Amateur Sheep Breeders in Wallonia: Boosting the Quality of Breeds and Expanding the Market

2023-08-31 08:17:45

David Jacquemin is not a professional breeder. He is one of the 5,000 Walloon amateur breeders in a growing sector: in 6 years, Wallonia has 30% more farms. “A sheep can produce meat as well as wool, also milk, and the maintenance of green spaces” he explains. “Through these outlets, the farmer can orient his breeding and benefit from an additional income.”

Amateur breeders, it is often ignored, play a role in the quality of breeds. Thus, David Jacquemin is a breeder, like 500 others in Wallonia, whose work benefits professional breeders. “This means, for example, that people who raise meaty sheep will look for an ideal sheep that have fairly significant meaty characteristics, and these sheep will allow professional breeders to bring back the characteristics they want for their production of lambs for slaughter in particular.”

A growth market

Hervien’s passion is therefore very useful. Eventually, it should even strengthen sheep production in Wallonia. “Compared to the production of slaughter lambs in any case” specifies the breeder. “You should know that we currently only produce 21% of our local consumption, so for the breeder who wants to professionalize and get started in sheep farming, there is a certain market share available to him.”

The strengths of sheep and the many facets of the sector will be illustrated in the Sheep Pole organized at the Battice fair with workshops for the general public, including one on wool and its new economic potential.

Find all the details on the activities in this Sheep Pole, and more generally on this 33rd edition of the Agricultural Fair of Battice on: foireagricole.be. The fair will be open to the general public on Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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