Finnsheep
   

HISTORY

The meaning of sheep has varied

Sheep have been kept in the rural areas of Finland for centuries. Sheep is a more versatile producer than other farm animals.

It can provide
• meat
• milk
• wool
• hides
• Sheep can be also used in various landscape and environment conservation programmes with outstanding results.

Since 1962 Finnsheep have been exported to over 40 countries and all of the continents due to their high prolificacy. There have been done numerous studies in comparing the different characteristics of Finnsheep to dozens of different sheep breeds, in ten different universities solely in the United States. There is more information on Finnsheep than in most of the over 1000 sheep breeds. The genes of Finnsheep have been used for developing over 20 different sheep breeds. Finnsheep are used for breeding purposes due to their fertility gene which is used for improving the fertility of other sheep breeds. The breed is used in meat production crossings as dams or sires of the dams.

Sheep have been kept in the rural areas of Finland for centuries
   
   
   

Conservation of the breed

 

There are under 15 000 Finnsheep ewes left, of these only 5 500 are in pureline breeding in Finland.

• Conservation and continuous developing of Finnsheep is both a national and an international obligation.
• Primarily the landraces should be conserved in the same environment in which they have been developed and in which they are most adapted to.
• Uncontrolled use of Finnsheep in different crossings may threaten the objectives of the UN treaty for biodiversity.
• As a cultural historical point of view the landraces are important part of nation’s history and they need conserving.
• Conserving of landraces is under international convention. The genome is conserved deep freezed in semen pellets and embryo banks. Live animals are kept in genebank stocks in different locations. For example Finnsheep are kept at the state owned prison farm of Pelso.
• The most important significance in keeping a live population is in the hands of the farmers who use landraces as production animals on their privately own farms.
• In EU-countries it possible to get production subsides for the landrace breeds.
• Landrace breeds are important for conserving a wide genetic diversity. The narrowing of the gene foundation decreases the capability of farm animal husbandry to adjust in the changing face of today’s farming. It might also increase out brake of disease.

There are under 15 000 Finnsheep ewes left, of these only 5 500 are in pureline breeding in Finland
   
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