Eblex secures 2006 BRP funding

The English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) has secured £88,000 from levy funds for continued delivery of its Better Returns Programme (BRP) in 2006. It follows the success of the launch of its BRP in 2004.

Around 14 per cent of English lamb producers are changing their management practices to enhance their lamb breeding and selection skills thanks to the EBLEX's Better Returns Programme (BRP).

Of those surveyed an additional 12 per cent said they were involved in the selection of lambs for slaughter and an additional 38 per cent in weighing lambs to target the market, according to research carried out by Reading University. Around 95 per cent of sheep breeders said that the BRP had made commercial producers make more use of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) when selecting rams.

During 2004-2005, 363 events were held by EBLEX to promote the BRP. They included a variety of lamb selection programmes in abattoirs, on farm better estimated breeding values events and butchery demonstrations where producers were shown how much fat waste there is on a lean lamb compared to a fatty lamb.

The results of the BRP were unveiled at BRP Live last Tuesday at the QE11 Conference Centre to Defra officials and industry representatives. Live sheep were brought to Westminster to demonstrate the achievements of the two year £1.5 million Defra funded programme. "More than 12,000 producers took part in BRP training events, representing over a third of England's sheep producers," said a spokesman for Eblex. Sheep producers can obtain free technical manuals, CDS and DVDs produced to deliver BRP from EBLEX.

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