The Meatmaster is a breed of domestic sheep native to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Bred in the early 1990s from various hair sheep breeds, the Meatmaster was created with the goal of improving the

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

characteristics of African fat-tailed sheep breeds. The fat-tailed sheep had various advantageous characteristics such as hardiness and suitability for desert life, but was slow to mature, had a poor distribution of fat and lacked the muscling of the hind quarters of European breeds. The composite breed increased the amount of muscle and had a better distribution of fat but retained the hair (rather than wool) coat and other desirable traits such as resistance to tick-borne diseases and a good flocking instinct. The new breed was tested, and demand was established, before the breed register was set up around the year 2000. The breed was registered in 2007 and a breed society was set up the following year. Today, Meatmaster bloodlines may be a composite of any number of breeds, such as Van Rooy or South African Meat Merino, but must contain Damara breeding. Meatmasters are fat-tailed hair sheep (meaning they lack wool which requires shearing), come in a diverse array of colors, and may be either horned or polled. The focus in breeding is mostly on meat production, but they are also very hardy and with good mothering instincts (inherited from their Damara breeding). Rams weigh from 85 to 105 kilograms and ewes 60-70 kg.Sheep breed compendium, Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), 2010 They are now found in all nine provinces of South Africa and are especially valued in the northern bush veld areas. Meatmasters have been exported to

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

References

Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in South Africa {{sheep-stub