Superfine Merino flock thriving in the UK

Mrs Prior runs the Tellenby flock of 300 superfine Merinos, producing a fibre of 16.5 microns grown on Westcott Farm, on the edge of Exmoor, on the Devon and Somerset county border. Mr Prior runs a large John Deere machinery dealership in the county.

Tellenby Merinos are Australian genetics imported into the UK for artificial breeding programs, and during their recent trip to Australia, the Priors visited, among others, David and Angela Waters' Tarrangower stud, near Armidale and Trevor Mibus' stud, Glenara, Dunkeld, Victoria.

Mrs Prior said she had spent many years sourcing the right animals from the right parts of Australia to give her exactly what was needed.

She said that Merino genetics, already available in the UK, needed to be updated and better to produce the very high-quality wool they wished to grow on a commercial scale.

"Our aim is to produce the best superfine Merino in the world - the fact that it's grown in the UK is incidental," she said.

In previous years, the Tellenby wool had been sold direct to a retailer and processed mainly in the UK. However, this year, Mrs Prior said, 17 bales from the Tellenby clip had been sold to Sudwolle Group, the world's largest spinner of pure wool yarns and wool.

She said her clip was chosen by Sudwolle because of its quality of fibre and production processes which met the high animal welfare standards.

She said laws governing animal husbandry in the United Kingdom placed extra emphasis on management practices.

Mrs Prior said that animal space in shedding was heavily regulated, and animal transport rules were very tight.

"We're facing a ban on transporting animals in temperatures over 25 degrees. We have to have so many metres per animal in transport. Ramps into vehicles have to be a certain height and no higher; you are not allowed to use any form of goad or prod (when loading animals).

"Rules about medication are stringent; there are an awful lot of drugs that you use that we can't use."

She said if farmers wished to castrate their lambs with a rubber ring, it must be done within seven days of birth. After that, a vet must be used.

"Breeding rams require a punt: 'You can castrate a lamb and kick yourself later or have a whole lot of lambs that may have to be castrated at a later age'."

Mulesing is already a no-no, and Mrs Prior has selected and bred a clean-breeched sheep flock. Flystrike can be an issue, but using CLik (blowfly protection) and crutching helps control it to a large degree.

"It's easy in our system to keep an eye on our sheep."

Looming up fast for UK sheep producers is a ban on tailing their lambs. Tailing lambs has already been banned in some European countries.

"This is relevant for your breeders in Australia, of course, because of what happens in Europe, people assume happens elsewhere, which is why we have the issue with mulesing."

Westcott Farm had been run continuously for more than 1000 years.

"We get around 1000mm of rain a year, and at 230m up, it gets very cold and often snowy in winter. The sheep are inside for the worst of the winter snow but go out on dry days to enjoy the fresh air. They return to feed and sleep in a warm barn each night.

"We shear approximately every eight months, depending on factors like lambing and the age of the sheep. If it's winter, the sheep are housed to keep them warm. They are bedded on deep fresh straw and fed extremely well. Welfare at shearing is a priority for us, and our shearers take time and the greatest care not to stress the sheep in any way. The wool is currently sold direct to a retailer and processed mainly in the UK."

Mrs Prior is well known and respected in the international Merino community and has worked with colleagues in Australia for many years to develop the sheep on the Tellenby Stud.

She is a member of the Australian Superfine Woolgrowers Association and was recently granted Associate membership of the Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders - the first ever outside Australia.