| 2013-09-20 |    |
CCM Skipton Caters for Dales Mule Breeders
Skipton
Auction Mart is opening up an additional option for Dalesbred sheep breeders
by adding a new sales section for Dales Mules at its high profile annual gimmer
lamb show and sale day, on Tuesday, October 8.
The fixture, which already features show classes for Mule, Swaledale and Masham gimmer lambs, will be supplemented by a special sale section for Dales Mule gimmer lambs (Bluefaced Leicester-x-Dalesbred).
JA Stoney & Son’s Dales Mule lambs, which will be sold at the new Skipton fixture
The initiative follows strong interest in the cross as a direct result of its high profile presence at this summer’s annual NSA North Sheep showcase at Crimple Head Farm, Beckwithshaw, home of Dalesbred Sheep Breeders’ Association chairman David Wilson.
Established Dalesbred breeders JA Stoney & Son, of Whitewood Farm, Pateley Bridge, impressed plenty of people with their much-acclaimed pen of Dales Mules at North Sheep and they will be put up for auction at the new Skipton sale.
Trevor Stoney, like the association a true champion of the breed, welcomed CCM Skipton’s insight in staging a standalone section for Dales Mules.
He said: “Breeding patterns are improving and the Dalesbred ewe is increasingly been viewed as a viable, practical and workable alternative as a Bluefaced Leicester cross to produce a Dales-type Mule for both breeding and commercial purposes, producing lambs with strong confirmation and a good, all-round carcase.
“We are committed to spreading the word about the many attributes of the Dalesbred, which, after a decline in recent years, is now making a noticeable and impressive comeback. This special sale at Skipton is forward-looking and can only assist the cause.”
