Organisation

The Sheep Trust is directed by a Board of Trustees of six internationally recognised senior scientists and vets with expertise of direct relevance to issues of UK sheep breeding, conservation and sustainability. The Trust has been set up as a registered charitable company limited by guarantees, registration number 4284999 whose registered office is at the University of York, Department of Biology (Area 8), University of York, York, YO10 5DD. Charity Number 1094514.
  

Professor Dianna Bowles first established the Heritage GeneBank during the FMD crisis of 2001. She holds the Chair of Biochemistry at the University of York and chairs the Board of Trustees.

Ros Harwood of Dickinson Dees is lawyer to The Sheep Trust

The company secretary is Duncan Rotherham.

Emergency work to establish gene banks of endangered sheep breeds at threat of extinction from FMD was sponsored by The Garfield Weston Foundation. Their immediate support in response to a plea for help, enabling veterinary specialists to go into the field within a week for the essential germplasm collections, led to offers of matching support from the UK Government: (MAFF) DEFRA and The Countryside Agency, together with The Gatsby Charitable Foundation. Additional support from The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Countryside Agency and The Drapers' Company enabled the Initiative to continue.

Initiatives are in planning for new programmes to support sheep conservation and sustainability: Applications are being made to UK Government and other national and international agencies for funding to support these science-based projects.