Sheepindustry in the Netherlands

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Sheep-industry in the Netherlands

• René van den Brom, DVM

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René van den Brom

• Born in Amsterdam
• Grew up in Abcoude
• As kid already interested in small ruminants
• Studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of
  Utrecht (graduated in 2004)
• Working as veterinary practitioner
• Breeder of purebred Dutch Texel

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What can you expect from me?

• Netherlands
• Sheep industry in the Netherlands
• Different breeds
• Milksheep (dairy sheep)
• Dutch Texel (!!)
• Animal Health
• Interesting websites

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The Netherlands
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The Netherlands

• Famous about
• Flowers
• Cheese
• klompen (wooden shoes)
• 16 million people
• Beneath sea-level (wetlands)!!, protected by many
  dikes

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Sheep industry

• Dairy sheep industry
• Meat-production (Texel breed has most excellent
  carcass quality in the world)
• Purebred Dutch Texel
• Crossbreeds
• Easter suckling-lambs
• Wool (not important anymore)

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Dairy sheep industry (1)

• Small branch
• 100 farmers
• 10-800 ewes per farm
• 4,000 pedigree milksheep
• Many ewes for hobby
• 30 dairy sheep farmers, half of them organic

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Dairy sheep industry (2)

• Milk and milkproducts
• 500-1000 litres per lactation
• High status of animal health
• Different products of high quality
• No residues
• No zoonoses
• Attention for animal welfare

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Meat-production

• Export (France)
• Meat-producers
• Dutch Texel purebred
• Crossbreds (Flevolander, Swifter, etcetera)
• Easter suckling-lambs
• Small business
• Born in December, slaugthered with Easter
• Not in natural season sponges and folligonan

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Dutch Texel purebred (1)

• The beginning
• Used for?
• Breeding goal
• Excellent carcass quality!

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Dutch Texel purebred (2)

• The beginning
• Early 1900s
• Crossbreeding native polder sheep with various
  English breeds
• Resulting in large, rapid growing sheep
• Selection most meaty mutton breed with excellent
  carcass

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Dutch Texel purebred (3)

• Used for?
• Pure breeding
• Crossbreedings
• Especially as terminal sire
• Export of semen
• England
• Belgium
• France
• ???

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Dutch Texel purebred (4)

• Breeding goal
• Two weaned lambs per litter
• Rapid growth of young lambs
• Good maternal characteristics
• Further optimalization of the carcass qualities

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Dutch Texel purebred (5)

• Excellent carcass quality
• Average of 60 lean meat
• Dressing percentage of 55-60

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Dutch Texel purebred

• Beautiful and functional sheep
• Larger, longer animal
• Low fat
• Conclusion A perfect sire!

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Animal Health

• Scrapie
• Maedi-visna
• Brucellosis
• Liver fluke and gastro-intestinal helminths
• Blue Tongue
• Others

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Animal Health (2)

• Scrapie
• Contagious, very slowly developing disease of the
  central nervous system
• 1996 BSE in England, panic
• Program, breeding for resistance
• Many farms are scrapie-resistent

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Animal Health (3)

• Maedi Visna
• Persistent lentiviral disease
• Problems with weight-losses leading to death
• Problems in lungs, brains, udder and joints
• Eradication program since beginning of the
  1980s many farms (especially purebred breeders
  are free)

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Animal Health (4)

• Brucellosis
• Netherlands are free
• We test every year 20.000 animals to keep free
  status

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Animal Health (5)

• Liver fluke
• Wetlands
• Parasite
• Deadly

• Gastro-intestinal helminths
• Nematodirus battus
• Haemonchus contortus

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Animal Health (6)

• Blue Tongue
• Since 2006
• Spreading all over Europe
• Serotype 8 (earlier only below equator)
• This year vaccination

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Some interesting websites

• www.markenrenetexelaarfokkerij.nl
• www.melkschapen.nl (Dairy sheep)
• www.texelsheep.nl (Breeders Association)
• www.futuredream.nl (AI-station)
• www.texels-schaap.nl (C. Kikkert, best purebred
  Texel breeder)

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Any questions??
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Muchas gracias!