US have been looking to bring in fresh genetics of some of the UK breeds since the market closed, and now, thanks to a new ovine embryo export health certification, the Suffolk, Texel, Charollais and many heritage breeds could benefit from the new agreement.
Around 10,000 doses of semen are expected to arrive in the US by the end of 2022 – retailing at up to $100 per dose – and it is expected that 2,000 commercial embryos will follow, worth between $450 and $1,000 each.
The news comes hot on the heels of last month’s reopening of trade in sheep meat, which saw British lamb once again in American shoppers’ baskets, and it is the result of two decades of collaborative work between the AHDB levy board, Defra, the National Sheep
Association, the UK Export Certification Partnership and Henry Lewis from British Livestock Genetics.
AHDB international market development director, Dr Phil Hadley said: “This is fantastic news for the UK sheep sector, following the recent announcement that British lamb is back on the menus after more than two decades.
“The importance of this agreement is huge, as many entrepreneurial UK pedigree sheep breeders have had an eye on the US market for some time and now, they are ready to take the next steps to exporting sheep genetics to America.
“The publication of the embryo export certificate not only brings a financial boost to breeders in the UK, but also affords ovine genetic benefit to our American sheep industry colleagues.”