Preserving Breeds of Livestock

Enlarge Image Image Gallery A Welsh mountain badger-faced ewe with her full fleece.

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We preserve our old tractors, so why not preserve our old breeds of livestock too? Here in the British Isles we have some very old breeds of livestock, some of which are becoming so rare that they are in serious danger of being lost altogether. It’s not just livestock either; varieties of fruit and vegetables once popular have become lost in the mists of time.
Sometimes, sadly, things become endangered or extinct because they weren’t that good in the first place. Some old-fashioned breeds of farmyard animals didn’t breed easily, for instance, or didn’t have good mothering instincts. But more often it is a matter of fashion. There might be a trend for larger cuts of beef, sheep that produce white wool or even for apples that have a red skin instead of green.

Protecting native breeds
Many traditional livestock breeds are now endangered, and in some cases only a handful of examples of the breed remain. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) helps preserve British native breeds and promotes the role these animals play in the conservation of genetic diversity, landscape management and agriculture.
Conservation groups like these also recognize the influence these creatures have on our heritage and cultural identity. After all, these are the animals that fed, clothed and provided an income for our ancestors, often as far back as records exist. According to the RBST, throughout the world one breed of farm animal becomes extinct every month, a shocking statistic.
It is estimated that between 1900 and 1973, Britain lost 26 native breeds of livestock as well as many varieties of poultry. For a small island, that is an awful lot to lose. The Somerset sheeted cattle, the Lincolnshire curly coated pig and the Goonhilly pony are among breeds that have disappeared forever. Among the animals on the RBST’s Critically Endangered List are Vaynol cattle, Boreray sheep and the Suffolk horse. Hopefully, moves have been made in time to secure the future of these very vulnerable breeds.

A link to the past
My passion for all things vintage doesn’t stem from a hatred of the modern world but rather from a desire to remain in touch with the past. I think it is important to hang onto things from the past, not least because they are often charming and beautiful in themselves, but because, on a more practical level, we might learn something from them. And who knows? We might need them one day. Having grown up with very little money I don’t like to see waste, and seeing people discarding anything without very good grounds is, in my book, a big “no no.”
What’s more, an old variety of apple or an old breed of chicken is as much a part of our farming heritage as an old tractor or implement. I think anyone who cares about the preservation of old machinery is also likely to appreciate the value of preserving an old-fashioned breed or variety, especially one that hails from your own home country.

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