Manas Suffolk Sheep

Manas Suffolk Sheep

Manas Suffolk Sheep is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Manas Suffolk Sheep is a specialty of Manas County in Changji, Xinjiang. The registered protection area for Manas Suffolk Sheep is located in Manas County, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang. In 1989, Manas County introduced Suffolk breeding sheep from Australia and established the country’s first purebred Suffolk meat sheep core breeding farm. Through local pure breeding, generational selection, and acclimatization, a purebred Manas Suffolk meat sheep with unique regional characteristics was developed. The Manas Suffolk meat sheep fully retains the superior traits of the original breed, such as fast growth and good meat performance. It produces 8 kilograms more meat per lamb than local breeds, and currently over 6,000 breeding sheep are slaughtered annually. The lamb meat is delicious, juicy, tender, with light gaminess, pleasant texture, unique flavor, and rich aroma, meeting the high-quality lamb quality standards recommended by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The new Manas Suffolk meat sheep group, comparable in quality to Australian Suffolk meat sheep, has become the preferred breed for the Muslim community for slaughtering and offering sacrifices due to its nobility and purity. In 2013, Manas County successfully hosted the 10th China Sheep Industry Development Conference. “Manas Suffolk Sheep” obtained geographical indication certification for agricultural products from the Ministry of Agriculture, and “Zhongma Suffolk Sheep” was registered as a trademark with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. The development of the meat sheep industry has become a featured industry in Manas County, setting an example and leading the development of the meat sheep industry in Xinjiang.

　　Region: Xinjiang

　　Applicant: Manas County Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center

　　Year of Registration: 2013

　　Geographical Scope

　　Manas County is located in the central-northern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in the center of the Tianshan North Slope Economic Belt. Its geographical coordinates are 85°34′ to 86°43′ east longitude and 43°28′ to 45°38′ north latitude, with a total area of 11,000 square kilometers. The specific geographical area protected under the geographical indication for the agricultural product Manas Suffolk Sheep includes: 11 townships within the county (Letuoyi Town, Baojiadian Town, Lanzhouwan Town, Manas Town, Liangzhouhu Town, Guangdongdi Township, Beiwucha Town, Liuhudi Town, Taxihexiang Township, Hankazitan Township, Qingshuihe Township), 2 farms (Pingyuan Forest Farm, Horticulture Farm), and 1 station (Experimental Station), covering 10 communities and 87 administrative villages; the protected geographical area spans 237 km from north to south and 80 km from east to west, covering approximately 11,000 square kilometers; the protected production output includes: 10,000 purebred Suffolk rams, 100,000 improved Suffolk rams, and 1 million commercial Suffolk crossbred meat sheep.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　4.1 External Sensory Characteristics: The Manas Suffolk Sheep is bred under the natural conditions of local arid, hot, and harsh cold climates through a feeding method of grazing supplemented with feed. It adapts to alpine meadow grasslands at altitudes of 2,200–3,600 meters and hilly semi-desert grasslands at altitudes of 1,100–1,200 meters. Particularly, its black head and white body appearance is highly favored by the Muslim community in Xinjiang, making it the dominant breed for meat sheep production in Xinjiang’s farming and pastoral areas.   4.1.1 Appearance Characteristics: Short and wide head; both rams and ewes are polled; the head, ears, and limbs are black and not covered with wool; sturdy physique, tall and robust body frame, with a shoulder hump, broad shoulders, deep and wide chest, long and open ribs, well-developed muscles, straight legs, distinct black-and-white contrast, with the head being glossy black and the limbs especially strong and black.   4.1.2 Production Performance: The Manas Suffolk Sheep grows quickly, has tender meat with less fat and a high lean meat ratio. Adult rams weigh 90–100 kg with a fleece yield of 5–6 kg; adult ewes weigh 60–70 kg with a fleece yield of 3–4 kg, wool length of 7–8 cm, clean wool rate of 60%, fiber fineness of 56–58 microns, and lambing rate of 130–140%.   4.1.3 Crossbreeding Use: The Manas Suffolk Sheep has a larger body frame, rapid growth, and high lean meat ratio, making it an ideal breed for producing high-quality lamb meat. In Xinjiang, it serves as the terminal crossbred sire for meat sheep production, demonstrating significant hybrid vigor: when crossed with lower-grade fine-wool ewes as dams, the offspring exhibit fast growth, high feed conversion efficiency, excellent meat characteristics, and good fattening results. Crossbred lambs have a birth weight of 4.45 kg, 120-day weight of 38 kg, and 150-day weight of 47 kg, increasing by 0.45 kg, 13 kg, and 17 kg respectively compared to same-aged fine-wool sheep; slaughter rate is 8 percentage points higher than that of fine-wool sheep. When crossed with Small-Tailed Han sheep, the lambs have a birth weight of 4.36 kg, 120-day weight of 32 kg, and 150-day weight of 42 kg, increasing by 1.1 kg, 9 kg, and 13 kg respectively compared to Small-Tailed Han sheep; slaughter rate is 10.29 percentage points higher than that of Small-Tailed Han sheep.   The Manas Suffolk Sheep has excellent meat production performance, with a slaughter rate of 58–67%, carcass lean meat rate of 55–63%, lean meat proportion of 72–81%, eye muscle area of 23–31 square centimeters, and rib muscle thickness of 8–20 mm; the lamb meat has a unique flavor, tender texture, tenderness of 2.7–4.1 kg/cm², delicious and juicy with a unique taste and rich aroma; it boasts distinctive qualities, with pinkish meat that is glossy and fat that is milky white; muscle fibers are tight, resilient, and elastic; it has the inherent characteristic aroma of fresh lamb without any off-odors; after boiling, the meat becomes transparent and clear, with fat gathering on the surface, giving off a special fragrance.   4.2 Internal Quality Indicators: The Manas Suffolk Sheep is nutritionally rich, with protein content of 17.82–21.1%, total amino acids of 21.33–25.62%, fat content of 4.8–8.3%, calcium of 23.4–27.7 mg/kg, iron of 13.5–17.6 mg/kg, magnesium of 18.6–20.1 mg/kg. It has high protein, low fat, and abundant calcium, iron, and magnesium content, providing comprehensive and balanced nutrition with health benefits.