UK breeds under threat
THE UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has elevated all native poultry breeds to the ‘Priority’ category on its latest Watchlist due to the severe threat posed by avian influenza, which has led to significant declines in both kept poultry and wild bird populations since 2021.
The charity reports that bird flu has also caused a reduction in active poultry breeding programmes across the UK. This update includes seven of the UK’s 11 native pig breeds, which continue to face major challenges, as proven by the ‘At Risk’ Welsh pig breed’s drop from 457 sows in 2020 to 296 in 2023.
The Watchlist is a tool used by the RBST to track the status of UK’s rare and native livestock breeds, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, poultry, and equines, focusing on their genetic diversity and the number of breeding females registered.
RBST chief executive, Christopher Price, highlighted the impacts of avian flu outbreaks and rising costs of animal feed and husbandry on the conservation eorts.
Meanwhile, RBST trustee Tom Davis put emphasis on the di¨culties in collecting comprehensive data on rare breed poultry, crucial for directing conservation
eorts, and called for more public engagement in keeping and conserving these endangered breeds.
On a positive note, the RBST Watchlist also recorded some successes, such as the Greyface Dartmoor sheep, a southwest longwool breed which has seen a 155% increase in flocks since 2009 and is no longer categorised as ‘rare’.