Sheep Breeders Round Table (SBRT) 2026

“Breeding solutions for a changing world” 

We look forward to welcoming you to the 2026 SBRT conference, taking place from 20th – 22nd November. 

The conference Breeding solutions for a changing world will cover sheep breeding topics within the wider role of genetics, the essential building blocks for the future of the UK sheep industry. Over the weekend attendees will gain insight to sustainable solutions, industry resilience, policy direction, profitability and breeding to meet market demands.

• Where: Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands, Derby, DE74 2TZ
• When: The conference starts at 2pm on Friday 20th and finishes after lunch on Sunday 22nd 
• Tickets are sold out – please contact bridget@bridget-lloyd.com with any last minute enquires

We have an engaging programme spanning the weekend to discuss all aspects of our sheep breeding world with expert speakers lined up from our UK industry alongside commercial farmers and pedigree breeders – all who will share their experiences, having put science into practice.

A short summary of the weekend is shown below or see the full programme pdf which lists all speakers, topics and presentation titles. Presentations will be made available on this page after the conference. 

Showcasing the speakers for the SBRT conference 2026 – click the PDF link for speaker biographies.

The SBRT conference Breeding solutions for a changing world has an engaging programme to discuss all aspects of our sheep breeding world with great speakers lined up from our UK industry who will be joined by commercial farmers and pedigree breeders who are putting science into practice.

Friday afternoon – Breeding sheep for the environment & genomics

• Nicola Lambe, Karolina Kaseja, Joana Lima, Emma Dods and Karl Behrendt, chaired by Janet Roden, explain the genetic influence on flock carbon footprint and environmental breeding goals.
• Samuel Boon, Pourya Davoudi and Melissa Marr explain how genomics can help breed improvement, including a breeder view using DNA to aid objectives.
• Aisling O’Mahony closes our first afternoon with modern ram marketing advice.

Saturday morning – Breeding objectives for our environment and management choices

• Kim Matthews (Chair), Harriet Bunning and Ann McLaren, will introduce some important UK research initiatives which use data to implement change within our sheep breeding decisions.
• Liz Genever leads a discussion on the place for “low-input sheep” in the UK.
• Simon Lillico illustrates how genes work in the ability to shed wool, he is followed by three breeders who explain their quest to be productive maternal enterprises and go head to head in a virtual ram sale.

Saturday afternoon – Genetics worth the investment and performance measures

• Mark Ferguson explains how genetics can future proof a business, using data to identify traits that make or save money and time, whilst keeping customers happy. He works alongside sheep businesses to find solutions and develop profitable enterprises. Chance to get involved - see below for more information.
• Laura Eyles, Sean Godfrey and duo, Amey Vaughan and Zoe Lloyd, illustrate the benefits of commercial data for economic progress, using farm examples to put science into practice, for terminal sire genetics and ewe performance.

Sunday morning – Healthy genetics – sheep survive better with them!

• Rachael Tarlington, Eric Morgan, Heather Stevenson and Dave Bartley explain their current research in the quest to understand which parasites or pathogens are important and how genetics can break down barriers.
• David Coen, Eleri Thomas, Janet Roden and Samuel Boon, chaired by Mark Young, discuss the value of maternal traits for improved lamb survival, using hill sheep examples from across the UK.

Watch this space - Research posters will be available here during the conference weekend as a YouTube video and as PDF downloads.

Something to do during your journey to SBRT 2026 – listen to a range of podcasts: In the run up to the conference, Mark Ferguson caught up with SBRT Chair, George Fell and as part of his stay in the UK, he will visit three progressive-minded sheep farmers, each of whom won one-to-one consultancy and will join Mark on Saturday afternoon at the conference. As an introduction to each of them, please feel free to listen to the Head Shepherd and Sheep Geeks podcasts:

• Growing grass for sheep, stadiums and everything in between with George Fell
• Episode 26: The importance of bringing in a range of opinions with Siân and Llion Jones
• Episode 25: Out-of-season lambing and weather watch with Dave Rendle
• Episode 24 - Catch up with Bryce MacKellar

About SBRT: Sheep Breeders Round Table (SBRT) is run by a small volunteer committee to organise a biennial conference that provides a stage for the UK sheep industry to come together to discuss the value of genetics. It involves farmers, geneticists, researchers, breed societies, breeding companies, industry bodies and other interested parties. The conference provides an ideal platform where, together we can learn, expand and share knowledge to debate relevant topics around sheep genetic awareness and improvement. Together we strive to continue looking to the future to ensure our sheep industry keeps one step ahead of change, continuing to produce viable, affordable and efficient products while working in harmony with our natural environment.

Contact us: For more information: bridget@bridget-lloyd.com