Ile De France breeders celebrate a great year

Not only was it an ideal opportunity to catch up and speak directly to breeders after a number of years of Zoom meetings and purchasing stock by video selection, but also to see the ongoing commitment to produce stock bred for maternal and terminal traits.

A significant testing program of ram lambs is undertaken annually at the Verdilly testing station (outside of Paris) and this cumulates with the top ram lambs being retained for AI across all participating flocks and an online sale offering genetics to breeders and commercial producers from across France and further afield.

David firmly believes that this commitment to recording is a key reason as to why the breed continues to grow internationally and also in relation to his own flock how he can benchmark his own animals and monitor the success of new bloodlines.

Performance Recorded Animals will be available as part of the consignments destined for the 46th Annual Sale of Ile de France stock on Friday, 11th August at Beatties Glenpark premises, Gortin Road, Omagh.

Clogher Valley Show completed the Ile De France Show Season for 2023, with Judge Melvin Annett ultimately finding his breed champion with a home bred ewe from the Flush Team of the Mullygarry Flock of Rodney and Emma Balfour.

Reserve Champion went to the Glenhoy Flock with an exceptional ram lamb which has impressed each time he was out. With Clogher also seeing the final awarding of points to the Club Competitions the leading awards were as follows:Show team of the year: Glenhoy FlockBreeders Cup: Garveway FlockMale of the year: Mullygarry HoratioReserve Male of the Year: Glenhoy JuggernautFemale of the year: A Mountnabview Hoggett ewe exhibited by the Garveway FlockReserve Female: Mullygarry 3 shear eweA selection of stock from the above flocks will be joined by consignments from Tullyheran (Rodger and Henry Milligan), Carrick (Edward and Stewart Adamson) at the forth coming 46th Annual Sale in Beatties, Glenpark premises on the Gortin Road, Omagh on Friday evening, 11th August.Commenting on the show season Rodney Balfour of ‘Rare Breeds’ fame was delighted to see his Senior Stock that had competed successfully at Balmoral finishing the year in style before they head to his flushing program.

“Friendship and camaraderie are key parts of the Show circuit and that is one thing the Ile de France Breeders who compete regularly have always shown in abundance since we started showing and being able to compete on a level footing with even the most established flocks has been a big incentive to us,” he said.“When we combine this with the commercial qualities of the Ile de France breed which we see at first hand through our farm sheep, along with the growing repeat business for shearling rams we have established it adds value to the sheep enterprise on the farm.”

The quality of the Northern Ireland stock has always been recognised throughout the UK and Ireland and recently a consignment of stock has travelled across to Wales to start a new flock and also to add new bloodlines to an established flock.