1. Signet Friday SBRT Session Samuel Boon – Signet Breeding Services

2. Overview Signet & the Levy Bodies Ultrasound scanning Breed update Service update Data transfer update

3. AHDB HGCA Ltd BPEX Ltd Horticultural Development Company Ltd EBLEX Ltd DairyCo Ltd The Potato Council Ltd Commercial Sector Company Governance provided by the Signet Guidance Group made up of EBLEX Board Members

4. Samuel Boon Manager Dennis Homer Specialist Lucy Webb Wilson Consultant Natalie Dodd Bureau Manager Kay Shone Amanda Pearson (part time) Pragna Patel Andrew Steele Rob Paton Stewart Nellist Signet Team for 2013 Willie Wilson Angela Brown ???? Consultant

5. Genetic Evaluations Collation of data Provision of EBVs Reporting Measurement services Consultancy Technology Transfer (England) Promotion of EBVs to pedigree & commercial produces

6. Technology Transfer QMS Kathy Peebles Scottish Sheep Strategy Michael Blanche Katie Keiley HCC Sion Aron Jones and team EBLEX Chris Lloyd and team Sam Boon and team

7. Levy Support EGENES Data Analysis –£82,000 EBLEX, HCC and QMS EGENES Development Work –£30,000 EBLEX FEC & CT Scanning –£23,000 in 2012 EBLEX + QMS + HCC U/sound scanning (running costs) –£60,000 in 2013 EBLEX

8. Scanning New equipment Bridget Gilman has helped out Lambs scanned –42,570 2010/11 –44,981 2011/12 –40,143 2012/13

9. Correlations 0.96- 0.99 across the various tests Tech A - Muscle Tech B - Muscle

10. Sheepbreeder membership Membership has fallen by the end of 2013 SB virus Difficult winter / lack of money Lack of optimism about ram trade End of successful HCC project Lack of levy support in Northern Ireland Hit a 10 year high

11. No. LambsNo. Breeders Lambs with early weight Lambs scanned Texel (about 200 Signet client)59,2241,31111,30510,024 Suffolk (about 70 Signet clients)26,5597215,5804,558 Hampshire Down (about 60 Signet clients)3,2251741,288814 LLEYN18,1954815,3465,399 COMPOSITE7,381154,9922,675 CHAROLLAIS6,207584,4642,626 DORSET4,823203,8301,704 SCOTCHBLACKFACE4,311193,4412,645 EASYCARE3,30972,605857 WELSH MOUNTAIN2,90282,1781,103 ROMNEY MARSH2,29341,7171,491 BLUEFACED LEICS1,541271,0671,000 MEATLINC1,33271,078991 NORTH COUNTRY CHEVIOT PARK1,12010942457 BEULAH1,1185876600 SHROPSHIRE1,04320892621 SOUTHDOWN84115654565 NORTH COUNTRY CHEVIOT HILL8054690463 WILTSHIRE HORN73411618336 BELTEX67712567496 Grand Total:149,3122,52565,38740,143 Plus more smaller breeds

12. Expanding breeds Texel Lleyn Romney Composite shedders

14. Strong Pedigree Sales 10% Index vs. Average Charollais Premier +£600/ram Texel Welsh +£360/ram Texel Scottish +£1,800/ram Texel English +£400/ram Dorset May Fair +£500/ram (vs. sale average)

15. Proportion of recorded rams for sale at Builth Wells Charollais 37% Texel 32% Suffolk 16% Hampshire Down 39% BFL 16% Lleyn 58% Welsh Mountain 13%

16. Leading showring sheep also had high EBVs BFL – Builth Wells Charollais – Premier Sale Hampshire Down Suffolk – Royal Highland

17. New Marketing Initiatives Poll Dorset – New sale Launched Worcester – Mixed breed Sale Maternal Sheep Group – Website Southdown - Website

18. Ram Selection Days Lleyn Wiltshire Horn Exlana Meatlinc

19. Recording Hill Sheep Membership reducing as funding (HISS, NUSS and WSS) all finished Hard core of breeders remain Extra effort will be required in terms of technology transfer from levy bodies if these breeding groups are to grow New Welsh Mountain Breeding Scheme launched Find photo of recorded Swaledale

20. Suffolk Perception “recording not finding good sheep” Trial set up. Three unrecorded flocks and three recorded flocks used a “good ram” (with no EBVs) The “good” ram now in bottom 1% of breed for Muscle Depth EBV

21. Lleyn Numbers recording are very high –53% of Builth Wells entries recorded SRS is numerically small, but important Linkage is a concern Some Maternal Ability EBVs are moving –R&D trying to address this challenge Series of meetings completed

22. Breeding Service Update

23. CT Scanning Service 533 commercial lambs (331 Edinburgh and 202 mobile) and 612 trial lambs

24. EBLEX Ram Linkage Scheme Run by Dylan Laws, EBLEX Scientist Sire Linkage Programme Performance (Aug 2009 – Jun 2013) Nominated rams46 Successful rams (semen collected)5 Number of semen straws collected1750 Recorded progeny produced619 Number of recorded flocks with progeny32

25. EBLEX BRP

26. New BRP Publications

27. Main source of reports, technical updates and news Twitter @SamBoonBreeding Flickr Webinars (future)

28. Print your own charts

29. Presentation of Fat Depth EBV Recognised that there is an optimum fat depth – varies with breeds/farms Presentation on charts is constantly discussed Charolais and Limousin cattle are flipping the chart Proposal that the presentation of all Signet sheep and beef charts is changed from 1 st January

30. Ram with a low Fat Depth EBV

31. Ram with a high Fat Depth EBV

32. Download your own EBVs

33. Electronic File Upload BADUT Working for –Lambing information –Calving information –Lamb weights –Retagging and census work –Ewe mature weights

34. On-line Data Entry Service already exists for Texel breeders Next step to enable Signet breeders to enter data on-line Signet negotiating with BASCO for access Breeders using the service must have a Flockbook Number that is based on UK tag

35. R&D work completed by EGENES Index work –Suffolk, Texel, Dorset, Vendeen, BFL Model work –Hampshire Down New groups/breeds –Welsh Mountain, Exlana, Blue Texel Investigations –Texel Litter Size EBVs –Inbreeding

36. On-going R&D Genetic Parameter Review –All breeds –Lleyn and Dorset first New Traits –Maternal Ability – new method –Litter Size – Born and Reared

37. R&D on the horizon Major projects –Ewe longevity –Lamb survival Connectedness New management groups Inbreeding