Race against time to preserve unique UK sheep breeds
Posted on 3 April 2001
Their objective is to set up a national resource to preserve the unique identities and diversity of UK sheep breeds.
The first target is the Herdwick breed - a speciality sheep, nearly all of which are located in the Lake District. The breed is unique to Britain and is a living national heritage.
Herdwicks are now at risk of extinction, because of infection with FMD and the pre-emptive killing of tens of thousands of Herdwick sheep around infection sites in the Lake District.
Heritage GeneBank is establishing a gene bank of Herdwick germplasm. The Garfield Weston Foundation has generously provided £30,000 to Professor Dianna Bowles at the University of York to spearhead development of the scheme and, most urgently, to protect the Herdwick genetic resource.
MAFF is advising and supporting the scheme and has provided matching funds of £30,000 to enable rapid progress to be made.
Professor Bowles is chairing a group of eminent world-class scientists from the Universities of York, Leeds and the Scottish Agricultural College, who are working closely together with a local advisory network of vets and championship Herdwick breeders in Cumbria.
Heritage GeneBank is being established as a charitable trust, with an advisory committee which will include representatives from major interest groups such as MAFF, the National Trust, the National Sheep Association, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, NFU, as well as additional scientific experts.
The first target of HGB is to protect quality genetic resource of the Herdwick breed. Discussions are in progress with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, as to additional speciality and rare breeds that are coming under increasing threat of extinction from the foot and mouth disease epidemic. Germplasm, in the form of semen and embryos, from these additional breeds will also be conserved and protected within the Heritage GeneBank.
A second charitable trust is being formed as a specialist grouping within HGB's structure: the Herdwick Trust. Ultimately, it is intended that there will be more linked specialist trusts for UK sheep breeds, to ensure continued preservation of the UK genetic biodiversity of sheep.
Those involved include:
- Professor Dianna Bowles, Chair of Biochemistry, Department of Biology, University of York. Tel: 01904-434335; E-mail: djb32@york.ac.uk
- Professor Henry Leese, Chair of Biology, Department of Biology, University of York. E-mail: hjl1@york.ac.uk
- Professor Philip Gilmartin, Chair of Molecular Genetics, University of Leeds. E-mail: phil@bmb.leeds.ac.uk
- Dr Helen Picton, Senior Lecturer in Reproductive Biology, University of Leeds and Scientific Director of Assisted Conception Units, Leeds NHS Trust. E-mail: h.m.picton@leeds.ac.uk
- Professor John Robinson, Scottish Agricultural College, Ferguson Building, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA. E-mail: j.robinson@ab.sac.ac.uk
- Mr James Mylne MRCVS, Britbreed Ltd, 1 Airfield Farm, Conslend, Dalkeith, Midlothian EH22 2PE. E-mail: james@britbreed.co.uk