The Rare Breeds Survival Trust says that two iconic native breeds have come onto its annual Watchlist of rare breeds.

Border Leicester sheep come onto the Watchlist in Category 5 (Minority) and Large White pigs (BPA registered) also come on in Category 5.  Described as ‘the great improver’, the Border Leicester is recognised for its capacity for crossing with other breeds to pass on its traits of prolificacy, milkiness and rapid growth rates.  One possibility for the drop in numbers of registered ewes may be that the breed has fallen victim to its own success, with the focus on crossing masking the fact that the numbers of pure-bred females were dropping.

The Large White, the foundation of most of the modern pig industry, is facing a challenge through the small number of breeders of registered stock with a high percentage of the registered females in just two or three large herds.  Marcus Bates of BPA says:  “If one of those breeders were to drop out, we could see a very serious situation indeed.  Some Large White breeders have been dependent on export markets, but these are extremely volatile.  As the commercial pig industry consolidates into large production companies with vertical integration, the market to supply Large White boars to family-sized farms has disappeared.”

With the Large White and the Border Leicester coming onto the Watchlist, RBST has seen the importance of keeping a watching brief on the UK’s ‘Other Native Breeds’.  Monitoring this category has already identified some breeds that may be close to moving into Watchlist categories. Currently the New Forest pony is close to the threshold and there is some concern that the British White cattle could return to the Watchlist.

There is a success story to report, however, with the move of the Shropshire sheep off the Watchlist into Category 6, Other Native Breeds. The breed has seen a resurgence in its fortunes over the last decade with registered ewe numbers in the UK now close to 4,000 with further increases expected when the 2012 flock returns are completed.

One of the reasons cited for the growth in interest in the breed is its unique ability to graze safely among tree plantations, which has seen Shropshire sheep becoming very popular with Christmas tree growers both in this country and across Europe.  This attribute is also making them increasingly popular with fruit tree growers, which is an emerging market for the sheep in the UK.  With ever-increasing fuel costs and restrictions on the use of pesticides, growers are becoming more interested in alternative methods of weed, herbage and, in some instances, plant disease control, all of which Shropshires can help with.