Hi, I’m Cheryl Spramthorne
Job Title: Head of Boar Performance and Genetic Selection
Email: cheryl.spramthorne@borgsharf.co.uk
Phone: 07700 900418
Cheryl Spramthorne is Head of Boar Performance and Genetic Selection at Borgsharf Industries, leading the company’s selective breeding programme with a particular focus on estimated breeding value analysis.
She studied Genetics at the University of Leeds and has spent her career arguing for the primacy of genetic diversity over short-term performance metrics.
Her work in this area was recognised with a British Pig & Poultry Innovation Award in 2023.
Specialism: Selective breeding programmes and EBV analysis in commercial pig genetics
University: University of Leeds, BSc Genetics, 2009
Hometown: Oswestry, Shropshire Award: British Pig & Poultry Innovation
Award — Genetics Category, 2023
Member of: The Genetics Society
Fun Fact: Cheryl restores and plays Victorian-era pedal harmoniums and has performed at seven church harvest festivals in Shropshire using instruments she has personally rebuilt from non-working condition.
Work Ethos: Cheryl believes that genetic diversity in a breeding herd is always preferable to short-term performance gains and that the industry will regret every shortcut it has ever taken in this area