Prominent Charollais breeder sweeps awards for champion classes at the ASWS

Studstock breeder Scott Mitchell, Culcairn, NSW, swept the awards for the Charollais breed at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show.

Mr Mitchell's Rene Charollais stud ram and ewe took home the champion ribbons for the breed, which had one other exhibitor, Vortex stud Charollais, Goorambat.

Breeders consider the French origin Charollais a recent breed, with the first sire being imported into Australia in 2005.

Mr Mitchell said the breed had around 15 registered studs in Australia, and only four studs were actively showing at shows.

"We're just trying to promote the breed as much as we can, so we also contacted the Vortex stud principal to enter the show this year," he said.

"It was very good to get them here and see some other Charollais as well.

"Hopefully, the numbers will rise in the future.

"If things go well and the breed gains popularity, I think they have a lot of attributes that would benefit the lamb industry."

Mr Mitchell, who runs the Rene operation with Poll Dorset and White Suffolk sheep, started breeding Charollais sheep in 2010.

"I bought the grand sire of my champion sheep, which are offspring of the sire's son," he said.

"This year's champion ram is the next generation.

"I'll try and keep that line going because it's breeding what I want, which is good structure, being good on the feet and heaps of muscle."

Mr Mitchell's operation now runs approximately 350 breeding ewes, selling 130-150 rams a year.

"From all the trials we've done, they yield around 52-56 per cent, which is astronomical," he said.

Mr Mitchell said his family nominated sheep stud operator Ian Gilmore, Oberon, NSW, to judge the Charollais breed at the ASWS.

"He's had plenty of different breeds in his lifetime," he said.

"He's judged at shows all over Australia.

"Since this is a new breed, we want to educate people in the gallery because he's very good at explaining things on the microphone."

Mr Gilmore said both the champion ewe and ram carried themselves beautifully.

"They had a great amount of meat in them," he said.

"They were very tidy and carried a little less colour than the others.

"I just thought they would be the best sheep to represent the breed."