China imports dairy sheep breed from New Zealand

SHIJIAZHUANG, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,600 high-quality New Zealand dairy sheep arrived in Lanzhou City in northwest China by a charter freight plane on Wednesday morning.

After 45 days of quarantine near the Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport, the imported sheep will be transported to Tangshan City, Hebei Province, primarily for the production of fresh milk, milk powder, cheese and yogurt.

This is the first time for China to import the Southern Cross dairy sheep, a breed known for their high milk yields and the quality of their milk, according to New Zealand's Maui Food Group, the breed's developer.

After 13 years of crossbreeding, the latest breed can produce milk up to 240 days per year, and one sheep is able to produce 600 to 700 liters of milk per year, said the group.