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Selection for improved carcass composition in Suffolk Sheep : Interim Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2017

G Simm ,
W S Dingwall ,
S V Murphy ,
J FitzSimons  and
W R Brown
G Simm
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture , West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
W S Dingwall
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture , West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
S V Murphy
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture , West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
J FitzSimons
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture , West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
W R Brown
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture , West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
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Extract

It is likely that returns from lamb production in future will depend, much more than at present, on producing leaner carcasses. There are several short-term changes in management which could produce leaner carcasses. However, In the longer term genetic Improvement, particularly by within-breed selection In terminal sire breeds, is likely to provide permanent, cumulative and cost-effective benefits In carcass composition. In the early 1980s a research project was started at the Edinburgh School of Agriculture, using Suffolk sheep, to examine the genetic potential for Improving carcass composition In terminal sires. The work commenced with an evaluation of techniques for in vivo measurement of carcass composition (Simm, 1987) and derivation of selection indices to incorporate In vivo measurements (Simm and Dingwall, 1989). Since 1985 In vivo measurement and Index selection have been practised In the experimental flock, which now numbers about 220 ewes. This paper reports the interim results of selection.

Type
Animal Breeding
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1990 , March 1990 , pp. 9
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1990

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References

Simm, G. 1987. Carcass evaluation In sheep breeding programmes. In ‘New Techniques in Sheep Production’, (Ed. Fayez, I Mara, M and Owen, J B). London, Butterworths, pp. 125–144.Google Scholar
Simm, G. and Dingwall, W.S. 1989. Selection indices for lean meat production In sheep. Livestock Production Science. 21; 223–233.Google Scholar