United Kingdom-Rare breeds of farm animals.

UNITED KINGDOM.Rare Breeds from Britain Buck the Trend

The White Park, the most ancient cattle breed in the British Isles, has seen an increase in numbers bucking the trend of falling cattle figures across England, Wales and Scotland in 2008. In contrast Rare Breeds Survival Trust, RBST, reports that the numbers of registered adult breeding females of the White Park is continuing to increase. A rise which saw them move up a category on this years Watchlist, which monitors and ranks the numbers and vulnerability of native livestock breeds. The White Park is now listed as category 5 Minority with numbers of 750 to 1500 registered breeding cows up from a figure last year of below 750. This increase is even more impressive as it was only in 2005 that the breed was under severe threat listed as category 2 Endangered with less than 250 registered breeding females. All this is good news for the cattle breed whose history dates back to at least the 5th century in parts of Wales, Scotland, Northern England and Ireland. It was also the original ’Sir Loin’ knighted by King James 1 for its delicious succulence and flavour. Certainly the taste of the well-marbled beef has played its part in the cattle’s growing success along with its ability to adapt and thrive in a variety of conditions. A similar rise in numbers, at the end of 2008, has also been recorded for the Traditional Hereford. This is the original breed with bloodlines descended entirely from animals registered in the 1878 Herd Book. It is distinguished from its more modern counterpart, the Hereford, by a shorter legged more compact profile. It is one of the most important cattle breeds in livestock history and it has been exported widely throughout the world. The Traditional Hereford is well known for being an efficient convertor of grassland in to prime beef which combined with easy management has seen its popularity rise. Pat Holloway is a farmer of both breeds and a trustee of RBST. Said Mrs. Holloway, "I have farmed White Parks for over 20 years and Traditional Herefords for 10 years. My cattle have to live out on the army training grounds on Salisbury Plain which can be a difficult environment. But they still thrive there, where other breeds may struggle and they finish on grass without the need for extra and costly feed supplements." Said Chairman of RBST Tim Brigstocke, "RBST was founded in 1973 to stop breeds like the White Park from becoming extinct as we knew they would have a role to play in the future of British farming. Both the White Park and the Traditional Hereford are being increasingly recognised for their meat quality and lower input costs and we expect their popularity to continue to increase". The Watchlist is published each year which monitors the registered adult breeding female numbers and vulnerability of native breeds. In 2009 an additional category of Geographical Concentration was published. It can be found together with much more information on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust at: http://www.rbst.org.uk