Demand undiminished thanks to North of England Mule's attributes

The North of England Mule is an enduring crossbreed, with buyers converging on Teesdale to purchase breeding gimmer lambs at the autumn sales. Wendy Short went to visit the current North of England Mule Association (NEMSA) Teesdale Branch chairman, Malcolm Dent, at his farm in Lunedale.

MALCOLM Dent’s family has a long history of producing Mule gimmer lambs at Wythes Hill Farm.

“I vividly remember the good quality Mule lambs which my father was breeding when I was young and I suppose I have just followed on from him,” says Malcolm. “My parents, Clifford and June, took on the farm tenancy in 1970. Back then, Wythes Hill belonged to Strathmore Estates, although it has since changed ownership and is now owned by Wemmergill Estates.”

The farm is part of a ten-year Natural England project to reduce the hill sheep stocking rate over the winter, mainly to encourage heather regeneration. Therefore, some of the mature Swaledale ewes and all of the gimmer lambs are wintered away from home on grass keep. This practice increases their prolificacy and puts more pressure on the summer grazing, he comments. A number of females are winter-housed and this portion of the flock is kept away from the in-bye land from March, to provide fresh grazing following lambing.

“The project rewards us for taking sheep off the hills, but it has been difficult to find sufficient away-wintering, because other upland farms are in the same position and competition for places has been fierce,” he says. “The scheme will be coming to an end shortly and we have not been informed about what will happen next; we will just have to wait and see.”

The reduction in stocking rate means that the farm no longer produces replacement Swaledale ewes in adequate numbers and some are now purchased from Middleton-in-Teesdale and Kirkby Stephen auction marts. The best ewes, however, still go to pedigree Swaledale tups, which are bought locally.

Haylage is made in preference to silage, weather permitting, as Malcolm finds its drier consistency more pleasant to handle, compared with silage, with the big round bales fed to the in-lamb ewes. The straw bedding has been very expensive this year, he remarks, and the price rise has significantly increased input costs.

When it comes to the Blue-faced Leicester, Malcolm uses the “crossing type”. It was developed from bloodlines which are considered to have greater potential for bringing out superior Mule lamb qualities, when put to the Swaledale, compared to the more traditional examples of the breed. His latest buys include a Highberries tup from Neil Marston’s flock at Millstone Moor, in Cockermouth, and he has also bought genetics from John Lord’s Hewgill flock at North Stainmore, which have served him well in the past.

“I’m looking for a crossing tup with a decent carcase, a fine skin and correct feet and legs,” says Malcolm. “Sires also have to have good markings on their face and legs, as these will hopefully be repeated on the lambs. Buyers like to see good, hard colour on a Mule lamb and achieving this will make it stand out, although carcase traits and a high quality skin are the key points.

“Some breeders opt to sell their Mules on the fat market, to save on show and sale preparation. But although getting the lambs looking their very best takes a lot of time and effort, it is a task which I really enjoy. Sale prices were reasonable for 2017, which was very pleasing.”

Like other hill farms in the region, lambing takes place at the end of March or beginning of April and Malcolm’s Swaledale ewes usually average about 170 per cent. They are lambed inside and turned out with their progeny as soon as the weather permits. The lambs are creep-fed sparingly in later season and the Mule tups are generally away by the end of October, with any stragglers marketed as stores.

The highlights of the year for the Teesdale NEMSA branch are its two annual shows and sales and these take place at Middleton-in-Teesdale and Barnard Castle auction marts, alongside a host of other, similar events that are held across the region in September and October. The Teesdale branch has roughly 60 members and they make a significant contribution to the 200,000 total number of North of England Mule gimmer lambs in total that are sold each year in the UK.

Malcolm enjoyed some success this autumn, when he won the best pen of ten lambs at Barnard Castle.

“More important than winning prizes is that my lambs go on to perform well for their new owners,” he stresses. “Buyers come to our Mule sales from far and wide. A friend of ours drives up from Devon to attend the sales every year, and he usually takes 100 or more gimmer lambs from various sources home with him. He always remarks that they suit his requirements, and that is very nice to hear.”

As a great fan of the North of England Mule, Malcolm describes why he thinks that demand has remained undiminished, despite the plethora of breeds and crossbreeds that are available to put to a terminal sire.

“The Mule’s main attribute is its ease of care,” he stresses. “It is hardy, thrifty, and with excellent mothering ability. It is also prolific and its lambs will grow rapidly, producing a finished animal weighing 19-21kgs deadweight and reach grading specification, or one which do well in the live auction. In addition it has good longevity. Breeds do come with better carcase shape, but for all-round top performance, there is a good reason why the North of England Mule is still very popular.”




CATTLE

THE farm also supports a small suckler herd of Limousin cross British Blue cows, with their calves sold as stores.