Desperate bid to save rare breeds

4 April 2001



Desperate bid to save rare breeds

By Jeremy Hunt, north-west correspondent

A 60,000 gene bank has been set up in an effort to preserve valuable genetics from threatened flocks of hefted Herdwick sheep in the Lake District

The Heritage Gene Bank and Herdwick Trust aim to collect semen, eggs and embryos from Herdwick sheep under threat because of foot-and-mouth disease.

Some 95% of Herdwick replacements have been slaughtered in some areas. The trust aims to establish the UKs first gene bank for all British breeds.

A donation of 30,000 was made by the Garfield Weston Foundation – a charitable trust – and matched by Ministry of Agriculture .

Prof Diana Bowles of Leeds University – and herself a breeder of Herdwick sheep – has been the driving force behind the scheme.

Leading Herdwick breeders have been working with breeding specialists and Lake District vets to select stock of the breeds most important bloodlines.

But the job threatens to be difficult.

“This is the worst possible time of year to be involved in this sort of work with seasonal breeding animals,” said Prof Bowles.

“It will take 21 days before we can attempt embryo retrieval from hoggs that begin super-ovulation treatment this week.”

Herdwick breeder Andrew Nicholson of High Lorton, Cockermouth, has been closely involved with the setting up of the scheme.

Semen was taken from 11 Herdwick tups from his own flock early this week.

“Herdwick flocks are still under threat, but the gene bank scheme is a life-line for the breed if the worst happens,” said Mr Nicholson.