Services incidental to agricultural production

Tender description

HCC is undertaking a project to evaluate the ability to generate long term genetic improvements in the Welsh ewe flock through engagement with hill ram producers and utilising new DNA-based technologies to enable performance recording to take place in extensive hill environments. The work aims to create a critical mass of recorded hill rams / breeding ewes, promote the benefits of performance recorded stock and extend the demand for (and access to) recorded stock. HCC requires a tenderer to support their appointed supplier by providing genetic evaluations for flocks participating in the scheme. Specifically, the services required are: — maintaining dialogue with the HCC project team and the service provider to ensure efficient and timely delivery of accurate estimated breeding values to the breeders, — providing genetic analysis of the participating hill flocks for the duration of the project, to include, — indices for each flock, — EBV evaluations, — develop and report on potential new EBVs from the progeny, e.g. lambing ease and lamb survival, — provide ongoing review of connectedness analysis between performance recorded Welsh Hill flocks, — develop a longer-term strategy to develop genomic evaluations, — provide support for knowledge transfer of EBVs and performance recording to other Welsh Hill flocks.