Sheep — Old Varieties

An article in Farminguk.com states that Gateshead Council is using rare breed animals to help restore a wildflower meadow.

Rare breed Hebridean sheep and longhorn cattle from Bill Quay Community Farm have been used to graze land over winter to help put the magic back into a wildflower meadow at Wardley.

Intensive agriculture and forestry over many years has seen a huge decline in wildflower meadows and the insects and animals that frequent them. This is already changing in Wardley thanks to Bill Quay Farm’s furry friends.

Livestock grazing allows wild flowers to prosper, benefiting a wide range of insects and other animals. This form of management has encouraged breeding skylarks to return to the site.

The improvements to the Wardley meadow play a significant part in the implementation of the Durham Biodiversity Action Plan, which Gateshead Council has supported for many years as part of the Durham Biodiversity Partnership. The action plan exists to help threatened species and habitats and one part of this involves the restoration of flower rich grasslands.

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In 1973 The Rare Breeds Survival Trust was founded to save the UK’s native breeds and since then no breed has become extinct.

RBST is the UK’s only charity dedicated to conserving Britain’s native farm livestock.

Throughout the world, it is claimed that one breed of farm animal becomes extinct every month. RBST is working to make sure that this does not happen in the UK.

Between 1900 and 1973 the UK lost 26 native breeds of livestock, in addition to many varieties of poultry. Breeds with evocative names such as the Goonhilly ponies, Somerset Sheeted cattle, Lincolnshire Curly Coated pigs, and Limestone sheep, have all gone.

Rare Breeds Watch List

The Rare Breeds Trust Watchlist contains all native UK breeds of cattle, goats, horses, pigs, poultry and sheep. Conservation criteria determine into which category breeds are listed.

Rare Breeds at Risk Register

The EU places a responsibility on member countries to establish a list of holdings where animals are kept for the purposes related to the conservation of rare breeds, so that they may benefit from any special measures that may apply at the time of an FMD.

This applies to cattle, sheep, pigs and goats

Find out more about the Rare Breeds at Risk Register.

More information

Rare Breeds Survival Trust