RamCompare seeks sires as project enters exciting new phase

Commercial progeny test RamCompare is looking for rams for the 2026 mating season and nominations are now open.

Data derived from the project is an important influence on both our knowledge exchange programme and the delivery of the National Terminal Sire Evaluation.

New for 2026, RamCompare will be running breed-specific trials in collaboration with the Suffolk, Hampshire Down and Charollais societies, creating a focal point for breeders and the opportunity to integrate genomic technology.

As part of the review, the amount paid per ram is being increased to ensure access to a wider range of bloodlines.

Prices for the 2026 mating season:

• £850/ram (plus transport)
• £7/dose for semen

The project invites nominations of performance-tested terminal sires from across England, Scotland and Wales.

Natural service sires should be shearlings or stock rams with a known, high health status.

The project also purchases frozen semen in batches of 30 doses.

Nominations close on Friday 15 May 2026.

Bridget Lloyd, RamCompare project coordinator, said:

“We are delighted with the industry’s enthusiasm for RamCompare. Since RamCompare’s launch, over 540 rams have been tested, with records collected from over 50,000 lambs. The project provides a great platform to demonstrate the impact that rams with superior genetics can have on flock profitability.

“We know this announcement will create great interest among ram breeders. Selling rams to RamCompare provides breeders with a unique opportunity to evaluate their ram’s genetics as part of a national progeny test and demonstrate how the purchase of their rams will benefit their commercial customers.”

Barrie Turner, of the Suffolk Sheep Society, said:

“Crossbred progeny from the RamCompare scheme is a sure way to verify an individual ram’s performance in a real environment. Data collected from birth to slaughter in these situations is truly independent and invaluable to the economic and sustainable future of the Suffolk breed in the sheep industry.

“As a breed society, we often hear that ‘Suffolk lambs are always the first away’ but we are short of proof! We need to be able to provide that data to support fast-finishing lamb growth, which is why we support the RamCompare project.”

Judith Galbraith, Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association, said:

“We support the RamCompare project because it allows us to showcase what our breed can do and confirms that our breeding objectives are relevant on commercial farms.

“A large-scale progeny test like RamCompare ensures that the breeding values we use are as accurate as possible. It has allowed the development of commercially important estimated breeding values (EBVs) based on abattoir traits, which would have been impossible using only data from pedigree flocks.

“For ram buyers, it demonstrates, in a commercial everyday setting, the economic impact of using recorded rams. For farmers, it allows them to evaluate the economic impact of using high quality rams with particular genetic traits.”

Carroll Barber, Charollais Sheep Society, said:

“We are very pleased that the highly important RamCompare project is continuing. It allows our pedigree breeders an opportunity to put their elite genetics on test, in a truly commercial environment. The data collected is invaluable to enhance the robustness and validity of breeding indexes.”

RamCompare involves partners from along the UK sheep industry supply chain.

It is financed by AHDB and Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales), with support provided by Randall Parker Foods, Dunbia and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).

Contact project coordinator Bridget Lloyd for more details: Bridget@Bridget-Lloyd.com