|
Scrapie Testing and MV in Portland sheep |
| Many Portland flocks have
now been tested for scrapie resistance. In general the
results for the breed have been good but not universally
so. Scrapie resistance will probably become more of an
issue as time goes by and flocks who have had very good
results may become more wary about buying in untested
stock or any animals with poor results. Certainly rams and possibly ewes, with less than the highest scrapie resistance rating may become difficult to sell and this might be worth considering when looking at stock. It is our understanding that where both the parent animals are tested at the highest grade their offspring will always be of the same grade. Flocks on the MV scheme are rarely encountered among Portlands and indeed most rare breeds. Some shows no longer even make special allowances for MV sheep. Although quite common among commercial flocks, retaining MV status could present some difficulties with Portlands as so few of the breed are in the scheme. |
