Namibian Dorper breed of top quality

THE National Dorper Championships in Keetmanshoop were held recently and showed that the Namibian Dorper and White Dorper are a world-class breed.

Sixteen breeders entered a total of 469 animals and the judges had a difficult task to select the champions.The Breeder of Champions in the Dorper category was Philip Strauss and the White Dorper Breeder of Champions was Samehaling Dorpers of Pieter and Helena van Schalkwyk.Hannes and Jomarie Visagie Dorpers won the award as Best Newcomer. During the prize-giving ceremony, John Dell, one of the judges from South Africa, complimented the Namibian Dorper Breeders’ Society on the good quality sheep and a very well-organised event. He emphasised the adaptability of the Dorper as one of the strongest qualities of the breed. ‘The Namibian Dorper is unique in the sense that no growth stimulants are used on the animals and no animal products are added to the animal feed,’ Freddie Dreyer, President of the Namibian Dorper Breeders’ Society stated. ‘The Namibian Dorper breeders focus strongly on selection, especially selection to improve growth and adaptability,’ Dell added.A representative of the Brazilian Breeders’ Society and the Inspector of Breed Registration in Brazil visited the championships and they were very impressed with what they saw. Because of the Dorper’s adaptability it is in demand in many foreign countries. The Brazilian Breeders’ Society and the Namibian Dorper Breeders’ Society have an agreement to work together and the Brazilians make use of Namibian expertise to develop the Dorper breed in Brazil. The highest price paid for a Dorper ram at the show auction hosted by Agra was N$20 000 for a ram bred by Freddie Dreyer, bought by Gerhard Nel. Agra was also one of the main sponsors of the championships.