Friday 20th November

12:00 Lunch

12:30 Registrationdeskopensandcheck-inavailable

14:00 Signet Update–SamuelBoon

AnupdateofSignetBreedingServices activityin2014/2015

Maternal Trait Update

ResearchersfromSRUCwillreportonwork relatingtotheanalysisofmaternaltraits: • Maternalabilityandlittersize– KirstyMoore • Ewelongevityandlambsurvival– JoConington

15:00 Combined Breed Analysis

AnupdateontheCombinedBreedAnalysis forTerminalSiresproposedatSBRT13and anopportunityfordiscussion. • Researchfindings–KirstyMoore,SRUC • RamCompare–LizGeneverand SamBoon,AHDBBeefandLamb

16:15 Teaandcoffee

17:00 International sheep session – Focus on Norway

ThorBlichfeldt,HeadofBreedingandAI fortheNorwegianAssociationofSheepand GoatBreeders(NSG) TB@nsg.no

Norwaywasoneofthefirstcountries toengageinco-operativebreeding schemes.Thorwillprovideanoverview oftheNorwegianrecordingsystemandtalk abouttheimportanceofworkingtogether toachieveacommonbreedinggoal, throughco-operationandcentralised decision-making.

20:00 Drinks Reception – sponsored by AHDB Beef and Lamb, HCC and QMS

20:30 Conference Dinner

TheAfterDinnerSpeakerwillbeJohnScott, FarmersWeeklySheepFarmeroftheYear 2014andchairofQMSSheepIndustry Group

SHEEP BREEDERS ROUND TABLE 2015

Get better or get goneBIENNIAL CONFERENCE 20 – 22 NOVEMBER 2015

AtEastwoodHall,MansfieldRoad,Eastwood,NottinghamNG163SS

Chairman–JonathanBarber,Treasurer–ChrisLloyd,Secretary–LizGenever

Committee–SamBoon,JoanneBriggs,LunedEvans,MichaelBlanche

For further information on Sheep Breeders Round Table

Please contact: Karen Morris on 0247 647 8828 or sheepbreedersrt@ahdb.org.uk

#sbrt15 www.nationalsheep.org.uk/sbrt

Saturday 21 November

8:45 Registration

9:00 Jonathan Barber Chairman’sWelcome

9:10 1: What did the review of genetic improvement tell us? ChairedbyPhilStocker,NSA

9:20 Kim Matthews,HeadofR&D, AHDBBeefandLamb,Stoneleigh kim.matthews@ahdb.org.uk

WithPaul Westaway,chairofAHDBBeef andLambR&Dcommitteeandbeeffarmer fromGloucestershire paul@livestockinternational.com

Why was the review needed?

AHDBBeefandLambfundedareviewof geneticimprovementforthebeefandsheep industry,withspecialreferencetothe potentialofgenomics.Kimwillprovidea backgroundtowhythereviewwasdoneand highlightthekeymessages.Paulwilldiscuss whatthereviewmeansfortheindustry.

9:55 Eamon Wall,manager,SheepIreland, Bandon,Co.Cork ewall@icbf.com

What have been the outcomes in Ireland?

Irelandwentthroughasimilarprocessin 2008andmajorchangeshaveoccurred. Eamonwillbediscussingwhattheydidin thefollowingyearsandwhattheirplansare.

10:25 Discussion

10:45 CoffeeBreak

11:15 2: Making the rumen more efficient ChairedbyKimMatthews,AHDBBeef andLamb

11:20 Jamie Newbold,ProfessorofAnimalScience andDirectorofResearch,IBERS,Aberystwyth, Ceredigion cjn@aber.ac.uk

Are we ever going to win the war against the rumen?

Jamiewillbediscussingresearchworkon manipulationoftherumenmicroflorato impactonmethaneemissions.Hewillalso talkabouttheimpactofrearingsystemson therumenpopulation.

11:45 Jimmy Hyslop,Beefandsheepconsultant, SACconsulting,BushEstate,Midlothian jimmy.hyslop@sac.co.uk

What have we learned about measuring Net Feed Efficiency in beef cattle?

JimmyhasbeenworkingwiththeStabiliser CattleCompanyonaTSB-fundedprojecton netfeedefficiency.Hewilldiscusshowwe shouldthinkaboutfeedefficiencyandprovide guidanceforsimilarinitiatives.

12:10 Nicola Lambe,sheepresearcher,SRUC, RoslinInstituteBuilding,Midlothian nicola.lambe@sruc.ac.uk

Can we measure feed efficiency in sheep?

Nicolahasbeeninvestigatingtheoptionsto measurefeedefficiencyinsheepandgoats. Shewilldiscussthechallengesandpossible optionsfortheUK.

12:35 Discussion

12:50 Lunch(andopportunitytolookattheposters)

13:45 3: The debate – “We should give up recording hill sheep” ChairedbyChrisLloyd,AHDBBeefandLamb

13:50 Will Haresign,retiredlivestockgeneticist, IBERS wih@aber.ac.uk

For the motion–Investmentshouldfocus onthosebreedsthatwishtoengagewith performancerecording,wheregeneticgains overthelastdecadehaveledtoasignificant returnoninvestment.

