Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep

Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep

　　Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep is a specialty of Jianyang City, Ziyang, Sichuan Province. It is a new meat-type goat breed developed through crossbreeding between European and American Nubian goats and local goats from Jianyang. The breed boasts advantages such as fast growth, excellent meat yield, high fertility, large body size, stable genetic traits, strong resistance to rough feed, and adaptability to the subtropical climate conditions of southern China.

　　Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep is a new meat-type goat breed developed from crossbreeding American Nubian goats with local goats in Jianyang. In the 1940s, during a visit to the United States, Madame Soong Mei-ling was gifted 40 Nubian goats by the U.S. President. These were released around the Longquan Mountain Range in Sichuan. Due to the superior production performance of their crossbred offspring with local Jianyang goats, they became very popular among local herders and consumers, leading to continuous development and a population that grew to over 10,000.

　　Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep have characteristics such as high fertility, good meat yield, high dressing percentage, quality hide, and low gamey flavor. In the 1980s, the Jianyang County government decided to vigorously develop crossbred Nubian goats. Between 1984 and 1985, Jianyang successively imported 121 Nubian goats from the UK and the US to update the bloodline and carry out grading crossbreeding of the existing population, aiming to improve their production performance.

　　In 2004, Sichuan Province officially named Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep as a new local goat breed. By September 31, 2012, the selective breeding of Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep had completed four generations, resulting in a new meat-type goat breed featuring large drooping ears, tall stature, fast growth, high fertility, and excellent meat yield. On October 13, 2012, the expert group of the National Animal Genetic Resources Committee passed the on-site review. On January 24 of the following year, the committee approved the breed and announced it nationwide on January 30. The public comment period ended on February 7, and the Ministry of Agriculture officially recognized Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep as a national new breed.

　　It is understood that over the past decade, Jianyang City has focused on expanding its sheep industry by introducing incentive policies, innovating development models, and strengthening brand building. The city’s animal husbandry sector, especially its sheep industry, has developed rapidly. The number of goats raised and slaughtered in the city has ranked first in the province for many consecutive years. The city has successfully hosted nine Lamb Food Culture Festivals. Jianzhou Big-Eared Sheep was rated as the top treasure among the “Ten Treasures of Tianfu,” and Jianyang Lamb Soup has been hailed as the “Best Lamb Soup in Western China.” In 2011, Jianyang became the first county-level city in China to host the National Sheep Industry Development Conference. “Jianyang Lamb” received geographical indication product protection, and animal husbandry has become an important pillar driving the development of modern green urban agriculture in Jianyang.

　　Data shows that in 2012, Jianyang City had a total of 585,600 goats in stock and 1.35 million goats slaughtered, yielding 23,600 tons of lamb. The city’s goat industry generated 1.5 billion yuan in income from goat farming, with per capita income from goat farming reaching 1,250 yuan. There were 869 lamb soup restaurants in the city, consuming over 500,000 live goats annually.