China has cultivated a new fine-wool sheep named Mountain Merino, which can be adapted to the coldness and aridness of high altitude, recognized and announced by Ministry of Agriculture recently.

Certificate of recognition decreed by Ministry of Agriculture

The new breed, adapted to an altitude range of 2400-4070 meters with its wool as thin as 19.1-21.5 micrometers, is a breakthrough in the livestock cultivation of China. It also fills the gap of high-altitude fine-wool sheep cultivation in the world.

The male parent of Mountain Merino is the well-known Australia Merino, and its female parent Gansu mountain fine-wool sheep local to the northwest China’s Gansu province.

It is estimated that an annual breed of 16,000 male Mountain Merino can improve the quality of 6 million fine-wool sheep. The cultivation will contribute to the fine-wool sheep industry upgrade in China with an annual production value increase of 1 billion yuan (around 150 million USD).