The Merino is the most economically influential breed of sheep in the world, prized for its wool. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Super fine merinos are regarded as having the finest and softest wool of any sheep. Recently the low price of wool has led to more emphasis on the market and sale of the animal's meat. Poll merinos have no horns (or very small stubs, known as scurs), and horned merino rams have long, spiral horns which grow close to the head. The Poll Merino is a subtype of the Australian Merino breed of Domestic sheep without horns.
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Etymology
There are two proposed origins[1] for the Spanish word:
- Merino may be an adaptation to the sheep of the name of a Castilian official inspector (merino) over a merindad, who may have also inspected sheep pastures. Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Merindad is a Castilian or Spanish Medieval administrative term that refers to a Country subdivision smaller than a Province This word is from the medieval Latin majorinus, a steward or head official of a village, from major, meaning great.
- Merino may be from the name of a Berber tribe, the Marini (or in Castilian, Benimerines), which intervened in the Iberian peninsula during the 12th and 13th centuries. The Anglicised name used for this article derives from the Arabic Banu Marin (also Benī Merīn, which is the source of the Spanish name The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra
Characteristics
The merino is an excellent grazer and very adaptable. It is bred predominantly for its wool, and its carcase size is generally smaller than that of sheep bred for meat. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species The South African Meat Merino (SAMM) and merinofleischschaf have been bred to balance wool production and carcase quality.
Merino wool is finely crimped and soft. Staples are commonly 2. Staple is a term referring to naturally formed clusters or locks of Wool fibres throughout a fleece that are held together by cross fibres 5–4 inches (65–100 mm) long. A Saxon merino produces 3 to 6 kg of greasy wool a year while a good quality Peppin merino ram produces up to 18 kg. The Peppin Merino is a breed of Merino Sheep raised for its Wool, mostly in Australia. Merino wool is generally less than 24 micron (µm) in diameter. A micron ( Micrometre) is the measurement used to express the diameter of a Wool fibre Basic Merino types include: strong (broad) wool 23-24. 5 µm, medium wool is 19. 6-22. 9 µm, fine 18. 6-19. 5 µm, superfine 15-18. 5 µm and ultra fine 11. 5-15 µm[2]. Ultra fine wool is suitable for blending with other exclusive fibres such as silk and cashmere. Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, and sometimes known as Pashmina, is a fiber obtained from the Cashmere goat. New Zealand retails luxury, lightweight knits made from Merino wool and possum fur. A possum is any of about 64 small to medium-sized Arboreal Marsupial Species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi
The term merino is widely used in the textile industries with very varied meanings. Originally it denoted the wool of Merino sheep reared in Spain, but due to the superiority of Australian and New Zealand wools the term now has broader use. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island In the dress-goods and knitting trades the term "Merino" still implies an article made from the very best soft wool.
Regions of merino husbandry
In Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the western United States where sheep are bred for their wool rather than their mutton, merino sheep dominate. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Lamb, hogget, and mutton are the meat of Domestic sheep. The meat of an animal in its first year is lamb; that of an older sheep is hogget Australia produces about 80% of the world's Merino wool. In Australia and New Zealand Merino ewes are crossed with Border Leicesters and other English long wool breeds to produce first cross prime lamb mothers and prime lamb wethers. The Border Leicester (Leicester is pronounced "Lester" is an English long wool breed of sheep. The prime lamb mothers are crossed again with Poll Dorsets and other short wool breeds and the resultant second cross lambs slaughtered as prime lambs. The Poll Dorset is a short wool meat producing Sheep that was developed in Australia during 1937-54 with the aim of breeding a true Dorset type sheep without horns
History
The Merino is a productive animal developed by man. The genetic history of the Merino is not a linear history of a gene pool selected over time for superior wool or fleece weights, but a history of outcrossing and the selection of material that is productive in the local environment. It is a history where genetic material from one era in the breed's development becomes the foundation material for further development in another era.
The Phoenicians introduced sheep from Asia Minor into North Africa, and the foundation flocks might have been introduced into Spain as late as the 12th century by the Beni-Merines, a tribe of Arabic Moors. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Anglicised name used for this article derives from the Arabic Banu Marin (also Benī Merīn, which is the source of the Spanish name Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. In the 13 and 14 century genetic material from England was introduced [3], this influence was openly documented by Spanish writers at the time.
