A lake sheep dish is cooked during the Lake Sheep Industry High-Quality Development Conference in Huzhou. [Photo/Tide News]

The Lake Sheep Industry High-Quality Development Conference took place in Nanxun district, Huzhou, Zhejiang province, on Dec 27, organized by the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Areas.

Lake sheep, also called huyang, are primarily found in regions around Taihu Lake in Huzhou, as well as in Shanghai and Jiangsu province. They are known for their barn-feeding habits and high reproductive rates, making them an invaluable addition to livestock breeding efforts nationwide.

Nearly a hundred representatives from livestock departments, experts, and key players in sheep production attended the event from across the country to celebrate the renowned "Zhejiang sheep".

During the conference, the breeding tool "Huxin No 1" chip was unveiled after two years of development. This tool achieves an accuracy of over 99.9 percent in detecting the production performance of lake sheep and enables selection and breeding within 1 to 3 days after a lamb's birth, significantly expediting the breeding process.

Huzhou currently hosts 18 large-scale sheep farms boasting over 10,000 sheep and two deep processing enterprises, with nearly 1 million lake sheep in total. Nanxun district has pioneered a full process mechanized and digitized breeding model for lake sheep, establishing the province's first complete lake sheep industrial chain.

The event also witnessed the launch of the Zhejiang Agriculture Code for lake sheep, ensuring the transparency of breeding permits, identity pedigrees, and production processes.

Additionally, the conference announced 10 lake sheep full industrial chain investment projects for 2025 and introduced 10 lake sheep food routes across the province.