Media Release 4 November 2013 Facing Facial Eczema and Raising the Bar

Media Release 4 November 2013

Facing Facial Eczema and Raising the Bar

New Zealands largest red meat genetics company is raising the bar in an effort to reduce the impact of facial eczema heading south and becoming more prevalent throughout New Zealand.

Focus Genetics chief executive Gavin Foulsham says they are upping the game and testing more sheep than ever before to breed rams which are resistant to facial eczema.

We have been testing for facial eczema resistance for over 20 years and we are now seeing the benefit of continued selection. But we need to keep improving our genetics and keep on top of facial eczema, which is becoming more prevalent in many areas throughout the North Island.

Facial eczema resistance is a highly heritable trait so farmers can significantly manage the disease in their ewe flocks by selecting for facial eczema tolerant rams.

Facial Eczema is a disease which animals pick up by ingesting fungal spores in the pasture. It attacks the liver and affects their metabolism. The disease impacts on fertility, meat production, wool production and growth rates as well as animal welfare. In a bad year a farmer could lose a significant number of their ewe flock as animals die.

Focus Genetics Senior Animal Breeding Scientist Geoff Nicoll says the company has tested its Romney rams extensively over the last 23 years and its Highlander rams over the last 6 years.

We test mainly young rams as ram hoggets in autumn and we use the selected rams to sire the next generation. This ensures we are getting better genetic resistance. We test more rams than any breeder in the country which gives us high selection pressure.

And the intensive programme is paying off with SIL ranking Focus Genetics rams as the top five highest facial eczema resistant rams in the country recently.

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Media Release 4 November 2013 Facing Facial Eczema and Raising the Bar