Spain became noted for its fine wool (spinning count between 60s and 64s) and built up a fine wool monopoly during the 12th and 16th century, with wool commerce to Flanders and England being a source of income for Castile in the Late Middle Ages. Spinning count is a measure of fibre fineness and distribution developed by the English Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Crown of Castile, as a historic entity is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and definitive union of the two kingdoms of León and Castile The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (AD 1300–1499
Most of the flocks known as cabanas or cavanas were owned by nobility or the church; the sheep grazed the Spanish southern plains in winter and the northern highlands in summer. The Mesta was an organisation of privileged sheep owners who developed the breed and controlled the migrations. The Mesta (Spanish Honrado Concejo de la Mesta, Honored Council of the Mesta was a powerful association of Sheep holders in the medieval Kingdom of
The three great studs that founded most of the world's merino flocks were the Royal Escurial flocks, the Negretti and the Paula. The infantado, Montarcos and Aguires studs had an influence on the Vermont bloodlines.
Before the 18th century the export of merinos from Spain was a crime punishable with death. In the 18th century a new era began, small exportation of merinos from Spain and local sheep were used as the foundation of merino flocks in other countries. In 1723 some were exported to Sweden, but the first major consignment of Escurials was sent by Ferdinand VI of Spain to his cousin, Prince Xavier the Elector of Saxony, in 1765. Ferdinand VI, ( September 23, 1713 &ndash August 10, 1759) King of Spain from 1746 until his death second son of Philip The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Further exportation of Escurials to Saxony occurred in 1774, to Hungry in 1775 and to Prussia in 1786. Later in 1786 Louis XVI of France received 366 sheep selected from 10 different cavanas, these founded the stud at the Royal Farm at Rambouillet. Louis XVI ( 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) Louis-Auguste de France, ruled as King of France and Navarre The château de Rambouillet is a palace in the town of Rambouillet, Yvelines department, France 50 km (30 miles southwest of Paris. The Rambouillet stud enjoyed some 'undisclosed' genetic development with some English long-wool genes contributing to the size and wool-type of the French sheep. Rambouillet is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. [4] Though Emperor the Rambouillet stud had an enormous influence on the development of the Australian Merino.
Sir Joseph Banks procured two rams and four ewes in 1787 by way of Portugal and in 1792 purchased 40 Negrettis for King George III, to found the royal flock at Kew. Sir Joseph Banks 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (13 February 1743 &ndash 19 June 1820 was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places In 1808, 2000 Paulas were imported.
The King of Spain also gave some Escurials to the Dutch government in 1790; these thrived in the Dutch Cape Colony (South Africa). In 1797 Governor King, Colonel Patterson, Captain Waterhouse and Kent purchased sheep from the widow of Colonel Gordon, commander of the Dutch garrison in Cape Town. When Waterhouse landed in Sydney he sold his sheep to Captain John MacArthur, Samuel Marsden and Captain William Cox. John Macarthur (1766 – 11 April 1834 was a soldier entrepreneur politician and pioneer of the Australian Wool industry The Reverend Samuel Marsden ( 25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, credited with William Cox (born 19 December 1764 – 15 March 1837) was a soldier explorer road builder and Australian pioneer
In 1804 John Macarthur (who had been sent back from Australia to England following a duel with Colonel Patterson) brought seven rams and one ewe from the first dispersal sale of King George III stud. In 1805 Macarthur and the sheep returned to Australia, Macarthur to reunite with his wife Elizabeth who had been developing their flock in his absence. Elizabeth Macarthur ( 14 August 1766 &ndash 9 February 1850) Australia. Macarthur is considered the father of the Australian merino industry however in the long term his sheep had very little influence on the development of the Australian merino.
From 1765 the Germans in Saxony crossed the Spanish Merino with the Saxon sheep[5] to developed a dense, fine type of Merino (spinning count between 70s and 80s) adapted to its new environment. By 1802 the region had four million Saxon Merino sheep, and was becoming the centre for stud Merino breeding, and German wool was the finest in the world.
In 1802, Colonel David Humphreys, United States Ambassador to Spain, initiated the Vermont strain into North America with an importation of 21 rams and 70 ewes from Portugal and a further importation of 100 infantado Merinos in 1808. David Humphreys ( July 10, 1752 - February 21, 1818) was a Revolutionary War colonel and Aide de camp to George Washington The British embargo on wool and wool clothing exports to the U. S. prior to the 1812 British/U.S. war led to a "Merino Craze" with William Jarvis of the Diplomatic Corps importing at least 3500[6] sheep between 1809 to 1811 through Portugal. The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and the British Empire, particularly Great Britain and her North American colonies
The Napoleonic wars (1793-1813) almost destroyed the Spanish merino industry. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions The old cavanas were dispersed or slaughtered. From 1810 onwards the merino scene shifted to Germany, the United States and Australia. Between 1810 and 1840 Australia was engaged in a wool trade war with Germany while importing German sheep. By 1840 Australia had won the war mainly because of Germany's preoccupation with fineness.
