| 2019-11-15 |    |
Texel Society Launches new iTexel Database
The Texel Sheep Society is proud to launch the first phase of its new iTexel cloud-based database for the collection, storage, analysis and publishing of animal data within the breed.
The £400,000 investment which can be found at itexel.uk, will allow breeders and commercial producers to access individual animal pedigree and performance information and breeder details, with further developments released in the coming months.
Texel Sheep Society chairman Roy Campbell said the new database is a key component of the society digital first strategy and will help breeders deliver for the needs of their commercial customers. “Quick, easy access to animal information is essential in the modern breeding era, the iTexel database, rather than just copy our previous database, has innovative functions and will support both pedigree and commercial farmers providing them access to valuable information they need to help advance their breeding programmes.”
Society chief executive John Yates said data collection and storage has been a core component of the Society’s membership services for decades, this latest innovation, driven by the Society, will enable Texel breeders and their customers with the very latest database technology helping all that rely on Texel data, genetics and livestock to make informed purchasing and breeding decisions.
“At its core, the Society is a data processing organisation, collecting, storing, analyising and publishing pedigree information for all registered British Texel flocks. On top of that, through its texelplus genetic evaluation service, the Society represents one of the largest sheep breeding programmes in the UK that collects and disseminates significant volumes of trait performance data obtained from its membership, providing valuable information which benefits the entire supply chain, including the research community.
“Throughout the 45-year history of the Society various iterations of databases have come and gone, each adapting and evolving as best the Society has been able to afford with the technology and resource available at that time, its certainly an area that has progressed massively in the last couple of decades, so its important the Society engages with the very best experts and with the latest technology.” he explained.
Today the Society, manages the largest registry of Texel genetics globally and is the largest sheep society in Europe, producing sales catalogues for more than 10,000 animals a year, across 40 sales. This first release of the new database supports online sale entries, animal and breeder search functions and catalogue production.
Additionally, he said the iTexel database will help the Society continue it’s extensive industry leading research and development work within the breed, including the multinational SMARTER- health and resilience and GrassToGas, feed efficiency projects.
“Continued R&D is essential to the future of the UK sheep industry and the Texel Society’s active engagement in these international projects, collaborating across the EU and 5 other non EU countries, will support the breed’s development and the advancement of science in livestock over the coming years to best fit the needs of the modern sheep sector.”
Commenting on the decision to invest in the creation of a new database Mr Yates said the catalyst was taking sole ownership of Basco Data Ltd, the previous database provider for the Society, during 2017.
“In 2018 the Society commissioned a technical audit of the Basco database and as a result it was obvious to the Society’s Board that the Society needed to source and secure funding for a next generation database specifically for the Society using cloud-based software solutions and as a result commisioned specialists Rezare Systems to begin the build in April 2019.
“Basco Data Ltd will continue to operate the Basco database for the Society until it is decommissioned early in 2020. This is an exciting phase in the Society’s history, as Basco is decommissioned and replaced with our next generation iTexel database,” he added.
