Rare Breeds Survival Trust

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) is a conservation charity,^[1] whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the United Kingdom’s native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR). It was founded in 1973 to preserve native breeds, and since then no UK-native breed has become extinct.

It maintains a watch list of the United Kingdom's rarest breeds of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, goats and poultry,^[2] and an approved list of farm parks.^[3]

Projects have included the collection of genetic material to ensure the future of rare breeds in a farm animal "gene bank". This project received publicity in the wake of the foot-and-mouth disease crisis in the UK and was supported by the Prince of Wales.^[4]

RBST supports the marketing of meat from rare breeds through the Traditional Breeds Meat Marketing Company, founded in 2003.

Designated breeds

Cattle

Critical:

• Aberdeen Angus (Op)
• Chillingham Cattle
• Northern Dairy Shorthorn
• Vaynol
• Whitebred Shorthorn

Endangered:

• N/A

Vulnerable:

• Lincoln Red

At Risk:

• Gloucester
• Shetland
• Irish Moiled

Minority:

• Hereford
• White Park

Other Native Breeds:

• British White
• Ayrshire cattle
• Beef Shorthorn
• Belted Galloway
• Devon
• Galloway
• Guernsey
• Hereford
• Highland
• Jersey
• Longhorn
• Luing cattle
• Red Poll
• Shorthorn
• South Devon
• Sussex
• Welsh Black

Sheep

Critical:

• Boreray

Endangered:

• Leicester Longwool
• North Ronaldsay

Vulnerable:

• Castlemilk Moorit
• Devon and Cornwall Longwool
• Hill Radnor
• Teeswater
• Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep

At Risk:

• Lincoln Longwool
• Manx Loaghtan
• Norfolk Horn
• Oxford Down
• Portland
• Soay
• Wensleydale
• Whiteface Dartmoor
• Whitefaced Woodland

Minority:

• Cotswold sheep
• Dorset Down
• Dorset Horn
• Greyface Dartmoor
• Shropshire

• Other Native Breeds: Badgerface Welsh, Beulah, Black Welsh Mountain, Scottish Blackface, Bluefaced Leicester, Border Leicester, Brecknock Hill, Cheviot, Clun Forest, Dalesbred, Derbyshire Gritstone, Devon Closewool, Exmoor Horn, Hampshire Down, Hebridean, Herdwick, Jacob, Kerry Hill, Llandovery Whiteface Hill, Llanwenog, Lleyn, Lonk, North Country Cheviot, Romney, Rough Fell, Ryeland, Shetland, Southdown, South Wales Mountain, Suffolk, Swaledale, Welsh Hill Speckled, Welsh Mountain and Wiltshire Horn.

Pigs

Critical:

• N/A

Endangered:

• British Lop
• Middle White

Vulnerable:

• Berkshire
• Large Black
• Tamworth
• Welsh

At Risk:

• British Saddleback

Minority:

• Gloucestershire Old Spots

Other Native Breeds:

• Large White.

Goats

Critical:

• N/A

Endangered:

• Bagot

Vulnerable:

• N/A

At Risk:

• N/A

Minority:

• Golden Guernsey

Horses and ponies

Critical:

• Cleveland Bay
• Eriskay Pony
• Suffolk Punch

Endangered:

• Dales Pony
• Exmoor Pony
• Hackney Horse and Pony

Vulnerable:

• Dartmoor Pony
• Welsh Mountain (section A)

• Semi-Feral Pony

At Risk:

• Clydesdale
• Fell pony
• Highland pony
• Shire horse

Minority:

• N/A

Other Native Breeds:

• New Forest pony
• Shetland pony
• Welsh Pony and Cob

Poultry

Critical:

• Ancona
• Andalusian
• Brussbar
• Campine
• Croad Langshan
• Hamburgh
• Legbar
• Minorca
• Modern Game
• Modern Langshan
• Nankin
• Rhodebar
• Rosecomb
• Spanish
• Sultan
• Sussex (White)
• Welbar

Endangered:

• Marsh Daisy
• Old English Pheasant Fowl
• Old English Game
• Orpington (Non Buff)
• Scots Grey
• Sebright

Vulnerable:

• Cream Legbar
• Derbyshire Redcap
• Indian Game
• Ixworth
• Sussex (Coloured).

At Risk:

• Orpington (Buff)
• Dorking
• Scots Dumpy
• Sussex (Light).

Minority:

• N/A

See also

• Genetic diversity

Similar organizations

• American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC)
• Ark of Taste

References

External links

• Rare Breeds Survival Trust
• Rare Breeds Survival Trust, Registered Charity no. 269442 at the Charity Commission