“If we want to breed a profitable sheep, we must learn to like what it looks like,’’ Dr Ferguson said.

He said the drive for maternal efficiency and selection for muscling would change maturity pattern and shape.

“Mature ewe size is reduced, the face is plainer, and the shape has gone from a big frame to a low, squat, wide brick of an animal,’’ he said.

“They are positive for muscle and fat, and robust.

“We have to keep our minds open to what sheep need to look like to make us money.

“At ram sales, the biggest correlation with price is the weight of the animal on the day.

“As an industry, we are really good at selecting for big animals but who likes handling big, 100kg stroppy ewes?

“As we get into these extreme muscling sheep, we are seeing animals with early maturity and increasing width.’’

Dr Ferguson was a keynote speaker at the Trigger Vale White Suffolks information day at “Valera”, Lockhart which attracted 120 people. 

Dr Ferguson said the rams bought this year would impact on a producer’s business for the next 10 years.

 “If you are looking at ram prices today, that is not relevant to your breeding program,’’ he said.

“Think about the trends and what has changed from 10 years ago to now, and make some predictions about what will change in the future. “In 10 years time the scrutiny from activists is not going to disappear – only if brands step up and make them irrelevant through their own scrutiny on the industry.’’

Dr Ferguson said the plant based protein movement would confront the lamb industry over the next decade.

“This is not a flash in the pan – it has about $400 million worth of investment,’’ he said. “People are producing meat without having any animals involved.

“They will take market share but I don’t think they will wipe out meat consumption,” he said.