In August I was honoured to judge the inaugural French National Southdown Show at Saulieu, in the Burgundy Region of France.
With just seven Southdown flocks in the whole of France entries were naturally limited, but the five breeders taking part were enthusiastic and presented their sheep in traditional French style, with little/no trimming and sheep being tied to a rail for judging.
Top five shearling rams
Consisting of four classes, the show featured aged rams and shearling rams, and aged ewes and shearling ewes, with the rams shown singly and the ewes shown in pairs.
Classes were well supported by all breeders and in the male classes Benoit Poillot and family won both classes, with the overall male champion being their two-shear stock ram which was bred by Jean-Claude and Isabelle Thomas and had stood champion at Paris Show earlier in the year.
First prize pair of shearling ewes.
The female classes saw the Poillot family once again take the top place in both classes. The standard of sheep presented overall was pleasing and the top end of every class was strong.
An interesting aside came after the judging when all breeders returned to Benoit Poillot’s farm to inspect his 2019 crop of lambs for approval by the French Society. Every lamb to be registered was inspected by the Society’s president Alexandre Pagnaud before receiving the Society’s official ear tattoo, with those not meeting the standard not being tattooed.
Having visited France to view and purchase Southdowns many times over the last 20 years I am pleased to say I count many of the French breeders as firm friends and have the upmost respect for their commitment to the breed.
In 1957 there were more than 90 Southdown flocks spread across France. Both the Poillot and Thomas families are long-time breeders committed to the breed, with the Benoit Poillot’s family having been breeding Southdowns since the 1940s.
Article written by Jonathan Long.
