Merino d'Arles sheep are renowned for their quality wool, which is much more interesting than traditional wool.
Would you like to learn more about this high-quality wool? Discover without further delay the origin and characteristics of the Arles Merino breed as well as the benefits of merino wool.
Origin of the Arles Merino breed
The Arles Merino breed is a breed of sheep that appeared in the 19th century in the South-East of France. It is a breed of sheep resulting from crosses between local fine-wool ewes and Merino rams from Spain, via the imperial sheepfold of Arles.
From 1804, this sheepfold, by imitating the model of the national sheepfold of Rambouillet, greatly contributed to spreading this Merino breed within the region.
By crossing local ewes with merino rams, known for their wool production in quantity and quality, breeders sought to improve the wool performance of the region's ewes.
The Arles Merino Breeders' Union was created in 1921 and the breed, until then called a crossbreed, was named Merino d'Arles. In 1928, the selection of the Merino breed was entrusted to the Domaine du Merle, which from 1955 to 1988 hosted a nursery herd of 150 to 190 rams that were rented to breeders in the region.
The Merino d'Arles breed is mainly concentrated in the South Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, which accounts for 90% of the population, and particularly in the Crau plain in the Bouches-du-Rhône, where there are around 120,000 of the 250,000 ewes in the breed. Locally, this breed is still called “métisse”.
What are the characteristics of the Arles Merino breed?
The Arles Merino breed is a rustic, small-sized sheep breed:
- 60 kg for 65 to 70 cm for the ewe;
- 70-90 kg for 80 to 100 cm for the ram.
In ewes and rams of the Arles Merino breed, the head is broad and equipped (banard) or not (motte).
Males have large horns of triangular section, finely striated and regularly spiraled. They also have a slightly arched and wrinkled muzzle.
The wool of the Arles Merino breed is white and uniform in color, with a very sprawling and thick fleece covering the forehead and jowls as well as the entire body down to the hooves.
The head is styled a little below the eyes. The locks are fine, long, flexible, strong and strongly wavy.
The average weight of the fleeces is 2.5 kg for ewes, 5.5 kg for rams. Arles Merino wool is the finest in Europe: 21.5 microns on average and it is one of the most puffy in the world. The washing yield is low, around 41%.
Very high quality, the fleece of the Arles Merino breed allows them to benefit from a natural barrier against climatic aggressions in the mountains (rain, cold, heatwave).
Very hardy, the Arles Merino breed is capable of walking long distances to find its food, especially in mountain pastures. It tolerates qualitative and quantitative variations in daily ration thanks to a good capacity to mobilize its body fat reserves, especially at certain times of the year (end of winter to mid-April).
In addition, the Arles Merino breed is known for its herd instinct, its very maternal behavior and its ability to become pregnant during all seasons of the year.
All these qualities make the Arles Merino breed the emblem of the great transhumance.
Breeding systems and production type of the Arles Merino breed
Livestock systems
The Merino d'Arles breed, like the Mourerous breed and the Préalpes du Sud breed, are adapted to Mediterranean pastoral breeding systems, characterized by:
- Feeding systems whose pastoral component is more or less marked, depending on the availability of the main types of resources that the herd grazes during the year. Without forgetting the frequent practice of transhumance;
- A relatively extensive breeding management, which is based primarily on one or two lambing periods per year, in the seasons when the grass grows, spring and autumn, more rarely in winter to adapt to the demands of the lamb market;
- From the methods of raising lambs and the types of products that vary, from lambs produced in the sheepfold, finished for the butcher's shop, more or less heavy... to lambs produced on grass, such as tardons or runners, more or less finished, for the butcher's shop or fattening. Not forgetting the production and sale of ewe lambs for breeding.
The Arles Merino is very strongly associated with transhumant systems with two calving periods:
- A main one in the fall when returning from the mountain pastures;
- And one in the spring.
Depending on the available grass resources and the proximity of the consumption areas, the lambs produced are of the following types:
- Runners (Crau plain);
- Or sheepfold (pre-Alpine and mountain area).
Crossbreeding ewes with rams of meat breeds such as Ile de France is widely used to improve the conformation and growth rate of lambs produced under the official quality label.
Wool production
Until 2015, wool prices were very low and did not allow for the payment of the
shearer some years. Since then, the market has started to rise again. Consumers are turning to natural products and direct sales channels are developing. Breeders, increasingly numerous, are individually or collectively setting up projects to promote the wool they produce.
