This page will give you a brief overview on the history of the World of Coloured sheep as well as promote our next congress in Biella, Italy in 2019

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The last time the association of the World of Coloured Sheep met for  8th World Congress in Paris, France. This meeting continues a unique tradition. People from many countries meet every five years to share friendship and knowledge on all topics and activities of mutual interest involving natural coloured sheep and their wool.

The 2014 Congress marked four decades of these gatherings:

1979: AUSTRALIA: National Congress on Breeding Coloured Sheep and Using
Coloured Wool
Planned as a National gathering in Adelaide, South Australia, with overseas speakers invited from U.K., Iceland, France and New Zealand, the event attracted 200 participants. Papers presented covered Genetics of Colour in sheep, Husbandry of Coloured Sheep, Coloured Sheep and Wool Industries in Various Countries, Coloured Wool in Handcrafts and Marketing of Coloured Wool. A range of Australian coloured wools was featured in a National Coloured Fleece Competition.


1984: NEW ZEALAND: World Congress on Coloured Sheep and Their 
Products
New Zealanders attending the Australian Congress were inspired to promote a similar event in their own country five years later, to be designated a World Congress. Conference sessions were held and accommodation provided firstly at Lincoln College in South Island and then at Massey University in North Island. Fifty four papers were presented to 275 participants from nine different countries of the world, including New Zealand. Coloured fleece exhibitions and competitions displayed the wide range of New Zealand wools, while bus trips provided visits to sheep farms.


1989: U.S.A.: World Congress on Coloured Sheep: Coloured Sheep and 
Wool; exploring their beauty and functions
The U.S.A. Congress, held in the western state of Oregon, attracted 354 participants from twelve different countries of the world including the host country. Sixty four papers were presented within areas including Breeding, Conservation and Genetics of Natural Coloured Sheep, Sheep Health and Management, Understanding and Preparing Wool, Processing Coloured Wool and Marketing Natural Coloured Products. An international fleece competition attracted over 400 entries. An adjacent annual event was The Black Sheep Gathering, where Congress visitors could observe the wide range of American sheep breeds entered for exhibition and competition.


1994: UNITED KINGDOM: The World Congress on Coloured Sheep and Other
Animal Fibres
Located in England at the University of York, this Congress attracted over 200 local U.K. participants and considerable numbers from U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Presentations included Genetics of Coloured Sheep, Sheep Breeding, Sheep Breeds of European and Other Countries, Conservation and Survival of Endangered Sheep Breeds. A coloured fleece competition comprised of an International section and a Breeds section displayed a total of 87 entries. An organised Congress visit enabled participants to view an exposition of the majority of British sheep breeds at the Malvern Sheep Show.


1999: AUSTRALIA: Fifth World Congress on Coloured Sheep and their 
Products: “Coloured – Naturally!”
Located at Deakin University in the important wool centre of Geelong and featuring optional tours through New South Wales and Victoria before, during, and after the Congress, plus a further opportunity to attend the Royal Melbourne Show. Presentations were mainly by Australian and New Zealand authors with further contributions of overseas speakers from U.S.A., Canada, U.K. and France. These included sheep breeding, wool marketing and wool handcraft topics including dyeing, spinning, knitting, crochet and curing sheepskin rugs. A coloured fleece competition demonstrated the variety of mainly finer breed wools produced in Australian conditions.


2004: NEW ZEALAND: Sixth World Congress on Coloured Sheep: The World
Of Coloured Sheep
Held at Christchurch city in South Island where the Chateau on the Park Hotel provided indoor conference facilities and a large marquee in the hotel grounds to accommodate two hundred participants during workshops and demonstrations with live sheep in all weathers. Coinciding with the Royal Show held in Christchurch, Congress visitors had opportunity to view New Zealand’s largest display of sheep breeds and the National Coloured Fleece Competition which is consistently of world class. 2004 Congress proceedings are incorporated in “The World of Coloured Sheep”, a special book produced at the time and designed to bring together various peoples’ knowledge about the breeding of coloured sheep throughout the world. Colour photos of sheep breeds are a feature of this high quality publication.


2009: BRAZIL: 7th World Congress on Coloured Sheep
Based in the small attractive town of Canela in the province of Rio Grande do Sul but including bus trips to one of the world’s largest agricultural and pastoral expositions near the large city of Porto Alegre. The Congress was conducted in two official languages, English and Portuguese, with simultaneous interpretations for individual participants. Presentations included descriptions of hair sheep breeds in the hot climates of Northern Brazil and Southern Africa, and on other sheep breeds, sheep genetics, production, health and marketing and on aspects of wool handcrafts. Additional bus tours were organised to visit sheep establishments, farms and research centres.

2014: 8TH World Congress on Coloured Sheep
Rambouillet, France: 19 – 22 May 2014

The 8th World Congress on Coloured Sheep held in Paris, France, in May, 2014, marked the

fourth decade since these five yearly gatherings originated in Adelaide, Australia, in 1979. Previous

Congresses during that time were held in New Zealand, USA, UK, Australia and Brazil, each

attracting participants from many countries of the world. These included commercial farmers and

lifestyle owners of coloured sheep, others involved in sheep and wool research, education, conservation, wool handcrafts, wool processing and marketing.

This 2014 event, held at the Paris Mercure Hotel Porte d’ Orleans, was the first of its kind to be hosted on the European continent. Co-ordinated by Dawie du Toit, a breeder of coloured sheep from Prieska, South Africa, in association with travel and conference organiser Amélie Quenet of Paris, it attracted near 85 registered participants from countries including UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, continental Europe and Scandinavia. Pierre Del Porto of Paris, also played a pivotal role in organizing

both the Congress and the Post Congress Tour. With English as the official Congress language,

thirty three papers were presented during the first two days of Congress sessions.

Topics included genetics of coloured sheep, sheep production and management, fleece biology, wool handcrafts, wool processing and marketing. Several presentations were supplemented by colour

projections, particularly appropriate when discussing coat colour patterns, but

also providing excellent visual impressions of the various environments in which sheep are raised.

The third day of Congress featured an excursion by all delegates to the historic Bergerie Nationale national sheep farm at Rambouillet, to hear presentations on the history of Rambouillet merinos and of management of the present day flocks viewed. These are direct descendants of the original 380 Spanish merino sheep bought by Louis XVI of France from the King of Spain in 1786 and which were established on the Rambouillet Estate, an experimental Government farm. The excursion later continued to Versaillies, where time was available for walks to visit the historic Chateau of Versaillies and the vast expanse of parkland and gardens in which it is situated. The Congress book published at the time [Timeless Coloured Sheep: edited by Dawie du Toit; Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg] includes all Congress papers presented, with additional special articles on various European sheep breeds. Hard bound and printed on high quality paper, it features 558 colour photos of sheep breeds and coat colour patterns and some wool end products of handcraft and industry.

Other illustrations comprise monochrome photos and diagrams. Edited by Dawie du Toit, its layout and the emphasis on various details by utilising a variety of typefaces in both captions and text is impressive.

Digital technology has ensured an even consistency of quality in colour reproduction throughout. The

three contributions by colouredsheep breeder and geneticist Roger Lundie of New Zealand on The Agouti Locus of the Sheep are regarded as the most authoritative and comprehensive reference on sheep coat colour genetics yet published. This book is an attractive and prominent work which will be appreciated world-wide by all people with an interest or involvement in coloured sheep and their wool.

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