Decline in registered Rare Breeds
Photo: Mumbley's Farmhouse
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has warned that decreases in the number of registered adult breeding females in a number of breeds that they monitor could be worse than first appearances suggest. The Trust has recently published its Watchlist 2012, but its three year averages mean that underlying trends can go undetected for extended periods of time before the full effect of their presence is felt. As the financial downturn only started to be reflected in last year's figures, the worst effects of the Recession has yet to be accurately communicated by the statistics.
“People who thought they could weather the financial storm and maintain the numbers of animals that they keep, breed and register may be starting to think again,” explained RBST operations director Ian Nutt.
The Trust has also announced the expansion of its Poultry Breeds At Risk List and the addition of two new breeds to its Livestock List. The Oxford Sandy And Blacks breed of pig and Dairy Shorthorn (Original Population) cattle are now both eligible to benefit from the RBST's conservation efforts.
To be included in a Watchlist, 25 years of registered data and supporting documents must be available for scrutiny. The registered adult breeding female numbers and vulnerability of over 90 native breeds are detailed in the annual Watchlist.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