The wool from the high-quality Arles Merino breed is used to produce:
- Second skin clothing (jackets, sweaters);
- Accessories (scarves, hats, socks);
- Or more classically, knitting wools.
The association Collectif pour la promotion du Mérinos d'Arles (CPMA), created in 2018, works on promoting the breed's products and more particularly its wool, notably through the development of technical hiking clothing.
What are the benefits of Merino Wool?
Merino Wool is a 100% natural wool which has many significant advantages:
- It regulates body temperature;
- She is sweet and pleasant;
- It is sustainable and renewable;
- It neutralizes odors;
- It dries quickly;
- She is resistant;
- It washes easily.
Merino wool regulates body temperature
The first advantage of merino wool is that it is very effective both in winter and in summer because it regulates body temperature.
In fact, they will allow us to stay warm in winter and cool down in summer.
Merino wool fibers have the property of capturing a large amount of air between each of them to provide perfect thermal insulation. This layer of air acts as an insulating layer that protects us from heat and cold.
Merino wool also has an evaporative cooling property. As a result, it helps to cool down in summer. In fact, merino wool has the ability to absorb up to 35% of its own weight in moisture. The fibers store moisture from the skin and release it when the ambient air is warm. This way, the cold is evacuated and you feel a feeling of freshness on the skin.
Merino wool is soft and pleasant
Merino wool has soft and fine fibers. They bend when in contact with the skin and are therefore not unpleasant. Unlike a classic wool sweater, a wool sweater made with merino wool will not itch and will be comfortable to wear.
Merino Wool is renewable and biodegradable
Merino Wool is a 100% natural and ecological wool. Merino sheep are sheared once or twice a year depending on their breed and their coat grows back naturally.
Moreover, removing wool from a sheep is painless for the sheep and can therefore be done without any worries.
Additionally, merino wool is known to be 100% biodegradable.
Merino Wool neutralizes odors
This is a very interesting advantage of merino wool. It helps neutralize odors.
Since moisture is directly absorbed by the fibers, there is less sweat on our skin.
In addition, the structure of the fiber, in squares, prevents bacteria (often responsible for bad odors) from proliferating and the Keratin present in the fibers helps destroy bacteria. Wool is in fact known for being anti-bacterial.
It is then not necessary to wash your merino wool garment after each use. Airing it will be more than enough. There will be no unpleasant odor because merino wool has the ability to not retain any body odor.
Merino wool dries quickly
Merino wool has a remarkable property that allows it to absorb up to 35% of its own weight in moisture. This means that the core of the fibre is moist but the surface of the garment remains dry.
Merino wool also allows absorbed moisture to be quickly wicked away. As a result, it dries quickly and allows you to always remain comfortable in all situations.
Merino Wool is strong and durable
Merino Wool is strong and therefore durable. Its fibers are long. There are therefore fewer “fiber ends” and therefore less risk of them breaking at the joint between two strands of fibers.
In addition, merino wool fibers are very stretchy. They are crimped. As a result, they withstand pressure better and can stretch up to 30% of their length without breaking. A merino wool fiber can bend 20,000 times without breaking!
Merino wool is easy to wash
Washing a garment made with merino wool will not be complicated. Dirt does not become embedded and remains on the surface of the wool.
A cold machine wash at 30° or 40° will be more than sufficient.
We still advise you to pay attention to the washing instructions on the label inside your merino wool garment.
Baie des Caps wool products made with the Arles Merino breed
Faced with the advantages of this renowned and highly sought-after French wool, BAIE DES CAPS, artisan of the genuine sailor's sweater, has integrated it into its production and is today proud to offer you 2 models of sailor's sweaters knitted and assembled in France.
Baie des Caps then offers you a model of men's sailor sweater in 100% merino wool as well as a model of women's sailor sweater in 100% merino wool .
An exceptional result, for an exceptional product: elbow patches with black Ermine patterns on an ecru background, to recall its origin of manufacture: Brittany.
Like all our Baie des Caps sweaters, we knit these models with a tight knit, which makes them warm and ensures excellent durability over time.
Our two models have:
- A round collar with buttoning on the left shoulder;
- Metal buttons, engraved with anchor;
- Tubular ribbing at the cuffs and waist;
- Ecru elbow patches, with ermine motifs;
- And a fitted cut.
