Meat Breed-Palas, A Creation of Romanian Scientific Research, in the Field of Sheep Breeding

The Meat Breed of Palas was created during 1973-2012 at Central Research Station for Sheep Breeding Palas- Constana (nowadays the Research and Development Institute for Sheep and Goats Breeding- Palas) by crossbreeding of the breeds Ile de France and Merino of Palas followed by reproductive isolation starting with 1989. The breed was recognized and homologated in 2012. By its traits, the breed is clearly different from the local sheep breeds of Merino of Palas, Tzigaia and Tzurcana. So, the body weights of ewes and rams are bigger with 7, 54-8, 55 % than the body weight of the same categories from Merino of Palas breed, the differences being very significant (pless than0, 001). Also, the lambs from this breed have a daily gain which is bigger with 16, 84-43, 01 % besides the lambs of local sheep breeds. The slaughtering output at the fattened young rams of the Meat Breed of Palas is bigger with 3, 75 - 5, 15 per cent points besides their contemporaries from the local sheep breeds. Also, the carcasses of lambs from the Meat Breed of Palas are larger, more compact, having shorter gigots, well covered with muscles comparatively to the contemporaries of local sheep breeds. The surfaces of the sections of Longissimus Dorsi muscle and of the tigh are bigger with 17, 14-47, 30 % respectively with 26, 43-41, 92 % at the Meat Breed of Palas comparatively to the local sheep breeds, fact that reveals a good development of muscles in the area of the back, of the loins and of the gigot. All the carcasses of the lambs from the Meat Breed of Palas are categorized in the U class (very good carcasses) by conformation but after the fattening state are categorized in the 2-3 classes (thin carcasses and mild fat required on the market). At Merino of Palas approximately half of the carcasses are in class R (good carcasses) and half in O class (satisfactory). At Tzigaia breed, the carcasses are of O class, but at Tzurcana 20 % of carcasses are in O class O and 80 % in P class (mediocre carcasses). In conclusion it could be said that the Meat Breed of Palas (the only local breed of this type in Romania) has a body format and morph-productive features similar to other meat breeds that are being bred in the European Unions countries with tradition.