Alpaca judge Tim Hey’s journey and passion for farming white and black alpacas.
Tim with Irene Allston in Tasmania
Being an alpaca judge is a privilege and a task that I take very seriously and the experience that I gained from my time at Coricancha Alpaca Stud in Victoria, set me up with a wonderful foundation from which to build from. I learned a lot from Philippa and Benoit.
The last one hundred and fifty years have seen the majority of alpaca breeders in Peru selectively breed towards white and fawn. The most recognised and respected breeder of white huacaya and suri alpacas in Peru was of course Don Julio Berrada of Estanca Accoyo near Macusani. His dedication to performance recording and selective breeding set the benchmark for the global alpaca industry and his genetics are still highly regarding. Breeding high quality white alpacas is a challenge that I have taken up and are passionate about. Through the use of careful breeding decisions and strategies developed in Australia we strive to breed elite white pure Accoyo alpacas that have enhanced conformation and fibre qualities along with superior genetic uniformity.
Tim with the Supreme Champions at the 2015 AAA national Show
My passion for breeding white alpacas and becoming an alpaca judge began back in Tasmania where our family farm comprised of quite a few white huacayas. After selectively breeding whites for some years and winning some prestigious awards in Tasmania our family herd grew in numbers and quality. After graduating from University, I had the pleasure of living for six months on a farm owned by one of Australia’s pioneer alpaca breeders Irene and Ken Allston at Inca Alpaca Stud. Irene Allston (pictured left with Tim) was an AAA judge and has successfully bred white, black huacaya and suri for many years, winning major prizes at the Royal Melbourne, Royal Sydney and AAA National Shows. Ken Allston was heavily involved in the formation and rationalisation of the Australian Alpaca Association and was awarded a life membership in the late 1990’s. My passion for white alpaca also extended to my home life where our family stud farmed a good number of white alpacas and were very successful in the show ring (Van Diemen Manco and Somerset Peruvian Highland Lad) and in their production of elite white alpaca fibre. I would like to thank Irene and Ken Allston, along with Philippa and Benoit Ernst from Coricancha Alpaca Stud for sharing their passion with me and also my parents Diane and Robert for their guidance and support through the years.
Accoyo Europe takes great pride in offering clients support and advice from 26 years alpaca farming experience in Australia and the UK. We have taken great care in the selection of our bloodstock to ensure strong uniform genetic lines that will impart desirable characteristics to the progeny. This in turn will ensure our long-term success and that of our clients through minimising breeding risks and developing the sale of high value bloodstock and fibre domestically and into the ever growing European market.
Tim delivering oral reasons for a class at the 2015 AAA National Show
In 2006 Tim qualified as a British Alpaca Society halter and fleece alpaca judge. Tim has judged all over the world with high highlight being the 2015 Australian Alpaca Association National Show where he co-judged over 590 alpacas with Mrs. Karen Caldwell.
Tim Hey is available for being an alpaca judge for halter and fleece classes worldwide. To view Tim’s judging CV please click here