13:55 Jo Conington,livestockgeneticist,SRUC joanne.conington@sruc.ac.uk

Against the motion–Geneticvariationin hillbreedswillleadtoeconomicbenefits totheUKsheepindustry.

14:00 John Yeomans,sheepbreeder,Newtown, Powys yeomans.ranch@btinternet.com

For the motion–Wehavetriedavariety ofoptions,butitisstillnotworking.

14:05 Samuel Wharry,sheepbreeder,Carnlough, Co.Antrim,NI samuelwharry@tiscali.co.uk

Against the motion–Weneedtoexploit thegeneticpotentialofhillbreeds,butthere arethingsbreedersneedhelpwith.

14:10 Discussion

15:10 Coffee

15:40 4: Innovate from within ChairedbyMikeCoffey,SRUC

15:45 Ron Lewis,ProfessorofAnimalBreeding andGenomics,UniversityofNebraska– Lincoln rlewis5@unl.edu

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Sheep breeding in the US

RonwillgiveabriefoverviewoftheUS sheepindustry,describingsuccessesand challengesinitsgeneticimprovement programmeandopportunitiesthatlieahead.

16:15 Carroll Barber,sheepbreeder,Wymondham, Norfolk carroll@charollaissheep.com

The rise, fall, rise and future of co-operative breeding programmes

Carrollwillbediscussingwhathashappened inthe25yearssinceSireReferenceSchemes began.Shewillindicatewhatworked andwhatdidn’t,andwhathasbeenlearnt. Shewillhighlightwhatthefuturemaybring.

16:35 Shaun Hall Jones,sheepproducer, Carmarthenshire shaunhalljones@aol.co.uk

Genetic Improvement – The Future of a Profitable Sheep Enterprise?

ShaunwasanHCCscholarin2013and travelledtoNewZealand.Hewillbe discussingthefindingsofhisscholarshipand howhehaschangedhisbusiness.

16:55 Mike MillerN.Sch.,sheepproducer, Blandford,Dorset michael.miller20@yahoo.com

Matching the breed to the system, or vice versa

MikehasrecentlycompletedaNuffield Scholarshiponwinteringoptionsforewes. Hewillbediscussingtheradicalchangesto hissysteminthelastfewyearsandwhathe learntfromhisNuffieldtrips.

17:15 Discussion

17:30 Poster Session Authorswillbestandingbytheirposter.

19:15 Wine Reception– sponsoredbySRUC

20:00 Dinner FeaturingtheinauguralSBRTawards– categoriesincludebestposterandbest audiencequestion.

Sunday 22 November

9:20 5: Future gazing ChairedbyLynfaDavies,HCC

9:25 Joe Angell,researcher,UniversityofLiverpool Joseph.Angell@liverpool.ac.uk

Dealing with Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis

Joewillbetalkingabouttheworkthatis beingdoneattheUniversityofLiverpoolon CODD.HewillalsobereportingonhisPhD projectthatislookingattreatmentoptions andwillpresentearlyconclusionsfrom hiswork.

9:45 Mike Stear,ProfessorofImmunogenetics, UniversityofGlasgow Michael.Stear@glasgow.ac.uk

Testing for parasite resilience

Mikewillbediscussingfindingsfromaproject validatingwhethersalivacanbeusedasa proxyforfaecaleggcounting.Hewillbe talkingaboutotheroptionsforcollecting phenotypesforparasiteresilience.

10:05 Neil Clelland,SRUC,RoslinInstituteBuilding, Midlothian neil.clelland@sruc.ac.uk

What do new CT measurements tell us?

NeilwillbediscussinghisAHDBBeefand Lamb,SRUC,HCCandQMS-funded PhDonusingcomputedtomographyto predictmeatqualityinsheepbreeding programmes,aswellasreferringtorelated workonspinelengthandvertebraenumber.

10:25 Discussion

10:40 CoffeeBreak

11:10 6: To do list ChairedbyJohnScott,QMS

11:15 Fiona Lovatt,sheepvet,Eggleston,Barnard Castle,CoDurham fiona@flockhealth.co.uk

Are we sure that fertility tests are working?

Fionawillbetalkingaboutdevelopingnew SheepVeterinarySocietyrecommendations onramfertilitytestingforvets.Shewill provideinformationonaprojectsheis workingonabouttherepeatabilityand reliabilityofscrotalmeasurements.

11:45 Mike Coffey,ProfessorofLivestock Informatics,SRUC,RoslinInstituteBuilding, Midlothian Mike.Coffey@sruc.ac.uk

Using abattoir derived carcase data within breeding evaluations

Mikewillbediscussinghowcommercialdata hasbeenusedwithinbeefbreeding evaluationsandpossibleoptionsforsheep evaluations.

12:15 Donagh Berry,Quantitativegeneticist, Teagasc,Moorepark,Co.Cork donagh.berry@teagasc.ie

What are the potential genomic solutions for the sheep industry?

Donaghwillbediscussinghisworkon genomicsinthebeef,sheepanddairyindustry, andoutlininghowgenomicapproachescould benefittheIrishsheepindustry.

12:45 Jonathan Barber Chairman’sClosingRemarks

13:00 Lunch