Research and analysis

UK breeds at risk list (BAR)

Updated 30 August 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-breeds-at-risk-from-exotic-animal-disease-outbreaks/uk-breeds-at-risk-list-bar

The following lists of native farm animal breeds considered to be at particular risk (in the event of an outbreak of exotic disease) have been determined from the expert advice of the UK Genetics for Livestock and Equines Committee (UKGLE). The criteria for a breed to be included on the lists are available as Annex 1.

These are not closed lists, and if evidence can be provided to support the criteria, the UKGLE Committee will consider further submissions to include additional breeds on the list. Equally, a breed can be removed from the list if it no longer fulfils all criteria.

Lists of breeds at risk are available below for:

The estimated number of pedigree breeding females is provided in brackets.

1. Cattle

Cattle breeds at risk include:

  • British White (1,129)
  • Chillingham (38)
  • Gloucester (313)
  • Guernsey (2,330)
  • Irish Moiled (644)
  • Lincoln Red (2,777)
  • Northern Dairy Shorthorn (141)
  • Red Poll (2,577)
  • Shetland (668)
  • Vaynol (35)
  • White Galloway (185)
  • White Park (670)
  • Whitebred Shorthorn (434)

2. Sheep

Sheep breeds at risk include:

  • Badger Face Welsh (Torwen) (1,431)
  • Balwen (1,000)
  • Border Leicester (1,598)
  • Boreray (446)
  • Cambridge (195)
  • Castlemilk Moorit (868)
  • Clun Forest (1,909)
  • Cotswold (692)
  • Derbyshire Gritstone (1,126)
  • Devon and Cornwall Longwool (716)
  • Devon Closewool (1,949)
  • Dorset Down (1,720)
  • Dorset Horn (1,703)
  • Greyface Dartmoor (2,494)
  • Hill Radnor (744)
  • Leicester Longwool (627)
  • Lincoln Longwool (675)
  • Llanwenog (1,483)
  • Lonk (1,458)
  • Manx Loaghtan (763)
  • Norfolk Horn (1,031)
  • North Ronaldsay / Orkney (475)
  • Oxford Down (1,223)
  • Portland (1,122)
  • Shetland Mainland (2,818)
  • Shropshire (2,971)
  • Soay (965)
  • Teeswater (899)
  • Wensleydale (1,058)
  • White Face Dartmoor (2,260)
  • Whitefaced Woodland (361)
  • Wiltshire Horn (2,943)

In addition, the following sheep breeds are recognised to be geographically concentrated [footnote 1]. These breeds are not currently included on the breeds at risk lists but would be expected to be added if the number of breeding females fell below the numerical thresholds given in the criteria:

  • Brecknock Hill Cheviot
  • Dalesbred
  • Exmoor Horn
  • Herdwick
  • Romney
  • Rough Fell
  • Shetland Island
  • South Country Cheviot
  • South Wales Mountain (Nelson type)
  • Welsh Hill Speckled Face

3. Goats

Goat breeds at risk include:

  • Bagot (556)
  • Cheviot (feral) (642 – 2021 data)
  • Golden Guernsey (1,902)
  • Old English Goats (17)
  • Saanen (232)
  • Toggenburg (341)

4. Pigs

Pig breeds at risk include:

  • Berkshire (288)
  • British Landrace (111)
  • British Lop (209)
  • British Saddleback (347)
  • Gloucestershire Old Spots (472)
  • Large Black (292)
  • Large White (257)
  • Middle White (307)
  • Oxford Sandy and Black (356)
  • Tamworth (239)
  • Welsh (296)

5. Equines

Equine breeds at risk include:

  • British Percheron
  • Cleveland Bay Horse
  • Clydesdale Horse
  • Dales Pony
  • Dartmoor Pony
  • Dartmoor Hill Pony
  • Eriskay Pony
  • Exmoor Pony
  • Fell Pony
  • Hackney
  • Highland Pony
  • New Forest Pony
  • Shire Horse
  • Suffolk

6. Poultry

Poultry breeds at risk include:

6.1 Chickens

  • Andalusian
  • Australorp (large fowl)
  • Brussbar
  • Burmese
  • Campine
  • Cochins
  • Cream Legbar
  • Croad Langshan
  • Dorbar
  • Dorking
  • Faverolle
  • Ixworth
  • Lincolnshire Buff (bantam)
  • Lincolnshire Buff (large fowl)
  • Marsh Daisy
  • Modern Langshan
  • Nankin
  • Norfolk Grey
  • North Holland Blue
  • Old English Pheasant Fowl
  • Rumpless Game
  • Scots Dumpy (bantam)
  • Scots Dumpy (large fowl)
  • Sebright
  • Sicilian Buttercup
  • Spanish
  • Sultan
  • Welbar
  • Wybar

