Working Together on Sheep Breeding Initiative

Working Together on Sheep Breeding Initiative

On the 26th of last month, the arrival of the sheep imported from New Zealand at the Mexican port of Mazatlán was met with health checks carried out by 22 officials from the National Service for Health, Safety and Food Quality (Senasica), from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA).

The Minister of Agriculture, Enrique Martínez y Martínez and the Governor of the State of Mexico, Eruviel Avila, handed over 35 thousand sheep to local producers.

The remainder were delivered to producers in the State of Hidalgo.

Minister Martínez y Martínez stated that this importation will repopulate and improve the genetic makeup of the country’s herds. He stressed that with these pregnant ewes of high genetic quality, 250 thousand sheep will be added on an annual basis, so that by 2018 it is expected that the herd will number more than 2 million.

Furthermore, Minister Martínez y Martínez underlined that with this quantity, the State of Mexico is confirmed as the country’s principal producer with 1.3 million The investment of 177.8 million pesos (approximately NZD17 million) for this project was met by SAGARPA, the Government of the State of Mexico and the producers, who obtained credit at a rate of 7 per cent from the National Finances for Livestock, Rural, Forestry and Fisheries Development.

With this massive importation of sheep, livestock trade relations between Mexico and New Zealand were further strengthened, as was demonstrated by the widespread recognition on the part of Mexican producers of the high genetic quality that New Zealand producers are achieving and which will now enrich Mexican sheep breeding.

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