By 1801 Australia had 33,818 sheep. Macarthur pioneered the introduction of Saxon merinos with importation from the Electoral flock in 1812. The first Australian wool boom occurred in 1813 when the Great Dividing Range was crossed. The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is Australia 's most substantial Mountain range. During the 1820s there was increasing interest in Merino sheep. In October 1820 Macarthur showed and sold 39 rams, grossing £510/16/5. [7] By 1830 the Australian sheep population was nearly 2 million. In 1823, at the first sheep show held in Australia, a gold medal was awarded to W. Riley ('Raby') for importing the most Saxons, W. Raby is a Suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Riley also imported Cashmere Goats into Australia. After 25 years of selective breeding the Australian Cashmere Goat has evolved into a distinctive breed of goat far removed from its bush goat origins
In 1841, John Murray at Mt Crawford in South Australia established a flock of Camden-blood ewes mated to Tasmanian rams. To broaden the wool and give the animals some size it is thought some English Leicester blood was introduced. English Leicester are an English breed of Sheep. Alternate names for the breed include Leicester Longwool Bakewell Leicester Dishley Leicester Improved The resultant sheep were the foundation of many South Australian strong wool studs. The Peppin brothers took a different approach to producing a hardier, longer stapled, broader wool sheep. After purchasing Wanganella Station in the Riverina they selected 200 station bred ewes that thrived under local conditions and purchased 100 South Australian ewes bred at Cannally that were sired by an imported Rambouillet ram. The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales (NSW Australia The Peppin brothers mainly used Saxon and Rambouillet rams importing four Rambouillet rams in 1860. Rambouillet is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. One of these, 'Emperor,' cut an 11. 4 kg (5. 1Kg clean) fleece. They ran some Lincoln ewes but their introduction into the flock is undocumented. The Lincoln, sometimes called the Lincoln Longwool, is a breed of sheep from England.
In the 1880s, Vermont rams were imported into Australia from the U. S. , since many Australian studmen believed these sheep would improve wool cuts, their use spread rapidly. Unfortunately the fleece weight was high but the clean yield low, the greater grease content increased the risk of fly strike, they had lower uneven wool quality, and lower lambing percentages. Their introduction had a devastating effect on many famous fine-wool studs.
In 1889, while Australian studs were being devastated by the imported Vermont rams several U. S. merino breeders formed the Rambouillet Association to prevent the destruction of the Rambouillet line in the U. The Rambouillet is also known as the Rambouillet Merino or the French Merino S. It has been estimated that today 50 percent of the sheep on the U. S. western ranges are of Rambouillet blood. [6]
The federation drought ( 1901-1903 ) reduced the number of Australian sheep from 72 to 53 million and ended the Vermont era with the Peppin and Murray blood strain becoming dominant in the pastoral and wheat zones of Australia.
In Australia today, a few Saxon and other fine wool German bloodline Merino studs exist in the high rainfall areas. [8] In the pastoral and agriculture country Peppins and Collinsville (21 to 24 micron) are popular. The Peppin Merino is a breed of Merino Sheep raised for its Wool, mostly in Australia. In the drier areas one finds the Collinsville (21 to 24 micron) strains. The development of the merino is entering a new phase, objective fleece measurement and Best Linear Unbiased Prediction is now being used to identify exceptional animals. In Statistics, best linear unbiased prediction ( BLUP) is used in linear Mixed models for the prediction of random effects. Artificial insemination and embryo transfer is being used to accelerated the spread of their genes. AIH redirects here For the indie rock band abbreviated AIH see Architecture in Helsinki Artificial insemination (AI is the process by which Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF whereby one or several Embryos are placed into the Uterus The result is a wide out-crossing between all major strains.