6.2 Ducks

  • Abacot Ranger
  • Aylesbury
  • Cayuga
  • Orpington
  • Pekin
  • Rouen
  • Shetland Duck

6.3 Geese

  • Brecon Buff
  • Buff Back
  • Chinese
  • Embden
  • Greyback
  • Pilgrim
  • Roman
  • Sebastpool
  • Shetland
  • Steinbacher
  • Toulouse (British standard)
  • West of England

6.4 Turkeys

  • Blue
  • Bourbon Red
  • British White
  • Bronze
  • Buff
  • Crollwitzer
  • Harvey Speckled
  • Narragansett
  • Norfolk Black
  • Slate

7. Annex to the BAR list for breeds in transition to native status

Following a decision by the UKGLE Committee, it has been agreed to extend the Breed at Risk List to include those breeds that are working towards native breed status but are yet to meet the full requirement.

In the event of an outbreak of an exotic disease, these breeds would be reviewed by APHA on a case by case basis for potential derogation from culling.

Breeds can be recorded as “in transition to native status” if they supply sufficient evidence to support their status (an application form can be requested from ukglesecretariat@defra.gov.uk). They must also ensure that they have a contingency plan in place to be considered for derogation from culling.

7.1 Breeds in transition to native status

  • Riggit Galloway
  • English Goat (eligible to apply for native status in 2032)

8. The criteria for eligibility to the UK Breeds at Risk Lists

For a breed to be included on the UK list of breeds considered to be at particular risk in the event of an outbreak of exotic disease it must:

  • be a native breed, as defined below
  • be eligible for inclusion in the UK National Breed Inventory, as defined below
  • have a population of registered breeding females below the thresholds shown in Table 1

8.1 Definition of a breed for the purpose of the UK National Breed Inventory

A livestock breed, in the UK context, is an interbreeding population of husbanded or formerly husbanded domesticated animals of consistent genotype and phenotype with a recognised history and administrative framework.

Within a given breed it is not appropriate to split that breed on the basis of minor trait differences. Therefore, separate breed recognition will not be granted for sub-populations of the same breed where different phenotypes are attributable to a single or minor trait difference. For example, different coat or fleece colours or patterns, polled vs. horned. It is a matter for individual breed societies to decide whether or not they wish to register such different phenotypes as separate sub-populations within their breeding book.

8.2 Eligibility of a “breed” for inclusion in the UK National Breed Inventory

To be included in the UK National Breed Inventory a breed should satisfy both of the following conditions:

  • it fulfils, or potentially fulfils, a role in the rural economy. This condition may be satisfied by evidence that the breed has been, at some time in the past, viable in numbers that exceed criteria for being at risk by UN FAO standards
  • less than 10% of the aggregate genetic contributions to the population over the last 4 generations are derived from other resources distinct from foreign herd books recognised as representing the same breed

8.3 Definition of a “native breed”

For a breed to be considered native, the breed should satisfy all of the following criteria:

  • the breed satisfies the criteria for inclusion in the UK National Breed Inventory described above
  • breed history documents the breed origin within the UK (including from an amalgamation of native breeds) and the UK has formed the primary environment for the development of the breed
  • breed history documents its presence in the UK in its current adapted form for 40 years or 6 generations, whichever is the longer period of time
  • not more than 20% of the genetic contributions come from animals born outside the UK (other than those imported for an approved conservation project) in any one generation for the last 40 years or 6 generations, whichever is the longer period of time

Table 1 – Thresholds for number of registered breeding females in UK population

Species Thresholds for population of registered breeding females **
Cattle < 3,000
Equines < 3,000
Goats < 3,000
Pigs < 1,500
Sheep < 3,000
Poultry <1,000

** Thresholds may be increased when less than 80% of the registered breeding females are being used for pedigree pure breeding based on herdbook statistics.

Population can be calculated as follows:

  • by census – for a census to be accepted it must cover 80% of the herds and 80% of expected population based on registration statistics. The multipliers are already agreed and published
  • by registration statistics – this must be herdbook statistics which will then be used with a multiplier to calculate the population

8.4 Important

The breed must have a recognised breed society with whom Defra can communicate.

The breed society must submit Census or registration statistics to Defra annually for publication in the national inventory and on request.

An up to date list of breeders with registered pedigree stock must be maintained and be available in the event of a disease outbreak.

A breed which has exceeded the threshold and maintained an increasing or stable population for three years will be removed.

A breed which has been over the threshold for 5 years will be removed from the list.

Breeds should continue to submit annual data even if they are removed from the list if they wish to be reconsidered for inclusion when circumstances change.

A breed which has been below the threshold for one year will be re-instated to the list.

8.5 Further information

Further information on some of the definitions used in the criteria is available.

  1. For a definition of “geographically isolated”, please see the Definition of a breed for the purpose of the UK National Breed Inventory. ↩

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