The Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) status of the sheep flock at the Ontario Sheep Research Centre  (formerly known as the Ponsonby Sheep Facility) makes it unique. It is one of the highest-level of pathogen-free sheep flocks in North America. The facility is owned by Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario and managed by U of G through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.

The facility is closed to any animals coming in, and once an animal leaves, it cannot return. The flock is routinely tested to maintain this superior health status. This facility has an average of 250 ewes and replacements, 20 rams, and an annual production of more than 300 lambs. The breeding flock is managed under the Cornell Star system resulting in a birth cycle producing lambs five times throughout the year.

The sheep facility includes a high perimeter security fence around the buildings, and four fenced paddocks with field shelters. The main facility has five indoor pens, an isolation facility, a basic procedure room, a dormitory and a laboratory for sample processing.

Research areas and outcomes

The Ontario Sheep Research Centre maintains a unique high-health breeding flock used for important research such as reproductive technologies, immune response, disease resistance, animal health and production. See current research at the Ontario Sheep Research Centre [1].