There are just seven weeks to go until the 2021 Sheep Breeders Round Table (SBRT).

The online event takes place this year between Monday and Friday, November 15-19.

The SBRT is an industry initiative, with collaboration from levy-boards AHDB Beef and Lamb, AgriSearch, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and the National Sheep Association (NSA).

The event is open to anyone with an interest in sheep production and attracts a varied audience of farmers, breeders, researchers and industry representatives.

Sheep Breeders Round Table programme

The programme will run over a week, opening with a lunchtime session on Monday, November 15, followed by four evening sessions, each hosted by a different levy board. The NSA will conclude the programme with a lunchtime session on Friday.

A range of international researchers, breeders and commercial farmers will join each session to provide open, honest, first-hand experience from their involvement in the various projects. Topics will include genetic evaluation methods, environmental sustainability, anthelmintic resistance and breeding.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Sharon McIntyre, genetic evaluation manager for Beef and Lamb New Zealand working closely with SIL (Sheep Improvement Limited);
  • Dr. Nicola Lambe, sheep geneticist from SRUC, Scotland’s Rural University, will discuss how the CT scanning service benefits sheep breeding businesses;
  • Dr. John McEwan, a principal scientist at AgResearch in New Zealand specialising in sheep genomics;
  • Prof. Eric Morgan from Queen’s University summarising the first year of a European Innovation project looking at implementing TST (targeted selective treatments) of Anthelmintics on farms;
  • Dr. John Gilliland OBE, Devenish, discussing a European Innovation project to accelerate livestock’s pathway to carbon net-zero;
  • Denis Gautier, Institut de l’Élevage, explaining how ‘The Digital Farm’ in France evaluates innovative technology for breeders and commercial sheep farmers.

Those interested can view the full programme and register for the online events here on the AHDB website.

The committee intends to return to the traditional three-day face-to-face SBRT conference next year between November 18 and 20, 2022.