East Friesian Sheep

A Minority Breed Europe

East Friesian ewe in South Canterbury

      The East Friesian breed originated in the Friesland area in the north of Holland and Germany. In Europe it has been used either purely as a milking breed – it is considered to be the world's highest producing dairy sheep – though often crossed with other milking sheep breeds, or to improve fecundity and milk production in breeds bred for their meat. It is described as a large-framed, high-fertility breed with a pink nose and a thin tail.

      The New Zealand Sheep Breeders' Association reports that the first importation of East Friesians to this courtry was in December 1992 when eleven pregnant ewes and four rams were imported from Sweden and were put into a private quarantine station at Silverstream, near Dunedin. Thereafter a breeding programme was commenced using embryo transfer techniques, with only those animals derived from the embryo transfers eligible for release from quarantine.

      The first release took place in March 1996, with 40 rams being sold while the remaining animals were retained to expand the flock numbers. However, there were substantial sales of semen, with an estimated 50,000 ewes of various breeds being artificially inseminated.

      The first flock was registered in 1995 and by 2006 there were eight stud flocks registered in New Zealand.

[We would appreciated getting photographs and further information of this breed.]

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