Whilst maintaining the essential Suffolk meat sheep traits such as ease of lambing, our focus is on producing a balanced animal with an emphasis on muscling and meat eating quality. This animal must meet the current sheep meat industry requirements.

 To this end we believe Lambplan is a vital element in the equation. Lambplan is a system used in Australia for supplying genetic information to the lamb industry. It provides a performance recording system that predicts an individual animal’s ability to produce progeny that meet the requirements of the current and future markets for lamb products. The genetic information is provided in the form of Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs), and Selection Indexes. With Lambplan not only are we able to chart our own progress but we are able to monitor our performance relative to other Suffolk sheep and other meat breeds, which assists us in being competitive and abreast of industry directions.

At birth all Glenlea animals are tagged, weighed, identified and their date of birth recorded. Then, lambs are scanned by an accredited scanner in November after which the raw data is transferred to the national database.

 Glenlea animals’ performance records can be accessed through the Lambplan website and those that are considered “Elite” are also listed there.

The following graph charts our performance for muscling relative to other Suffolk sheep in the Lambplan database. As you can see Glenlea animals are consistently above average for the muscling trait.

in further detail:

The following list summarizes the traits for which Lambplan produces ASBVs:
( In each case, Lambplan provides ASBVs that combine the animal’s own performance with that of its relatives)

Weight

Describes the animal’s genetic merit for growth rate. A positive ASBV means the animal is genetically faster growing.
ASBVs can be produced for birth, weaning (10-20 weeks), post-weaning (6-9 months), yearling (10-14 months), and hogget (14-18 months) weights.
LAMBPLAN in addition provides both Direct and Maternal Effect ASBVs. The growth of each animal to weaning is "split" into the direct effect of its own genes and the maternal effect of its mother’s genes that recognize the value of milk and mothering performance.

Fat Depth

Describes the value of each animal’s genes for fat depth measured at the 12/13th rib and adjusted to a constant weight. A negative EBV means a genetically leaner animal.

Eye Muscle Depth

Describes the value of each animal’s genes for eye muscle depth measured at the 12/13th rib and adjusted to a constant weight.
A positive ASBV means a genetically thicker-muscled animal, and one that will have slightly more of its lean tissue in higher-priced cuts.

Reproduction

Describe the value of animal’s genes for lambing and/or marking rate.
A positive ASBV means an animal with better genes for having and rearing lambs.

Faecal egg count (FEC)

Describe the value of animal’s genes for carrying worm burdens.
A combination of being genetically less likely to pick up worms and being better at getting rid of them.