The Meatmaster is a modern South African breed of domestic sheep.

[2] The fat-tailed sheep had various advantageous characteristics such as hardiness and suitability for desert life, but was slow to mature, had a poor distribution of fat and lacked the muscling of the hind quarters of European breeds.

The composite breed increased the amount of muscle and had a better distribution of fat but retained the hair (rather than wool) coat and other desirable traits such as resistance to tick-borne diseases and a good flocking instinct.

[4] Meatmasters are fat-tailed hair sheep (meaning they lack wool which requires shearing),[5] come in a diverse array of colors, and may be either horned or polled.

[1] They are now found in all nine provinces of South Africa and are especially valued in the northern bush veld areas.