[W]ith membership numbers doubling, this year’s Blacknose Beauties Show and Sale at Carlisle from 24th – 25th August, held by the Valais Sheep Society, promises to be a huge celebration of the UK’s fastest growing sheep breed.
This is the 3rd Show and Sale to be held by the Valais Sheep Society and their very first AGM, offering a unique opportunity to be part of the new popularity this rare breed has enjoyed.
Having established as a Society in 2015, by Jenni McAllister, Raymond Irvine and Jamie Wood, the breed has gone from strength to strength, and this year’s Show will see 191 entries on display, almost double the previous two years. This includes three daughters from last year’s Overall Champion, Highland Breeze, from Raymond Irvine and Jenni McAllister.
Commenting on the upcoming Show and Sale, Jenni McAllister, Joint President of the UK Valais Blacknose Society, said: “There is now a strong presence of Valais Blacknose Sheep here in the UK, from Stornoway to the South of England, and our Show and Sale is a chance to showcase why this breed, which originated from Switzerland, is particularly suited to UK conditions. We hope to attract farmers, smallholders, and general fans of the breed to our Show and Sale and look forward to presenting the breed to a new audience, as well as our current members and supporters. I want to encourage anyone with an interest in sheep to come along and see what this breed can offer.”
Travelling from Oberwalliser Schwarznasen Schafzuchtverband, Valais, in Switzerland, judges Josef Eyer and Stefan Schnidrig, will be carrying out grading of all entered sheep using the adopted points system from Valais, which is designed to ensure that the high standards of the breed are maintained in Britain.
There will also be a rare opportunity to purchase one of these highly sought-after animals, with 32 ewes and 41 rams being offered for sale. The Society hopes to repeat the success of last year’s sale, which saw high prices achieved for all ages with some outstanding results for the most in demand animals.
The Male Champion and Reserve Supreme Champion in 2017, March born ram lamb Westmorland Edward, owned by Tim Dunne, was sold for 7100gns to Lisa Morgan from Monmouthshire. Next best price was 4500gns for the in-lamb gimmer Prendwick Dancer from Jamie Wood’s Alnwick based flock and this gimmer was also purchased again by Lisa Morgan. J and J Simonini’s April 2016 born ram Highland Duke went to Richard Beattie from Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland for 4200gns. Jamie Wood sold the ewe lamb Prendwick Dandelion for the next best price of 3800gns, purchased by Lisa Morgan who also bought Tim Dunne’s ewe lamb Westmorland Elsie for 3600gns.
“This year looks set to be the biggest Show and Sale yet, attracting not only UK interest, but a global focus on these incredible animals. We have Judges from Switzerland and sponsors from all over the world, illustrating the strong and unique appeal of this rare breed of sheep”, adds Jenni.
Giving Background to his Blacknose Valais Flock is John McKenzie, who runs the community-owned GlenWyvis Distillery, in Dingwall, just north of Inverness. He has owned Valais sheep for two years.
Commenting on his flock, John says: “Our Pedigree Valais Blacknoses are a very important part of the landscape at GlenWyvis Distillery. We have two tups, five ewes and two wethers called Malt & Barley!
“We wanted a breed that was easy to look after and friendly, and the Valais have not disappointed. They also look great alongside the Belted Galloway herd, the Highland cattle and our alpacas!
“As a new distillery, we’re working hard to create a memorable visitor experience – and we believe our farm animals will have an engaging role to play in that – especially the Valais – as they are always a big attraction due to their distinct characteristics and friendly temperament. Of course, the sheep and cattle also provide the distillery, which produces whisky and craft gin – with a sustainable use for the draff waste, which is fed to the farm animals.
“I am very much looking forward to the Show and Sale in Carlisle in August, and hope we see new people taking interest in the breed. As a sponsor, I will be watching with interest to see the quality of animals on display.
“Due to the success we have had with the Valais breed, I plan to expand our flock and look forward to showcasing the breed to our growing number of visitors to our farm in Scotland.”
The Jones family from Pant Gwyn near Caernarfon in Gwynedd, North Wales, bought their first Valais ram a year ago and are now planning to significantly increase numbers.
“We have been so pleased with the temperament of these animals and their low maintenance”, said Kerry Jones, who owns the Valais flock together with her husband Gerallt. “My father-in-law farms commercial sheep, but we wanted something quieter to introduce our youngest sheep-obsessed boys, Alfie (5) and Luca (2) to. They already have their own flock of Greyface Dartmoors and the Valais were a nice compliment to those.
“So last summer, we bought our first ram from Valais Blacknose Sheep Westmorland, with the original intention to cross breed him with our Dartmoors. But when ‘Eddie’ arrived home, we instantly fell in love with his character and the decision was made to set about breeding our own pedigree flock. Prior to purchasing any ewes, we attended the Blacknose Beauties Show and Sale at Carlisle to do some additional research and meet potential breeders.
“Since January 2018, we have travelled the length and breadth of the country, 5,500 miles in 5 months, visiting different breeders and carefully selecting stock, making sure we purchased different bloodlines. We now have 4 breeding ewes, 2 ewe lambs, 2 rams and a ram lamb; we will start breeding ourselves next year in two batches, due to age differences under the prefix Snowdonia.
“We are honestly so impressed with the Valais breed that we now plan to further expand our flock, with a view to sell any surplus in a few years. In the meantime, we have started showing the animals, our flock were the very first to compete at the Royal Welsh Show in July, which generated an enormous amount of interest. We will take five to Carlisle in August; two ewe lambs, a shearling, a shearing ram and a ram lamb. Alfie, Luca and our three older children will help prepare them for the Show Ring, which is a great experience for them all. What is so reassuring is that I can completely trust this breed with small children and have full confidence they will be safe to work with. I absolutely recommend this breed to anyone wanting a good temperament, friendly and of course, adorable sheep!
“We have also found the wool to be in demand, with a local company buying what we can supply to make props for newborn photography shoots – such as blankets and felted teddies, which are then sold worldwide. This has been a bonus as we establish the flock and it is really lovely when we receive photographs of the finished products, created from each individual animals fleece.”
Elaine and Michael Boyle from Newry, Co Down, were the first people to establish a Swiss Valais flock in Ireland and will also be in attendance at this year’s Blacknose Beauties Show and Sale: “Last year was a great boost for us and confirmed that our breeding programme was working as we received maximum points for one of the ram lambs. This is a rarity, even in Switzerland, so we are very proud of our Oakclose Valais flock.
“We bought our first Valais in 2016 from Scotland; three ewes and two unrelated rams. They were expensive, but we wanted to build up a quality flock. We spent a long time researching them and going to visit different breeders which I strongly recommend to anyone considering investing in this breed.
“We have always farmed sheep on the farm, but the Valais breed intrigued us. They are renowned for their temperament, but they also have many good commercial traits such as their size, the leanness of their meat and their fabulous fleece and markings.
“We hope to continue to produce top quality stock for the Irish market and promote this fantastic breed to new breeders. We enjoy talking to people about what to look for when purchasing and breeding them and welcome the opportunity to discuss the breed with any interested parties.
“The breed society also offers great support and are keen to share experience and knowledge with anyone with an interest. We encourage everyone to attend the Show and Sale – it’s a fun day out with best stock on show.”
Sponsors of the Blacknose Beauties Show and Sale 2018, include the Valais Blacknose Sheep Association of North America, who will travel to Carlisle for the show from America and representatives from New Zealand, who will also be in attendance. The mainline sponsor is GSC Grays, the land and property specialists.
