Rare breeds could save countryside (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Rare breeds could save countryside

RARE breeds of British farm animals could be the key to saving the countryside, according to Tony Chambers, chairman of the Wiltshire Branch of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Mr Chambers and his wife Wendy, who keep a herd of Hebridean sheep on their smallholding near Monkton Farleigh, are busy lambing this week.

They have had a productive few weeks with several sets of twins born.

Mr Chambers is hoping to stand for the National Council for the RBST this year and thinks there is still a long way to go to secure the future of many of the country's rarest animals.

He said: "For us the biggest benefit of the Hebridean sheep is conservation.

"This is our prime aim at the moment. We have sold sheep to conservation projects all over the country where they are essential because the way they graze means they can clear vegetation faster and in a more eco-friendly way than by using machines.

"Because they are built to be light they also make a lesser impact on the ground. If you put them out in a field of lush new grass they will head straight for the weeds and rougher stuff in the hedges and they're good at clearing out scrub and rubbish.

"This type of grazing in turn saves rare species of plants."

Rare breeds of pig can also be used for grazing.

They can clear the floor of mature woodland of scrub plants, saplings, brambles and bracken in the same way as their wild boar ancestors decades ago.

Another batch of their sheep have been shipped to the Scottish Island of Coll where they are part of a flock used in a Scottish National Trust project preserving grassland.

Between 1900 and 1973, 20 unique breeds of British farm animals became extinct and their diversity lost forever.

Since the RBST was set up in 1973 not a single breed has been lost and many, like the Hebridean sheep, have flourished and are now off the critical list.

The Wiltshire branch of the Trust is trying to raise awareness in schools of the need to preserve these animals and a new book is being stocked in school libraries highlighting the plight of the rare North Ronaldsay sheep.

Known as the Seaweed sheep, the breed evolved in the Orkney Islands and lives on seaweed for most of the year.

Mr and Mrs Chambers also rely on their sheep as a source of meat.

Mr Chambers said: "When we joined the trust it was because we wanted to put something back into the economy and into preserving animal diversity.

"But you can't afford to be sentimental about this. For these rare breeds to survive there has got to be a market for them and it's got to be profitable.

"The Hebridean meat is lower in cholesterol and is a darker meat. People come back to us time and time again because they love the taste.

"In future we have to open the market wider so more people can taste the meat from these breeds and see how delicious it is then we can really sit back and enjoy these rare breeds without worrying so much about the threat of extinction."