Semen from North Country Cheviot rams has been exported to the USA for the first time in more than 30 years.

Roderick Runciman, Allanshaws, Galashiels and Andrew Polson, Caithness, were selected to export semen across the pond after US breeders expressed a desire for Caithness and border-type genetics.

The move follows President Biden’s scrapping of the beef and lamb import ban in September 2021, which had been in place since 1989 due to fears over the UK outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).

As well as meat, the ban included semen and embryos, meaning the US gene pool for native breeds has been severally restricted for more than three decades.

Andrew, who runs the Smerlie flock in Caithness, felt honoured to be asked to provide semen as he has only re-established his flock in 2012 after a 25-year break.

He said: “I was contacted directly by a breeder in the States whose grandfather was from Caithness. He had studied agriculture at a university in Scotland, and visited sales in Caithness, so he knew what he was looking for.

“They had seen some of my sheep and Roderick’s go into the sale ring and because of that we were asked to supply semen. Roderick has a fantastic track record and it was a great honour for the Smerlie flock to be asked. It’s going to be good for the North Country Cheviot breed and for our fellow breeders.”

Andrew and Roderick both put forward four rams each to donate the semen, with the process being managed by AB Europe.

It involved each ram being placed into isolation and undergoing a range of tests before the semen could be approved for export, which took almost a year to complete.

Roderick said his rams – Sebay Excitable, Pengreos Xcalibre, Allanshaws XR3, and Allanshaw ACDC – were all proven sires and passed the tests with flying colours.

He said: “The Americans are keen to improve the breed and they watch every sale and show and comment on them. They see when you win a show and they seemed to like my type.

“The Scottish blood will widen the gene pool but Rome wasn’t built in a day. It isn’t going to suddenly make them into the quality we see over here but I do think it’s a big step forward to improving the genetics across the pond.”

Roderick said: “I like North Country Cheviots to be eye catching and I try to look after their bodies, too. That’s the basics. A lot of folk buy a tup to breed a tup. But I buy a tup to breed females. Females will breed a tup. Always keep the females right as they’re the foundation of every flock.”

Roderick who owns the Allanshaws flock, runs 750 North Country Cheviot ewes that scan between 190%-200% and are capable of raising two lambs even at heights of up to 1400ft on his farm.

He keeps 300 of his ewes pure and the rest are put to a Blueface Leicester to produce Cheviot Mules which he sells privately to a regular client list.

Andrew runs 200 pure-bred ewes and sells shearling rams and gimmers at Caithness and Lockerbie.

The rams he put forward to donate semen are Smerlie Ambassador, Smerlie Admiral, Smerlie Whisky and Cairnside Brightspark.