Reaching for the ultimate in breeding stock

New Zealand sheep milk supplier Maui Milk has reinforced its commitment to raise even further the standard of its milking sheep stock even further by the appointment vastly experienced genetics expert Greg Hamill.

Hamill is the general manager of Southern Cross Dairy Sheep based at the Waikato Innovation Park in Hamilton, the company’s head office and the location of its milk processing plant . One month into the job (at the time of writing), Hamill says his immersion into the sheep milk industry “has been a rollercoaster” . “It’s been interesting immersing myself in the different technology . We are in the infancy of genetic coding in the sheep milk industry whereas the cow milk industry has 100 years of animal recording and data . “When you think about genetic gain, you focus on production . So you need good udders, good feet and your animals need to be able to perform multiple lactations . “The major challenge we face is that this industry is still in its infancy here in real terms . We and our suppliers are still learning how to milk sheep effectively as many of our suppliers have completed only one or two seasons . “At this point, we have relatively limited software to capture the data . It’s not like the dairy cow industry where the national data base collects millions of data entries per day that can be utilised . However the genetic fundamentals remain the same: breed from your best animals, cull your worst animals, and feed them so they can fully express their genetic potential .

Imperative to main selection pressure

“If we maintain selection pressure, we will get superior animals . If the fundamentals are in place, lambs born will provide milk in a year, unlike cows which provide milk only two years after birth . When you get a base of animals which have been breed from the next base, you will achieve a genetic gain . “In real terms, genetic coding in the New Zealand sheep milk industry is in its infancy, having effectively started out in 2015 . We imported new blood lines in 2017 . Prior to that, our sheep were from a very narrow genetic pool . We need to breed from the best animals so that they can express their genetic material . ” Turning to the quality management of sheep stock, Hamill says Maui Sheep Milk currently has 14 suppliers spread predominately around the Waikato . “This gives us excellent strategic ability to manage the supply pool . Logistically, our suppliers are close to the processing plant at Innovation Park . Operationally, it’s easier to manage 14 suppliers with a sheep population of around 16,000 in the same region .

World leading dairy genetics

Hamill mentions that the Southern Cross™ dairy sheep breeding programme at the Waikino Station farm on the shores of Lake Taupo incorporates the world’s leading dairy genetics . Technological input is garnered from UPRA Lacaune, the breed society for the internationallyfamous Lacaune breed . The Lacaune dairy breed is renowned for its milk production with the bulk of supply used in the production of Roquefort cheese . “We use the Lacaune breed as we find it more suited to the New Zealand environment . It’s a hardier sheep compared to some of the other milking breeds and slightly smaller but with the same milk production . That suits the New Zealand grass based system and is the basis of New Zealand’s successful dairy cow industry which breeds animals that are efficient convertors of grass into milk solids . That is no different from what we are trying to achieve in the dairy sheep industry . ”

Low local awareness

Hamill believes there is low awareness in New Zealand of the health benefits of sheep milk as the majority of the country’s products are exported . “We know that the solid component of sheep’s milk is a lot higher than cow or goat milk at around the 18% mark compared to 8-9% . Sheep’s also is also higher in nutritional value with higher vitamin and amino acids per 100g than alternatives . Sheep milk is processed into powder and used primarily for infant formula . It is more readily digested and its fats are better converted into energy compared to cows’ milk . ” Maui Sheep Milk has the FernMark Licence, a trademark officially recognised and endorsed by the New Zealand Government .