A Breed Developed for Modern Australian Sheep Production
The UltraWhite breed was developed in 2005 from a simple idea: create a sheep that combined outstanding commercial performance with the practical advantages of an easy-care, wool-shedding breed.
From those beginnings, the breed has continued to evolve through performance recording, genetic improvement and the commitment of registered breeders across Australia.
Today, UltraWhite is recognised as Australia's #1 Performance Shedding Breed and continues to shape the future of Australian sheep production.
The Beginning
UltraWhite was the vision of Dawson Bradford Snr, a prime lamb producer with over 50 years' experience and former Chairman of WAMMCO. Having spent decades working closely with the sheep industry, Dawson recognised an opportunity: producers needed a breed that could deliver genuine commercial performance without the labour demands of traditional wool breeds.
His solution was to cross Poll Dorset ewes with top White Dorper rams - combining the Dorset's strong maternal instinct, high milking ability and fertility with the Dorper's moderate birth weights, hardiness, easy-care and wool-shedding qualities.
Because the breed was built from just two foundation breeds, it stabilised quickly, retaining the structure, muscling and eating quality producers expect, while shedding the labour that comes with traditional wool management. The short tail gene came as an unexpected bonus.
By 2014, the breed had a name: UltraWhite. As more producers saw its potential, what began as a single breeding program grew into a broader movement - with the UltraWhite Sheep Breeders Association formally established in Western Australia in 2017, and adopting its current name, the UltraWhite Sheep Breeders Association of Australia Inc., at its inaugural meeting in 2020.
'UltraWhite' name founded
UltraWhite Sheep Breeders Association of Australia Inc formally established in Western Australia
Inaugural meeting of the UltraWhite Sheep Breeders Association of Australia Inc
Looking Forward
Today, the UltraWhite Sheep Breeders Association Association of Australia Inc continues to build on that original vision through:
Performance Recording
DNA Verification
Progressive breeding standards
Registered breeders across Australia
Ongoing genetic improvement
