British Texel genetics have taken a number of top tickets at the recent Expointer Show, Port Alegre, Southern Brazil, where leading the way at the show was Leonardo Vier from Rio Grande do Sol with his Vier flock taking the female and reserve male championships at the show with animals sired by tup Teiglum Rembrandt, bred in the Clark family’s flock at Carluke, Lanarkshire.
And as well as dominating the top awards in the show ring Mr Vier’s flock also took the top sale price in the breed auction held at the end of the show, with the reserve male champion selling for R$48,000 (£15,000), explained British Texel Sheep Society chief executive John Yates.
Reserve male champion
Brazilian agent Marcio Auguinsky said the importation of British Texel genetics had been a great boost to the breed in Brazil and the progeny of British stock was highly sought after. “The average Texel ram price here in Brazil is about R$10-15,000 (£3,500-£5000), so to have one selling for R$48,000 clearly shows what demand there is for the British type.”
Mr Vier was ecstatic to have been some of the first breeders to have had access to the British Texel genetics, when they purchased semen from the inaugural 2011 importation.
Female champion
Rembrandt has an Index 308 placing him in the top 5% of the breed in the UK and was also sire of the £14,000 top priced ram at last week’s Kelso Ram Sales.
Mr Vier added “British Texel genetics have brought great improvements in the general quality of the lambs born and it marks a new phase for the Texel in Brazil.”
Having recently returned from the UK where he attended the Scottish National Sale, Lanark Mr Auguinsky said he was astounded at the size and the organisation of the sale. “The quality, strength in depth of the breed in the UK and the support breeders have from the British Texel Sheep Society is very impressive.”
Commenting on the success of the Brazilian export programme Mr Yates said it was a market the Society had identified more than seven years ago. “In that time much hard work has been done to develop strong relationships with key players in Brazil. It is now paying dividends for those flocks that have the right stock and flock health clearances and I’m sure more trade will develop.”
There have now been two shipments of British Texel semen to Brazil, with the first shipment in 2011 followed by a further shipment in the early part of this year.
by 
