White Suffolk (sheep)
Encyclopedia
White Suffolk is an Australia
n breed of meat sheep developed for Australian conditions. Work commenced on a breeding program in the mid-1970s with experimentation conducted by Professor E. Roberts (University of New South Wales
). His aim was to produce a breed with the conformation, structure and growth of the Suffolk
but with a white head, legs and body. Professor Roberts had observed that despite the Suffolk breed producing clearly the best lambs, it commanded only a small share of the Australian prime lamb market. The main reason for this reluctance was caused by the dark points and the reduced skin values. In the 1980s other breeders also took up the challenge to develop the breed with improved quality and numbers. It was then developed from breeding programs involving the Suffolk breed, initially, crossed with a white breed (mainly Poll Dorset
s).
The White Suffolk is producing good results in a variety of pastoral, mixed farming and higher rainfall districts.
In 1992 U.S. genetics became available and have now been infused into a percentage of White Suffolk studs. Artificial insemination is used by breeders to source superior genetics that are available to association members.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n breed of meat sheep developed for Australian conditions. Work commenced on a breeding program in the mid-1970s with experimentation conducted by Professor E. Roberts (University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
). His aim was to produce a breed with the conformation, structure and growth of the Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
but with a white head, legs and body. Professor Roberts had observed that despite the Suffolk breed producing clearly the best lambs, it commanded only a small share of the Australian prime lamb market. The main reason for this reluctance was caused by the dark points and the reduced skin values. In the 1980s other breeders also took up the challenge to develop the breed with improved quality and numbers. It was then developed from breeding programs involving the Suffolk breed, initially, crossed with a white breed (mainly Poll Dorset
Poll Dorset
The Poll Dorset is a short wool, meat producing sheep that was developed in Australia between 1937 and 1954 with the aim of breeding a true Dorset type sheep without horns. The poll gene was introduced into Dorset Horn flocks from two other polled breeds and following a strict back-mating programme...
s).
The White Suffolk is producing good results in a variety of pastoral, mixed farming and higher rainfall districts.
In 1992 U.S. genetics became available and have now been infused into a percentage of White Suffolk studs. Artificial insemination is used by breeders to source superior genetics that are available to association members.