Alpacas – A farming opportunity.The Story Behind This Global Emerging Industry.

Shirley Bettinson

and

Tim Hey

Alpacas, what are they?

• Members of the Camelid family, related to the vicuña,

llama, guanaco and camel.

• Two breeds of alpaca: Huacaya and Suri.

• Generally live for over 20 years and stay productive

for most of that time.

• Babies are called crias.

• They are a rare and precious mammal that have been

domesticated for 6000 years.

• Originate from the Andes in Peru, Chile and Bolivia.

• Alpacas come in 16 natural colours.

• Alpacas grow a high quality fibre that was reserved

for Incan royalty and was referred to as the ‘fibre of

the gods’.

Huacaya

Suri

History.

• The Incas developed detailed breedingprogrammes and, at the height of the IncanEmpire, alpacas grew a far more uniformfleece and produced higher fibre yields thanthe best alpacas today.

• During the Spanish conquest in the early17th century Alpacas were driven to nearextinction and many breeding systems andbloodlines were lost forever.

• Existing in the extremes of the high altiplanoof Peru, Bolivia and Chile, alpacas were asource of clothing, fuel and food.

Alpaca fibre throughout the ages.

• In the 1800’s Sir Titus Salt from Leeds‘discovered’ alpaca fibre and began promotingit’s use in the finest textile mills in Bradford andfashion houses in Europe.

• Alpaca garments have a very soft handle anda lustre or brightness that give them anadvantage over wool.

• Today the Italian processors produce thehighest quality alpaca yarns and the Japaneseweave alpaca with silk.

• The UK mills are currently increasingproduction with a focus on quality for thedomestic and international market.

Modern Peruvian Fibre Industry.• With a population of more than 2.5 million

alpacas, Peru has developed a thriving fibreindustry based on Alpaca.

• The last 100 years has seen co-operativesset up between farmers implementingselective breeding programmes.

• Government education on alpaca breedinghas also reached the common farmerresulting in increased fibre quality and yield.

• Once the focus was on fleece weight butnow it has switched to fineness and handleas the mills pay more for finer fleeces.

• Two major mills, Grupo Inca and MichellGroup, run the largest alpaca processingmills in the world.

Alpaca industries outside South America.

• The mid to late 1980’s saw the first imports ofalpacas from Chile enter Australia and the US.

• Through the use of sophisticated selectivebreeding practices, further imports from Peruand good husbandry, these countries now runover 300,000 alpacas each.

• The Australian and US alpaca industriescontinue to grow and Australia is now producingcommercial quantities of fibre.

Alpacas in Europe.

• The 1990’s saw commercial quantities of alpacas

imported into the UK.

• The UK leads Europe with around 40,000 alpacas.

Mainland Europe has approximately 25,000 in total which

is a long way from the Australian herd of over 300,000.

• The UK has exported many 1000’s of alpacas into

Europe to boost their herd numbers.

• All Western European countries now have significant

alpaca populations and are breeding pedigree stock and

alpacas are spreading east.

Why start farming alpacas in Great Britain?• To create a national herd of pedigree alpacas based on the success of the

Australian and American alpaca industries.

• As a nation, produce quality fibre to meet the ever growing demand from Norway,

Japan, Italy, Taiwan, China and the UK.

• To sell pedigree seed stock to new owners in the UK and to export to other

European and Middle Eastern countries now farming alpacas.

• Ability to farm on all land sizes with easy care and maintenance.

• Healthy financial returns.

• First and foremost, the UK is a stud stock industry and breeders will make money from selling stock for some time before we have enough alpacas to satisfy demand for fibre. This is in contrast to some alternative farming enterprises that haven’t focused on the end product until they had gone through boom and bust cycles. The alpaca industry is very aware that for its long term success alpaca must produce a viable and profitable end product. We are committed to becoming a fibre industry.

• Great lifestyle and enjoyment.

On farm advantages of alpacas.• Long productive life, living into their 20’s.

• Hardy animals who do well on native and improved pasture.

• Efficient feed converters.

• Easy birthing. Generally give birth between 7am and 2pm.

• Planned breeding times due to them being induced ovulators.

• No foot rot and fly strike is minimal.

• Clean skinned under the tail so crutching is not necessary.

• Alpacas have a soft padded foot so don’t poach the land in winter.

• They are a herd animal so they don’t tend to jump or challenge fences.

Regular maintenance.

• Shearing: once a year. Record fibre details.

• Clostridial Vaccination and monitoring for parasites.

• Vitamin D supplement: during winter months.

• Toenail Clipping: three times a year.

• Hands on body score: weekly.

Breeding.

Females become sexually mature at 12 to 14 months ofage. Males between 18 and 36 months.

