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One of Northern Ireland’s biggest lamb producers is sticking with Texels and urges NI breeders to focus on commercial traits.

Norman Read, who runs a flock of 1300 Blackie and Blackie x Texel ewes which he crosses with a Texel, buys many of his rams from the annual Texel sale at Dungannon, which is to be held on the 19th and 20th August.

Since he started his flock at the age of 14, Mr Read has bought some 600 Texel rams, many of them from the Dungannon Texel Sale. He currently runs 27 rams with the flock and 20 of those were bought last year at Dungannon, a sale which he says is very well organised.

His preferred type of Texel is a long, well muscled sheep that are good on their feet and he urges breeder’s to concentrate on these traits.

“I am not going to rush into switching from using Texel, it’s my preferential breed, but I appeal to breeders here in Northern Ireland to focus on commercial traits that offer producers like me the best returns,” says Mr Read

He has tried other breed’s but they do not suit his system. “Texels suit the environment I farm in and the lambs are lively at birth.’’ says Mr Read, who farms 405 hectares of Less Favoured Area farmland in Fermanagh.

Mr Read came into farming from a non-agricultural background - his father was an engineer. He became interested in farming when he bought first sheep from a neighbouring farmer when he was 14 and gradually expanded the flock. At one time he was running 1700 ewes but as his sons have pursued careers outside farming he has gradually cut back numbers.

The flock lambs in March and April and the lambs are on a grass-only diet until November when their diet is boosted with a blend fed in the field. They are housed in January and fed an ad lib cereal blend ration before being slaughtered in February and March.

He is a member of the Lough Erne Lamb Group which sells all its lambs to Kettle Foods, a company specialising in supplying restaurants in London. The company, says Mr Read, wants U3 grade lambs weighing 25kg deadweight.