BUYING a sheep is like buying an unlabelled tin of fruit, according to one industry expert.

"You might think you are getting a peach but you are more likely getting a lemon," said Mr Dewi Jones. "Unless you have a label you have no idea what you are getting."

Mr Jones of the University of Wales is head of Welsh Sheep Strategy. His main message was for producers to make more, and better, use of breeding and recording. Not only would they get better sheep but better prices too.

"Real cash improvements are possible through better breeding and recording," said Mr Jones. "The Meat and Livestock Commission has demonstrated that £4.7m a year in benefits are already in place from the successful schemes in Wales and Scotland."

The outward appearance of breeding stock was no longer acceptable as a method of judging the quality of breeding stock. Scanners and CCTV technology could give detailed information on the carcase and muscle of an animal.

Mr Jones said the £2.26m Welsh Sheep Strategy began in 1997 with the aim of giving Welsh sheep producers an advantage over all competitors - including the English and the Scottish. Nucleus flocks and ram performance tests complement 11 sire reference schemes.

Commercial activities such as artificial insemination and scrapie genotyping facilities have been created to safeguard developments for the longer term.

Mr Jones issued an open invitation to any individual or group of producers to visit Wales to see the strategy in action.

A recent survey undertaken by the WSS showed that the average cost of producing a lamb amounted to 117p per kg live weight. However, the 55 owner-occupied farms in the survey saw their costs range from as little as 80p/kg lw up to 174p/kg lw.

The survey included the variable, fixed and replacement costs fundamental to any enterprise.

Mr Jones said the hill and upland areas maintained 51pc of the breeding females in Britain.

Many trials with terminal sires had shown that, when used on high index animals, they would provide an extra £500 income during their lifetime. Recording was also shown to give producers up to £3 extra in the price per lamb.

Recorded rams were shown to give heavier lambs with faster growth rates and leaner carcases. They were also, on average, ready for slaughter 11 days earlier than normal.

MLC information in 1999 suggested that the uptake of performance-recorded rams was three times greater in Wales than in Northern England. However the formation of the Northern Uplands Sheep Strategy provided the same opportunities for northern producers.

"The developments within Wales and Scotland can be replicated, with benefits far reaching to safeguard the future of hill farming," said Mr Jones. "The money and technology is in place, farmers must use it!"