Shetland Sheep Society
The Shetland Sheep Society is established to uphold the 1927 Breed Standard, to promote all aspects of the breed and to encourage the breeding, keeping and welfare of Shetland Sheep. The Society is the registration authority for the breed within the UK Mainland and is affiliated to the National Sheep Association.
Society Membership
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in Shetland Sheep. You don't have to keep sheep to join. There is a joining fee of £7.50, and a one-off fee of £5 for flock name registration. Annual subscriptions are £20 for a single person or £25 for joint/family membership (with two votes at AGMs), and are due on April 1st. All membership fees are shown on the downloadable membership application form. There are modest fees for registrations and (voluntary) ram inspections. All new members receive a comprehensive information pack. For more information or for an application form by post contact the Membership Secretary at 15 Cross Lane, Braunston, Northants NN11 7HH. eMail membership@shetland-sheep.org.uk
General Enquiries
General enquiries about the Society should be made to the Society's Secretary at The Fold, East Torrington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire LN8 5SE. Telephone 01673 857363. eMail secretary@shetland-sheep.org.uk.
History of the Society
To a certain extent the history of our Society mirrors the history of the Shetland breed itself.
There have been sheep on the Shetland Isles for a very long time. Over the centuries they have evolved in response to additions to the gene pool and the selection pressures of their environment. Suffice to say that today's Shetland probably dates from the 1700s.
During the early part of the twentieth century the wool industry on Shetland was a prospering part of the economy of the Islands. However, the practice of crossing the native sheep with more modern introductions such as Cheviot had led to a marked deterioration in the wool clip for Shetland as a whole. This prompted a group of Shetlanders to fear that if the quality of the wool deteriorated so as to be no better than that obtainable elsewhere in the world their hosiery industry would be at serious risk. As a result the Shetland Flock Book Society was established in 1927 with Dr. J.C. Bowie, then residing at Bixter, as its President.
From then on there was an improvement in the quality of the sheep and the wool. A Breed Description was drawn up and is still in use. The Shetland Flock Book Trust administers the sheep's welfare for island residents to this day.
Since the 1970's, Breeders in the UK adhering to the Shetland Flock Book Society Standard and tradition have bred to maintain a fine-woolled single coated phenotype that probably reflects the best that Shetland had to offer.
In 1977 The Rare Breed Survival Trust classified Shetland Sheep as Category 3 (Endangered). However,by 1985, the popularity of the breed on the mainland, particularly with smallholders interested in the range of colours and the fineness of the wool, was such that they were re classified as Category 5 ( Above Numerical Guidelines). In the 1990s the classification of the breed was revised to a Minority Breed. In 2002 Shetland sheep were removed from the RBST list of supported breeds.
In 1985 the Shetland Sheep Breeders Group was formed to help breeders outside the Shetland Islands to maintain flocks conforming to the 1927 Breed Standard. The Group then became responsible for registering Shetland sheep on the mainland. The SSBG was initially a breeders group within the RBST, but since 1991 it has become a fully independent body. In October 2002 the Shetland Sheep Breeders Group changed its name to the Shetland Sheep Society.
The many qualities of our sheep ensure their increasing popularity in all parts of the country, and for multiple, practical purposes. Our membership has grown accordingly and now numbers over 400. Breeders and craftspeople are prominent, but other supporters play an important part in promoting the breed.
Facilities for Members
Sheep Registration
Registration of members' purebred sheep in our 'state of the art' Flock Book gives the facility for on-line or hard copy pedigree records and searches, detailed information on registered sheep, annual flock statistics and Scrapie genotyping figures.
Ram Inspections
Members are encouraged to take part in our voluntary Ram Inspections for shearling and older rams. A team of trained inspectors will assess the qualities of members' rams and advise on suitability for pure breeding.
Premium Ram Scheme
A Premium Ram Scheme has been started, to assist members by identifying top quality mature rams.
Fleece Assessment
As a complement to ram inspections, and as an aid to breeding for better fleece quality, members are encouraged to take advantage of the Society's wool sampling for micron counting scheme. Fleece quality both on and off the hoof is a focus for discussion at our workshops.
Scrapie Genotyping
The Shetland breed was one of the 'first in the field' (1996) to take up the opportunity to have rams blood tested for resistance to Scrapie, ie not coding for Valine at codon 153. Now that the national Scrapie Scheme has been terminated some members continue to use private testing facilities. Rams resistant to scrapie are indicated in the Flock Book and on Pedigrees with the suffix (SR) to their registration number.
Regional Workshops
These are held on many Shetland topics aimed to share knowledge and assist members to assess and manage their own flocks.
Semen Export and Storage
These facilities assist the breed outside the UK and maintain an archive for use should the need ever arise.
Promotion of the Breed
The Society promotes the breed at shows and sales, with special classes and trophies for Shetland sheep and wool in all parts of the country.Quarterly Newsletter
The newsletter is sent to members informing them of committee news, members' activities, letters, show reports, legislation and health issues, press releases and much more.
Society Website
Where you are now and hopefully you are finding it useful.
Industry and Government liaison
The Society is affiliated to the National Sheep Association and takes an active role in influencing legislation which affects our members' interests.
Breed Advertising
A significant proportion of our annual income is spent on placing advertising and promotional items in national and local press. In addition we offer a wide range of promotional merchandise for sale to members and others.
Social Events
Social events are organized, generally on a regional basis; however, the aprés-AGM dinner is recommended as an opportunity to meet fellow members from across the country.
E-mail Forum
We have an interactive e-mail Forum where members can seek advice and get rapid answers from other members worldwide. Also used to chat informally about the weather and country matters in general.
Breed Research
The Society is both directly and indirectly involved in research into matters affecting Shetland sheep. Currently work is underway on micron count variation with age in our Premium rams.
