SHEEP IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Despite its small size, the United Kingdom has approximately 30 different sheep breeds adapted for their particular environments.  Many of these breed have influenced the development of sheep industries in other parts of the world. The British breeds can be roughly divided into three groups: mountain-bred, short-wool, and long-wool sheep. The most important mountain-bred sheep is the Cheviot. Important short-wool sheep include the Dorset Horn, Southdown, Shropshire Down, South Suffolk, Ryeland and Dorset Down. Noted long-wool breeds are the Border Leicester, Romney Marsh, English Leicester and the Lincoln.

Cheviot

The Cheviot originated in the Cheviot Hills, on the border of England and Scotland. Recognised as a hardy sheep as early as 1372, Cheviots did well in those bleak, windswept conditions, with their strong constitution, easy lambing, well developed mothering instinct, and fast maturity. It is a hardy breed, well–adapted to cold conditions. It is the most popular mountain breed in the United Kingdom and is a popular dual-purpose breed with mutton of acceptable quality.  The wool is valued in the manufacture of Cheviot cloth and Tweed material.  

The Cheviot is ideal for crossing with fine wool breeds, to give a highly productive first-cross ewe. Cheviot wool is finer than most British Long-wool sheep, and crosses particularly well with Merino and Comeback wools, giving a finer-wool first-cross ewe. The long history of the breed gives it genetic stability, which results in maximum hybrid vigour when crossed.

Cheviots produce fast-maturing, lean prime lambs. Their active nature means they put on muscle, not fat, and they have a high dressing percentage. The distinctive high shoulder, which gives them agility and suitability for hilly terrain, is light in bone and fat, and heavy in muscle. The rapid growth rate and fast maturity of Cheviot lambs means earlier sales, fewer carryovers and higher returns. Cheviot wool has a distinctive helical crimp, which gives it that highly desirable resilience. Cheviot wool is often blended into other yarns to give resilience and durability to the finished article. The fleece is dense and long-stapled, of 56s-50s quality, and springy to the touch. These special properties also help reduce fleece rot and fly strike problems.

Dorset Horn

The Dorset Horn sheep is one of the earliest recorded breeds of British Sheep with the first Flock Book being established in 1892, and its adaptability was soon recognised world wide. In recent years it has become valued for the production of fat lambs in many countries. These sheep are characterised by their very square, chunky appearance, long body, and massive horns on both rams and ewes. The ewes are heavy milkers and make excellent mothers.

They are important commercially for their ability to pass to their offspring their superior carcase composition and their ability to grow very rapidly. Its early origins are obscure although it appears that long-wool, down, and even Merino blood has been originally used to produce the breed. It is extremely valuable for the fact that it has a long breeding season.  This is capitalised on by farmers in early areas where the short period for good food is in winter to early spring, necessitating a summer mating.


Suffolk

The Suffolk evolved from the mating of Norfolk Horn ewes with Southdown rams in the Bury St Edmunds area. These sheep were known as Southdown Norfolk or, locally, were referred to as "Black faces."

The first mention of the breed occurred in 1797. The modern Suffolk reflects strong characteristics of both breeds. Originally renowned as a producer of mutton, the breed has developed over the years to match consumer demands. Suffolk are now found throughout the world's sheep producing countries. They are a flag-ship breed in the British Isles and recognised as the leading terminal sire on a variety of ewes to produce top quality prime lamb. The Suffolk requires good feed conditions for best results.

Romney

The Romney (formerly called the Romney Marsh or the Kent sheep) is a "long-wool" sheep recognized as a breed in England by 1800. Exported to other continents, the Romney is the world’s second (to the Merino) most economically important sheep breed. This position comes from the breed’s past and continuing majority share in the sheep-meat and wool export trades of New Zealand. Romneys produce a heavy fleece. A healthy mature ram can yield at shearing upwards of 10 kg per year, while flock averages in NZ for breeding ewes are typically above 5 kg. The sheer number of Romney ewes and lambs in New Zealand make the breed not only the biggest input by tonnage to overseas and domestic wool trade, but also the major part of the country’s export frozen lamb trade, as purebreds and first-generation crosses.