Animal welfare developments
In Australia, mulesing of merino sheep is a common practice to reduce the incidence of flystrike. Lismore is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Hamilton Highway west of Melbourne. Mulesing is the surgical removal of strips of wool-bearing wrinkle skin from around the breech of a Sheep. Myiasis (ˈmaɪəsɨs or /maɪˈaɪəsɨs/ is an animal or human disease caused by parasitic dipterous fly larvae feeding on the host 's Necrotic It has been attacked by animal rights and animal welfare activists, with PETA running a campaign against the practice in 2004. "Animal liberation" redirects here for other uses see Animal liberation (disambiguation. Animal welfare refers to the viewpoint that it is morally acceptable for humans to use nonhuman animals for food in animal research, as clothing and in entertainment The PETA campaign targeted U. S. consumers by using graphic billboards in New York City. PETA threatened U. S. manufacturers with television advertisements showing their companies' support of mulesing. Fashion retailers Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Gap Inc and Nordstrom and George (UK) stopped stocking Merino wool products. Abercrombie & Fitch ('æbɝkrɒmbiː ænd 'fɪtʃ ( (A&F is an American clothing Retailer. The Gap Incorporated ( is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco California, and founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher
In 2008 mulesing once again became a topical issue in Sweden with a documentary on mulesing shown on Swedish television. [9] This was followed by allegations of bribery and intimidation by Australian government and wool industry officials,[10] the allegations were disputed by the wool industry[11]. Several Swedish and European clothing retailers, including H&M, Zara (clothing), and Lindex now no longer stock merino products. Hennes & Mauritz AB (operating as H&M) is a Swedish clothing company known for its inexpensive and fashionable clothing offerings for women men teenagers and children Zara is the Flagship Chain store of Inditex Group owned by Spanish tycoon Amancio Ortega, who also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti Lindex is a Swedish clothing company with stores in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Germany
New strains of merinos that don't require mulesing are being promoted in South Australia. [12] 'Thin-skinned' sheep from western Victoria are also being promoted as a solution.
See also
- Wool
- Delaine Merino
- Booroola Merino, prolific merino strain
- Micron (wool)
- Peppin Merino, dominant Australian merino strain
- Poll Merino
- Rambouillet (sheep)
References
- ^ Merino in Diccionario Crítico Etimológico Castellano e Hispánico, vol. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species The Delaine Merino is a type of Merino sheep predominate in North America. The Booroola is a Merino strain that has a high rate of multiple births. A micron ( Micrometre) is the measurement used to express the diameter of a Wool fibre The Peppin Merino is a breed of Merino Sheep raised for its Wool, mostly in Australia. The Poll Merino is a subtype of the Australian Merino breed of Domestic sheep without horns. The Rambouillet is also known as the Rambouillet Merino or the French Merino IV, eds. Joan Corominas & José A. Pascual, Gredos, Madrid, 1989. ISBN 84-249-0066-9
- ^ Australian Wool Classing, Australian Wool Corporation, 1990, p. 26
- ^ "Wool". The New American Cyclopaedia 16. (1858). D. Appleton and Company. 538. Retrieved on 2006-09-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the
- ^ Paterson, Mark (1990). National Merino Review. West Perth, Australia: Farmgate Press, 12-17. ISSN 1033-5811.
- ^ "Agriculture". Icenographic Encyclopedia of Science 4. (1860). D. Appleton and Company. 731. Retrieved on 2006-09-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the
- ^ a b Ross, C. V. (1989). Sheep production and Management. Engleworrd Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 26-27. ISBN 0-13-808510-2.
- ^ The Australian Merino, Charles Massey,Viking O'Neil, South Yarra, 1990, p. 62
- ^ The Australian Merino, Charles Massey, Viking O'Neil, South Yarra, 1990, p. 405
- ^ Swedish consumers 'concerned' by mulesing. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (7 March 2008). The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Retrieved on 2008-03-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.
- ^ Bribe claim rocks wool trade body. The Age (8 March 2008). The Age is a Broadsheet daily Newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854 Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Retrieved on 2008-03-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.
- ^ ABC misreports Swedish TV mulesing program. The Australian Wool and Sheep Industry Taskforce (12 March 2008). Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Retrieved on 2008-03-14. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice.
- ^ Scientists search for bare-bum sheep gene. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (21 March 2005). The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-11-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the
- Cottle, D. J. (1991). Australian Sheep and Wool Handbook. Melbourne, Australia: Inkata Press, 20-23. ISBN 0-909605-60-2.
External links
- Oklahoma State University - Merino reference page
- The American Delaine & Merino Record Association
- The American Rambouillet Sheep Breeders Association
- The Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders
- New Zealand Merino Stud Breeders
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