The breed is known in France as The Rouge de L’Ouest (usually shortened to Rouge) which translates as “The Red of the West”, describing both the skin colour and origin of the sheep.

• The Rouge breed originates mainly from the Loire area in France.
• Renowned for its rich thick milk the Rouge was originally kept as a dairy sheep producing the famous Camembert cheeses.
• French breeders however concentrated on breeding their animals for superior confirmation, whilst retaining prolificacy and milkiness; and these attributes, rarely seen together in one animal, were the primary reason for the breed’s introduction to the British Isles.