United Kingdom-Disease threat to Westcountry Sheep.

THE existence of two of the South West’s sheep breeds, the Exmoor Horn and the Devon Closewool, could be threatened – as each has been identified as being located in too small an area.

Over 75 per cent of their populations are found within a radius of a dozen miles, which makes them highly vulnerable to epidemics such as foot and mouth disease, or bluetongue disease.

That is the conclusion of research undertaken by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and the University of Worcester which also identified two additional breeds from Cumbria, the Rough Fell and the Herdwick, with the same problem.

It is the first time in the UK endangered farm breeds have been formally scientifically classified by geographical concentration rather than on numbers alone.

These four sheep breeds have now been placed on the RBST’s Watchlist, which monitors the most vulnerable of the UK’s farm-animal breeds.

The most at risk of the breeds is the Exmoor Horn, listed by RBST as Category 1 Critical, with 75 per cent of the breed population falling within a radius of seven miles.

The next most concentrated breed is the Rough Fell, found mostly in Cumbria and now placed at Category 2 Endangered, with three-quarters of their population within a radius of seven to ten miles.

Another Cumbrian breed, which is seen on the fells of the Lake District, is the Herdwick, now listed as a Category 3 Vulnerable breed, again with three-quarters of the population within a radius of seven to ten miles.

The fourth sheep to be placed on the Watchlist is the Devon Closewool, at Category 4 At Risk, with 75 per cent of their population within a radius of 10 to 12.5 miles.

Having identified these breeds, the RBST will continue to encourage the keeping of these animals outside their traditional heartlands.

Tim Brigstocke, chairman of the RBST, said: "This research is a breakthrough for conservation work. The RBST has recognised the problems of geographical concentration for a number of years and has encouraged the widespread farming of our native breeds. But we now have clear statistical information which can inform our conservation work of native breeds and make it more effective."

The RBST was established in 1973 as the world’s first national non-governmental organisation created for the genetic conservation of farm-animal genetic resources. During the first seven decades of the 20th century, 26 native breeds of livestock became extinct in Britain. Since the formation of the RBST no native breeds have been lost.

The Watchlist is published each year, monitoring the registered adult breeding female numbers and vulnerability of native breeds.