North East pedigree sheep breeders were breathing a sigh of relief this week as the autumn sale season that determines their livelihood was re-instated as the foot and mouth outbreak recedes – and no one was more relieved than James Herdman of Alnwick, Northumberland.

The north east plays a vital role in the UK sheep industry as a region that produces vast numbers of North of England Mules for lowland prime lamb producers in the south, as well as being home to many of the UK 's leading breeders of Bluefaced Leicester sheep – the sire of the North of England Mule.

James Herdman not only has 100 North of England Mule shearlings to sell at this autumn's sale at Scots Gap but he'll be heading north to the major ram sale at Kelso on September 14 th with nine Bluefaced Leicester shearling tups bred in his long-established flock at Edlingham Newtown.

“It's been a very close call and if the sales hadn't been allowed to go ahead this autumn it would have meant huge losses to north east sheep breeders – and I doubt we would have received any compensation,” says James.

While prime lamb producers have not been enjoying the best year of prices, he's hopeful that the need to produce prime lambs as economically as possible will continue to focus attention on the easy management advantages and high output of the North of England Mule.

“Some south country buyers have played around by keeping flock replacements by terminal sire breeds retained from their Mule ewes, but they all acknowledge that they don't get as many lambs and that these cross-bred ewes take more shepherding and that means more labour costs.

“So as prime lamb producers try and keep costs to a minimum I'm confident that north east sheep breeders will hold on to their reputation as leading breeders of the tried and tested North of England Mule.”

And with his nine Bluefaced Leicester shearling rams to sell at Kelso ram sale next month (September 14 th ) James hopes hill farmers will continue to use this breed on their Blackface and Swaledale ewes to produce North of England Mules and on Cheviots to breed the increasingly popular Cheviot Mule.

“I don't think any sheep farmer would deny that the Bluefaced Leicester is one of the most vastly improved sheep breeds of the last decade. Its Mule progeny, which benefit from traits of prolificacy, good mothering and milking ability, are now gaining even further from the improved carcase conformation of Bluefaced Leicester tups,” says James.

And as well as meeting the demands of Mule gimmer lamb and shearling buyers who now need female flock replacements with the best possible conformation, hill farmers who are using the Bluefaced Leicester are finding that Mule wether lambs are finishing faster and off grass alone.

“The Mule wether lamb used to have a bad reputation as a prime lamb but not now. On our farm we're getting our Mule wether lambs – bred out of Blackface ewes – to around 20kg off grass by early August.

“That's at least two weeks earlier than we were achieving that weight 10 years ago. And it's not just the best wether lambs; we can get all our Mule wether lambs away at good weights throughout the autumn with no additional feeding which leaves a better margin for hill farmers,” says James.