Alpacas are induced ovulators and produce one or twoeggs every 12 – 14 days.

Crias are weaned between 5 and 6 months of age.

The gestation period is 11 to 11.5 months.

Females in good health should produce one cria a year asthe female is mated 12 days after giving birth.

Matings can be monitored in pens or conducted in theopen paddock.

Farm requirements.• Standard sheep fencing to a height of 4ft.

• Shelter: Hedges for the majority of the herd and

stables or barn for lactating females and cria when

snow or very poor weather.

• Clean water

• Grazing.

• Hay or haylage in Spring, Autumn and Winter.

• A little supplementary feeding for

- Lactating females

- Working males

- Weanlings

• DEFRA regs. Alpacas don’t need statutory

movement records, ear tagging and pre

movement testing; however, they are encouraged

by the BAS.

Please add a lovely

farm photo here please

Shirley.

Stocking rates.

• Stocking rates are as follows:

• Rough grazing land: 4 to 5

alpacas per acre.

• Permanent pasture which is over

five years old: 5 to 6 per acre.

• Temporary pasture which is less

than five years old: 6 to 8 per

acre.

• 2 alpacas can be kept on 1/2 an

acre of pasture if well maintained.

Alpaca fibre.Alpaca fibre is:

• Twice as strong and warm as merino wool.

• Softer and lighter than cashmere.

• Woven alpaca products don’t pill as readily as other fibres.

• Alpaca products are very hard wearing.

The market for alpaca fleece.

Niche market with limited volume selling raw and washedfleece to hand spinners and crafters.

Expanding UK and European market in sorted fleece inbulk for numerous textile and craft operations. Rangingfrom high quality fleece to all rough fibre which is used forcarpet and stuffing for duvets and pillows.

Vibrant and expanding UK and international market in thesale of high quality yarns to knitters.

Alpaca worldwide is an exclusive niche product in thetextile industry. The demand for alpaca of the highestquality and high volumes of coarser alpaca is growingyear on year as the UK and European markets gathermomentum.

British Alpaca Society.

• Membership is approximately 1400 and is split into

regional groups.

• The Society is involved in the following activities:

• Administration of a world class pedigree breed

register.

• Health and Welfare.

• Education and Training.

• Shows; trade and show classes.

• Produce a quarterly magazine and regular

newsletter.

• Fibre research and development.

• All facets of marketing and promotion.

Commercial opportunities.

• Income streams:

Sale of breeding males and females:

• New breeders

• Existing breeders

• UK and export

Sale of castrated males:

• Pets

• Trekking

• Sheep and chicken guards

Sale of fibre:

• Raw

• Value added.

Commercial opportunities cont.

Income streams:

Additional attraction at holiday parks

and animal zoos.

Courses:

• Alpaca husbandry/quality.

• Fibre spinning and craft.

Lifestyle.• Alpacas are easy to keep with little maintenance required.

• Many agricultural shows have alpaca classes and there

are stand alone alpaca shows.

• There is no slaughter involved in order to create an

income.

• The British Alpaca Society is a friendly organisation and

there are many education and training workshops

available at a regional level.

• Alpacas are inquisitive creatures that enjoy human

contact.

• Alpaca farming qualifies for agricultural planning

permission.

Challenges for the UK Alpaca industry.

• To increase the number of alpacas in the UK to produce

commercial quantities of fibre.

• Breed up the quality of the alpacas to make them:

• Grow a finer, denser and longer fleece.

• Breed more predictable progeny.

• Increase growth rate and lower maturation and

weaning times.

• Improve conformation for production longevity.

Summary.• The alpaca industry outside South America is recreating what the Australian’s did with

the Merino sheep when it was imported from Spain over 200 years ago. Merino sheep

farming now provide over A$2.5b to the Australian economy.

• After a ten year government funded feasibility study into alpaca farming, China has

recently announced that they are aiming towards a national herd of 6 million alpacas.

• Market for British breeders continues to grow in the UK, Europe, Russia and Middle

East.

• Peru will no longer allow exports of live alpacas. Chile and Bolivia have very low

numbers and, matched with the high air freight cost of importing from Australasia, this

means that European breeders are looking to the UK for breeding stock.

• First and foremost, the UK is a stud stock industry and breeders will make money from

selling stock for some time before we have enough alpacas to satisfy demand for fibre.

This is in contrast to some alternative farming enterprises that haven’t focused on the

end product until they had gone through boom and bust cycles. The alpaca industry is

very aware that for its long term success alpaca must produce a viable and profitable

end product. We are committed to becoming a fibre industry.

Please come and visit the alpacas on Stand F11

and receive free alpaca information and a list of alpaca breeders

in your local area.

Thank you for listening.

The British Alpaca Society

www.bas-uk.com