One of the reasons I like visiting the UK is to see all the different breeds of livestock, especially sheep. Great Britain has more sheep breeds than any country in the world, as many as 90. We have about 40 in the US. Many of the breeds are the same as the ones we have. Where do you think we got them? Some look the same. Some look vastly different. Many breeds we do not have. The Great Yorkshire Show is a great place to observe the genetic diversity of the UK sheep industry. Driving through the countryside is another way, though often you're too far away to accurately identify the breed(s). The lambs (and ewes) at the auction market are also a good indication of the breeds (and crosses) being raised.
The Swaledale is the "Queen of the Hills." She is the most numerous breed of sheep in the Yorkshire Dales, the area of England I have visited twice, including most recently (July 2024). The Swaledale is a hill (or mountain breed). She is known for her hardiness and ability to raise lambs under harsh environmental conditions (cold and wet). She has distinct markings: a mostly black face with white circles around her eyes. Rams and ewes are both horned. The Swaledale produces poor quality wool. Her fleece is very open. She has a bare belly and sheds some of the rest of her coat. The wool, along with her long, fluffy tail protects her from the elements. Shearing is done for reasons of animal welfare and usually not until mid-summer, since it doesn't get (too) hot or humid in the UK. Wool has little value in the UK, only a few pence per kilo.
Swaledale: "Queen of the Hills"
It is common to cross Swaledale ewes with Bluefaced Leicester rams. The result is the North of England Mule, a productive crossbred ewe raised in the lowlands. After several years of production in the hills, Swaledale ewes and other hill breeds are brought to the lowlands to produce these Mule ewes. There are other Mules in England. There are geographic preferences for the cross, but the sire is always the Bluefaced Leicester. The Scotch Mule is a Scottish Blackface cross. The Welsh Mule is a Welsh Mountain cross. Mules are then crossed with meat-type rams (terminal sires) to produce market or "store" lambs.
This crossbreeding scheme makes the Bluefaced Leicester one of the most important breeds in all of England. The rams are used to produce Mules, regardless of geographic location. The traditional Bluefaced Leicester has white skin with blue hairs showing through. The crossing type is more speckled faced. Both have a roman nose. In the US, the Bluefaced Leicester is an undervalued breed in my opinion. It is raised mostly for its wool, with little application in the commercial world. Bluefaced Leicesters produce finer wool (56-60s) than most of the longwool breeds.
Bluefaced Leicester ram - crossing type
The Texel is the most popular terminal sire in the UK. It has several off-shoots including Blue and Badger Face. Not sure of the purpose or advantage of these other two varieties. The Beltex is another offshoot of the Texel. It is double muscled and quite a peculiar looking breed (IMO). It is usually the sire of the most heavily muscled lambs and carcasses. In fact, all the lambs in the store competition at the Great Yorkshire Show were Beltex cross lambs. Texels in the UK appear more heavily muscled than their counterparts in the US. The breeders claim they don't have lambing problems, because the lambs are small. Other heavy muscled terminal sire breeds (in the UK) include the Dutch Spotted (a relatively new breed), Charollais, Bleu du Maine, (British) Berrichon, and (British) Rouge. The latter four were imported from France. In the US, we have the Dutch Spotted and Charollais, but not the others; at least not yet.
Blue Texel
Texel sired lambs at the Hawes Auction Mart
Supposedly the Suffolk is regaining some of its position as a terminal sire in the UK. In the US, the Suffolk is the most popular terminal sire breed, with the Texel gaining in popularity. It is the opposite in the UK. The Suffolk is a "down" breed. Other down breeds include the Southdown, Hampshire, and Oxford. The down breeds in England look nothing like their US counterparts. They are smaller framed, with heavier bones and heavier muscling. Besides being stouter, the Hampshire "Down" is much woolier than its US counterpart. The Southdown is a rare breed (in the UK) and has not been upgraded to the point the Southdown in the US has. The Dorset "Down" was also considerably smaller than its US counterpart.
Shorter-statured Hampshire ewe
Leading a Southdown ewe
Dorset ram (left)
Many of the wool breeds looked very similar to their US counterparts. This makes sense since semen from the UK is often used to upgrade our existing wool breeds, as well as to introduce new breeds. The most unique looking wool breeds I saw were the Teeswater and Wensleydale. Both have long curly locks of wool. Both have been introduced to the US via semen, with upgrading programs in-progress. Like the US, the UK is fascinated with the Valais Blacknose, the Swiss mountain sheep. I personally don't see the appeal of this breed. It offers nothing to the US sheep industry; in fact, it is harmful if people only think of it as a pet. Classic "pyramid scheme!" in my opinion.
Champion Shetlands at the Great Yorkshire Show
The UK has many native breeds, many rare breeds. Like the US, there are efforts to preserve the rare breeds. Th Herdwick was nearly wiped out during the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001. Eradication efforts had little regard for rare breeds. The refusal to vaccinate (for foot-and-mouth disease) meant everything in the "circle" was killed. Now, there are policies in place that would preserve rare breeds in the event of another disease outbreak. The Herdwick has gradually recovered. They are an easily recognizable breed, with their dark bodies and white heads (and curly horns). They are native to the Lake Region in northwestern England. The Herdwick is now being promoted as a conservation breed. I hope to visit the Lake region some day to see the Herdwick breed in its natural habitat.
Herdwicks were nearly wiped out in 2001.
I know that there are hair sheep in the UK, but the only ones I've seen were Dorpers at the Great Yorkshire Show. Dorpers aren't a good fit for the UK in my opinion. They are best adapted to hot dry climates; in other words, the opposite of the British Isles. On the other hand, the Brits like heavy muscled "terminal sire" sheep, which is why Dorpers would appeal to them. The Katahdin would be a much better fit. There is a similar breed to the Katahdin called the "Easy Care." Not sure how popular it is getting and how it handles the cool, wet weather of the UK. My feeling is that hair sheep would adapt to the climate, but might fit best in the lowlands.
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